35,285 research outputs found
The mass function of GX 339-4 from spectroscopic observations of its donor star
We obtained 16 VLT/X-shooter observations of GX 339-4 in quiescence in the
period May - September 2016 and detected absorption lines from the donor star
in its NIR spectrum. This allows us to measure the radial velocity curve and
projected rotational velocity of the donor for the first time. We confirm the
1.76 day orbital period and we find that = km s,
km s and km s. From
these values we compute a mass function , a
factor lower than previously reported, and a mass ratio . We confirm the donor is a K-type star and estimate that it contributes
of the light in the - and H-band. We constrain the binary
inclination to and the black hole mass to
. GX 339-4 may therefore be the
first black hole to fall in the 'mass-gap' of .Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
How does breakup influence the total fusion of Li at the Coulomb barrier?
Total (complete + incomplete) fusion excitation functions of Li on
Co and Bi targets around the Coulomb barrier are obtained using
a new continuum discretized coupled channel (CDCC) method of calculating
fusion. The relative importance of breakup and bound-state structure effects on
total fusion is particularly investigated. The effect of breakup on fusion can
be observed in the total fusion excitation function. The breakup enhances the
total fusion at energies just around the barrier, whereas it hardly affects the
total fusion at energies well above the barrier. The difference between the
experimental total fusion cross sections for Li on Co is notably
caused by breakup, but this is not the case for the Bi target.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Characterisation of a candidate dual AGN
We present Chandra and optical observations of a candidate dual AGN
discovered serendipitously while searching for recoiling black holes via a
cross-correlation between the serendipitous XMM source catalog (2XMMi) and
SDSS-DR7 galaxies with a separation no larger than ten times the sum of their
Petrosian radii. The system has a stellar mass ratio M/M. One of the galaxies (Source 1) shows clear evidence for AGN activity in
the form of hard X-ray emission and optical emission-line diagnostics typical
of AGN ionisation. The nucleus of the other galaxy (Source 2) has a soft X-ray
spectrum, bluer colours, and optical emission line ratios dominated by stellar
photoionisation with a "composite" signature, which might indicate the presence
of a weak AGN. When plotted on a diagram with X-ray luminosity vs [OIII]
luminosity both nuclei fall within the locus defined by local Seyfert galaxies.
From the optical spectrum we estimate the electron densities finding n e cm and n e cm. From a 2D
decomposition of the surface brightness distribution we infer that both
galaxies host rotationally supported bulges (Sersic index ). While the
active nature of Source 1 can be established with confidence, whether the
nucleus of Source 2 is active remains a matter of debate. Evidence that a faint
AGN might reside in its nucleus is, however, tantalising.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication on MNRAS. Comments
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Quiescent NIR and optical counterparts to candidate black hole X-ray binaries
We present near-infrared and optical imaging of fifteen candidate black hole
X-ray binaries. In addition to quiescent observations for all sources, we also
observed two of these sources (IGR J17451-3022 and XTE J1818-245) in outburst.
We detect the quiescent counterpart for twelve out of fifteen sources, and for
the remaining three we report limiting magnitudes. The magnitudes of the
detected counterparts range between = 17.59 and = 22.29 mag. We
provide (limits on) the absolute magnitudes and finding charts of all sources.
Of these twelve detections in quiescence, seven represent the first quiescent
reported values (for MAXI J1543-564, XTE J1726-476, IGR J17451-3022, XTE
J1818-245, MAXI J1828-249, MAXI J1836-194, Swift J1910.2-0546) and two
detections show fainter counterparts to XTE J1752-223 and XTE J2012+381 than
previously reported. We used theoretical arguments and observed trends, for
instance between the outburst and quiescent X-ray luminosity and orbital period
to derive an expected trend between and of
. Comparing this to observations we
find a different behaviour. We discuss possible explanations for this result.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
The jet of Markarian 501 from millions of Schwarzschild radii down to a few hundreds
Aims: The TeV BL Lac object Markarian 501 is a complex, core dominated radio
source, with a one sided, twisting jet on parsec scales. In the present work,
we attempt to extend our understanding of the source physics to regions of the
radio jet which have not been accessed before.
Methods: We present new observations of Mrk 501 at 1.4 and 86 GHz. The 1.4
GHz data were obtained using the Very Large Array (VLA) and High Sensitivity
Array (HSA) in November 2004, in full polarization, with a final r.m.s. noise
of 25 microJy/beam in the HSA total intensity image; the 86 GHz observations
were performed in October 2005 with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA),
providing an angular resolution as good as 110 x 40 microarcseconds.
Results: The sensitivity and resolution provided by the HSA make it possible
to detect the jet up to ~700 milliarcseconds (corresponding to a projected
linear size of ~500 pc) from its base, while the superior resolution of the 86
GHz GMVA observations probes the innermost regions of the jet down to ~200
Schwarzschild radii. The brightness temperature at the jet base is in excess of
6e10 K. We find evidence of limb brightening on physical scales from <1 pc to
~40 pc. Polarization images and fits to the trend of jet width and brightness
vs. distance from the core reveal a magnetic field parallel to the jet axis.Comment: 10 pages, accepted by A&
100 MHz Amplitude and Polarization Modulated Optical Source for Free-Space Quantum Key Distribution at 850 nm
We report on an integrated photonic transmitter of up to 100 MHz repetition
rate, which emits pulses centered at 850 nm with arbitrary amplitude and
polarization. The source is suitable for free space quantum key distribution
applications. The whole transmitter, with the optical and electronic components
integrated, has reduced size and power consumption. In addition, the
optoelectronic components forming the transmitter can be space-qualified,
making it suitable for satellite and future space missions.Comment: 6 figures, 2 table
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