734 research outputs found
A possible optical counterpart to the old nearby pulsar J0108-1431
The multi-wavelength study of old (>100 Myr) radio pulsars holds the key to
understanding the long-term evolution of neutron stars, including the advanced
stages of neutron star cooling and the evolution of the magnetosphere.
Optical/UV observations are particularly useful for such studies because they
allow one to explore both thermal and non-thermal emission processes. In
particular, studying the optical/UV emission constrains temperature of the bulk
of the neutron star surface, too cold to be measured in X-ray observations.Aim
of this work is to identify the optical counterpart of the very old (166 Myr)
radio pulsar J0108-1431. We have re-analyzed our original VLT observations
(Mignani et al. 2003), where a very faint object was tentatively detected close
to the radio position, near the edge of a field galaxy. We found that the
backward extrapolation of the PSR J0108-1431 proper motion recently measured by
CHANDRA(Pavlov et al. 2008) nicely fits the position of this object. Based on
that, we propose it as a viable candidate for the optical counterpart to PSR
J0108-1431. The object fluxes (U =26.4+/-0.3; B =27.9; V >27.8) are consistent
with a thermal spectrum with a brightness temperature of 9X10^4 K (for R = 13
km at a distance of 130 pc), emitted from the bulk of the neutron star surface.
New optical observations are required to confirm the optical identification of
PSR J0108-1431 and measure its spectrum.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to A&
Is the Fuzziness of GRB970228 constant?
In view of the data gathered in September 1997, we review the flux values
collected so far for the "fuzziness" seen in the optical counterpart of
GRB970228. Comparison between the ground based data collected in March and the
data of September 1997 suggests a fading of the fuzz. Given the diversity of
the data in hand, the magnitude of the effect and its significance are not easy
to quantify. Only new images, both from the ground and with the Space
Telescope, directly comparable to the old ones could settle this problem.Comment: 6 pages, Latex, 6 postscript figures, 1 postscript table Proceedings
of the 4th Huntsville Gammma-Ray Burst Symposiu
Deep VLT infrared observations of X-ray Dim Isolated Neutron Stars
X-ray observations have unveiled the existence of a family of radio-quiet
Isolated Neutron Stars whose X-ray emission is purely thermal, hence dubbed
X-ray Dim Isolated Neutron Stars (XDINSs). While optical observations have
allowed to relate the thermal emission to the neutron star cooling and to build
the neutron star surface thermal map, IR observations are critical to pinpoint
a spectral turnover produced by a so far unseen magnetospheric component, or by
the presence of a fallback disk. The detection of such a turnover can provide
further evidence of a link between this class of isolated neutron stars and the
magnetars, which show a distinctive spectral flattening in the IR.
Here we present the deepest IR observations ever of five XDINSs, which we use
to constrain a spectral turnover in the IR and the presence of a fallback disk.
The data are obtained using the ISAAC instrument at the VLT.
For none of our targets it was possible to identify the IR counterpart down
to limiting magnitudes H = 21.5 - 22.9. Although these limits are the deepest
ever obtained for neutron stars of this class, they are not deep enough to rule
out the existence and the nature of a possible spectral flattening in the IR.
We also derive, by using disk models, the upper limits on the mass inflow rate
in a fallback disk. We find the existence of a putative fallback disk
consistent (although not confirmed) with our observations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted by A&A on 26-06-200
The near-infrared detection of PSR B0540-69 and its nebula
The ~1700 year old PSR B0540-69 in the LMC is considered the twin of the Crab
pulsar because of its similar spin parameters, magnetic field, and energetics.
Its optical spectrum is fit by a power-law, ascribed to synchrotron radiation,
like for the young Crab and Vela pulsars. nIR observations, never performed for
PSR B0540-69, are crucial to determine whether the optical power-law spectrum
extends to longer wavelengths or a new break occurs, like it happens for both
the Crab and Vela pulsars in the mIR, hinting at an even more complex particle
energy and density distribution in the pulsar magnetosphere. We observed PSR
B0540-69 in the J, H, and Ks bands with the VLT to detect it, for the first
time, in the nIR and characterise its optical-to-nIR spectrum. To disentangle
the pulsar emission from that of its pulsar wind nebula (PWN), we obtained
high-spatial resolution adaptive optics images with NACO. We could clearly
identify PSR B0540-69 in our J, H, and Ks-band images and measure its flux
(J=20.14, H=19.33, Ks=18.55, with an overall error of +/- 0.1 magnitudes in
each band). The joint fit to the available optical and nIR photometry with a
power-law spectrum gives a spectral index alpha=0.70 +/-0.04. The comparison
between our NACO images and HST optical ones does not reveal any apparent
difference in the PWN morphology as a function of wavelength. The PWN
optical-to-nIR spectrum is also fit by a single power-law, with spectral index
alpha=0.56+/- 0.03, slightly flatter than the pulsar's. Using NACO at the VLT,
we obtained the first detection of PSR B0540-69 and its PWN in the nIR. Due to
the small angular scale of the PWN (~4") only the spatial resolution of the
JWST will make it possible to extend the study of the pulsar and PWN spectrum
towards the mid-IR.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication on Astronomy and
Astrophysic
HST and VLT observations of the neutron star 1E 1207.4-5209
1E 1207.4-5209, the peculiar Central Compact object in the G296.5+10.0
supernova remnant, has been proposed to be an "anti-magnetar" - a young neutron
star born with a weak dipole field. Accretion, possibly of supernova fallback
material, has also been invoked to explain a large surface temperature
anisotropy as well as the generation of peculiar cyclotron absorption features
superimposed to its thermal spectrum. Interestingly enough, a faint
optical/infrared source was proposed as a possible counterpart to 1E
1207.4-5209, but later questioned, based on coarse positional coincidence.
Considering the large offset of 1E 1207.4-5209 with respect to the center of
its host supernova remnant, the source should move at ~70 mas/yr. Thus, we
tested the association by measuring the proper motion of the proposed optical
counterpart. Using HST observations spanning 3.75 years, we computed a 3 sigma
upper limit of 7 mas/yr. Absolute astrometry on the same HST data set also
places the optical source significantly off the 99% confidence Chandra
position. This allows us to safely rule out the association. Using the HST data
set, coupled to ground-based observations collected at the ESO/VLT, we set the
deepest limits ever obtained to the optical/infrared emission from 1E
1207.4-5209. By combining such limits to the constraints derived from X-ray
timing, we rule out accretion as the source of the thermal anisotropy of the
neutron star.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Neutrons from Piezonuclear Reactions
We report the results obtained by cavitating water solutions of iron salts
(iron chloride and iron nitrate) with different concentrations at different
ultrasound powers. In all cases we detected a neutron radiation well higher
than the background level. The neutron production is perfectly reproducible and
can at some extent be controlled. These evidences for neutron emission
generated by cavitation support some preliminary clues for the possibility of
piezonuclear reactions (namely nuclear reactions induced by pressure and shock
waves) obtained in the last ten years. We have been able for the first time to
state some basic features of such a neutron emission induced by cavitation,
namely: 1) a marked threshold behavior in power, energy and time; 2) its
occurring without a concomitant production of gamma radiation.Comment: 8 figures; we added some more important references; we replaced some
figures with more detailed ones; we added more comprehensive details which
could not be desclosed before as part of private patents which have been
published no
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