693 research outputs found
A new flaring high energy gamma-ray source
We report the detection of a new gamma-ray source in the Fermi-LAT sky using
a source detection tool based on the Minimal Spanning Tree algorithm. The
source, not reported in previous LAT catalogues but very recently observed in
the X-rays and optical bands, is characterized by an increasing gamma-ray
activity in 2012 June-September, reaching a weekly peak flux of
(3.3+-0.6)*10^-7 photons cm^-2 s^-1. A search for a possible counterpart
provides indication that it can be associated with the radio source NVSS
J141828+354250 whose optical SDSS colours are typical of a blazar.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IN DISPUTES OVER TRADE REMEDY AND RELATED MEASURES IN AGRICULTURE, WITH EXAMPLES FROM RECENT CASES
International Relations/Trade,
WATCAT: a tale of wide-angle tailed radio galaxies
We present a catalog of 47 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs), the
WATCAT; these galaxies were selected by combining observations from the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), the
Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters (FIRST), and the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and mainly built including a radio morphological
classification. We included in the catalog only radio sources showing two-sided
jets with two clear "warmspots" (i.e., jet knots as bright as 20% of the
nucleus) lying on the opposite side of the radio core, and having classical
extended emission resembling a plume beyond them. The catalog is limited to
redshifts z 0.15, and lists only sources with radio emission extended
beyond 30 kpc from the host galaxy. We found that host galaxies of WATCAT
sources are all luminous (-20.5 Mr -23.7), red early-type
galaxies with black hole masses in the range M M. The spectroscopic classification indicates that they
are all low-excitation galaxies (LEGs). Comparing WAT multifrequency properties
with those of FRI and FRII radio galaxies at the same redshifts, we conclude
that WATs show multifrequency properties remarkably similar to FRI radio
galaxies, having radio power of typical FRIIs
Unidentifed gamma-ray sources: hunting gamma-ray blazars
One of the main scientific objectives of the ongoing Fermi mission is
unveiling the nature of the unidentified gamma-ray sources (UGSs). Despite the
large improvements of Fermi in the localization of gamma-ray sources with
respect to the past gamma-ray missions, about one third of the Fermi-detected
objects are still not associated to low energy counterparts. Recently, using
the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey, we discovered that
blazars, the rarest class of Active Galactic Nuclei and the largest population
of gamma-ray sources, can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic
sources on the basis of their infrared (IR) colors. Based on this result, we
designed an association method for the gamma-ray sources to reognize if there
is a blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic
gamma-ray source. With this new IR diagnostic tool, we searched for gamma-ray
blazar candidates associated to the UGS sample of the second Fermi gamma-ray
catalog (2FGL). We found that our method associates at least one gamma-ray
blazar candidate as a counterpart each of 156 out of 313 UGSs analyzed. These
new low-energy candidates have the same IR properties as the blazars associated
to gamma-ray sources in the 2FGL catalog.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication on the Astrophysical
Journa
Deciphering the large-scale environment of radio galaxies in the local Universe: where do they born, grow and die?
The role played by the large-scale environment on the nuclear activity of
radio galaxies (RGs), is still not completely understood. Accretion mode, jet
power and galaxy evolution are connected with their large-scale environment
from tens to hundreds of kpc. Here we present a detailed, statistical, analysis
of the large-scale environment for two samples of RGs up to redshifts
=0.15. The main advantages of our study, with respect to those
already present in the literature, are due to the extremely homogeneous
selection criteria of catalogs adopted to perform our investigation. This is
also coupled with the use of several clustering algorithms. We performed a
direct search of galaxy-rich environments around RGs using them as beacon. To
perform this study we also developed a new method that does not appear to
suffer by a strong dependence as other algorithms. We conclude
that, despite their radio morphological (FR\,I FR\,II) and/or their
optical (HERG LERG) classification, RGs in the local Universe tend to live
in galaxy-rich large-scale environments having similar characteristics and
richness. We highlight that the fraction of FR\,Is-LERG, inhabiting galaxy rich
environments, appears larger than that of FR\,IIs-LERG. We also found that 5
out of 7 FR\,II-HERGs, with 0.11, lie in groups/clusters of
galaxies. However, we recognize that, despite the high level of completeness of
our catalogs, when restricting to the local Universe, the low number of HERGs
(10\% of the total FR\,IIs investigated) prevent us to make a strong
statistical conclusion about this source class.Comment: 21 pages, 25 figures, accepted for publication on the Astrophysical
Journal Supplement Series - pre-proof versio
Optical spectroscopic observations of gamma-ray blazar candidates II. The 2013 KPNO campaign in the Northern Hemisphere
We recently started a systematic search of low-energy counterparts of the
unidentified gamma-ray sources (UGSs) listed in the Fermi-Large Area Telescope
(LAT) First Source Catalog (1FGL) and the Fermi-LAT 2-Year Source Catalog
(2FGL).} The main goal of our investigation is to find active galaxies
belonging to the blazar class that lie within the positional uncertainty region
of the UGSs and thus could be their potential low-energy counterparts. To
achieve our aims, we first adopted several procedures based on the peculiar
observational properties of blazars in the radio and in the IR. Then we carried
out a follow-up spectroscopic campaign in the optical band to verify the nature
of the candidates selected as potential counterparts of the UGSs. Here we
present the results of the observations carried out in 2013 in the Northern
Hemisphere at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). Optical spectroscopy is
crucial to confirm the nature of the sources and can be used to estimate their
redshifts; it will also allow us to test the robustness of our methods when the
whole campaign is completed. Here we present the optical spectroscopic
observations of 39 sources. Within our sample we found that 6 sources are
blazars, candidates to be low-energy counterparts of the UGSs listed in the
2FGL. We confirm that an additional 8 sources, previously classified as active
galaxies of uncertain type and associated in the 2FGL, are also all BL Lac
objects. Moreover, we also present 20 new spectra for known blazars listed in
the Multi-frequency Catalogue of Blazars as having an uncertain redshift and/or
being classified as BL Lac candidates. We conclude that our methods for
selecting gamma-ray blazar candidates allows us to discover new blazars and
increase the list of potential low-energy counterparts for the Fermi UGSs.Comment: 27 pages, 39 figures, 1 table, A&A accepted for publication
(pre-proof version
The infall of the Virgo elliptical galaxy M60 toward M87 and the gaseous structures produced by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities
We present Chandra observations of hot gas structures, characteristic of gas stripping during infall, in the Virgo cluster elliptical galaxy M60 (NGC4649) located 1 Mpc east of M87. 0.5â2 keV Chandra X-ray images show a sharp leading edge in the surface brightness 12.4±0.1 kpc north and west of the galaxy center in the direction of M87 characteristic of a merger cold front due to M60's motion through the Virgo ICM. We measured a temperature of 1.00±0.02 keV for abundance 0.5Zâ inside the edge and 1.37+0.35â0.19 keV for abundance 0.1Zâ in the Virgo ICM free stream region. We find that the observed jump in surface brightness yields a density ratio of 6.44+1.04â0.67 between gas inside the edge and in the cluster free stream region. If the edge is a cold front due solely to the infall of M60 in the direction of M87, we find a pressure ratio of 4.7+1.7â1.4 and Mach number 1.7±0.3. For 1.37 keV Virgo gas we find a total infall velocity for M60 of 1030±180 kmsâ1. We calculate the motion in the plane of the sky to be 1012+183â192 kmâ1 implying an inclination angle Ο=11±3 degrees. Surface brightness profiles show the presence of a faint diffuse gaseous tail. We identify filamentary, gaseous wing structures caused by the galaxy's motion through the ICM. The structure and dimensions of these wings are consistent with simulations of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities as expected if the gas stripping is close to inviscid
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