141 research outputs found
Hard synchrotron BL Lacs: the case of 1ES 1101-232
The bright X-ray selected BL Lac object 1ES1101--232 shows a flat X-ray
spectrum, making it detectable with high statistics over the wide BeppoSAX
energy range. We have observed it in two different epochs with BeppoSAX, and
found a variation of the flux of about 30% that can be explained by a change in
the spectral index above the synchrotron peak. We present here the data and
infer limits on the strength of the magnetic field based on models of emission
for High-frequency peaked BL Lacs.Comment: 4 pages, proceedings of `X-ray Astronomy '999 -- Stellar Endpoints,
AGN and the Diffuse Background", held in Bologna - Italy, September 6-10,
1999, Astrophysical Letters and Communications. Needs bo99.st
The Brera Multi-scale Wavelet (BMW) ROSAT HRI source catalog. I: the algorithm
We present a new detection algorithm based on the wavelet transform for the
analysis of high energy astronomical images. The wavelet transform, due to its
multi-scale structure, is suited for the optimal detection of point-like as
well as extended sources, regardless of any loss of resolution with the
off-axis angle. Sources are detected as significant enhancements in the wavelet
space, after the subtraction of the non-flat components of the background.
Detection thresholds are computed through Monte Carlo simulations in order to
establish the expected number of spurious sources per field. The source
characterization is performed through a multi-source fitting in the wavelet
space. The procedure is designed to correctly deal with very crowded fields,
allowing for the simultaneous characterization of nearby sources. To obtain a
fast and reliable estimate of the source parameters and related errors, we
apply a novel decimation technique which, taking into account the correlation
properties of the wavelet transform, extracts a subset of almost independent
coefficients. We test the performance of this algorithm on synthetic fields,
analyzing with particular care the characterization of sources in poor
background situations, where the assumption of Gaussian statistics does not
hold. For these cases, where standard wavelet algorithms generally provide
underestimated errors, we infer errors through a procedure which relies on
robust basic statistics. Our algorithm is well suited for the analysis of
images taken with the new generation of X-ray instruments equipped with CCD
technology which will produce images with very low background and/or high
source density.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, ApJ in pres
Foreword
The Swift launch in 2004 was a nail-biter as one storm after another pummeled Cape Canaveral. The satellite had arrived in July, and our launch team fretted over whether its baby, locked away in a hangar, could survive the hurricane-force winds. The October launch was delayed a week, then another week, and then a few more days. Finally, on November 20, Swift launched under clear Florida skies. Pre-launch jitters gave way to an adrenaline rush as the first data came down showing a perfectly operating observatory
The Swift X-ray Telescope Cluster Survey III: Cluster Catalog from 2005-2012 Archival Data
We present the Swift X-ray Cluster Survey (SWXCS) catalog obtained using
archival data from the X-ray telescope (XRT) on board the Swift satellite
acquired from 2005 to 2012, extending the first release of the SWXCS. The
catalog provides positions, soft fluxes, and, when possible, optical
counterparts for a flux-limited sample of X-ray group and cluster candidates.
We consider the fields with Galactic latitude |b| > 20 degree to avoid high HI
column densities. We discard all of the observations targeted at groups or
clusters of galaxies, as well as particular extragalactic fields not suitable
to search for faint extended sources. We finally select ~3000 useful fields
covering a total solid angle of ~400 degree^2. We identify extended source
candidates in the soft-band (0.5-2keV) images of these fields using the
software EXSdetect, which is specifically calibrated for the XRT data.
Extensive simulations are used to evaluate contamination and completeness as a
function of the source signal, allowing us to minimize the number of spurious
detections and to robustly assess the selection function. Our catalog includes
263 candidate galaxy clusters and groups down to a flux limit of 7E-15
erg/cm^2/s in the soft band, and the logN-logS is in very good agreement with
previous deep X-ray surveys. The final list of sources is cross-correlated with
published optical, X-ray, and SZ catalogs of clusters. We find that 137 sources
have been previously identified as clusters, while 126 are new detections.
Currently, we have collected redshift information for 158 sources (60% of the
entire sample). Once the optical follow-up and the X-ray spectral analysis of
the sources are complete, the SWXCS will provide a large and well-defined
catalog of groups and clusters of galaxies to perform statistical studies of
cluster properties and tests of cosmological models.Comment: 41 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, published on ApJS in Jan 201
The Brera Multi-scale Wavelet (BMW) ROSAT HRI source catalog. II: application to the HRI and first results
The wavelet detection algorithm (WDA) described in the accompanying paper by
Lazzati et al. is made suited for a fast and efficient analysis of images taken
with the High Resolution Imager (HRI) instrument on board the ROSAT satellite.
An extensive testing is carried out on the detection pipeline: HRI fields with
different exposure times are simulated and analysed in the same fashion as the
real data. Positions are recovered with few arcsecond errors, whereas fluxes
are within a factor of two from their input values in more than 90% of the
cases in the deepest images. At variance with the ``sliding-box'' detection
algorithms, the WDA provides also a reliable description of the source
extension, allowing for a complete search of e.g. supernova remnant or cluster
of galaxies in the HRI fields. A completeness analysis on simulated fields
shows that for the deepest exposures considered (~120 ks) a limiting flux of
\~3x10^{-15} erg/cm2/s can be reached over the entire field of view. We test
the algorithm on real HRI fields selected for their crowding and/or presence of
extended or bright sources (e.g. cluster of galaxies and of stars, supernova
remnants). We show that our algorithm compares favorably with other X-ray
detection algorithms such as XIMAGE and EXSAS. A complete catalog will result
from our analysis: it will consist of the Brera Multi-scale Wavelet Bright
Source Catalog (BMW-BSC) with sources detected with a significance >4.5 sigma
and of the Faint Source Catalog (BMW-FSC) with sources at >3.5 sigma. A
conservative estimate based on the extragalactic log(N)-log(S) indicates that
at least 16000 sources will be revealed in the complete analysis of the whole
HRI dataset.Comment: 6 pages, 11 PostScript figures, 1 gif figure, ApJ in pres
SDSS J013127.34-032100.1: a candidate blazar with an 11 billion solar mass black hole at z = 5.18
The radio-loud quasar SDSS J013127.34-032100.1 at a redshift z = 5.18 is one of the most distant radio-loud objects. The radio to optical flux ratio (i.e. the radio-loudness) of the source is large, making it a promising blazar candidate. Its overall spectral energy distribution, completed by the X-ray flux and spectral slope derived through Target of Opportunity Swift/X-ray Telescope observations, is interpreted by a non-thermal jet plus an accretion disc and molecular torus model. We estimate that its black hole mass is (1.1 ± 0.2) for an accretion efficiency η = 0.08, scaling roughly linearly with η. Although there is a factor âł2 of systematic uncertainty, this black hole mass is the largest found at these redshifts. We derive a viewing angle between 3 and 5 deg. This implies that there must be other (hundreds) sources with the same black hole mass of SDSS J013127.34-032100.1, but whose jets are pointing away from Earth. We discuss the problems posed by the existence of such large black hole masses at such redshifts, especially in jetted quasars. In fact, if they are associated with rapidly spinning black holes, the accretion efficiency is high, implying a slower pace of black hole growth with respect to radio-quiet quasars
Gamma-ray burst jets: uniform or structured?
The structure of Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) jets impacts on their prompt and afterglow emission properties. Insights into the still unknown structure of GRBs can be achieved by studying how different structures impact on the luminosity function (LF): i) we show that low (10^{46} < L_{\rm iso} < 10^{48} erg/s) and high (i.e. with L_{\rm iso} > 10^{50} erg/s) luminosity GRBs can be described by a unique LF; ii) we find that a uniform jet (seen on- and off-axis) as well as a very steep structured jet (i.e. with s > 4) can reproduce the current LF data; iii) taking into account the emission from the whole jet (i.e. including contributions from mildly relativistic, off-axis jet elements) we find that (we dub this quantity "apparent structure") can be very different from the intrinsic structure : in particular, a jet with a Gaussian intrinsic structure has an apparent structure which is more similar to a power law. This opens a new viewpoint on the quasi-universal structured jet hypothesis
The Active Corona of HD 35850 (F8 V)
We present Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer spectroscopy and photometry of the
nearby F8 V star HD 35850 (HR 1817). The EUVE spectra reveal 28 emission lines
from Fe IX and Fe XV to Fe XXIV. The Fe XXI 102, 129 A ratio yields an upper
limit for the coronal electron density, log n < 11.6 per cc. The EUVE SW
spectrum shows a small but clearly detectable continuum. The line-to-continuum
ratio indicates approximately solar Fe abundances, 0.8 < Z < 1.6. The resulting
emission-measure distribution is characterized by two temperature components at
log T of 6.8 and 7.4. The EUVE spectra have been compared with non-simultaneous
ASCA SIS spectra of HD 35850. The SIS spectrum shows the same temperature
distribution as the EUVE DEM analysis. However, the SIS spectral firs suggest
sub-solar abundances, 0.34 < Z < 0.81. Although some of the discrepancy may be
the result of incomplete X-ray line lists, we cannot explain the disagreement
between the EUVE line-to-continuum ratio and the ASCA-derived Fe abundance.
Given its youth (t ~ 100 Myr), its rapid rotation (v sin i ~ 50 km/s), and its
high X-ray activity (Lx ~ 1.5E+30 ergs/s), HD 35850 may represent an activity
extremum for single, main-sequence F-type stars. The variability and EM
distribution can be reconstructed using the continuous flaring model of Guedel
provided that the flare distribution has a power-law index of 1.8. Similar
results obtained for other young solar analogs suggest that continuous flaring
is a viable coronal heating mechanism on rapidly rotating, late-type,
main-sequence stars.Comment: 32 pages incl. 14 figures and 3 tables. To appear in the 1999 April
10 issue of The Astrophysical Journa
Models for the Type Ic Hypernova SN 2003lw associated with GRB 031203
The Gamma-Ray Burst 031203 at a redshift z=0.1055 revealed a highly reddened
Type Ic Supernova, SN 2003lw, in its afterglow light. This is the third well
established case of a link between a long-duration GRB and a type Ic SN. The SN
light curve is obtained subtracting the galaxy contribution and is modelled
together with two spectra at near-maximum epochs. A red VLT grism 150I spectrum
of the SN near peak is used to extend the spectral coverage, and in particular
to constrain the uncertain reddening, the most likely value for which is
E_{G+H}(B-V) about 1.07 +/- 0.05. Accounting for reddening, SN 2003lw is about
0.3 mag brighter than the prototypical GRB-SN 1998bw. Light curve models yield
a 56Ni mass of about 0.55 solar mass. The optimal explosion model is somewhat
more massive (ejecta mass about 13 solar mass) and energetic (kinetic energy
about 6 times 10^52 erg) than the model for SN 1998bw, implying a massive
progenitor (40 - 50 solar mass). The mass at high velocity is not very large
(1.4 solar mass above 30000 km/s, but only 0.1 solar mass above 60000 km/s),
but is sufficient to cause the observed broad lines. The similarity of SNe
2003lw and 1998bw and the weakness of their related GRBs, GRB031203 and
GRB980425, suggest that both GRBs may be normal events viewed slightly off-axis
or a weaker but possibly more frequent type of GRB.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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