Spitzer IRS Observations of the XA Region in the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant

We report on spectra of two positions in the XA region of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant obtained with the InfraRed Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The spectra span the 10-35 micron wavelength range, which contains a number of collisionally excited forbidden lines. These data are supplemented by optical spectra obtained at the Whipple Observatory and an archival UV spectrum from the International Ultraviolet Explorer. Coverage from the UV through the IR provides tests of shock wave models and tight constraints on model parameters. Only lines from high ionization species are detected in the spectrum of a filament on the edge of the remnant. The filament traces a 180 km/s shock that has just begun to cool, and the oxygen to neon abundance ratio lies in the normal range found for Galactic H II regions. Lines from both high and low ionization species are detected in the spectrum of the cusp of a shock-cloud interaction, which lies within the remnant boundary. The spectrum of the cusp region is matched by a shock of about 150 km/s that has cooled and begun to recombine. The post-shock region has a swept-up column density of about 1.3E18 cm^-2, and the gas has reached a temperature of 7000 to 8000 K. The spectrum of the Cusp indicates that roughly half of the refractory silicon and iron atoms have been liberated from the grains. Dust emission is not detected at either position.Comment: 35 pages, including 9 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

M 33 X-7: ChASeM33 reveals the first eclipsing black hole X-ray binary

The first observations conducted as part of the Chandra ACIS survey of M 33 (ChASeM33) sampled the eclipsing X-ray binary M 33 X-7 over a large part of the 3.45 d orbital period and have resolved eclipse ingress and egress for the first time. The occurrence of the X-ray eclipse allows us to determine an improved ephemeris of mid-eclipse and binary period as HJD (2453639.119+-0.005) +- N x (3.453014+-0.000020) and constrain the eclipse half angle to (26.5+-1.1) degree. There are indications for a shortening of the orbital period. The X-ray spectrum is best described by a disk blackbody spectrum typical for black hole X-ray binaries in the Galaxy. We find a flat power density spectrum and no significant regular pulsations were found in the frequency range of 10^{-4} to 0.15 Hz. HST WFPC2 images resolve the optical counterpart, which can be identified as an O6III star with the help of extinction and colour corrections derived from the X-ray absorption. Based on the optical light curve, the mass of the compact object in the system most likely exceeds 9 M_sun. This mass, the shape of the X-ray spectrum and the short term X-ray time variability identify M 33 X-7 as the first eclipsing black hole high mass X-ray binary.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, ApJ accepte

Chandra Spectra of the Soft X-ray Diffuse Background

We present an exploratory Chandra ACIS-S3 study of the diffuse component of the Cosmic X-ray Background in the 0.3-7 keV band for four directions at high Galactic latitudes, with emphasis on details of the ACIS instrumental background modeling. Observations of the dark Moon are used to model the detector background. A comparison of the Moon data and the data obtained with ACIS stowed outside the focal area showed that the dark Moon does not emit significantly in our band. Point sources down to 3 10^-16 erg/s/cm2 in the 0.5-2 keV band are excluded in our two deepest observations. We estimate the contribution of fainter, undetected sources to be less than 20% of the remaining CXB flux in this band in all four pointings. In the 0.3-1 keV band, the diffuse signal varies strongly from field to field and contributes between 55% and 90% of the total CXB signal. It is dominated by emission lines that can be modeled by a kT=0.1-0.4 keV plasma. In particular, the two fields located away from bright Galactic features show a prominent line blend at E=580 eV (O VII + O VIII) and a possible line feature at E~300 eV. The two pointings toward the North Polar Spur exhibit a brighter O blend and additional bright lines at 730-830 eV (Fe XVII). We measure the total 1-2 keV flux of (1.0-1.2 +-0.2) 10^-15 erg/s/cm2/arcmin (mostly resolved), and the 2-7 keV flux of (4.0-4.5 +-1.5) 10^-15 erg/s/cm2/arcmin. At E>2 keV, the diffuse emission is consistent with zero, to an accuracy limited by the short Moon exposure and systematic uncertainties of the S3 background. Assuming Galactic or local origin of the line emission, we put an upper limit of 3 10^-15 erg/s/cm2/arcmin on the 0.3-1 keV extragalactic diffuse flux.Comment: Minor changes and typo fixes to match journal version. 17 pages, 15 figures (most in color), uses emulateapj.sty. ApJ in pres

High-resolution x-ray telescopes

High-energy astrophysics is a relatively young scientific field, made possible by space-borne telescopes. During the half-century history of x-ray astronomy, the sensitivity of focusing x-ray telescopes-through finer angular resolution and increased effective area-has improved by a factor of a 100 million. This technological advance has enabled numerous exciting discoveries and increasingly detailed study of the high-energy universe-including accreting (stellar-mass and super-massive) black holes, accreting and isolated neutron stars, pulsar-wind nebulae, shocked plasma in supernova remnants, and hot thermal plasma in clusters of galaxies. As the largest structures in the universe, galaxy clusters constitute a unique laboratory for measuring the gravitational effects of dark matter and of dark energy. Here, we review the history of high-resolution x-ray telescopes and highlight some of the scientific results enabled by these telescopes. Next, we describe the planned next-generation x-ray-astronomy facility-the International X-ray Observatory (IXO). We conclude with an overview of a concept for the next next-generation facility-Generation X. The scientific objectives of such a mission will require very large areas (about 10000 m2) of highly-nested lightweight grazing-incidence mirrors with exceptional (about 0.1-arcsecond) angular resolution. Achieving this angular resolution with lightweight mirrors will likely require on-orbit adjustment of alignment and figure.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, SPIE Conference 7803 "Adaptive X-ray Optics", part of SPIE Optics+Photonics 2010, San Diego CA, 2010 August 2-

The Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33): The final source catalog

This study presents the final source catalog of the Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33). With a total exposure time of 1.4 Ms, ChASeM33 covers ~70% of the D25 isophote (R\approx4kpc) of M33 and provides the deepest, most complete, and detailed look at a spiral galaxy in X-rays. The source catalog includes 662 sources, reaches a limiting unabsorbed luminosity of ~2.4x10^(34) erg/s in the 0.35-8.0keV energy band, and contains source positions, source net counts, fluxes and significances in several energy bands, and information on source variability. The analysis challenges posed by ChASeM33 and the techniques adopted to address these challenges are discussed. To constrain the nature of the detected X-ray source, hardness ratios were constructed and spectra were fit for 254 sources, followup MMT spectra of 116 sources were acquired, and cross-correlations with previous X-ray catalogs and other multi-wavelength data were generated. Based on this effort, 183 of the 662 ChASeM33 sources could be identified. Finally, the luminosity function for the detected point sources as well as the one for the X-ray binaries in M33 is presented. The luminosity functions in the soft band (0.5-2.0 keV) and the hard band (2.0-8.0 keV) have a limiting luminosity at the 90% completeness limit of 4.0x10^(34) erg/s and 1.6x10^(35) erg/s (for D=817kpc), respectively, which is significantly lower than what was reported by previous X-ray binary population studies in galaxies more distant than M33. The resulting distribution is consistent with a dominant population of high mass X-ray binaries as would be expected for M33.Comment: 186 pages, 11 figures, 10 tables. Accepted for publication in the ApJS. For a high resolution version of the paper, see http://hea-www.harvard.edu/vlp_m33_public

Building Bridges with Boats: Preserving Community History through Intra- and Inter-Institutional Collaboration

This chapter discusses Launching through the Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City, a project which documents the historical and contemporary role of dory fishers in the life of the coastal village of Pacific City, Oregon, U.S. Linfield College’s Department of Theatre and Communication Arts, its Jereld R. Nicholson Library, the Pacific City Arts Association, the Pacific City Dorymen\u27s Association, and the Linfield Center for the Northwest joined forces to engage in a collaborative college and community venture to preserve this important facet of Oregon’s history. Using ethnography as a theoretical grounding and oral history as a method, the project utilized artifacts from the dory fleet to augment interview data, and faculty/student teams created a searchable digital archive available via open access. The chapter draws on the authors’ experiences to identify a philosophy of strategic collaboration. Topics include project development and management, assessment, and the role of serendipity. In an era of value-added services where libraries need to continue to prove their worth, partnering with internal and external entities to create content is one way for academic libraries to remain relevant to agencies that do not have direct connections to higher education. This project not only developed a positive “town and gown” relationship with a regional community, it also benefited partner organizations as they sought to fulfill their missions. The project also serves as a potential model for intra- and inter-agency collaboration for all types of libraries

Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33): A First Look

We present an overview of the Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33): A Deep Survey of the Nearest Face-on Spiral Galaxy. The 1.4 Ms survey covers the galaxy out to R \approx 18\arcmin (\approx 4 kpc). These data provide the most intensive, high spatial resolution assessment of the X-ray source populations available for the confused inner regions of M33. Mosaic images of the ChASeM33 observations show several hundred individual X-ray sources as well as soft diffuse emission from the hot interstellar medium. Bright, extended emission surrounds the nucleus and is also seen from the giant \hii regions NGC 604 and IC 131. Fainter extended emission and numerous individual sources appear to trace the inner spiral structure. The initial source catalog, arising from $\sim$~2/3 of the expected survey data, includes 394 sources significant at the $3\sigma$ confidence level or greater, down to a limiting luminosity (absorbed) of $\sim$1.6\ergs{35} (0.35 -- 8.0 keV). The hardness ratios of the sources separate those with soft, thermal spectra such as supernova remnants from those with hard, non-thermal spectra such as X-ray binaries and background active galactic nuclei. Emission extended beyond the Chandra point spread function is evident in 23 of the 394 sources. Cross-correlation of the ChASeM33 sources against previous catalogs of X-ray sources in M33 results in matches for the vast majority of the brighter sources and shows 28 ChASeM33 sources within 10\arcsec of supernova remnants identified by prior optical and radio searches. This brings the total number of such associations to 31 out of 100 known supernova remnants in M33.Comment: accepted for publication ApJS, full resolution images and complete tables available at http://hea-www.harvard.edu/vlp_m33_public

An X-ray upper limit on the presence of a Neutron Star for the Small Magellanic Cloud and Supernova Remnant 1E0102.2-7219

We present Chandra X-ray Observatory archival observations of the supernova remnant 1E0102.2-7219, a young Oxygen-rich remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Combining 28 ObsIDs for 324 ks of total exposure time, we present an ACIS image with an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio (mean S/N ~ sqrt(S) ~6; maximum S/N > 35) . We search within the remnant, using the source detection software {\sc wavdetect}, for point sources which may indicate a compact object. Despite finding numerous detections of high significance in both broad and narrow band images of the remnant, we are unable to satisfactorily distinguish whether these detections correspond to emission from a compact object. We also present upper limits to the luminosity of an obscured compact stellar object which were derived from an analysis of spectra extracted from the high signal-to-noise image. We are able to further constrain the characteristics of a potential neutron star for this remnant with the results of the analysis presented here, though we cannot confirm the existence of such an object for this remnant.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

2-D Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Induced Plasma Dynamics in the Near-Core Region of a Galaxy Cluster

We present results from numerical simulations of the cooling-core cluster A2199 produced by the two-dimensional (2-D) resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code MACH2. In our simulations we explore the effect of anisotropic thermal conduction on the energy balance of the system. The results from idealized cases in 2-D axisymmetric geometry underscore the importance of the initial plasma density in ICM simulations, especially the near-core values since the radiation cooling rate is proportional to ${n_e}^2$. Heat conduction is found to be non-effective in preventing catastrophic cooling in this cluster. In addition we performed 2-D planar MHD simulations starting from initial conditions deliberately violating both thermal balance and hydrostatic equilibrium in the ICM, to assess contributions of the convective terms in the energy balance of the system against anisotropic thermal conduction. We find that in this case work done by the pressure on the plasma can dominate the early evolution of the internal energy over anisotropic thermal conduction in the presence of subsonic flows, thereby reducing the impact of the magnetic field. Deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium near the cluster core may be associated with transient activity of a central active galactic nucleus and/or remnant dynamical activity in the ICM and warrant further study in three dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA