4,835 research outputs found
The Interplanetary Network Supplement to the BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Burst Catalogs
Between 1996 July and 2002 April, one or more spacecraft of the
interplanetary network detected 787 cosmic gamma-ray bursts that were also
detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor and/or Wide-Field X-Ray Camera
experiments aboard the BeppoSAX spacecraft. During this period, the network
consisted of up to six spacecraft, and using triangulation, the localizations
of 475 bursts were obtained. We present the localization data for these events.Comment: 89 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal
Supplement Serie
The mass of the black hole in GRS 1915+105: new constraints from IR spectroscopy
GRS 1915+105 has the largest mass function of any Galactic black hole system,
although the error is relatively large. Here we present spectroscopic analysis
of medium-resolution IR VLT archival data of GRS 1915+105 in the K-band. We
find an updated ephemeris, and report on attempts to improve the mass function
by a refinement of the radial velocity estimate. We show that the spectra are
significantly affected by the presence of phase-dependent CO bandhead emission,
possibly originating from the accretion disc: we discuss the impact this has on
efforts to better constrain the black hole mass. We report on a possible way to
measure the radial velocity utilising apparent H-band atomic absorption
features and also discuss the general uncertainty of the system parameters of
this well-studied objectComment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journa
No Evidence for Gamma-Ray Burst/Abell Cluster or Gamma- Ray Burst/Radio-Quiet Quasar Correlations
We examine the recent claims that cosmic gamma-ray bursts are associated with
either radio-quiet quasars or Abell clusters. These associations were based on
positional coincidences between cataloged quasars or Abell clusters, and
selected events from the BATSE 3B catalog of gamma-ray bursts. We use a larger
sample of gamma-ray bursts with more accurate positions, obtained by the 3rd
Interplanetary Network, to re-evaluate these possible associations. We find no
evidence for either.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Where is SGR1806-20?
We apply a statistical method to derive very precise locations for soft gamma
repeaters using data from the interplanetary network. We demonstrate the
validity of the method by deriving a 600 arcsec^2 error ellipse for SGR1900+14
whose center agrees well with the VLA source position. We then apply it to
SGR1806-20, for which we obtain a 230 arcsec^2 error ellipse, the smallest
burst error box to date. We find that the most likely position of the source
has a small but significant displacement from that of the non-thermal core of
the radio supernova remnant G10.0-0.3, which was previously thought to be the
position of the repeater. We propose a different model to explain the changing
supernova remnant morphology and the positions of the luminous blue variable
and the bursting source.Comment: 12 pages and 2 color figures, accepted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Are Abell Clusters Correlated with Gamma-Ray Bursts?
A recent study has presented marginal statistical evidence that gamma-ray
burst sources are correlated with Abell clusters, based on analyses of bursts
in the BATSE 3B catalog. Using precise localization information from the 3rd
Interplanetary Network, we have reanalyzed this possible correlation. We find
that most of the Abell clusters which are in the relatively large 3B error
circles are not in the much smaller IPN/BATSE error regions. We believe that
this argues strongly against an Abell cluster-gamma-ray burst correlation.Comment: accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter
The second Konus-Wind catalog of short gamma-ray bursts
In this catalog, we present the results of a systematic study of 295 short
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by Konus-Wind (KW) from 1994 to 2010. From the
temporal and spectral analyses of the sample, we provide the burst durations,
the spectral lags, the results of spectral fits with three model functions, the
total energy fluences and the peak energy fluxes of the bursts. We discuss
evidence found for an additional power-law spectral component and the presence
of extended emission in a fraction of the KW short GRBs. Finally, we consider
the results obtained in the context of the Type I (merger-origin) / Type II
(collapsar-origin) classifications.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (7 Figures, 8
Tables
A waste management subsystem Final technical report
Development and evaluation of waste management subsystem for life support system of manned orbiting space statio
A giant, periodic flare from the soft gamma repeater SGR1900+14
Soft gamma repeaters are high-energy transient sources associated with
neutron stars in young supernova remnants. They emit sporadic, short (~ 0.1 s)
bursts with soft energy spectra during periods of intense activity. The event
of March 5, 1979 was the most intense and the only clearly periodic one to
date. Here we report on an even more intense burst on August 27, 1998, from a
different soft gamma repeater, which displayed a hard energy spectrum at its
peak, and was followed by a ~300 s long tail with a soft energy spectrum and a
dramatic 5.16 s period. Its peak and time integrated energy fluxes at Earth are
the largest yet observed from any cosmic source. This event was probably
initiated by a massive disruption of the neutron star crust, followed by an
outflow of energetic particles rotating with the period of the star. Comparison
of these two bursts supports the idea that magnetic energy plays an important
role, and that such giant flares, while rare, are not unique, and may occur at
any time in the neutron star's activity cycle.Comment: Accepted for publication in Natur
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