55 research outputs found
Time varying Na I D absorption in ILRTs as a probe of circumstellar material
Intermediate-Luminosity Red Transients (ILRTs) are a class of observed
transient posited to arise from the production of an electron-capture supernova
from a super-asymptotic giant branch star within a dusty cocoon. In this paper,
we present a systematic analysis of narrow Na I D absorption as a means of
probing the circumstellar environment of these events. We find a wide diversity
of evolution in ILRTs in terms of line strength, time-scale, and shape. We
present a simple toy model designed to predict this evolution as arising from
ejecta from a central supernova passing through a circumstellar environment
wherein Na II is recombining to Na I over time. We find that while our toy
model can qualitatively explain the evolution of a number of ILRTs, the
majority of our sample undergoes evolution more complex than predicted. The
success of using the Na I D doublet as a diagnostic tool for studying
circumstellar material will rely on the availability of regular high-resolution
spectral observations of multiple ILRTs, and more detailed spectral modelling
will be required to produce models capable of explaining the diverse range of
behaviours exhibited by ILRTs. In addition, the strength of the Na I D
absorption feature has been used as a means of estimating the extinction of
sources, and we suggest that the variability visible in ILRTs would prevent
such methods from being used for this class of transient, and any others
showing evidence of variabilityComment: 14 pages, 10 figures, submitted to MNRA
The Retrospective Analysis of Posterior Short-Segment Pedicle Instrumentation without Fusion for Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture with Neurological Deficit
This study aims to investigate the efficacy of posterior short-segment pedicle instrumentation without fusion in curing thoracolumbar burst fracture. All of the 53 patients were treated with short-segment pedicle instrumentation and laminectomy without fusion, and the restoration of retropulsed bone fragments was conducted by a novel custom-designed repositor (RRBF). The mean operation time and blood loss during surgery were analyzed; the radiological index and neurological status were compared before and after the operation. The mean operation time was 93 min (range: 62–110 min) and the mean intraoperative blood loss was 452 mL in all cases. The average canal encroachment was 50.04% and 10.92% prior to the surgery and at last followup, respectively (P<0.01). The preoperative kyphotic angle was 17.2 degree (±6.87 degrees), whereas it decreased to 8.42 degree (±4.99 degrees) at last followup (P<0.01). Besides, the mean vertebral body height increased from 40.15% (±9.40%) before surgery to 72.34% (±12.32%) at last followup (P<0.01). 45 patients showed 1-2 grades improvement in Frankel’s scale at last followup. This technique allows for satisfactory canal clearance and restoration of vertebral body height and kyphotic angle, and it may promote the recovery of neurological function. However, further research is still necessary to confirm the efficacy of this treatment
SN 2022vqz: A Peculiar SN 2002es-like Type Ia Supernova with Prominent Early Excess Emission
We present extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of a peculiar
type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2022vqz. It shares many similarities with the SN
2002es-like SNe Ia, such as low luminosity (i.e.,
mag) and moderate post-peak decline rate (i.e.,
mag). The nickel mass synthesized in the explosion is estimated as
from the bolometric light curve, which is obviously
lower than normal SNe Ia. SN 2022vqz is also characterized by a slow expanding
ejecta, with Si II velocities persisting around 7000 km s since 16 days
before the peak, which is unique among all known SNe Ia. While all these
properties imply a less energetic thermonuclear explosion that should leave
considerable amount of unburnt materials, however, absent signature of unburnt
carbon in the spectra of SN 2022vqz is puzzling. A prominent early peak is
clearly detected in the - and -band light curves of ATLAS and in the
-band data of ZTF within days after the explosion. Possible mechanisms for
the early peak are discussed, including sub-Chandrasekhar mass double
detonation model and interaction of SN ejecta with circumstellar material
(CSM). We found both models face some difficulties in replicating all aspects
of the observed data. As an alternative, we propose a hybrid CONe white dwarf
as progenitor of SN 2022vqz which can simultaneously reconcile the tension
between low ejecta velocity and absence of carbon. We further discuss the
diversity of 02es-like objects and possible origins of different scenarios.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, submitted to MNRA
Minute-cadence Observations of the LAMOST Fields with the TMTS: III. Statistic Study of the Flare Stars from the First Two Years
Tsinghua University-Ma Huateng Telescopes for Survey (TMTS) aims to detect
fast-evolving transients in the Universe, which has led to the discovery of
thousands of short-period variables and eclipsing binaries since 2020. In this
paper, we present the observed properties of 125 flare stars identified by the
TMTS within the first two years, with an attempt to constrain their eruption
physics. As expected, most of these flares were recorded in late-type red stars
with > 2.0 mag, however, the flares associated with
bluer stars tend to be on average more energetic and have broader profiles. The
peak flux (F_peak) of the flare is found to depend strongly on the equivalent
duration (ED) of the energy release, i.e., , which is consistent with results derived from the Kepler
and Evryscope samples. This relation is likely related to the magnetic loop
emission, while -- for the more popular non-thermal electron heating model -- a
specific time evolution may be required to generate this relation. We notice
that flares produced by hotter stars have a flatter relation compared to that from cooler stars. This is related to the
statistical discrepancy in light-curve shape of flare events with different
colors. In spectra from LAMOST, we find that flare stars have apparently
stronger H alpha emission than inactive stars, especially at the low
temperature end, suggesting that chromospheric activity plays an important role
in producing flares. On the other hand, the subclass having frequent flares are
found to show H alpha emission of similar strength in their spectra to that
recorded with only a single flare but similar effective temperature, implying
that the chromospheric activity may not be the only trigger for eruptions.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables, refereed version. For associated data
files, see https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/523/219
An 18.9-minute Blue Large-Amplitude Pulsator Crossing the 'Hertzsprung Gap' of Hot Subdwarfs
Blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs) represent a new and rare class of hot
pulsating stars with unusually large amplitudes and short periods. Up to now,
only 24 confirmed BLAPs have been identified from more than one billion
monitored stars, including a group with pulsation period longer than
min (classical BLAPs, hereafter) and the other group with pulsation period
below min. The evolutionary path that could give rise to such kinds of
stellar configurations is unclear. Here we report on a comprehensive study of
the peculiar BLAP discovered by the Tsinghua University - Ma Huateng Telescopes
for Survey (TMTS), TMTS J035143.63+584504.2 (TMTS-BLAP-1). This new BLAP has an
18.9 min pulsation period and is similar to the BLAPs with a low surface
gravity and an extended helium-enriched envelope, suggesting that it is a
low-gravity BLAP at the shortest-period end. In particular, the long-term
monitoring data reveal that this pulsating star has an unusually large rate of
period change, P_dot/P=2.2e-6/yr. Such a significant and positive value
challenges its origins from both helium-core pre-white-dwarfs and core
helium-burning subdwarfs, but is consistent with that derived from shell
helium-burning subdwarfs. The particular pulsation period and unusual rate of
period change indicate that TMTS-BLAP-1 is at a short-lived (~10^6 yr) phase of
shell-helium ignition before the stable shell-helium burning; in other words,
TMTS-BLAP-1 is going through a "Hertzsprung gap" of hot subdwarfs.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables, published on Nature Astronomy, URL:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01783-
Strong Carbon Features and a Red Early Color in the Underluminous Type Ia SN 2022xkq
We present optical, infrared, ultraviolet, and radio observations of SN
2022xkq, an underluminous fast-declining type Ia supernova (SN Ia) in NGC 1784
( Mpc), from to 180 days after explosion. The
high-cadence observations of SN 2022xkq, a photometrically transitional and
spectroscopically 91bg-like SN Ia, cover the first days and weeks following
explosion which are critical to distinguishing between explosion scenarios. The
early light curve of SN 2022xkq has a red early color and exhibits a flux
excess which is more prominent in redder bands; this is the first time such a
feature has been seen in a transitional/91bg-like SN Ia. We also present 92
optical and 19 near-infrared (NIR) spectra, beginning 0.4 days after explosion
in the optical and 2.6 days after explosion in the NIR. SN 2022xkq exhibits a
long-lived C I 1.0693 m feature which persists until 5 days post-maximum.
We also detect C II 6580 in the pre-maximum optical spectra. These
lines are evidence for unburnt carbon that is difficult to reconcile with the
double detonation of a sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf. No existing
explosion model can fully explain the photometric and spectroscopic dataset of
SN 2022xkq, but the considerable breadth of the observations is ideal for
furthering our understanding of the processes which produce faint SNe Ia.Comment: 38 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, the figure 15
input models and synthetic spectra are now available at
https://zenodo.org/record/837925
SN 2021csp -- the explosion of a stripped envelope star within a H and He-poor circumstellar medium
We present observations of SN 2021csp, a unique supernova (SN) which displays evidence for interaction with H- and He- poor circumstellar material (CSM) at early times. Using high-cadence spectroscopy taken over the first week after explosion, we show that the spectra of SN 2021csp are dominated by C III lines with a velocity of 1800 km s. We associate this emission with CSM lost by the progenitor prior to explosion. Subsequently, the SN displays narrow He lines before metamorphosing into a broad-lined Type Ic SN. We model the bolometric light curve of SN 2021csp, and show that it is consistent with the energetic ( erg) explosion of a stripped star, producing 0.4 M of 56Ni within a 1 M shell of CSM extending out to 400 R...
Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients
Beyond supernovae (SNe), very few cosmic explosions can release an amount of kinetic energy of the order of 10ˆ{51} erg (1 foe). In past years, modern all-sky surveys discovered numerous peculiar transients releasing much lower energies. With the label of Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients
or Gap Transients, we refer to objects fainter than typical SNe but brighter than classical novae (i.e., they lay in the magnitude range -10< Mv < -15 mag). In this poorly populated luminosity range (the “gap”), we find several types of stellar transients, including faint supernovae, giant eruptions of massive stars including luminous blue variables (LBVs), intermediate-luminosity red transients (ILRTs), and luminous red novae (LRNe). These gap transients may originate from various physical mechanisms, and sometimes the classification is a tricky task. A major goal of this research work is characterising the observational properties and correlating the physical parameters of gap transients, shedding light on their nature. In this thesis project, I studied in detail a recent faint and red transient, AT 2017be, classified as an ILRT, and show that an electron-capture supernova (EC SN) is the most likely scenario to explain the observed outburst. In-depth analysis on a large ILRT sample favours the same explosion mechanism for all of them. Finally, I studied an unprecedented object, AT 2018hso, that reveals transitional observational properties between ILRTs and LRNe, making its precise classification dubious. However, follow-up observations support it to be a LRN, hence most
likely a transient produced by a stellar merging event.Oltre alle supernove (SNe), pochissime esplosioni cosmiche sono in grado di rilasciare una quantità di energia cinetica dell’ordine di 1051 erg (1 foe). Negli anni passati, moderne “all-sky surveys” hanno permesso di scoprire numerosi transienti peculiari che rilasciavano energie molto più modeste. Con il nome di transienti ottici di luminosità intermedia o transienti nel “gap”, ci riferiamo ad oggetti che sono più deboli delle tipiche SNe ma più luminosi delle classiche novae (cio`e hanno magnitudine nell’intervallo -10< MV < -15 mag). In questo intervallo di luminosità scarsamente popolato (il “gap”), troviamo diversi tipi di transienti stellari, tra cui supernove deboli, eruzioni giganti di stelle massicce incluse le Variabili Luminose Blu (LBV), i transienti rossi di luminosità intermedia (ILRTs) e le novae rosse luminose (LRNe). Questi transienti di “gap” possono essere prodotti da diversi meccanismi fisici, e talvolta la loro classificazione è un compito arduo. Uno degli obiettivi principali di questo studio è caratterizzare le proprietà osservative e correlare i parametri fisici dei transienti di “gap”, svelandone la natura. In questo lavoro di tesi, ho studiato in dettaglio un recente evento transiente debole e rosso, AT 2017be, classificato come ILRT, e ho mostrato come una supernova prodotta da cattura elettronica (EC SN) sia lo scenario più probabile per spiegare l’evento eruttivo osservato. Un’analisi approfondita su un grande campione di ILRTs favorisce lo stesso meccanismo di esplosione per tutti questi transienti. Infine, ho studiato un oggetto senza precedenti, AT 2018hso, che rivela proprietà osservative intermedie tra quelle degli ILRT e le LRNe, e che rendono una sua precisa classificazione incerta. Tuttavia, le osservazioni di follow-up supportano la tesi che sia un LRN, quindi probabilmente un transiente prodotto da un evento di coalescenza stellare
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