902 research outputs found
XMM-Newton Slew Survey observations of the gravitational wave event GW150914
The detection of the first gravitational wave (GW) transient GW150914
prompted an extensive campaign of follow-up observations at all wavelengths.
Although no dedicated XMM-Newton observations have been performed, the
satellite passed through the GW150914 error box during normal operations. Here
we report the analysis of the data taken during these satellite slews performed
two hours and two weeks after the GW event. Our data cover 1.1 square degrees
and 4.8 square degrees of the final GW localization region. No credible X-ray
counterpart to GW150914 is found down to a sensitivity of 6E-13 erg/cm2/s in
the 0.2-2 keV band. Nevertheless, these observations show the great potential
of XMM-Newton slew observations for the search of the electromagnetic
counterparts of GW events. A series of adjacent slews performed in response to
a GW trigger would take <1.5 days to cover most of the typical GW credible
region. We discuss this scenario and its prospects for detecting the X-ray
counterpart of future GW detections.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Short gamma-ray bursts within 200 Mpc
We present a systematic search for short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the local Universe based on 14 yr of observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We cross-correlate the GRB positions with the GLADE catalogue of nearby galaxies, and find no event at a distance ≲100 Mpc and four plausible candidates in the range 100 Mpc ≲ D ≲ 200 Mpc. Although affected by low statistics, this number is higher than the one expected for chance alignments to random galaxies, and possibly suggests a physical association between these bursts and nearby galaxies. By assuming a local origin, we use these events to constrain the range of properties for X-ray counterparts of neutron star mergers. Optical upper limits place tight constraints on the onset of a blue kilonova, and imply either low masses (≲10−3M⊙) of lanthanide-poor ejecta or unfavorable orientations (θ_(obs) ≳ 30 deg). Finally, we derive that the all-sky rate of detectable short GRBs within 200 Mpc is 1.3^(+1.7)_(−0.8) yr⁻¹ (68 per cent confidence interval), and discuss the implications for the GRB outflow structure. If these candidates are instead of cosmological origin, we set a upper limit of ≲2.0 yr⁻¹ (90 per cent confidence interval) to the rate of nearby events detectable with operating gamma-ray observatories, such as Swift and Fermi
A hot cocoon in the ultralong GRB 130925A: hints of a PopIII-like progenitor in a low density wind environment
GRB 130925A is a peculiar event characterized by an extremely long gamma-ray
duration (7 ks), as well as dramatic flaring in the X-rays for
20 ks. After this period, its X-ray afterglow shows an atypical soft
spectrum with photon index 4, as observed by Swift and Chandra,
until s, when XMM-Newton observations uncover a harder spectral
shape with 2.5, commonly observed in GRB afterglows. We find that
two distinct emission components are needed to explain the X-ray observations:
a thermal component, which dominates the X-ray emission for several weeks, and
a non-thermal component, consistent with a typical afterglow. A forward shock
model well describes the broadband (from radio to X-rays) afterglow spectrum at
various epochs. It requires an ambient medium with a very low density wind
profile, consistent with that expected from a low-metallicity blue supergiant
(BSG). The thermal component has a remarkably constant size and a total energy
consistent with those expected by a hot cocoon surrounding the relativistic
jet. We argue that the features observed in this GRB (its ultralong duration,
the thermal cocoon, and the low density wind environment) are associated with a
low metallicity BSG progenitor and, thus, should characterize the class of
ultralong GRBs.Comment: 6 pgs, 3 figs, fig1 revised, ApJL in pres
Fermi Large Area Telescope Observations of the Supernova Remnant GS.7-0.1
We present a detailed analysis of the GeV gamma-ray emission toward the supernova remnant (SNR) G8.7-0.1 with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. An investigation of the relationship among G8.7-0.1 and the TeV unidentified source HESS J1804-216 provides us with an important clue on diffusion process of cosmic rays if particle acceleration operates in the SNR. The GeV gamma-ray emission is extended with most of the emission in positional coincidence with the SNR G8.7-0.1 and a lesser part located outside the western boundary of G8.7-0.1. The region of the gamma-ray emission overlaps spatially-connected molecular clouds, implying a physical connection for the gamma-ray structure. The total gamma-ray spectrum measured with LAT from 200 MeV-100 GeV can be described by a broken power-law function with a break of 2.4 +/- 0.6 (stat) +/- 1.2 (sys) GeV, and photon indices of2.10 +/- 0.06 (stat) +/- 0.10 (sys) below the break and 2.70 +/- 0.12 (stat) +/- 0.14 (sys) above the break. Given the spatial association among the gamma rays, the radio emission ofG8.7-0.1, and the molecular clouds, the decay of pions produced by particles accelerated in the SNR and hitting the molecular clouds naturally explains the GeV gamma-ray spectrum. We also find that the GeV morphology is not well represented by the TeV emission from HESS Jl804-2l6 and that the spectrum in the Ge V band is not consistent with the extrapolation of the TeV gamma-ray spectrum. The spectral index of the TeV emission is consistent with the particle spectral index predicted by a theory that assumes energy-dependent diffusion of particles accelerated in an SNR. We discuss the possibility that the TeV-spectrum originates from the interaction of particles accelerated in G8.7-0.l with molecular clouds, and we constrain the diffusion coefficient of the particles
A luminous blue kilonova and an off-axis jet from a compact binary merger at z=0.1341
The recent discovery of a faint gamma-ray burst (GRB) coincident with the
gravitational wave (GW) event GW 170817 revealed the existence of a population
of low-luminosity short duration gamma-ray transients produced by neutron star
mergers in the nearby Universe. These events could be routinely detected by
existing gamma-ray monitors, yet previous observations failed to identify them
without the aid of GW triggers. Here we show that GRB150101B was an analogue of
GRB170817A located at a cosmological distance. GRB 150101B was a faint short
duration GRB characterized by a bright optical counterpart and a long-lived
X-ray afterglow. These properties are unusual for standard short GRBs and are
instead consistent with an explosion viewed off-axis: the optical light is
produced by a luminous kilonova component, while the observed X-rays trace the
GRB afterglow viewed at an angle of ~13 degrees. Our findings suggest that
these properties could be common among future electromagnetic counterparts of
GW sources.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publicatio
GRB 130427A Afterglow: A Test for GRB Models
Gamma-ray Burst 130427A had the largest fluence for almost 30 years. With an isotropic energy output of 8.5×1053 erg and redshift of 0.34, it combined a very high energy release with a relative proximity to Earth in an unprecedented fashion. Sensitive X-ray facilities such as {\it XMM-Newton} and {\it Chandra} detected the afterglow of this event for a record-breaking baseline of 90 Ms. We show the X-ray light curve of GRB 130427A of this event over such an interval. The light curve shows an unbroken power law decay with a slope of α=1.31 over more than three decades in time. In this presentation, we investigate the consequences of this result for the scenarios proposed to interpret GRB 130427A and the implications in the context of the forward shock model (jet opening angle, energetics, surrounding medium). We also remark the chance of extending GRB afterglow observations for several hundreds of Ms with {\it Athena}
XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant IC443: I. soft X-ray emission from shocked interstellar medium
The shocked interstellar medium around IC443 produces strong X-ray emission
in the soft energy band (E<1.5 keV). We present an analysis of such emission as
observed with the EPIC MOS cameras on board the XMM-Newotn observatory, with
the purpose to find clear signatures of the interactions with the interstellar
medium (ISM) in the X-ray band, which may complement results obtained in other
wavelenghts. We found that the giant molecular cloud mapped in CO emission is
located in the foreground and gives an evident signature in the absorption of
X-rays. This cloud may have a torus shape and the part of torus interacting
with the IC443 shock gives rise to 2MASS-K emission in the southeast. The
measured density of emitting X-ray shocked plasma increases toward the
northeastern limb, where the remnant is interacting with an atomic cloud. We
found an excellent correlation between emission in the 0.3-0.5 keV band and
bright optical/radio filament on large spatial scales. The partial shell
structure seen in this band therefore traces the encounter with the atomic
cloud.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ (20 September
2006, v649). For hi-res figures, see
http://www.astropa.unipa.it/Library/OAPA_preprints/ic443ele1.ps.g
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