22 research outputs found
The Robotic Palomar 60-Inch Optical Afterglow Catalog: 2007
We present here the photometric results of the Robotic Palomar 60-inch Telescope (P60) observations for GRB optical afterglows. The quick response time and the size of the telescope allows us to observe the optical transients through V, R, I, g', i', z' filters, sometimes as early as 0.01 day after the trigger. Comparing the data obtained with the various filters we were able to compute color indices for the 1 day after the trigger epoch. The observations lasts until the OT fades below the detection threshold
Constraints on the Progenitor System of the Type Ia Supernova 2014J from Pre-Explosion Hubble Space Telescope Imaging
We constrain the properties of the progenitor system of the highly reddened
Type Ia supernova (SN) 2014J in Messier 82 (M82; d ~ 3.5 Mpc). We determine the
SN location using Keck-II K-band adaptive optics images, and we find no
evidence for flux from a progenitor system in pre-explosion near-ultraviolet
through near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. Our upper limits
exclude systems having a bright red giant companion, including symbiotic novae
with luminosities comparable to that of RS Ophiuchi. While the flux constraints
are also inconsistent with predictions for comparatively cool He-donor systems
(T < ~35,000 K), we cannot preclude a system similar to V445 Puppis. The
progenitor constraints are robust across a wide range of R_V and A_V values,
but significantly greater values than those inferred from the SN light curve
and spectrum would yield proportionally brighter luminosity limits. The
comparatively faint flux expected from a binary progenitor system consisting of
white dwarf stars would not have been detected in the pre-explosion HST
imaging. Infrared HST exposures yield more stringent constraints on the
luminosities of very cool (T < 3000 K) companion stars than was possible in the
case of SN Ia 2011fe.Comment: Accepted by ApJ 14 May 2014 with only minor revision
The Very Young Type Ia Supernova 2012cg: Discovery and Early-Time Follow-Up Observations
On 2012 May 17.2 UT, only 1.5 +/- 0.2 d after explosion, we discovered SN
2012cg, a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) in NGC 4424 (d ~ 15 Mpc). As a result of
the newly modified strategy employed by the Lick Observatory SN Search, a
sequence of filtered images was obtained starting 161 s after discovery.
Utilizing recent models describing the interaction of SN ejecta with a
companion star, we rule out a ~1 M_Sun companion for half of all viewing angles
and a red-giant companion for nearly all orientations. SN 2012cg reached a
B-band maximum of 12.09 +/- 0.02 mag on 2012 June 2.0 and took ~17.3 d from
explosion to reach this, typical for SNe Ia. Our pre-maximum brightness
photometry shows a narrower-than-average B-band light curve for SN 2012cg,
though slightly overluminous at maximum brightness and with normal color
evolution (including some of the earliest SN Ia filtered photometry ever
obtained). Spectral fits to SN 2012cg reveal ions typically found in SNe Ia at
early times, with expansion velocities >14,000 km/s at 2.5 d past explosion.
Absorption from C II is detected early, as well as high-velocity components of
both Si II 6355 Ang. and Ca II. Our last spectrum (13.5 d past explosion)
resembles that of the somewhat peculiar SN Ia 1999aa. This suggests that SN
2012cg will have a slower-than-average declining light curve, which may be
surprising given the faster-than-average rising light curve.Comment: re-submitted to ApJL, 4 figures, 1 tabl
X-Ray Follow-Up of Extragalactic Transients
Most violent and energetic processes in our universe, including mergers of compact objects,explosions of massive stars and extreme accretion events, produce copious amounts of X-rays. X-ray follow-up is an efficient tool for identifying transients: (1) X-rays can quickly localize transients with large error circles; (2) X-rays reveal the nature of transients that may not have unique signatures at other wavelengths. Here, we identify key science questions about several extragalactic multi-messenger andmulti-wavelength transients, and demonstrate how X-ray follow-up helps answer these questions
Evryscope Science: Exploring the Potential of All-Sky Gigapixel-Scale Telescopes
Low-cost mass-produced sensors and optics have recently made it feasible to build telescope arrays which observe the entire accessible sky simultaneously. In this article, we discuss the scientific motivation for these telescopes, including exoplanets, stellar variability, and extragalactic transients. To provide a concrete example we detail the goals and expectations for the Evryscope, an under-construction 780 MPix telescope which covers 8660 sq. deg. in each 2-minute exposure; each night, 18,400 sq. deg. will be continuously observed for an average of ≈6 hr. Despite its small 61 mm aperture, the system's large field of view provides an étendue which is ∼10% of LSST. The Evryscope, which places 27 separate individual telescopes into a common mount which tracks the entire accessible sky with only one moving part, will return 1%-precision, many-year-length, high-cadence light curves for every accessible star brighter than ∼16th magnitude. The camera readout times are short enough to provide near-continuous observing, with a 97% survey time efficiency. The array telescope will be capable of detecting transiting exoplanets around every solar-type star brighter than mV = 12, providing at least few-millimagnitude photometric precision in long-term light curves. It will be capable of searching for transiting giant planets around the brightest and most nearby stars, where the planets are much easier to characterize; it will also search for small planets nearby M-dwarfs, for planetary occultations of white dwarfs, and will perform comprehensive nearby microlensing and eclipse-timing searches for exoplanets inaccessible to other planet-finding methods. The Evryscope will also provide comprehensive monitoring of outbursting young stars, white dwarf activity, and stellar activity of all types, along with finding a large sample of very-long-period M-dwarf eclipsing binaries. When relatively rare transients events occur, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), nearby supernovae, or even gravitational wave detections from the Advanced LIGO/Virgo network, the array will return minute-by-minute light curves without needing pointing toward the event as it occurs. By coadding images, the system will reach V ∼ 19 in 1-hr integrations, enabling the monitoring of faint objects. Finally, by recording all data, the Evryscope will be able to provide pre-event imaging at 2-minute cadence for bright transients and variable objects, enabling the first high-cadence searches for optical variability before, during and after all-sky events