38,858 research outputs found
Microlensing of the Lensed Quasar SDSS0924+0219
We analyze V, I and H band HST images and two seasons of R-band monitoring
data for the gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS0924+0219. We clearly see that
image D is a point-source image of the quasar at the center of its host galaxy.
We can easily track the host galaxy of the quasar close to image D because
microlensing has provided a natural coronograph that suppresses the flux of the
quasar image by roughly an order of magnitude. We observe low amplitude,
uncorrelated variability between the four quasar images due to microlensing,
but no correlated variations that could be used to measure a time delay. Monte
Carlo models of the microlensing variability provide estimates of the mean
stellar mass in the lens galaxy (0.02 Msun < M < 1.0 Msun), the accretion disk
size (the disk temperature is 5 x 10^4 K at 3.0 x 10^14 cm < rs < 1.4 x 10^15
cm), and the black hole mass (2.0 x 10^7 Msun < MBH \eta_{0.1}^{-1/2}
(L/LE)^{1/2} < 3.3 x 10^8 Msun), all at 68% confidence. The black hole mass
estimate based on microlensing is consistent with an estimate of MBH = 7.3 +-
2.4 x 10^7 Msun from the MgII emission line width. If we extrapolate the
best-fitting light curve models into the future, we expect the the flux of
images A and B to remain relatively stable and images C and D to brighten. In
particular, we estimate that image D has a roughly 12% probability of
brightening by a factor of two during the next year and a 45% probability of
brightening by an order of magnitude over the next decade.Comment: v.2 incorporates referee's comments and corrects two errors in the
original manuscript. 28 pages, 10 figures, published in Ap
Simultaneous Estimation of Time Delays and Quasar Structure
We expand our Bayesian Monte Carlo method for analyzing the light curves of
gravitationally lensed quasars to simultaneously estimate time delays and
quasar structure including their mutual uncertainties. We apply the method to
HE1104-1805 and QJ0158-4325, two doubly-imaged quasars with microlensing and
intrinsic variability on comparable time scales. For HE1104-1805 the resulting
time delay of (Delta t_AB) = t_A - t_B = 162.2 -5.9/+6.3 days and accretion
disk size estimate of log(r_s/cm) = 15.7 -0.5/+0.4 at 0.2 micron in the rest
frame are consistent with earlier estimates but suggest that existing methods
for estimating time delays in the presence of microlensing underestimate the
uncertainties. We are unable to measure a time delay for QJ0158-4325, but the
accretion disk size is log(r_s/cm) = 14.9 +/- 0.3 at 0.3 micron in the rest
frame.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
Exoplanetary atmosphere target selection in the era of comparative planetology
The large number of new planets expected from wide-area transit surveys means
that follow-up transmission spectroscopy studies of their atmospheres will be
limited by the availability of telescope assets. We argue that telescopes
covering a broad range of apertures will be required, with even 1m-class
instruments providing a potentially important contribution. Survey strategies
that employ automated target selection will enable robust population studies.
As part of such a strategy, we propose a decision metric to pair the best
target to the most suitable telescope, and demonstrate its effectiveness even
when only primary transit observables are available. Transmission spectroscopy
target selection need not therefore be impeded by the bottle-neck of requiring
prior follow-up observations to determine the planet mass. The decision metric
can be easily deployed within a distributed heterogeneous network of telescopes
equipped to undertake either broadband photometry or spectroscopy. We show how
the metric can be used either to optimise the observing strategy for a given
telescope (e.g. choice of filter) or to enable the selection of the best
telescope to optimise the overall sample size. Our decision metric can also
provide the basis for a selection function to help evaluate the statistical
completeness of follow-up transmission spectroscopy datasets. Finally, we
validate our metric by comparing its ranked set of targets against lists of
planets that have had their atmospheres successfully probed, and against some
existing prioritised exoplanet lists.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables. Revision 3, accepted by MNRAS.
Improvements include always using planetary masses where available and
reliable, treatment for sky backgrounds and out-of-transit noise and a use
case for defocused photometr
A wider audience: Turning VLBI into a survey instrument
Radio observations using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
technique typically have fields of view of only a few arcseconds, due to the
computational problems inherent in imaging larger fields. Furthermore,
sensitivity limitations restrict observations to very compact and bright
objects, which are few and far between on the sky. Thus, while most branches of
observational astronomy can carry out sensitive, wide-field surveys, VLBI
observations are limited to targeted observations of carefully selected
objects. However, recent advances in technology have made it possible to carry
out the computations required to target hundreds of sources simultaneously.
Furthermore, sensitivity upgrades have dramatically increased the number of
objects accessible to VLBI observations. The combination of these two
developments have enhanced the survey capabilities of VLBI observations such
that it is now possible to observe (almost) any point in the sky with
milli-arcsecond resolution. In this talk I review the development of wide-field
VLBI, which has made significant progress over the last three years.Comment: Invited review at the General Assembly of the Astronomische
Gesellschaf
Production of Millisecond Dips in Sco X-1 Count Rates by Dead Time Effects
Chang et al. (2006) reported millisecond duration dips in the X-ray intensity
of Sco X-1 and attributed them to occultations of the source by small
trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). We have found multiple lines of evidence that
these dips are not astronomical in origin, but rather the result of high-energy
charged particle events in the RXTE PCA detectors. Our analysis of the RXTE
data indicates that at most 10% of the observed dips in Sco X-1 could be due to
occultations by TNOs, and, furthermore, we find no positive or supporting
evidence for any of them being due to TNOs. We therefore believe that it is a
mistake to conclude that any TNOs have been detected via occultation of Sco
X-1.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; uses emulateapj.cls, 8 pages with 8 figure
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Teaching varies with task complexity in wild chimpanzees
Understanding social influences on how apes acquire tool behaviors can help us model the evolution of culture and technology in humans. Humans scaffold novice tool skills with diverse strategies, including the transfer of tools between individuals. Chimpanzees transfer tools, and this behavior meets criteria for teaching. However, it is unclear how task complexity relates to this form of helping. Here, we find differences between 2 wild chimpanzee populations in rate, probability, and types of tool transfer during termite gathering. Chimpanzees showed greater helping in the population where termite gathering is a more complex tool task. In wild chimpanzees, as in humans, regular and active provisioning of learning opportunities may be essential to the cultural transmission of complex skills.Cumulative culture is a transformative force in human evolution, but the social underpinnings of this capacity are debated. Identifying social influences on how chimpanzees acquire tool tasks of differing complexity may help illuminate the evolutionary origins of technology in our own lineage. Humans routinely transfer tools to novices to scaffold their skill development. While tool transfers occur in wild chimpanzees and fulfill criteria for teaching, it is unknown whether this form of helping varies between populations and across tasks. Applying standardized methods, we compared tool transfers during termite gathering by chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo, and in Gombe, Tanzania. At Goualougo, chimpanzees use multiple, different tool types sequentially, choose specific raw materials, and perform modifications that improve tool efficiency, which could make it challenging for novices to manufacture suitable tools. Termite gathering at Gombe involves a single tool type, fishing probes, which can be manufactured from various materials. Multiple measures indicated population differences in tool-transfer behavior. The rate of transfers and probability of transfer upon request were significantly higher at Goualougo, while resistance to transfers was significantly higher at Gombe. Active transfers of tools in which possessors moved to facilitate possession change upon request occurred only at Goualougo, where they were the most common transfer type. At Gombe, tool requests were typically refused. We suggest that these population differences in tool-transfer behavior may relate to task complexity and that active helping plays an enhanced role in the cultural transmission of complex technology in wild apes
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