2,994 research outputs found
The orbit of the star S2 around SgrA* from VLT and Keck data
Two recent papers (Ghez et al. 2008, Gillessen et al. 2009) have estimated
the mass of and the distance to the massive black hole in the center of the
Milky Way using stellar orbits. The two astrometric data sets are independent
and yielded consistent results, even though the measured positions do not match
when simply overplotting the two sets. In this letter we show that the two sets
can be brought to excellent agreement with each other when allowing for a small
offset in the definition of the reference frame of the two data sets. The
required offsets in the coordinates and velocities of the origin of the
reference frames are consistent with the uncertainties given in Ghez et al.
(2008). The so combined data set allows for a moderate improvement of the
statistical errors of mass of and distance to Sgr A*, but the overall
accuracies of these numbers are dominated by systematic errors and the
long-term calibration of the reference frame. We obtain R0 = 8.28 +- 0.15(stat)
+- 0.29(sys) kpc and M(MBH) = 4.30 +- 0.20(stat) +- 0.30(sys) x 10^6 Msun as
best estimates from a multi-star fit.Comment: submitted to ApJ
A Search for Companions to Brown Dwarfs in the Taurus and Chamaeleon Star Forming Regions
We present the results of a search for companions to young brown dwarfs in
the Taurus and Chamaeleon I star forming regions (1/2-3 Myr). We have used
WFPC2 on board HST to obtain F791W and F850LP images of 47 members of these
regions that have spectral types of M6-L0 (0.01-0.1 Msun). An additional
late-type member of Taurus, FU Tau (M7.25+M9.25), was also observed with
adaptive optics at Keck Observatory. We have applied PSF subtraction to the
primaries and have searched the resulting images for objects that have colors
and magnitudes that are indicative of young low-mass objects. Through this
process, we have identified promising candidate companions to 2MASS
J04414489+2301513 (rho=0.105"/15 AU), 2MASS J04221332+1934392 (rho=0.05"/7 AU),
and ISO 217 (rho=0.03"/5 AU). We reported the discovery of the first candidate
in a previous study, showing that it has a similar proper motion as the primary
through a comparison of astrometry measured with WFPC2 and Gemini adaptive
optics. We have collected an additional epoch of data with Gemini that further
supports that result. By combining our survey with previous high-resolution
imaging in Taurus, Chamaeleon, and Upper Sco (10 Myr), we measure binary
fractions of 14/93 = 0.15+0.05/-0.03 for M4-M6 (0.1-0.3 Msun) and 4/108 =
0.04+0.03/-0.01 for >M6 (10 AU. Given the youth
and low density of these three regions, the lower binary fraction at later
types is probably primordial rather than due to dynamical interactions among
association members. The widest low-mass binaries (>100 AU) also appear to be
more common in Taurus and Chamaeleon than in the field, which suggests that the
widest low-mass binaries are disrupted by dynamical interactions at >10 Myr, or
that field brown dwarfs have been born predominantly in denser clusters where
wide systems are disrupted or inhibited from forming.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in pres
On the development of QPOs in Bondi-Hoyle accretion flows
The numerical investigation of Bondi-Hoyle accretion onto a moving black hole
has a long history, both in Newtonian and in general-relativistic physics. By
performing new two-dimensional and general-relativistic simulations onto a
rotating black hole, we point out a novel feature, namely, that quasi-periodic
oscillations (QPOs) are naturally produced in the shock cone that develops in
the downstream part of the flow. Because the shock cone in the downstream part
of the flow acts as a cavity trapping pressure perturbations, modes with
frequencies in the integer ratios 2:1 and 3:1 are easily produced. The
frequencies of these modes depend on the black-hole spin and on the properties
of the flow, and scale linearly with the inverse of the black-hole mass. Our
results may be relevant for explaining the detection of QPOs in Sagittarius A*,
once such detection is confirmed by further observations. Finally, we report on
the development of the flip-flop instability, which can affect the shock cone
under suitable conditions; such an instability has been discussed before in
Newtonian simulations but was never found in a relativistic regime.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Where are all the gravastars? Limits upon the gravastar model from accreting black holes
The gravastar model, which postulates a strongly correlated thin shell of
anisotropic matter surrounding a region of anti-de Sitter space, has been
proposed as an alternative to black holes. We discuss constraints that
present-day observations of well-known black hole candidates place on this
model. We focus upon two black hole candidates known to have extraordinarily
low luminosities: the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Center,
Sagittarius A*, and the stellar-mass black hole, XTE J1118+480. We find that
the length scale for modifications of the type discussed in Chapline et al.
(2003) must be sub-Planckian.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
What is limiting near-infrared astrometry in the Galactic Center?
We systematically investigate the error sources for high-precision astrometry
from adaptive optics based near-infrared imaging data. We focus on the
application in the crowded stellar field in the Galactic Center. We show that
at the level of <=100 micro-arcseconds a number of effects are limiting the
accuracy. Most important are the imperfectly subtracted seeing halos of
neighboring stars, residual image distortions and unrecognized confusion of the
target source with fainter sources in the background. Further contributors to
the error budget are the uncertainty in estimating the point spread function,
the signal-to-noise ratio induced statistical uncertainty, coordinate
transformation errors, the chromaticity of refraction in Earth's atmosphere,
the post adaptive optics differential tilt jitter and anisoplanatism. For stars
as bright as mK=14, residual image distortions limit the astrometry, for
fainter stars the limitation is set by the seeing halos of the surrounding
stars. In order to improve the astrometry substantially at the current
generation of telescopes, an adaptive optics system with high performance and
weak seeing halos over a relatively small field (r<=3") is suited best.
Furthermore, techniques to estimate or reconstruct the seeing halo could be
promising.Comment: accepted by MNRAS, 13 pages, 14 figure
Periastron shift in Weyl class spacetimes
The periastron position advance for geodesic motion in axially symmetric
solutions of the Einstein field equations belonging to the Weyl class of vacuum
solutions is investigated. Explicit examples corresponding to either static
solutions (single Chazy-Curzon, Schwarzschild and a pair of them), or
stationary solution (single rotating Chazy-Curzon and Kerr black hole) are
discussed. The results are then applied to the case of S2-SgrA binary
system of which the periastron position advance will be soon measured with a
great accuracy.Comment: To appear on General Relativity and Gravitation, vol. 37, 200
The two states of Sgr A* in the near-infrared: bright episodic flares on top of low-level continuous variability
In this paper we examine properties of the variable source Sgr A* in the
near-infrared (NIR) using a very extensive Ks-band data set from NACO/VLT
observations taken 2004 to 2009. We investigate the variability of Sgr A* with
two different photometric methods and analyze its flux distribution. We find
Sgr A* is continuously emitting and continuously variable in the near-infrared,
with some variability occurring on timescales as long as weeks. The flux
distribution can be described by a lognormal distribution at low intrinsic
fluxes (<~5 mJy, dereddened with A_{Ks}=2.5). The lognormal distribution has a
median flux of approximately 1.1 mJy, but above 5 mJy the flux distribution is
significantly flatter (high flux events are more common) than expected for the
extrapolation of the lognormal distribution to high fluxes. We make a general
identification of the low level emission above 5 mJy as flaring emission and of
the low level emission as the quiescent state. We also report here the
brightest Ks-band flare ever observed (from August 5th, 2008) which reached an
intrinsic Ks-band flux of 27.5 mJy (m_{Ks}=13.5). This flare was a factor 27
increase over the median flux of Sgr A*, close to double the brightness of the
star S2, and 40% brighter than the next brightest flare ever observed from
Sgr~A*.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
X-ray and Radio Variability of M31*, The Andromeda Galaxy Nuclear Supermassive Black Hole
We confirm our earlier tentative detection of M31* in X-rays and measure its
light-curve and spectrum. Observations in 2004-2005 find M31* rather quiescent
in the X-ray and radio. However, X-ray observations in 2006-2007 and radio
observations in 2002 show M31* to be highly variable at times. A separate
variable X-ray source is found near P1, the brighter of the two optical nuclei.
The apparent angular Bondi radius of M31* is the largest of any black hole, and
large enough to be well resolved with Chandra. The diffuse emission within this
Bondi radius is found to have an X-ray temperature ~0.3 keV and density 0.1
cm-3, indistinguishable from the hot gas in the surrounding regions of the
bulge given the statistics allowed by the current observations. The X-ray
source at the location of M31* is consistent with a point source and a power
law spectrum with energy slope 0.9+/-0.2. Our identification of this X-ray
source with M31* is based solely on positional coincidence.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Ap
Exact Black Holes and Universality in the Backreaction of non-linear Sigma Models with a potential in (A)dS4
The aim of this paper is to construct accelerated, stationary and
axisymmetric exact solutions of the Einstein theory with self interacting
scalar fields in (A)dS4. To warm up, the backreaction of the (non)-minimally
coupled scalar field is solved, the scalar field equations are integrated and
all the potentials compatible with the metric ansatz and Einstein gravity are
found. With these results at hand the non-linear sigma model is tackled. The
scalar field Lagrangian is generic; neither the coupling to the curvature,
neither the metric in the scalar manifold nor the potential, are fixed ab
initio. The unique assumption in the analysis is the metric ansatz: it has the
form of the most general Petrov type D vacuum solution of general relativity;
it is a a cohomogeneity two Weyl rescaling of the Carter metric and therefore
it has the typical Plebanski-Demianski form with two arbitrary functions of one
variable and one arbitrary functions of two variables. It is shown, by an
straightforward manipulation of the field equations, that the metric is
completely integrable without necessity of specifiying anything in the scalar
Lagrangian. This results in that the backreaction of the scalar fields, within
this class of metrics, is universal. The metric functions generically show an
explicit dependence on a dynamical exponent that allows to smoothly connect
this new family of solutions with the actual Plebanski-Demianski spacetime. The
remaining field equations imply that the scalar fields follow geodesics in the
scalar manifold with an affine parameter given by a non-linear function of the
spacetime coordinates and define the on-shell form of the potential plus a
functional equation that it has to satisfy. Finally, a general family of (A)dS4
static hairy black holes is explicitly constructed and its properties are
outlined.Comment: Several typos correcte
Evidence for Warped Disks of Young Stars in the Galactic Center
The central parsec around the super-massive black hole in the Galactic Center
hosts more than 100 young and massive stars. Outside the central cusp (R~1")
the majority of these O and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars reside in a main clockwise
system, plus a second, less prominent disk or streamer system at large angles
with respect to the main system. Here we present the results from new
observations of the Galactic Center with the AO-assisted near-infrared imager
NACO and the integral field spectrograph SINFONI on the ESO/VLT. These include
the detection of 27 new reliably measured WR/O stars in the central 12" and
improved measurements of 63 previously detected stars, with proper motion
uncertainties reduced by a factor of four compared to our earlier work. We
develop a detailed statistical analysis of their orbital properties and
orientations. Half of the WR/O stars are compatible with being members of a
clockwise rotating system. The rotation axis of this system shows a strong
transition as a function of the projected distance from SgrA*. The main
clockwise system either is either a strongly warped single disk with a
thickness of about 10 degrees, or consists of a series of streamers with
significant radial variation in their orbital planes. 11 out of 61 clockwise
moving stars have an angular separation of more than 30 degrees from the
clockwise system. The mean eccentricity of the clockwise system is 0.36+/-0.06.
The distribution of the counter-clockwise WR/O star is not isotropic at the 98%
confidence level. It is compatible with a coherent structure such as stellar
filaments, streams, small clusters or possibly a disk in a dissolving state.
The observed disk warp and the steep surface density distribution favor in situ
star formation in gaseous accretion disks as the origin of the young stars.Comment: ApJ in pres
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