7,580 research outputs found
Radio Continuum Emission from the Magnetar SGR J1745-2900: Interaction with Gas Orbiting Sgr A*
We present radio continuum light curves of the magnetar SGR J17452900 and
Sgr A* obtained with multi-frequency, multi-epoch Very Large Array observations
between 2012 and 2014. During this period, a powerful X-ray outburst from SGR
J17452900 occurred on 2013-04-24. Enhanced radio emission is delayed with
respect to the X-ray peak by about seven months. In addition, the flux density
of the emission from the magnetar fluctuates by a factor of 2 to 4 at
frequencies between 21 and 41 GHz and its spectral index varies erratically.
Here we argue that the excess fluctuating emission from the magnetar arises
from the interaction of a shock generated from the X-ray outburst with the
orbiting ionized gas at the Galactic center. In this picture, variable
synchrotron emission is produced by ram pressure variations due to
inhomogeneities in the dense ionized medium of the Sgr A West bar. The pulsar
with its high transverse velocity is moving through a highly blue-shifted
ionized medium. This implies that the magnetar is at a projected distance of
pc from Sgr A* and that the orbiting ionized gas is partially or
largely responsible for a large rotation measure detected toward the magnetar.
Despite the variability of Sgr A* expected to be induced by the passage of the
G2 cloud, monitoring data shows a constant flux density and spectral index
during this periodComment: 12 pages, 3 figures, ApJL (in press
Nonlinear Development and Observational Consequences of Wardle C-Shock Instabilities
We compute the nonlinear development of the instabilities in C-shocks first
described by Wardle, using a version of the ZEUS code modified to include a
semi-implicit treatment of ambipolar diffusion. We find that, in three
dimensions, thin sheets parallel to the shock velocity and perpendicular to the
magnetic field lines form. High resolution, two-dimensional models show that
the sheets are confined by the Brandenburg & Zweibel ambipolar diffusion
singularity, forcing them to numerically unresolvable thinness. Hot and cold
regions form around these filaments, disrupting the uniform temperature
structure characteristic of a steady-state C-shock. This filamentary region
steadily grows as the shock progresses. We compare steady-state to unstable
C-shocks, showing excitation diagrams, line ratios, and line profiles for
molecular hydrogen lines visible in the K-band, with the Infrared Space
Observatory, and with NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope.Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures, uses aaspp4.sty, submitted to ApJ, 26 March
1997 Larger figures are jpegs; original postscript is available from
http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/MPIA/Projects/THEORY/maclow/papers/cshk/p2.htm
The Highest Redshift Relativistic Jets
We describe our efforts to understand large-scale (10's-100's kpc)
relativistic jet systems through observations of the highest-redshift quasars.
Results from a VLA survey search for radio jets in ~30 z>3.4 quasars are
described along with new Chandra observations of 4 selected targets.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Extragalactic Jets: Theory and
Observation from Radio to Gamma Ray, Eds. T.A. Rector and D.S. De Youn
High Resolution Linear Polarimetric Imaging for the Event Horizon Telescope
Images of the linear polarization of synchrotron radiation around Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN) identify their projected magnetic field lines and provide
key data for understanding the physics of accretion and outflow from
supermassive black holes. The highest resolution polarimetric images of AGN are
produced with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Because VLBI
incompletely samples the Fourier transform of the source image, any image
reconstruction that fills in unmeasured spatial frequencies will not be unique
and reconstruction algorithms are required. In this paper, we explore
extensions of the Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) to linear polarimetric VLBI
imaging. In contrast to previous work, our polarimetric MEM algorithm combines
a Stokes I imager that uses only bispectrum measurements that are immune to
atmospheric phase corruption with a joint Stokes Q and U imager that operates
on robust polarimetric ratios. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our
technique on 7- and 3-mm wavelength quasar observations from the VLBA and
simulated 1.3-mm Event Horizon Telescope observations of Sgr A* and M87.
Consistent with past studies, we find that polarimetric MEM can produce
superior resolution compared to the standard CLEAN algorithm when imaging
smooth and compact source distributions. As an imaging framework, MEM is highly
adaptable, allowing a range of constraints on polarization structure.
Polarimetric MEM is thus an attractive choice for image reconstruction with the
EHT.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Imaging code
available at https://github.com/achael/eht-imaging
Relative Astrometry of Compact Flaring Structures in Sgr A* with Polarimetric VLBI
We demonstrate that polarimetric interferometry can be used to extract
precise spatial information about compact polarized flares of Sgr A*. We show
that, for a faint dynamical component, a single interferometric baseline
suffices to determine both its polarization and projected displacement from the
quiescent intensity centroid. A second baseline enables two-dimensional
reconstruction of the displacement, and additional baselines can self-calibrate
using the flare, enhancing synthesis imaging of the quiescent emission. We
apply this technique to simulated 1.3-mm wavelength observations of a "hot
spot" embedded in a radiatively inefficient accretion disk around Sgr A*. Our
results indicate that, even with current sensitivities, polarimetric
interferometry with the Event Horizon Telescope can achieve ~5 microarcsecond
relative astrometry of compact flaring structures near Sgr A* on timescales of
minutes.Comment: 9 Pages, 4 Figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Mapping warm molecular hydrogen with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Photometric maps, obtained with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), can
provide a valuable probe of warm molecular hydrogen within the interstellar
medium. IRAC maps of the supernova remnant IC443, extracted from the Spitzer
archive, are strikingly similar to spectral line maps of the H2 pure rotational
transitions that we obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) instrument on
Spitzer. IRS spectroscopy indicates that IRAC Bands 3 and 4 are indeed
dominated by the H2 v=0-0 S(5) and S(7) transitions, respectively. Modeling of
the H2 excitation suggests that Bands 1 and 2 are dominated by H2 v=1-0 O(5)
and v=0-0 S(9). Large maps of the H2 emission in IC433, obtained with IRAC,
show band ratios that are inconsistent with the presence of gas at a single
temperature. The relative strengths of IRAC Bands 2, 3, and 4 are consistent
with pure H2 emission from shocked material with a power-law distribution of
gas temperatures. CO vibrational emissions do not contribute significantly to
the observed Band 2 intensity. Assuming that the column density of H2 at
temperatures T to T+dT is proportional to T raised to the power -b for
temperatures up to 4000 K, we obtained a typical estimate of 4.5 for b. The
power-law index, b, shows variations over the range 3 to 6 within the set of
different sight-lines probed by the maps, with the majority of sight-lines
showing b in the range 4 to 5. The observed power-law index is consistent with
the predictions of simple models for paraboloidal bow shocks.Comment: 27 pages, including 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Magnetic fields in protoplanetary disks
Magnetic fields likely play a key role in the dynamics and evolution of
protoplanetary discs. They have the potential to efficiently transport angular
momentum by MHD turbulence or via the magnetocentrifugal acceleration of
outflows from the disk surface, and magnetically-driven mixing has implications
for disk chemistry and evolution of the grain population. However, the weak
ionisation of protoplanetary discs means that magnetic fields may not be able
to effectively couple to the matter. I present calculations of the ionisation
equilibrium and magnetic diffusivity as a function of height from the disk
midplane at radii of 1 and 5 AU. Dust grains tend to suppress magnetic coupling
by soaking up electrons and ions from the gas phase and reducing the
conductivity of the gas by many orders of magnitude. However, once grains have
grown to a few microns in size their effect starts to wane and magnetic fields
can begin to couple to the gas even at the disk midplane. Because ions are
generally decoupled from the magnetic field by neutral collisions while
electrons are not, the Hall effect tends to dominate the diffusion of the
magnetic field when it is able to partially couple to the gas.
For a standard population of 0.1 micron grains the active surface layers have
a combined column of about 2 g/cm^2 at 1 AU; by the time grains have aggregated
to 3 microns the active surface density is 80 g/cm^2. In the absence of grains,
x-rays maintain magnetic coupling to 10% of the disk material at 1 AU (150
g/cm^2). At 5 AU the entire disk thickness becomes active once grains have
aggregated to 1 micron in size.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figs, aastex.cls. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysics & Space Science. v3 corrects bibliograph
A Survey of Hydroxyl Toward Supernova Remnants: Evidence for Extended 1720 MHz Maser Emission
We present the results of GBT observations of all four ground-state hydroxyl
(OH) transitions toward 15 supernova remnants (SNRs) which show OH(1720 MHz)
maser emission. This species of maser is well established as an excellent
tracer of an ongoing interaction between the SNR and dense molecular material.
For the majority of these objects we detect significantly higher flux densities
with a single dish than has been reported with interferometric observations. We
infer that spatially extended, low level maser emission is a common phenomenon
that traces the large-scale interaction in maser-emitting SNRs. Additionally we
use a collisional pumping model to fit the physical conditions under which OH
is excited behind the SNR shock front. We find the observed OH gas associated
with the SNR interaction having columns less than approximately 10^17 per
square cm, temperatures of 20 to 125 K, and densities 10^5 per cubic cm.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, Accepted to ApJ, March 26, 2008; v2 - added
Figure 6, minor clarifications to text in Sections 3 and
Observing---and Imaging---Active Galactic Nuclei with the Event Horizon Telescope
Originally developed to image the shadow region of the central black hole in
Sagittarius A* and in the nearby galaxy M87, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)
provides deep, very high angular resolution data on other AGN sources too. The
challenges of working with EHT data have spurred the development of new image
reconstruction algorithms. This work briefly reviews the status of the EHT and
its utility for observing AGN sources, with emphasis on novel imaging
techniques that offer the promise of better reconstructions at 1.3 mm and other
wavelengths.Comment: 10 pages, proceedings contribution for Blazars through Sharp
Multi-Wavelength Eyes, submitted to Galaxie
Inverse-Compton scattering in the resolved jet of the high-redshift quasar PKS J1421-0643
Despite the fact that kpc-scale inverse-Compton (iC) scattering of cosmic
microwave background (CMB) photons into the X-ray band is mandated, proof of
detection in resolved quasar jets is often insecure. High redshift provides
favourable conditions due to the increased energy density of the CMB, and it
allows constraints to be placed on the radio synchrotron-emitting electron
component at high energies that are otherwise inaccessible. We present new
X-ray, optical and radio results from Chandra, HST and the VLA for the core and
resolved jet in the quasar PKS J1421-0643. The X-ray jet extends for
about (32 kpc projected length). The jet's radio spectrum is abnormally
steep and consistent with electrons being accelerated to a maximum Lorentz
factor of about 5000. Results argue in favour of the detection of
inverse-Compton X-rays for modest magnetic field strength of a few nT, Doppler
factor of about 4, and viewing angle of about , and predict the jet
to be largely invisible in most other spectral bands including the far- and
mid-infrared and high-energy gamma-ray. The jet power is estimated to be about
erg s which is of order a tenth of the quasar
bolometric power, for an electron--positron jet. The jet radiative power is
only about 0.07 per cent of the jet power, with a smaller radiated power ratio
if the jet contains heavy particles, so most of the jet power is available for
heating the intergalactic medium.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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