High redshift X-ray galaxy clusters. II. The L_X-T relationship revisited

In this paper we re-visit the observational relation between X-ray luminosity and temperature for high-z galaxy clusters and compare it with the local L_X-T and with theoretical models. To these ends we use a sample of 17 clusters extracted from the Chandra archive supplemented with additional clusters from the literature, either observed by Chandra or XMM-Newton, to form a final sample of 39 high redshift (0.25 < z < 1.3) objects. Different statistical approaches are adopted to analyze the L_X-T relation. The slope of the L_X-T relation of high redshift clusters is steeper than expected from the self-similar model predictions and steeper, even though still compatible within the errors, than the local L_X-T slope. The distant cluster L_X-T relation shows a significant evolution with respect to the local Universe: high-z clusters are more luminous than the local ones by a factor ~2 at any given temperature. The evolution with redshift of the L_X-T relation cannot be described by a single power law nor by the evolution predicted by the self-similar model. We find a strong evolution, similar or stronger than the self-similar model, from z = 0 to z <0.3 followed by a much weaker, if any, evolution at higher redshift. The weaker evolution is compatible with non-gravitational models of structure formation. According to us a statistically significant sample of nearby clusters (z < 0.25) should be observed with the current available X-ray telescopes to completely exclude observational effects due to different generation detectors and to understand this novel result.Comment: 14 pages, 10 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Corrected typo

High redshift X-ray galaxy clusters. I. The impact of point sources on the cluster properties

The current generation of X-ray observatories like Chandra allows studies with very fine spatial details. It is now possible to resolve X-ray point sources projected into the cluster diffuse emission and exclude them from the analysis to estimate the ``correct'' X-ray observables. In order to verify the incidence of point sources on the cluster thermal emission and to evaluate the impact of their non-thermal emission on the determination of cluster properties, we used a sample of 18 high-z (0.25 < z < 1.01) clusters from the Chandra archive. We performed a detailed analysis of the cluster properties and compared the changes observed in the X-ray observables, like temperature and luminosity or their inter-relation, when one keeps the point sources in the analysis. The point sources projected into the cluster extended emission affect the estimates of cluster temperature or luminosity considerably (up to 13% and 17% respectively). These percentages become even larger for clusters with z > 0.7 where temperature and luminosity increase up to 24% and 22%, respectively. Thus the point sources should be removed to correctly estimate the cluster properties. However the inclusion of the point sources does not impact significantly the slope and normalization of the L-T relationship since for each cluster the correction to be applied to T and L produces a moderate shift in the L-T plane almost parallel to the best-fit of the ``correct'' L-T relation.Comment: 16 pages, 18 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

GW170817: implications for the local kilonova rate and for surveys from ground-based facilities

We compute the local rate of events similar to GRB 170817A, which has been recently found to be associated with a kilonova (KN) outburst. Our analysis finds an observed rate of such events of R$_{KN}\sim 352^{+810}_{-281}$ Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$. After comparing at their face values this density of sGRB outbursts with the much higher density of Binary Neutron Star (BNS) mergers of 1540$^{+3200}_{-1220}$ Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$, estimated by LIGO-Virgo collaboration, one can conclude, admittedly with large uncertainty that either only a minor fraction of BNS mergers produces sGRB/KN events or the sGRBs associated with BNS mergers are beamed and observable under viewing angles as large as $\theta$ $\leq$ $40^{\circ}$. Finally we provide preliminary estimates of the number of sGRB/KN events detected by future surveys carried out with present/future ground-based/space facilities, such as LSST, VST, ZTF, SKA and THESEUS.Comment: MNRAS accepted, 6 pages, 1 figur

The Radio Luminosity Function of the NEP Distant Cluster Radio Galaxies

A complete sample of 18 X-ray selected clusters of galaxies belonging to the ROSAT North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) survey has been observed with the Very Large Array at 1.4 GHz. These are the most distant clusters in the X-ray survey with redshift in the range 0.3 < z < 0.8.Seventy-nine radio sources are detected within half an Abell radius with an observed peak brightness >=0.17 mJy/beam, except for three sources, belonging to the same cluster, which have a higher peak brightness limit of 0.26 mJy/beam. The NEP field source counts are in good agreement with the source counts of a comparison survey, the VLA-VIRMOS deep field survey, indicating that the NEP sample is statistically complete. Thirty-two out of the 79 sources are within 0.2 Abell radii, twenty-two of them are considered cluster members based on spectroscopic redshifts or their optical magnitude and morphological classification. The cluster radio galaxies are used to construct the Radio Luminosity Function (RLF) of distant X-ray selected clusters. A comparison with two nearby cluster RLFs shows that the NEP RLF lies above the local ones, has a steeper slope at low radio powers (<= 10^(24) W/Hz) and shows no evidence for a break at about 6 X 10^(24) W/Hz which is observed in the nearby cluster RLFs. We discuss briefly the origin and possible explanations of the differences observed in the radio properties of nearby and distant clusters of galaxies. The main result of this study is that the RLF of the distant X-ray clusters is very different from that of the local rich Abell clusters.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures, Latex file with use of bib.tex. To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Main Journal. To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics Main Journal. To appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Main Journa

Short GRBs at the dawn of the gravitational wave era

We derive the luminosity function and redshift distribution of short Gamma Ray Bursts (SGRBs) using (i) all the available observer-frame constraints (i.e. peak flux, fluence, peak energy and duration distributions) of the large population of Fermi SGRBs and (ii) the rest-frame properties of a complete sample of Swift SGRBs. We show that a steep $\phi(L)\propto L^{-a}$ with a>2.0 is excluded if the full set of constraints is considered. We implement a Monte Carlo Markov Chain method to derive the $\phi(L)$ and $\psi(z)$ functions assuming intrinsic Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations or independent distributions of intrinsic peak energy, luminosity and duration. To make our results independent from assumptions on the progenitor (NS-NS binary mergers or other channels) and from uncertainties on the star formation history, we assume a parametric form for the redshift distribution of SGRBs. We find that a relatively flat luminosity function with slope ~0.5 below a characteristic break luminosity ~3$\times10^{52}$ erg/s and a redshift distribution of SGRBs peaking at z~1.5-2 satisfy all our constraints. These results hold also if no Ep-Liso and Ep-Eiso correlations are assumed. We estimate that, within ~200 Mpc (i.e. the design aLIGO range for the detection of GW produced by NS-NS merger events), 0.007-0.03 SGRBs yr$^{-1}$ should be detectable as gamma-ray events. Assuming current estimates of NS-NS merger rates and that all NS-NS mergers lead to a SGRB event, we derive a conservative estimate of the average opening angle of SGRBs: $\theta_{jet}$~3-6 deg. Our luminosity function implies an average luminosity L~1.5$\times 10^{52}$ erg/s, nearly two orders of magnitude higher than previous findings, which greatly enhances the chance of observing SGRB "orphan" afterglows. Efforts should go in the direction of finding and identifying such orphan afterglows as counterparts of GW events.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Figure 5 and angle ranges corrected in revised versio

Electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave sources and the case of GW150914

Simultaneous observations of an electromagnetic counterpart from gravitational wave (GW) sources is a powerful tool to gain a complete understanding of the astrophysical event, as well as to support GW data analysis. This proceeding summarizes the expected electromagnetic counterpart of GW sources detectable by the advanced LIGO and Virgo, the follow-up strategies to detect them with groundand space-based observatories, together with an overview of the follow-up campaign of the first GW signal, GW150914, detected with the Advanced LIGO detectors by the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration team