From SN 2010da to NGC 300 ULX-1: Ten Years of Observations of an Unusual High Mass X-Ray Binary in NGC 300

In May 2010, an intermediate luminosity optical transient was discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC 300 by a South African amateur astronomer. In the decade since its discovery, multi-wavelength observations of the misnamed “SN 2010da” have continually reshaped our understanding of this high mass X-ray binary system. In this review, we present an overview of the multi-wavelength observations and attempt to understand the 2010 transient event, and later, the reclassification of this system as NGC 300 ULX-1: a red supergiant + neutron star ultraluminous X-ray source

NGC 300 ULX1: A test case for accretion torque theory

NGC 300 ULX1 is a newly identified ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar. The system is associated with the supernova impostor SN 2010da that was later classified as a possible supergiant Be X-ray binary. In this work we report on the spin period evolution of the neutron star based on all the currently available X-ray observations of the system. We argue that the X-ray luminosity of the system has remained almost constant since 2010, at a level above ten times the Eddington limit. Moreover, we find evidence that the spin period of the neutron star evolved from ~126 s down to ~18 s within a period of about 4 years. We explain this unprecedented spin evolution in terms of the standard accretion torque theory. An intriguing consequence for NGC 300 ULX1 is that a neutron star spin reversal should have occurred a few years after the SN 2010da event.Comment: 10 pages with appendix, 9 figures, accepted to A&A Letter

From SN 2010da to NGC 300 ULX-1: Ten Years of Observations of an Unusual High Mass X-Ray Binary in NGC 300

In May 2010, an intermediate luminosity optical transient was discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC 300 by a South African amateur astronomer. In the decade since its discovery, multi-wavelength observations of the misnamed “SN 2010da” have continually reshaped our understanding of this high mass X-ray binary system. In this review, we present an overview of the multi-wavelength observations and attempt to understand the 2010 transient event, and later, the reclassification of this system as NGC 300 ULX-1: a red supergiant + neutron star ultraluminous X-ray source

The SARS algorithm: detrending CoRoT light curves with Sysrem using simultaneous external parameters

Surveys for exoplanetary transits are usually limited not by photon noise but rather by the amount of red noise in their data. In particular, although the CoRoT spacebased survey data are being carefully scrutinized, significant new sources of systematic noises are still being discovered. Recently, a magnitude-dependant systematic effect was discovered in the CoRoT data by Mazeh & Guterman et al. and a phenomenological correction was proposed. Here we tie the observed effect a particular type of effect, and in the process generalize the popular Sysrem algorithm to include external parameters in a simultaneous solution with the unknown effects. We show that a post-processing scheme based on this algorithm performs well and indeed allows for the detection of new transit-like signals that were not previously detected.Comment: MNRAS accepted. 5 pages, 3 figure

Real-life comparison of Pirfenidone and Nintedanib in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: a 24-month assessment.

Background: Real-life data on the use of pirfenidone and nintedanib to treat patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are still scarce. Methods: We compared the efficacy of either pirfenidone (n=78) or nintedanib (n=28) delivered over a 24-month period in patients with IPF, followed at two regional clinic centers in Italy, with a group of patients who refused the treatment (n=36), and who were considered to be controls. All patients completed regular visits at 1- to 3-month intervals, where primary [forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO)] and secondary outcomes (side effects, treatment compliance, and mortality) were recorded. Results: Over time, the decline in FVC and DLCO was significantly higher (p=0.0053 and p=0.037, respectively) in controls when compared with the combined treated group, with no significant difference between the two treated groups. Compared to patients with less advanced disease (GAP (Gender, Age, Physiology) stage I), those in GAP stages II and III showed a significantly higher decline in both FVC and DLCO irrespective of the drug taken. Side effects were similarly reported in patients receiving pirfenidone and nintedanib (5% and 7%, respectively), whereas mortality did not differ among the three groups. Conclusion: This real-life study demonstrated that both pirfenidone and nintedanib were equally effective in reducing the decline of FVC and DLCO versus non-treated patients after 24 months of treatment; however, patients with more advanced disease were likely to show a more rapid decline in respiratory function

Die Röntgeneigenschaften der mit XMM-Newton entdeckten Punktquellen in NGC 300 und ihre optischen Gegenstücke

Studies of the X-ray population of spiral galaxies other than our Galaxy are of importance especially for the understanding of X-ray binaries and other X-ray emitting sources. The X-ray population of spiral galaxies is mainly composed of supernova remnants (SNRs), low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), and other sources for which the nature is still not clear. The latter are mainly supersoft sources (SSSs), characterized by very soft spectra and luminosities in the range of 10^36-10^39 erg/s, and ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), characterized by a luminosity >10^39 erg/s. In this thesis, I study the X-ray population of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300, using ~66 ksec XMM-Newton data obtained during the observations of 2000 December/ 2001 January. A total of 86 sources inside the D25 were detected above a maximum likelihood threshold of 10, in the 0.3-6 kev band. I derived for these sources, global properties as X-ray colors and fluxes. Using optical data taken with the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope, and cross-correlating with the SIMBAD catalogue of known objects, I attempted to classify the sources, mainly from the color-color diagram, and compared with other nearby spiral galaxies. I also performed a deeper analysis of the four brightest sources, for which spectral fitting was possible, and show their light curve.Studien der Röntgenpopulation von Spiralgalaxien außerhalb unserer Milchstraße sind von großer Bedeutung für das Verständnis von Röntgen-Doppelsternen und anderer Röntgenstrahlung emittierender Quellen. Die Röntgenpopulation von Spiralgalaxien setzt sich hauptsächlich zusammen aus Supernova-Überresten, Röntgendoppelsternen mit Begleitern niedriger Masse, Röntgendoppelsternen mit Begleitern hoher Masse und anderen Quellen, deren Natur nicht immer bekannt ist. Zu den letzteren gehören insbesondere die "supersoft sources", die durch ein besonders weiches Spektrum und Röntgenleuchtkräfte im Bereich von 10^36-10^39 erg/s gekennzeichnet sind, sowie die "ultraluminous X-ray sources", die durch extrem hohe Leuchtkräfte von mehr als 10^39 erg/s gekennzeichnet sind. Die vorliegende Dissertation ist Studien zur Röntgenpopulation der nahen Spiralgalaxie NGC 300 gewidmet. Diese Untersuchungen basieren auf ~66 ksec langen XMM-Newton-Beobachtungen in Dezember 2000 und Januar 2001. In den 0.3-6 keV Daten wurden insgesamt 86 Quellen innerhalb der D25-Scheibe entdeckt mit einem "maximum likelihood" Wert oberhalb von 10. Für diese Quellen werden globale Eigenschaften, wie Röntgenfarben und -flüsse bestimmt. Unter Verwendung optischer Daten des 2.2m MPG/ESO-Teleskops, unter Zuhilfenahme von Korrelationen mit SIMBAD und unter Benutzung von Röntgen-Farb-Farb-Diagrammen wird versucht, die Quellen zu klassifizieren und die Röntgenpopulation mit der anderer Spiralgalaxien zu vergleichen. Zudem wurde eine tiefere Analyse der vier hellsten Quellen durchgeführt, einschließlich einer Spektralanalyse und einer Untersuchung ihres zeitlichen Verhaltens