109 research outputs found
Detection of new sources of methanol emission at 107 and 108 GHz with the Mopra telescope
A southern hemisphere survey of methanol emission sources in two millimeter
wave transitions has been carried out using the ATNF Mopra millimetre
telescope. Sixteen emission sources have been detected in the 3(1)-4(0)A+
transition of methanol at 107 GHz, including six new sources exhibiting class
II methanol maser emission features. Combining these results with the similar
northern hemisphere survey, a total of eleven 107-GHz methanol masers have been
detected. A survey of the methanol emission in the 0(0)-1(-1)E transition at
108 GHz resulted in the detection of 16 sources; one of them showing maser
characteristics. This is the first methanol maser detected at 108 GHz,
presumably of class II. The results of LVG statistical equilibrium calculations
confirm the classification of these new sources as a class II methanol masers.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, mn.sty
include
Study of 'ratio' automatically assembled structures final report, 15 jun. 1963 - 15 jun. 1964
Structural analysis of RATIO automatically assembled panel sections for application to spaceborne paraboloidal antenn
Small-Angle Scattering of X-Rays from Extragalactic Sources by Dust in Intervening Galaxies
Gamma-ray bursts are now known to be a cosmological population of objects,
which are often accompanied by X-ray and optical afterglows. The total energy
emitted in the afterglow can be similar to the energy radiated in the gamma-ray
burst itself. If a galaxy containing a large column density of dust is near the
line of sight to a gamma-ray burst, small-angle scattering of the X-rays due to
diffraction by the dust grains will give rise to an X-ray echo of the
afterglow. A measurement of the angular size of the echo at a certain time
after the afterglow is observed yields a combination of the angular diameter
distances to the scattering galaxy and the gamma-ray burst that can be used to
constrain cosmological models in the same way as a time delay in a
gravitational lens. The scattering galaxy will generally cause gravitational
lensing as well, and this should modify the shape of the X-ray echo from a
circular ring.
The main difficulty in detecting this phenomenon is the very low flux
expected for the echo. The flux can be increased when the gamma-ray burst is
highly magnified by gravitational lensing, or when the deflecting galaxy is at
low redshift. X-ray echos of continuous (but variable) sources, such as
quasars, may also be detectable with high-resolution instruments and would
allow similar measurements.Comment: To be published in Ap
The brightest OH maser in the sky: a flare of emission in W75 N
A flare of maser radio emission in the OH-line 1665 MHz has been discovered
in the star forming region W75 N in 2003, with the flux density of about 1000
Jy. At the time it was the strongest OH maser detected during the whole history
of observations since the discovery of cosmic masers in 1965. The flare
emission is linearly polarized with a degree of polarization near 100%. A
weaker flare with a flux of 145 Jy was observed in this source in 2000 - 2001,
which was probably a precursor of the powerful flare. Intensity of two other
spectral features has decreased after beginning of the flare. Such variation of
the intensity of maser condensation emission (increasing of one and decreasing
of the other) can be explained by passing of the magneto hydrodynamic shock
across regions of enhanced gas concentration.Comment: 9 pages with 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter
Detection of a new methanol maser line with the Kitt Peak 12-m telescope by remote observing from Moscow
A new methanol maser line 6(-1)-5(0)E at 133 GHz was detected with the 12-m
Kitt Peak radio telescope using remote observation mode from Moscow. Moderately
strong, narrow maser lines were found in DR21(OH), DR21-W, OMC-2, M8E, NGC2264,
L379, W33-Met. The masers have similar spectral features in other transitions
of methanol-E at 36 and 84 GHz, and in transitions of methanol-A at 44 and 95
GHz. All these are Class I transitions, and the new masers also belong to Class
I. In two other methanol transitions near 133 GHz, 5(-2)-6(-1)E and
6(2)-7(1)A+, only thermal emission was detected in some sources. Several other
sources with wider lines in the transition 6(-1)-5(0)E also may be masers,
since they do not show any emission at the two other methanol transitons near
133 GHz. These are NGC2071, S231, S255, GGD27, also known as Class I masers.
The ratio of intensities and line widths of the 133 GHz masers and 44 GHz
masers is consistent with the saturated maser model, in which the line
rebroadening with respect to unsaturated masers is suppressed by cross
relaxation due to elastic collisions.Comment: 4 pages, AASTeX text, uses aasms4.sty, 2 Postscript figures, to be
published in Ap
The detection of Class I methanol masers towards regions of low-mass star formation
Six young bipolar outflows in regions of low-to-intermediate-mass star
formation were observed in the 7_0-6_1A+, 8_0-7_1A+, and 5_{-1}-4_0E methanol
lines at 44, 95, and 84 GHz, respectively. Narrow features were detected
towards NGC 1333IRAS4A, HH 25MMS, and L1157 B1. Flux densities of the detected
lines are no higher than 11 Jy, which is much lower than the flux densities of
strong maser lines in regions of high-mass star formation. Analysis shows that
most likely the narrow features are masers.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Astronomy Report
Radio Supernova SN 1998bw and Its Relation to GRB 980425
SN 1998bw is an unusual Type Ic supernova that may be associated with the
-ray burst GRB 980425. We use a synchrotron self-absorption model for
its radio emission to deduce that the synchrotron-emitting gas is expanding
into a circumstellar medium of approximately density profile, at a
speed comparable to the speed of light. We assume that the efficiencies of
production of relativistic electrons and magnetic field are constant through
the evolution. The circumstellar density is consistent with that expected
around the massive star core thought to be the progenitor of SN 1998bw. The
explosion energy in material moving with velocity is ergs, with some preference for the high values. The rise in
the radio light curves observed at days 20-40 is inferred to be the result of a
rise in the energy of the blast wave by a factor . Interaction with a
jump in the ambient density is not consistent with the observed evolution. We
infer that the boost in energy is from a shell of matter from the explosion
that catches up with the decelerating shock front. Both the high explosion
energy and the nature of the energy input to the blast wave are difficult to
reconcile with energy input from the shock-accelerated high velocity ejecta
from a supernova. The implication is that there is irregular energy input from
a central engine, which is the type of model invoked for normal -ray
bursts. The link between SN 1998bw and GRB 980425 is thus strengthened.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, revised version to appear in Ap
VLBI study of maser kinematics in high-mass SFRs. II. G23.01-0.41
The present paper focuses on the high-mass star-forming region G23.01-0.41.
Methods: Using the VLBA and the EVN arrays, we conducted phase-referenced
observations of the three most powerful maser species in G23.01-0.41: H2O at
22.2 GHz (4 epochs), CH3OH at 6.7 GHz (3 epochs), and OH at 1.665 GHz (1
epoch). In addition, we performed high-resolution (> 0".1), high-sensitivity (<
0.1 mJy) VLA observations of the radio continuum emission from the HMC at 1.3
and 3.6 cm. Results: We have detected H2O, CH3OH, and OH maser emission
clustered within 2000 AU from the center of a flattened HMC, oriented SE-NW,
from which emerges a massive 12CO outflow, elongated NE-SW, extended up to the
pc-scale. Although the three maser species show a clearly different spatial and
velocity distribution and sample distinct environments around the massive YSO,
the spatial symmetry and velocity field of each maser specie can be explained
in terms of expansion from a common center, which possibly denotes the position
of the YSO driving the maser motion. Water masers trace both a fast shock (up
to 50 km/s) closer to the YSO, powered by a wide-angle wind, and a slower (20
km/s) bipolar jet, at the base of the large-scale outflow. Since the compact
free-free emission is found offset from the putative location of the YSO along
a direction consistent with that of the maser jet axis, we interpret the radio
continuum in terms of a thermal jet. The velocity field of methanol masers can
be explained in terms of a composition of slow (4 km/s in amplitude) motions of
radial expansion and rotation about an axis approximately parallel to the maser
jet. Finally, the distribution of line of sight velocities of the hydroxyl
masers suggests that they can trace gas less dense (n(H2) < 10^6 cm^-3) and
more distant from the YSO than that traced by the water and methanol masers,
which is expanding toward the observer. (Abridged)Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
The Detection of New Methanol Masers in the 5_{-1}-4_0E Line
Fifty-one objects in the 5_{-1}-4_0E methanol line at 84.5 GHz were detected
during a survey of Class I maser sources. Narrow maser features were found in
17 of these. Broad quasi-thermal lines were detected towards other sources. One
of the objects with narrow features, the young bipolar outflow L 1157 was also
observed in the 8_0-7_1A+ line at 95.2 GHz; a narrow line was detected at this
frequency. Analysis showed that the broad lines are usually inverted. The
quasi-thermal profiles imply that the line opacities are not larger than
several units. These results confirm the plausibility of models in which
compact Class I masers appear in extended sources as a result of an appropriate
velocity field.
Measurements of linear polarization at 84.5 GHz in 13 sources were made. No
polarization was found except a tentative detection of a weak polarization in M
8E
SN 1986J VLBI. The Evolution and Deceleration of the Complex Source and a Search for a Pulsar Nebula
We report on VLBI observations of supernova 1986J in the spiral galaxy NGC
891 at two new epochs, 1990 July and 1999 February, t=7.4 and 15.9 yr after the
explosion, and on a comprehensive analysis of these and earlier observations
from t~4 yr after the explosion date, which we estimate to be 1983.2 +/- 1.1.
The source is a shell or composite, and continues to show a complex morphology
with large brightness modulations along the ridge and with protrusions. The
supernova is moderately to strongly decelerated. The average outer radius
expands as t^(0.71 +/- 0.11), and the expansion velocity has slowed to 6000
km/s at t=15.9 yr from an extrapolated 20,000 km/s at t=0.25 yr. The structure
changes significantly with time, showing that the evolution is not
self-similar. The shell structure is best visible at the latest epoch, when the
protrusions have diminished somewhat in prominence and a new, compact component
has appeared. The radio spectrum shows a clear inversion above 10 GHz. This
might be related to a pulsar nebula becoming visible through the debris of the
explosion. The radio flux density between 1.5 and 23 GHz decreases strongly
with time, with the flux density proportional to t^(-2.94 +/- 0.24) between
t~15 to 19 yr. This decrease is much more rapid than that found in earlier
measurements up to t~6 yr.Comment: 24 pages, 9 Figures, LaTeX Accepted for Publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
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