1,669 research outputs found
Cosmic rays from trans-relativistic supernovae
We derive constraints that must be satisfied by the sources of ~10^{15} to
~10^{18} eV cosmic rays, under the assumption that the sources are Galactic. We
show that while these constraints are not satisfied by ordinary supernovae
(SNe), which are believed to be the sources of <10^{15} eV cosmic rays, they
may be satisfied by the recently discovered class of trans-relativistic
supernovae (TRSNe), which were observed in association with gamma-ray bursts.
We define TRSNe as SNe that deposit a large fraction, f_R>10^{-2}, of their
kinetic energy in mildly relativistic, \gamma\beta>1, ejecta. The high velocity
ejecta enable particle acceleration to ~10^{18} eV, and the large value of f_R
(compared to f_R~10^{-7} for ordinary SNe) ensures that if TRSNe produce the
observed ~10^{18} eV cosmic ray flux, they do not overproduce the flux at lower
energies. This, combined with the estimated rate and energy production of
TRSNe, imply that Galactic TRSNe may be the sources of cosmic rays with
energies up to ~10^{18}eV .Comment: Accepted to ApJ. Expanded abstract, introduction, discussio
Wide band X-ray and optical observations of the BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 in high state
The blazar 1ES 1959+650 was observed twice by BeppoSAX in September 2001
simultaneously with optical observations. We report here the X-ray data
together with the optical, R_C magnitude, light curve since August 1995. The
BeppoSAX observations were triggered by an active X-ray status of the source.
The X-ray spectra are brighter than the previously published X-ray
observations, although the source was in an even higher state a few months
later, as monitored by the ASM onboard RossiXTE, when it was also detected to
flare in the TeV band. Our X-ray spectra are well represented by a continuosly
curved model up to 45 keV and are interpreted as synchrotron emission, with the
peak moving to higher energies. This is also confirmed by the slope of the
X-ray spectrum which is harder than in previous observations. Based on our
optical and X-ray data, the synchrotron peak turns out to be in the range
0.1-0.7 keV. We compare our data with non simultaneous radio to TeV data and
model the spectral energy distribution with a homogeneous, one-zone synchrotron
inverse Compton model. We derive physical parameters that are typical of low
power High Energy peaked Blazar, characterised by a relatively large beaming
factor, low luminosity and absence of external seed photons.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted by A&
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
The Swift X-ray Telescope Cluster Survey II. X-ray spectral analysis
(Abridged) We present a spectral analysis of a new, flux-limited sample of 72
X-ray selected clusters of galaxies identified with the X-ray Telescope (XRT)
on board the Swift satellite down to a flux limit of ~10-14 erg/s/cm2 (SWXCS,
Tundo et al. 2012). We carry out a detailed X-ray spectral analysis with the
twofold aim of measuring redshifts and characterizing the properties of the
Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM). Optical counterparts and spectroscopic or
photometric redshifts are obtained with a cross-correlation with NED.
Additional photometric redshifts are computed with a dedicated follow-up
program with the TNG and a cross-correlation with the SDSS. We also detect the
iron emission lines in 35% of the sample, and hence obtain a robust measure of
the X-ray redshift zX. We use zX whenever the optical redshift is not
available. Finally, for all the sources with measured redshift,
background-subtracted spectra are fitted with a mekal model. We perform
extensive spectral simulations to derive an empirical formula to account for
fitting bias. The bias-corrected values are then used to investigate the
scaling properties of the X-ray observables. Overall, we are able to
characterize the ICM of 46 sources. The sample is mostly constituted by
clusters with temperatures between 3 and 10 keV, plus 14 low-mass clusters and
groups with temperatures below 3 keV. The redshift distribution peaks around
z~0.25 and extends up to z~1, with 60% of the sample at 0.1<z<0.4. We derive
the Luminosity-Temperature relation for these 46 sources, finding good
agreement with previous studies. The quality of the SWXCS sample is comparable
to other samples available in the literature and obtained with much larger
X-ray telescopes. Our results have interesting implications for the design of
future X-ray survey telescopes, characterised by good-quality PSF over the
entire field of view and low background.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures; minor typos corrected. To be published in A&A,
Volume 567, July 2014. Websites of the SWXCS project:
http://www.arcetri.astro.it/SWXCS/ and http://swxcs.ustc.edu.cn
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