Swift Observations of X-ray supernovae

We present a result of X-ray supernovae (SNe) survey using the Swift satellite public archive. An automatic searching program was designed to search X-ray SNe among all of the Swift archival observations between November 2004 and February 2011. Using the C++ program, 24 X-ray detectable supernovae have been found in the archive and 3 of them were newly-discovered in X-rays which are SN 1986L, SN 2003lx, and SN 2007od. In addition, SN 2003lx is a Type Ia supernova which may be the second X-ray detectable Type Ia after SN 2005ke (Immler et al. 2006). Calibrated data of luminous type Ib/c supernovae was consistent to the X-ray emission model done by Chevalier & Fransson (1994). Statistics about the luminosities and hardness ratio have been done to purpose of getting the X-ray emission features of the X-ray supernovae. The results from this work help investigating the X-ray evolution of SNe and developing similar X-ray SNe surveys in various X-rays missions

Nickel Mixing in the Outer Layers of SN 1987A

Supernova 1987A remains the most well-observed and well-studied supernova to date. Observations produced excellent broad-band photometric and spectroscopic coverage over a wide wavelength range at all epochs. Here, we focus on the very early spectroscopic observations. Only recently have numerical models been of sufficient detail to accurately explain the observed spectra. In SN 1987A, good agreement has been found between observed and synthetic spectra for day one, but by day four, the predicted Balmer lines become much weaker than the observed lines. We present the results of work based on a radiation-hydrodynamic model by Blinnikov and collaborators. Synthetic non-LTE spectra generated from this model by the general radiation transfer code PHOENIX strongly support the theory that significant mixing of nickel into the outer envelope is required to maintain strong Balmer lines. Preliminary results suggest a lower limit to the average nickel mass of 1.0 \times 10^{-5} solar masses is required above 5000 \kmps by day four. PHOENIX models thus have the potential to be a sensitive probe for nickel mixing in the outer layers of a supernova.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, ApJ, v556 2001 (in press

High Resolution X-Ray Imaging of the Center of IC342

We presented the result of a high resolution (FWHM~0.5'') 12 ks Chandra HRC-I observation of the starburst galaxy IC342 taken on 2 April 2006. We identified 23 X-ray sources within the central 30' x 30' region of IC342. Our HRC-I observation resolved the historical Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULX), X3, near the nucleus into 2 sources, namely C12 and C13, for the first time. The brighter source C12, with L(0.08-10keV)=(6.66\pm0.45)\times10^{38}ergs^-1, was spatially extended (~82 pc x 127 pc). From the astrometric registration of the X-ray image, C12 was at R.A.=03h:46m:48.43s, decl.=+68d05m47.45s, and was closer to the nucleus than C13. Thus we concluded that source was not an ULX and must instead be associated with the nucleus. The fainter source C13, with L(0.08-10keV)=(5.1\pm1.4) x 10^{37}ergs^-1 was consistent with a point source and located $6.51'' at P.A. 240 degree of C12. We also analyzed astrometrically corrected optical Hubble Space Telescope and radio Very Large Array images, a comparison with the X-ray image showed similarities in their morphologies. Regions of star formation within the central region of IC342 were clearly visible in HST H alpha image and this was the region where 3 optical star clusters and correspondingly our detected X-ray source C12 were observed. We found that a predicted X-ray emission from starburst was very close to the observed X-ray luminosity of C12, suggesting that nuclear X-ray emission in IC342 was dominated by starburst. Furthermore, we discussed the possibility of AGN in the nucleus of IC342. Although our data was not enough to give a firm existence of an AGN, it could not be discarded.Comment: 29 page, 8 figures, accepted by Ap

Physical Conditions in Circumstellar Gas surrounding SN 1987A 12 Years After Outburst

Two-dimensional spectra of Supernova 1987A were obtained on 1998 November 14-15 (4282 days after outburst) with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The slit sampled portions of the inner circumstellar ring at the east and west ansae as well as small sections of both the northern and southern outer rings. The temperature and density at these locations are estimated by nebular analysis of [N II], [O III], and [S II] emission line ratios, and with time-dependent photoionization/recombination models. The results from these two methods are mutually consistent. The electron density in the inner ring is ~ 4000 cm-3 for S II, with progressively lower densities for N II and O III. The electron temperatures determined from [N II] and [O III] line ratios are ~11,000 K and \~22,000 K, respectively. These results are consistent with evolutionary trends in the circumstellar gas from similar measurements at earlier epochs. We find that emission lines from the outer rings come from gas of lower density (n_e \la 2000 cm-3) than that which emits the same line in the inner ring. The N/O ratio appears to be the same in all three rings. Our results also suggest that the CNO abundances in the northern outer ring are the same as in the inner ring, contrary to earlier results of Panagia et al. (1996). Physical conditions in the southern outer ring are less certain because of poorer signal-to-noise data. The STIS spectra also reveal a weak Ha emission redshifted by ~100 km s-1 at p.a. 103\arcdeg that coincides with the recently discovered new regions that are brightening (Lawrence et al. 2000). This indicates that the shock interaction in the SE section of the inner ring commenced over a year before it became apparent in HST images.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, to appear in December 1, 2000 Astrophysical Journa

Observations of the Crab Nebula and its pulsar in the far-ultraviolet and in the optical

We present HST/STIS far-UV observations of the Crab nebula and its pulsar. Broad, blueshifted absorption arising in the nebula is seen in C IV 1550, reaching about 2500 km/s. This can be interpreted as evidence for a fast outer shell, and we adopt a spherically symmetric model to constrain the properties of this. We find that the density appears to decrease outward in the shell. A lower limit to the mass is 0.3 solar masses with an accompanying kinetic energy of 1.5EE{49} ergs. A massive 10^{51} erg shell cannot be excluded, but is less likely if the density profile is much steeper than R^{-4} and the velocity is <6000 km/s. The observations cover the region 1140-1720 A. With the time-tag mode of the spectrograph we obtain the pulse profile. It is similar to that in the near-UV, although the primary peak is marginally narrower. Together with the near-UV data, and new optical data from NOT, our spectrum of the pulsar covers the entire region from 1140-9250 A. Dereddening the spectrum gives a flat spectrum for E(B-V)=0.52, R=3.1. This dereddened spectrum of the Crab pulsar can be fitted by a power law with spectral index alpha_{\nu} = 0.11 +/- 0.04. The main uncertainty is the amount and characteristics of the interstel- lar reddening, and we have investigated the dependence of \alpha_{\nu} on E(B-V) and R. In the extended emission covered by our 25" x 0.5" slit in the far-UV, we detect C IV 1550 and He II 1640 emission lines from the Crab nebula. Several interstellar absorption lines are detected toward the pulsar. The Ly alpha absorption indicates a column density of 3.0+/-0.5\EE{21} cm^{-2} of neutral hydrogen, which agrees well with our estimate of E(B-V)=0.52 mag. Other lines show no evidence of severe depletion of metals in atomic gas.Comment: 18 pages emulateapj style, including 10 figures. ApJ, accepte

HST-COS Observations of Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon and Nitrogen Emission from the SN 1987A Reverse Shock

We present the most sensitive ultraviolet observations of Supernova 1987A to date. Imaging spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope-Cosmic Origins Spectrograph shows many narrow (dv \sim 300 km/s) emission lines from the circumstellar ring, broad (dv \sim 10 -- 20 x 10^3 km/s) emission lines from the reverse shock, and ultraviolet continuum emission. The high signal-to-noise (> 40 per resolution element) broad LyA emission is excited by soft X-ray and EUV heating of mostly neutral gas in the circumstellar ring and outer supernova debris. The ultraviolet continuum at \lambda > 1350A can be explained by HI 2-photon emission from the same region. We confirm our earlier, tentative detection of NV \lambda 1240 emission from the reverse shock and we present the first detections of broad HeII \lambda1640, CIV \lambda1550, and NIV] \lambda1486 emission lines from the reverse shock. The helium abundance in the high-velocity material is He/H = 0.14 +/- 0.06. The NV/H-alpha line ratio requires partial ion-electron equilibration (T_{e}/T_{p} \approx 0.14 - 0.35). We find that the N/C abundance ratio in the gas crossing the reverse shock is significantly higher than that in the circumstellar ring, a result that may be attributed to chemical stratification in the outer envelope of the supernova progenitor. The N/C abundance ratio may have been stratified prior to the ring expulsion, or this result may indicate continued CNO processing in the progenitor subsequent to the expulsion of the circumstellar ring.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. ApJ - accepte

Long-term X-ray Variability Study of IC342 from XMM-Newton Observations

We presented the results of an analysis of four XMM-Newton observations of the starburst galaxy IC342 taken over a four-year span from 2001 to 2005, with an emphasis on investigating the long-term flux and spectral variability of the X-ray point sources. We detected a total of 61 X-ray sources within 35' $\times$ 30' of the galaxy down to a luminosity of (1-2)$\times$1037 erg s-1 depending on the local background. We found that 39 of the 61 detected sources showed long-term variability, in which 26 of them were classified as X-ray transients. We also found 19 sources exhibiting variations in hardness ratios or undergoing spectral transitions among observations, and were identified as spectral variables. In particular, 8 of the identified X-ray transients showed spectral variability in addition to flux variability. The diverse patterns of variability observed is indicative of a population of X-ray binaries. We used X-ray colors, flux and spectral variability, and in some cases the optical or radio counterparts to classify the detected X-ray sources into several stellar populations. We identified a total of 11 foreground stars, 1 supersoft sources (SSS), 3 quasisoft sources (QSS), and 2 supernova remnants (SNR). The identified SSS/QSS are located near or on the spiral arms, associate with young stellar populations; the 2 SNR are very close to the starburst nucleus where current star formation activities are dominated. We also discovered a spectral change in the nuclear source of IC342 for the first time by a series of X-ray spectrum analysis.Comment: 45 pages, 6 figures accepted by Ap

Limits from the Hubble Space Telescope on a Point Source in SN 1987A

We observed supernova 1987A (SN 1987A) with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 1999 September, and again with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the HST in 2003 November. No point source is observed in the remnant. We obtain a limiting flux of F_opt < 1.6 x 10^{-14} ergs/s/cm^2 in the wavelength range 2900-9650 Angstroms for any continuum emitter at the center of the supernova remnant (SNR). It is likely that the SNR contains opaque dust that absorbs UV and optical emission, resulting in an attenuation of ~35% due to dust absorption in the SNR. Taking into account dust absorption in the remnant, we find a limit of L_opt < 8 x 10^{33} ergs/s. We compare this upper bound with empirical evidence from point sources in other supernova remnants, and with theoretical models for possible compact sources. Bright young pulsars such as Kes 75 or the Crab pulsar are excluded by optical and X-ray limits on SN 1987A. Of the young pulsars known to be associated with SNRs, those with ages < 5000 years are all too bright in X-rays to be compatible with the limits on SN 1987A. Examining theoretical models for accretion onto a compact object, we find that spherical accretion onto a neutron star is firmly ruled out, and that spherical accretion onto a black hole is possible only if there is a larger amount of dust absorption in the remnant than predicted. In the case of thin-disk accretion, our flux limit requires a small disk, no larger than 10^{10} cm, with an accretion rate no more than 0.3 times the Eddington accretion rate. Possible ways to hide a surviving compact object include the removal of all surrounding material at early times by a photon-driven wind, a small accretion disk, or very high levels of dust absorption in the remnant.Comment: 40 pages, 5 figures. AAStex. Accepted, ApJ 04/28/200

New Hubble Space Telescope Observations of High-Velocity Lyα and Hα in SNR 1987A

We describe and model high-velocity (~15,000 km s-1) Lyα and Hα emission from the supernova remnant SNR 1987A seen in 1997 September and October with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. Part of this emission comes from a reverse shock located at ~75% of the radius of the inner boundary of the inner circumstellar ring and confined within +/-30° of the equatorial plane. Departure from axisymmetry in the Lyα and Hα emission correlates with that seen in nonthermal radio emission and reveals an asymmetry in the circumstellar gas distribution. We also see diffuse high-velocity Lyα emission from supernova debris inside the reverse shock that may be due to excitation by nonthermal particles accelerated by the shock.This research was supported by NASA through grant GO-2563.01-87A from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, and by NASA grants NAG 5-3313 to the University of Colorado and 5-2844 to North Carolina State University. C. S. J. P. acknowledges funding by the STIS IDT through the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and by the Goddard Space Flight Center