848 research outputs found
A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole Powers the Einstein Cross
Observations over the past 20 years have revealed a strong relationship
between the properties of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) lying at the
center of a galaxy and the host galaxy itself. The magnitude of the spin of the
black hole will play a key role in determining the nature of this relationship.
To date, direct estimates of black hole spin have been restricted to the local
Universe. Herein, we present the results of an analysis of 0.5 Ms of
archival Chandra observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar Q 2237+305
(aka the "Einstein-cross"), lying at a redshift of z = 1.695. The boost in flux
provided by the gravitational lens allows constraints to be placed on the spin
of a black hole at such high redshift for the first time. Utilizing state of
the art relativistic disk reflection models, the black hole is found to have a
spin of at the 90% confidence level. Placing a
lower limit on the spin, we find (4). The high value of
the spin for the black hole in Q 2237+305 lends
further support to the coherent accretion scenario for black hole growth. This
is the most distant black hole for which the spin has been directly constrained
to date.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, formatted using emulateapj.cls. Accepted
for publication in ApJ
The Quiescent X-ray Spectrum of Accreting Black Holes
The quiescent state is the dominant accretion mode for black holes on all
mass scales. Our knowledge of the X-ray spectrum is limited due to the
characteristic low luminosity in this state. Herein, we present an analysis of
the sample of dynamically-confirmed stellar-mass black holes observed in
quiescence in the \textit{Chandra/XMM-Newton/Suzaku} era resulting in a sample
of 8 black holes with 570 ks of observations. In contrast to the
majority of AGN where observations are limited by contamination from diffuse
gas, the stellar-mass systems allow for a clean study of the X-ray spectrum
resulting from the accretion flow alone. The data are characterized using
simple models. We find a model consisting of a power-law or thermal
bremsstrahlung to both provide excellent descriptions of the data, where we
measure and
respectively in the 0.3 -- 10 keV bandpass, at a median luminosity of . This result in discussed in the context of our
understanding of the accretion flow onto stellar and supermassive black holes
at low luminosities.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, MNRAS accepte
Simultaneous multiwavelength observations of V404 Cygni during its 2015 June outburst decay strengthen the case for an extremely energetic jet-base
We present results of multiband optical photometry of the black hole X-ray
binary system V404 Cygni obtained using Wheaton College Observatory's 0.3m
telescope, along with strictly simultaneous INTEGRAL and Swift observations
during 2015 June 25.15--26.33 UT, and 2015 June 27.10--27.34 UT. These
observations were made during the 2015 June outburst of the source when it was
going through an epoch of violent activity in all wavelengths ranging from
radio to -rays. The multiwavelength variability timescale favors a
compact emission region, most likely originating in a jet outflow, for both
observing epochs presented in this work. The simultaneous INTEGRAL/Imager on
Board the Integral Satellite (IBIS) 20--40 keV light curve obtained during the
June 27 observing run correlates very strongly with the optical light curve,
with no detectable delay between the optical bands as well as between the
optical and hard X-rays. The average slope of the dereddened spectral energy
distribution was roughly flat between the - and -bands during the June
27 run, even though the optical and X-ray flux varied by 25 during
the run, ruling out an irradiation origin for the optical and suggesting that
the optically thick to optically thin jet synchrotron break during the
observations was at a frequency larger than that of -band, which is quite
extreme for X-ray binaries. These observations suggest that the optical
emission originated very close to the base of the jet. A strong H
emission line, probably originating in a quasi-spherical nebula around the
source, also contributes significantly in the -band. Our data, in
conjunction with contemporaneous data at other wavelengths presented by other
groups, strongly suggest that the jet-base was extremely compact and energetic
during this phase of the outburst.Comment: 15 pages, 2 tables, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Keck Infrared Observations of GRO J0422+32 in Quiescence
We present Keck K-band photometry and low-resolution H & K-band spectroscopy
of the X-ray nova GRO J0422+32 obtained while the system was in the quiescent
state. No clear ellipsoidal modulation is present in the light curve, which is
instead dominated by a strong flickering component. In the K-band we observe
strong Br_gamma emission, with an equivalent width of 38 +/- 5 Angstroms. From
this we conclude that the accretion disc is the most likely source of the
observed photometric contamination, and that previous infrared-based attempts
to constrain the mass of the putative black hole in this system are prone to
considerable uncertainty. We finally proceed to show how it is possible to
place meaningful constraints on some of the binary parameters of this system,
even in the presence of a relatively high level of contamination from the disc.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures & 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRA
SUZAKU BROADBAND SPECTROSCOPY OF SWIFT J1753.5–0127 IN THE LOW-HARD STATE
We present Suzaku observations of the Galactic black hole candidate Swift J1753.5–0127 in the low-hard state (LHS). The broadband coverage of Suzaku enables us to detect the source over the energy range 0.6-250 keV. The broadband spectrum (2-250 keV) is found to be consistent with a simple power-law (Γ ~ 1.63). In agreement with previous observations of this system, a significant excess of soft X-ray flux is detected consistent with the presence of a cool accretion disk. Estimates of the disk inner radius infer a value consistent with the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO; R [subscript in] [< over ~] 6R[subscript g] , for certain values of, e.g., N [subscript H], i), although we cannot conclusively rule out the presence of an accretion disk truncated at larger radii (R [subscript in] ~ 10-50R[subscript g] ). A weak, relativistically broadened iron line is also detected, in addition to disk reflection at higher energy. However, the iron-K line profile favors an inner radius larger than the ISCO (R [subscript in] ~ 10-20R[subscript g] ). The implications of these observations for models of the accretion flow in the LHS are discussed.United States. National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationJapan Aerospace Exploration AgencyGoddard Space Flight CenterUnited States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX08AC20G
Detection and quantification of poliovirus infection using FTIR spectroscopy and cell culture
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a globalized word, prevention of infectious diseases is a major challenge. Rapid detection of viable virus particles in water and other environmental samples is essential to public health risk assessment, homeland security and environmental protection. Current virus detection methods, especially assessing viral infectivity, are complex and time-consuming, making point-of-care detection a challenge. Faster, more sensitive, highly specific methods are needed to quantify potentially hazardous viral pathogens and to determine if suspected materials contain viable viral particles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with cellular-based sensing, may offer a precise way to detect specific viruses. This approach utilizes infrared light to monitor changes in molecular components of cells by tracking changes in absorbance patterns produced following virus infection. In this work poliovirus (PV1) was used to evaluate the utility of FTIR spectroscopy with cell culture for rapid detection of infective virus particles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Buffalo green monkey kidney (BGMK) cells infected with different virus titers were studied at 1 - 12 hours post-infection (h.p.i.). A partial least squares (PLS) regression method was used to analyze and model cellular responses to different infection titers and times post-infection. The model performs best at 8 h.p.i., resulting in an estimated root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) of 17 plaque forming units (PFU)/ml when using low titers of infection of 10 and 100 PFU/ml. Higher titers, from 10<sup>3 </sup>to 10<sup>6 </sup>PFU/ml, could also be reliably detected.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This approach to poliovirus detection and quantification using FTIR spectroscopy and cell culture could potentially be extended to compare biochemical cell responses to infection with different viruses. This virus detection method could feasibly be adapted to an automated scheme for use in areas such as water safety monitoring and medical diagnostics.</p
The Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transient SN 2010da: The Progenitor, Eruption and Aftermath of a Peculiar Supergiant High-mass X-ray Binary
We present optical spectroscopy, ultraviolet to infrared imaging and X-ray
observations of the intermediate luminosity optical transient (ILOT) SN 2010da
in NGC 300 (d=1.86 Mpc) spanning from -6 to +6 years relative to the time of
outburst in 2010. Based on the light curve and multi-epoch SEDs of SN 2010da,
we conclude that the progenitor of SN 2010da is a ~10-12 Msol yellow supergiant
possibly transitioning into a blue loop phase. During outburst, SN 2010da had a
peak absolute magnitude of M<-10.4 mag, dimmer than other ILOTs and supernova
impostors. We detect multi-component hydrogen Balmer, Paschen, and Ca II
emission lines in our high-resolution spectra, which indicate a dusty and
complex circumstellar environment. Since the 2010 eruption, the star has
brightened by a factor of ~5 and remains highly variable in the optical.
Furthermore, we detect SN 2010da in archival Swift and Chandra observations as
an ultraluminous X-ray source (L~6x10^{39} erg/s). We additionally attribute He
II 4686 Angstrom and coronal Fe emission lines in addition to a steady X-ray
luminosity of ~10^{37} erg/s to the presence of a compact companion.Comment: published; updated citations and other minor edit
- …