39 research outputs found
The 2006 Radio Outburst of a Microquasar Cyg X-3: Observation and Data
We present the results of the multi-frequency observations of radio outburst
of the microquasar Cyg X-3 in February and March 2006 with the Nobeyama 45-m
telescope, the Nobeyama Millimeter Array, and the Yamaguchi 32-m telescope.
Since the prediction of a flare by RATAN-600, the source has been monitored
from Jan 27 (UT) with these radio telescopes. At the eighteenth day after the
quench of the activity, successive flares exceeding 1 Jy were observed
successfully. The time scale of the variability in the active phase is
presumably shorter in higher frequency bands.
We also present the result of a follow-up VLBI observation at 8.4 GHz with
the Japanese VLBI Network (JVN) 2.6 days after the first rise. The VLBI image
exhibits a single core with a size of <8 mas (80 AU). The observed image was
almost stable, although the core showed rapid variation in flux density. No jet
structure was seen at a sensitivity of K.Comment: 17 pages,6 figures; accepted by PAS
Real-time terahertz imaging for art conservation science
A new real-time terahertz imaging system has been developed by using a quantum cascade laser source and a microbolometer focal plane detector array. The application to non-invasive analyses of cultural heritage is demonstrated with an oil paint specimen. The experimental results suggested that the terahertz imaging system can identify materials based on a spectral database with a spatial resolution of about 300 μm. The transmission imaging indicated the difference between natural and artificial ultramarine pigments. Since the size of the system is similar to a common portable infrared camera, it can be used at the place where the object is located, such as museums, and can contribute to conservation activities, such as drying process monitoring. This real-time, small, non-invasive terahertz imaging system can be used in various fundamental research fields and practical industries
The Sensitivity of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array to Individual Sources of Gravitational Waves
We present the sensitivity of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array to gravitational
waves emitted by individual super-massive black-hole binary systems in the
early phases of coalescing at the cores of merged galaxies. Our analysis
includes a detailed study of the effects of fitting a pulsar timing model to
non-white timing residuals. Pulsar timing is sensitive at nanoHertz frequencies
and hence complementary to LIGO and LISA. We place a sky-averaged constraint on
the merger rate of nearby () black-hole binaries in the early phases
of coalescence with a chirp mass of 10^{10}\,\rmn{M}_\odot of less than one
merger every seven years. The prospects for future gravitational-wave astronomy
of this type with the proposed Square Kilometre Array telescope are discussed.Comment: fixed error in equation (4). [13 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, published
in MNRAS
A Shock-Induced Pair of Superbubbles in the High-Redshift Powerful Radio Galaxy MRC 0406-244
We present new optical spectroscopy of the high-redshift powerful radio
galaxy MRC 0406244 at redshift of 2.429. We find that the two extensions
toward NW and SE probed in the rest-frame ultraviolet image are heated mainly
by the nonthermal continuum of the active galactic nucleus. However, each
extension shows a shell-like morphology, suggesting that they are a pair of
superbubbles induced by the superwind activity rather than by the interaction
between the radio jet and the ambient gas clouds. If this is the case, the
intense starburst responsible for the formation of superbubbles could occur
yr ago. On the other hand, the age of the radio jets may
be of the order of yr, being much shorter than the starburst age.
Therefore, the two events, i.e., the starburst and the radio-jet activities,
are independent phenomena. However, their directions of the expanding motions
could be governed by the rotational motion of the gaseous component in the host
galaxy. This idea appears to explain the alignment effect of MRC 0406244.Comment: 4 pages (emulateapj.sty), Fig. 1 (jpeg) + Fig.2 (eps). Accepted for
publications in ApJ (Letters
Shadowing of the Nascent Jet in NGC 4261 by a Line-Emitting Supersonic Accretion Disk
NGC 4261 (3C 270) is a low-luminosity radio galaxy with two symmetric
kiloparsec-scale jets. Earlier Hubble Space Telescope observations indicated
the presence of a hundred-parsec scale disk of cool dust and gas surrounding a
central, supermassive (\sim 4.9\times 10^8\msun) black hole. The recent
detection of free-free radio absorption by a small, geometrically-thin disk,
combined with earlier studies of the disk's large scale properties, provide the
strictest constraints to date on the nature of the accretion process in this
system. We show here that a supersonic disk, illuminated by the active galactic
nucleus (AGN), can not only account for the observed radio shadowing, but can
also produce the optical broad lines emitted from this region. Beyond a
critical radius , line cooling dominates over gravitational dissipation
and the gas is effectively cooled down to temperatures below K. Within
, however, heating due to the release of gravitational energy overwhelms
line cooling and the plasma is heated very quickly to a temperature close to
its virial value as it falls toward the central engine. The disk is
optically-thin to UV and X-ray radiation within , so the ionizing
radiation from the AGN is preferentially absorbed near , affecting the
disk structure significantly. To include the ensuing photoionization effect, we
have used the algorithm Cloudy with additional heating introduced by
gravitational dissipation to calculate the temperature profile and line
emission from the disk in a self-consistent manner. The results of our model
calculation are consistent with current multiwavelength observations of the
disk in this source.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures. To appear in Ap
VLBI Observations of a Complete Sample of Radio Galaxies. 10 Years Later
A complete sample of 27 radio galaxies was selected from the B2 and 3CR
catalogs, in order to study their properties on the milliarcsecond scale. In
the Appendix of this paper we present new radio images for 12 of them. Thanks
to the present data, all the sources in this sample have been imaged at mas
resolution. We discuss the general results. In particular we stress the
evidence for high velocity jets in low power radio galaxies, we compare high
and low power sources, and discuss the source properties in the light of the
unified scheme models. We derive that the properties of parsec scale jets are
similar in sources with different total radio power and kpc scale morphology.
From the core - total radio power correlation, we estimate that relativistic
jets with Lorentz factor in the range 3 - 10 are present in high and
low power radio sources. We discuss also the possible existence of a two
velocity structure in the jets (fast spine and lower velocity external shear
layer).Comment: 38 pages, 18 figures with an Appendix; ApJ in press (vol. 551, Apr.
20, 2001 issue
Menus for Feeding Black Holes
Black holes are the ultimate prisons of the Universe, regions of spacetime
where the enormous gravity prohibits matter or even light to escape to
infinity. Yet, matter falling toward the black holes may shine spectacularly,
generating the strongest source of radiation. These sources provide us with
astrophysical laboratories of extreme physical conditions that cannot be
realized on Earth. This chapter offers a review of the basic menus for feeding
matter onto black holes and discusses their observational implications.Comment: 27 pages. Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Also to
appear in hard cover in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI "The Physics of
Accretion onto Black Holes" (Springer Publisher
Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei: Past, Present and Future Research
This review discusses the current status of supermassive black hole research,
as seen from a purely observational standpoint. Since the early '90s, rapid
technological advances, most notably the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope,
the commissioning of the VLBA and improvements in near-infrared speckle imaging
techniques, have not only given us incontrovertible proof of the existence of
supermassive black holes, but have unveiled fundamental connections between the
mass of the central singularity and the global properties of the host galaxy.
It is thanks to these observations that we are now, for the first time, in a
position to understand the origin, evolution and cosmic relevance of these
fascinating objects.Comment: Invited Review, 114 pages. Because of space requirements, this
version contains low resolution figures. The full resolution version can be
downloaded from http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~lff/publications.htm
Binary and Millisecond Pulsars
We review the main properties, demographics and applications of binary and
millisecond radio pulsars. Our knowledge of these exciting objects has greatly
increased in recent years, mainly due to successful surveys which have brought
the known pulsar population to over 1700. There are now 80 binary and
millisecond pulsars associated with the disk of our Galaxy, and a further 103
pulsars in 24 of the Galactic globular clusters. Recent highlights have been
the discovery of the first ever double pulsar system and a recent flurry of
discoveries in globular clusters, in particular Terzan 5.Comment: 77 pages, 30 figures, available on-line at
http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2005-
Astrophysical Origins of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays
In the first part of this review we discuss the basic observational features
at the end of the cosmic ray energy spectrum. We also present there the main
characteristics of each of the experiments involved in the detection of these
particles. We then briefly discuss the status of the chemical composition and
the distribution of arrival directions of cosmic rays. After that, we examine
the energy losses during propagation, introducing the Greisen-Zaptsepin-Kuzmin
(GZK) cutoff, and discuss the level of confidence with which each experiment
have detected particles beyond the GZK energy limit. In the second part of the
review, we discuss astrophysical environments able to accelerate particles up
to such high energies, including active galactic nuclei, large scale galactic
wind termination shocks, relativistic jets and hot-spots of Fanaroff-Riley
radiogalaxies, pulsars, magnetars, quasar remnants, starbursts, colliding
galaxies, and gamma ray burst fireballs. In the third part of the review we
provide a brief summary of scenarios which try to explain the super-GZK events
with the help of new physics beyond the standard model. In the last section, we
give an overview on neutrino telescopes and existing limits on the energy
spectrum and discuss some of the prospects for a new (multi-particle)
astronomy. Finally, we outline how extraterrestrial neutrino fluxes can be used
to probe new physics beyond the electroweak scale.Comment: Higher resolution version of Fig. 7 is available at
http://www.angelfire.com/id/dtorres/down3.html. Solicited review article
prepared for Reports on Progress in Physics, final versio