A search for symbiotic behaviour amongst OH/IR colour mimics

Recent maser surveys have shown that many potential OH/IR stars have no OH masers in their circumstellar envelopes, despite the modest requirements which should be implicitly met by IRAS colour-selected candidates. It has been suggested that these OH/IR colour mimics must have a degenerate companion which dissociates OH molecules and disrupts the masing action, ie. that they are related to symbiotic Miras. Coincidentally, there is a paucity of long-period symbiotic Miras and symbiotic OH/IR stars. Phenomonologically, those that are known seem to cluster in the zone where field Miras transform into OH/IR stars. If it could be proven that OH/IR colour mimics contain a degenerate star, that observable evidence of this star is hidden from view by CS dust whilst it slowly accretes from the wind of its Mira companion, then we have an excellent explanation for not only the existence of OH/IR colour mimics, but also for the low observed frequency of symbiotic OH/IR stars and the common occurrence of very slow novae in long-period symbiotic Miras. Here, we employ radio continuum radiation (which should escape unhindered from within the dust shells) as a simple probe of the postulated hot degenerate companions which would inevitably ionize a region of their surrounding gas. We compare the radio and infrared properties of the colour mimics with those of normal symbiotic Miras, using the strong correlation between radio and mid-IR emission in symbiotic stars. We show that if a hot companion exists then, unlike their symbiotic counterparts, they must produce radiation-bounded nebulae. Our observations provide no support for the above scenario for the lack of observed masers, but neither do they permit a rejection of this scenario.Comment: 6 pages; no figures attached; LaTeX (MN style); postscript figures via anonymous ftp in users/ers/mimic-figs on astro.caltech.edu; University of Toronto pre-print; ERSRJI

Discovery of hydroxyl and water masers in R Aquarii and H1-36 Arae

We present the first results from an all-sky maser-line survey of symbiotic Miras. Interferometric spectral-line observations of R Aqr and H1-36 Arae have revealed a 22-GHz water maser in the former and 1612-MHz hydroxyl and weak 22-GHz water maser emission from the latter. H1-36 has thus become the first known symbiotic OH/IR star. We have also detected weak OH line emission from the vicinity of R Aqr, but we note that there are small discrepencies between the OH- and H2O-line velocities and positions. These detections demonstrate unequivocally that dust can shield some circumstellar hydroxyl and water molecules from dissociation, even in systems which possess intense local sources of UV. Finally, we discuss some of the implications of these observations. The narrow profile of the water maser in R Aqr means that there may finally be an opportunity to determine the system's orbital parameters. We also point out that high resolution synthesis observations may trace the distribution of dust in H1-36 and R Aqr, possibly throwing light on the mass-loss process in symbiotic Miras and placing constraints on the amount of collimation experienced by UV radiation from their hot, compact companions.Comment: 7 pages; no figures attached; LaTex (MN style); postscript figures via anonymous ftp in /users/ers on astro.caltech.edu; University of Toronto pre-print; ERSRJI

Herschel and SCUBA-2 imaging and spectroscopy of a bright, lensed submillimetre galaxy at z = 2.3

We present a detailed analysis of the far-infrared (-IR) properties of the bright, lensed, z = 2.3, submillimetre-selected galaxy (SMG), SMM J2135-0102 (hereafter SMM J2135), using new observations with Herschel, SCUBA-2 and the Very Large Array (VLA). These data allow us to constrain the galaxy's spectral energy distribution (SED) and show that it has an intrinsic rest-frame 8-1000-μm luminosity, L_(bol), of (2.3±0.2) × 10^(12) L_☉ and a likely star-formation rate (SFR) of ~400 yr-1. The galaxy sits on the far-IR/radio correlation for far-IR-selected galaxies. At ≳70 μm, the SED can be described adequately by dust components with dust temperatures, T_d ~ 30 and 60 k. Using SPIRE's Fourier- transform spectrometer (FTS) we report a detection of the [C ii] 158 μm cooling line. If the [C ii], CO and far-IR continuum arise in photo-dissociation regions (PDRs), we derive a characteristic gas density, n ~ 10^3 cm^(-3), and a far-ultraviolet (-UV) radiation field, G_0, 10^(3)× stronger than the Milky Way. L_[CII]/L_(bol) is significantly higher than in local ultra-luminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs) but similar to the values found in local star-forming galaxies and starburst nuclei. This is consistent with SMM J2135 being powered by starburst clumps distributed across ~2 kpc, evidence that SMGs are not simply scaled-up ULIRGs. Our results show that SPIRE's FTS has the ability to measure the redshifts of distant, obscured galaxies via the blind detection of atomic cooling lines, but it will not be competitive with ground-based CO-line searches. It will, however, allow detailed study of the integrated properties of high-redshift galaxies, as well as the chemistry of their interstellar medium (ISM), once more suitably bright candidates have been found

Detection of dust in the most distant known radiogalaxy

A search for millimetric continuum emission from eight optically-selected, radio-quiet quasars and a radiogalaxy with 3.7 < z < 4.3, has been undertaken using a highly sensitive 7-channel bolometer on the IRAM 30-m Millimetre Radio Telescope. Detections of a potentially dust-rich quasar, and of 8C1435+635, the most distant known radiogalaxy, are reported. An extrapolation of the steepening centimetric radio spectrum of 8C1435+635 accounts for less than one per cent of the observed 1.25-mm flux density, indicating that the emission is most likely from warm dust, although the present data cannot discriminate against synchrotron emission. If the emission is thermal, then the derived dust mass lies in the range, 2E9 < M(dust) < 8E7 Solar for 20 < T(dust) < 100K, or M(dust) ~ 1.6E8 Solar for T(dust) = 60K, similar to that derived for 4C41.17, suggesting a molecular gas mass of between 4E10 and 9E11 Solar. The quasar, PC2047+0123 at z=3.80, has no detectable centimetric emission and the 1.25-mm continuum detected here probably also originates from ~ 1.5E8 Solar masses of dust (again for T(dust) = 60K). Upper limits have been obtained for four quasars, corresponding to dust mass limits of around 3 sigma < 2E8 Solar; less useful limits have been set for a further three quasars.Comment: 4 pages; 1 figure; text as compressed ps file at http://www.roe.ac.uk/research/dust.ps.Z; figure as compressed ps file at http://www.roe.ac.uk/research/8c.ps.

Searching for a gigamaser in APM08279+5255, and other short stories

Bolometer arrays on large antennas at high, dry sites have unveiled a dusty population of massive, luminous galaxies - submillimetre galaxies, or SMGs - which make a significant contribution to the star-formation rate density at z > 1. The most crucial piece of information required to derive the history of obscured star formation is the redshift distribution of this galaxy population, N(z), which breaks degeneracies in the models and allows the mass and dynamics of the galaxies to be explored via high-resolution three-dimensional imaging in CO and by determining their level of clustering. Many SMGs are extremely faint, optically; some have no plausible counterparts, even in the IR, making the determination of an unbiased N(z) very difficult. The arrival of Herschel and next-generation ground-based submm cameras will likely exacerbate this so-called `redshift deadlock'. Here, we report the first test of a new method for determining redshifts, based on the observed dependence of maser and IR luminosities. We have searched the dusty, lensed, hyperluminous quasar, APM08279+5255, for the 1612-, 1665- and 1667-MHz hydroxyl lines as well as the 22-GHz water line. At z = 3.9 these are shifted to 329, 340 and 4,538MHz. Our relatively shallow test data reveal no convincing maser activity but we set a meaningful constraint on the OH maser luminosity and we approach the expected thermal noise levels, meaning progress is possible. As an aside, we present deep new submm and radio imaging of this field. Using a simple shift-and-add technique we uncover a new submm galaxy, conceivably at the redshift of APM08279+5255.Comment: In press at MNRAS; 6 pages. Stick with the old version if you liked the submm image of BR1202-072

Triple trouble for XZ Tau : deep imaging with the Jansky Very Large Array

DF gratefully acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/J001422/1. RJI acknowledges support in the form of ERC Advanced Investigator programme, cosmicism. EI acknowledges funding from CONICYT/FONDECYT postdoctoral project no.: 3130504.We present new observations of the XZ Tau system made at high angular resolution (55 mas) with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) at a wavelength of 7 mm. Observations of XZ Tau made with the VLA in 2004 appeared to show a triple-star system, with XZ Tau A resolved into two sources, XZ Tau A and XZ Tau C. The angular separation of XZ Tau A and C (0.09 arcsec) suggested a projected orbital separation of around 13 au with a possible orbital period of around 40 yr. Our follow-up observations were obtained approximately 8 yr later, a fifth of this putative orbital period, and should therefore allow us to constrain the orbital parameters of XZ Tau C, and evaluate the possibility that a recent periastron passage of C coincided with the launch of extended optical outflows from XZ Tau A. Despite improved sensitivity and resolution, as compared with the 2004 observations, we find no evidence of XZ Tau C in our data. Components A and B are detected with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 10; their orbital motions are consistent with previous studies of the system, although the emission from XZ Tau A appears to be weaker. Three possible interpretations are offered: either XZ Tau C is transiting XZ Tau A, which is broadly consistent with the periastron passage hypothesis, or the emission seen in 2004 was that of a transient, or XZ Tau C does not exist. A fourth interpretation, that XZ Tau C was ejected from the system, is dismissed due to the lack of angular momentum redistribution in the orbits of XZ Tau A and XZ Tau B that would result from such an event. Transients are rare but cannot be ruled out in a T Tauri system known to exhibit variable behaviour. Our observations are insufficient to distinguish between the remaining possibilities, at least not until we obtain further VLA observations at a sufficiently later time. A further non-detection would allow us to reject the transit hypothesis, and the periastron passage of XZ Tau C as agent of XZ Tau A's outflows.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe