963 research outputs found
NuSTAR observations of the young, energetic radio pulsar PSR B1509-58
We report on Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray
observations of the young rotation-powered radio pulsar PSR B150958 in the
supernova remnant MSH 1552. We confirm the previously reported curvature in
the hard X-ray spectrum, showing that a log parabolic model provides a
statistically superior fit to the spectrum compared with the standard power
law. The log parabolic model describes the NuSTAR data, as well as previously
published gamma-ray data obtained with COMPTEL and AGILE, all together spanning
3 keV through 500 MeV. Our spectral modelling allows us to constrain the peak
of the broadband high energy spectrum to be at 2.60.8 MeV, an improvement
of nearly an order of magnitude in precision over previous measurements. In
addition, we calculate NuSTAR spectra in 26 pulse phase bins and confirm
previously reported variations of photon indices with phase. Finally, we
measure the pulsed fraction of PSR B150958 in the hard X-ray energy band for
the first time. Using the energy resolved pulsed fraction results, we estimate
that the pulsar's off-pulse emission has a photon index value between 1.26 and
1.96. Our results support a model in which the pulsar's lack of GeV emission is
due to viewing geometry, with the X-rays originating from synchrotron emission
from secondary pairs in the magnetosphere.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables, ApJ accepte
Spectroscopic Confirmation of a Radio-Selected Galaxy Overdensity at z=1.11
We report the discovery of a galaxy overdensity at z=1.11 associated with the
z=1.110 high-redshift radio galaxy MG0442+0202. The group, CL0442+0202, was
found in a near-infrared survey of z>1 radio galaxies undertaken to identify
spatially-coincident regions with a high density of objects red in I-K' color,
typical of z>1 elliptical galaxies. Spectroscopic observations from the Keck
telescope reveal five galaxies within 35" of MG0442+0202 at 1.10<z<1.11. These
member galaxies have broad-band colors and optical spectra consistent with
passively-evolving elliptical galaxies formed at high redshift. A 45ks Chandra
X-Ray Observatory observation detects the radio galaxy and four point sources
within 15" of the radio galaxy, corresponding to a surface density two orders
of magnitude higher than average for X-ray sources at these flux levels,
S(0.5-2keV) > 5e-16 erg/cm2/s. One of these point sources is identified with a
radio-quiet, typeII quasar at z=1.863, akin to sources recently reported in
deep Chandra surveys. The limit on an extended hot intracluster medium in the
Chandra data is S(1-6keV) < 1.9e-15 erg/cm2/s (3-sigma, 30" radius aperture).
Though the X-ray observations do not confirm the existence of a massive, bound
cluster at z>1, the success of the optical/near-infrared targeting of
early-type systems near the radio galaxy validates searches using radio
galaxies as beacons for high-redshift large-scale structure. We interpret
CL0442+0202 to be a massive cluster in the process of formation.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure
Constraints on the equation of state of dark energy and the Hubble constant from stellar ages and the CMB
We place tight constraints on the redshift-averaged, effective value of the
equation of state of dark energy, w, using only the absolute ages of Galactic
stars and the observed position of the first peak in the angular power spectrum
of the CMB. We find w<-0.8 at the 68% confidence level. If we further consider
that w > -1, this finding suggests that within our uncertainties, dark energy
is indistinguishable from a classical vacuum energy term.
We detect a correlation between the ages of the oldest galaxies and their
redshift. This opens up the possibility of measuring w(z) by computing the
relative ages of the oldest galaxies in the universe as a function of redshift,
dz/dt. We show that this is a realistic possibility by computing dz/dt at z~0
from SDSS galaxies and obtain an independent estimate for the Hubble constant,
H_0 = 69 \pm 12 km s-1 Mpc-1. The small number of galaxies considered at z>0.2
does not yield, currently, a precise determination of w(z), but shows that the
age--redshift relation is consistent with a Standard LCDM universe with .Comment: Submitted to Ap
Spectroscopic Properties of the z=4.5 Lyman-alpha Emitters
We present Keck/LRIS optical spectra of 17 Lya-emitting galaxies and one
Lyman break galaxy at z=4.5 discovered in the Large Area Lyman Alpha (LALA)
survey. The survey has identified a sample of ~350 candidate Lya-emitting
galaxies at z=4.5 in a search volume of 1.5 x 10^6 comoving Mpc^3. We targeted
25 candidates for spectroscopy; hence, the 18 confirmations presented herein
suggest a selection reliability of 72%. The large equivalent widths (median
W(rest)~80 A) but narrow physical widths (v < 500 km/s) of the Lya emission
lines, along with the lack of accompanying high-ionization state emission
lines, suggest that these galaxies are young systems powered by star formation
rather than by AGN activity. Theoretical models of galaxy formation in the
primordial Universe suggest that a small fraction of Lya-emitting galaxies at
z=4.5 may still be nascent, metal-free objects. Indeed, we find with 90%
confidence that 3 to 5 of the confirmed sources show W(rest) > 240 A, exceeding
the maximum Lya equivalent width predicted for normal stellar populations.
Nonetheless, we find no evidence for HeII 1640 emission in either individual or
composite spectra, indicating that though these galaxies are young, they are
not truly primitive, Population III objects.Comment: 12 pages, Accepted to Ap
Rapid "Turn-on" of type 1 AGN in a quiescent early type galaxy SDSS1115+0544
We present a detailed study of a transient in the center of SDSS1115+0544
based on the extensive UV, optical, mid-IR light curves (LC) and spectra over
1200 days. The host galaxy is a quiescent early type galaxy at = 0.0899
with a blackhole mass of . The transient underwent a 2.5
magnitude brightening over days, reaching a peak -band luminosity
(extinction corrected) of magnitude, then fading 0.5 magnitude over 200
days, settling into a plateau of days. Following the optical brightening
are the significant mid-IR flares at and m, with a peak time
delay of days. The mid-IR LCs are explained as the echo of UV photons
by a dust medium with a radius of cm, consistent with of 0.58 inferred from the spectra. This event is very energetic with an
extinction corrected erg s. Optical
spectra over 400 days in the plateau phase revealed newly formed broad
H emission with a FWHM of km s and narrow
coronal lines such as [Fe VII], [Ne V]. This flare also has a steeply rising UV
continuum, detected by multi-epoch data at to days post
optical peak. The broad Balmer lines and the UV continuum do not show
significant temporal variations. The slow evolving LCs over 1200 days, the
constant Balmer lines and UV continuum at late-times rule out TDE and SN IIn as
the physical model for this event. We propose that this event is a `turn-on'
AGN, transitioning from a quiescent state to a type 1 AGN with a sub-Eddington
accretion rate of /yr. This change occurred on a very short time
scale of days. The discovery of such a rapid `turn-on' AGN
poses challenges to accretion disk theories and may indicate such event is not
extremely rare.Comment: Comments are welcome. Emails to the first author. Accepted for
publication in Ap
A new physical interpretation of optical and infrared variability in quasars
Changing-look quasars are a recently identified class of active galaxies in
which the strong UV continuum and/or broad optical hydrogen emission lines
associated with unobscured quasars either appear or disappear on timescales of
months to years. The physical processes responsible for this behaviour are
still debated, but changes in the black hole accretion rate or accretion disk
structure appear more likely than changes in obscuration. Here we report on
four epochs of spectroscopy of SDSS J110057.70-005304.5, a quasar at a redshift
of whose UV continuum and broad hydrogen emission lines have faded,
and then returned over the past 20 years. The change in this quasar
was initially identified in the infrared, and an archival spectrum from 2010
shows an intermediate phase of the transition during which the flux below
rest-frame 3400\AA\ has decreased by close to an order of magnitude.
This combination is unique compared to previously published examples of
changing-look quasars, and is best explained by dramatic changes in the
innermost regions of the accretion disk. The optical continuum has been rising
since mid-2016, leading to a prediction of a rise in hydrogen emission line
flux in the next year. Increases in the infrared flux are beginning to follow,
delayed by a 3 year observed timescale. If our model is confirmed, the
physics of changing-look quasars are governed by processes at the innermost
stable circular orbit (ISCO) around the black hole, and the structure of the
innermost disk. The easily identifiable and monitored changing-look quasars
would then provide a new probe and laboratory of the nuclear central engine.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Published in MNRAS. All code and data
links on GitHub, https://github.com/d80b2t/WISE_L
SPICES II. Optical and Near-Infrared Identifications of Faint X-Ray Sources from Deep Chandra Observations of Lynx
We present our first results on field X-ray sources detected in a deep, 184.7
ks observation with the ACIS-I camera on Chandra. The observations target the
Lynx field of SPICES, and contains three known X-ray-emitting clusters out to
z=1.27. Not including the known clusters, in the 17'x17' ACIS-I field we detect
132 sources in the 0.5-2 keV (soft) X-ray band down to a limiting flux of
\~1.7e-16 erg/cm2/s and 111 sources in the 2-10 keV (hard) X-ray band down to a
limiting flux of ~1.3e-15 erg/cm2/s. The combined catalog contains a total of
153 sources, of which 42 are detected only in the soft band and 21 are detected
only in the hard band. Confirming previous Chandra results, we find that the
fainter sources have harder X-ray spectra, providing a consistent solution to
the long-standing `spectral paradox'. From deep optical and near-infrared
follow-up data, 77% of the X-ray sources have optical counterparts to I=24 and
71% of the X-ray sources have near-infrared counterparts to K=20. Four of the
24 sources in the near-IR field are associated with extremely red objects
(EROs; I-K>4). We have obtained spectroscopic redshifts with the Keck
telescopes of 18 of the Lynx Chandra sources. These sources comprise a mix of
broad-lined active galaxies, apparently normal galaxies, and two late-type
Galactic dwarfs. Intriguingly, one Galactic source is identified with an M7
dwarf exhibiting non-transient, hard X-ray emission. We review non-AGN
mechanisms to produce X-ray emission and discuss properties of the Lynx Chandra
sample in relation to other samples of X-ray and non-X-ray sources.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in the May 2002
Astronomical Journa
Progress in Payload Separation Risk Mitigation for a Deployable Venus Heat Shield
A deployable decelerator known as the Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) offers substantial science and mass savings for the Venus In Situ Explorer (VISE) mission. The lander and science payload must be separated from ADEPT during atmospheric entry. This paper presents a trade study of the separation system concept of operations and provides a conceptual design of the baseline: aft-separation with a subsonic parachute. Viability of the separation system depends on the vehicle's dynamic stability characteristics during deceleration from supersonic to subsonic speeds. A trajectory sensitivity study presented shows that pitch damping and Venusian winds drive stability prior to parachute deployment, while entry spin rate is not a driver of stability below Mach 5. Additionally, progress in free-flight CFD techniques capable of computing aerodynamic damping parameters is presented. Exploratory simulations of ADEPT at a constant speed of Mach number of 0.8 suggest the vehicle may have an oscillation limit cycle near 5 angle-of-attack. The proposed separation system conceptual design is thought to be viable
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