5,020 research outputs found
A search for thermal X-ray signatures in Gamma-Ray Bursts I: Swift bursts with optical supernovae
The X-ray spectra of Gamma-Ray Bursts can generally be described by an
absorbed power law. The landmark discovery of thermal X-ray emission in
addition to the power law in the unusual GRB 060218, followed by a similar
discovery in GRB 100316D, showed that during the first thousand seconds after
trigger the soft X-ray spectra can be complex. Both the origin and prevalence
of such spectral components still evade understanding, particularly after the
discovery of thermal X-ray emission in the classical GRB 090618. Possibly most
importantly, these three objects are all associated with optical supernovae,
begging the question of whether the thermal X-ray components could be a result
of the GRB-SN connection, possibly in the shock breakout. We therefore
performed a search for blackbody components in the early Swift X-ray spectra of
11 GRBs that have or may have associated optical supernovae, accurately
recovering the thermal components reported in the literature for GRBs 060218,
090618 and 100316D. We present the discovery of a cooling blackbody in GRB
101219B/SN2010ma, and in four further GRB-SNe we find an improvement in the fit
with a blackbody which we deem possible blackbody candidates due to
case-specific caveats. All the possible new blackbody components we report lie
at the high end of the luminosity and radius distribution. GRB 101219B appears
to bridge the gap between the low-luminosity and the classical GRB-SNe with
thermal emission, and following the blackbody evolution we derive an expansion
velocity for this source of order 0.4c. We discuss potential origins for the
thermal X-ray emission in our sample, including a cocoon model which we find
can accommodate the more extreme physical parameters implied by many of our
model fits.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted for MNRA
Standard and Null Weak Values
Weak value (WV) is a quantum mechanical measurement protocol, proposed by
Aharonov, Albert, and Vaidman. It consists of a weak measurement, which is
weighed in, conditional on the outcome of a later, strong measurement. Here we
define another two-step measurement protocol, null weak value (NVW), and point
out its advantages as compared to WV. We present two alternative derivations of
NWVs and compare them to the corresponding derivations of WVs.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Quantum Theory: A Two-Time Success
Story: Yakir Aharonov Festschrif
The hidden X-ray breaks in afterglow light curves
Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow observations in the Swift era have a
perceived lack of achromatic jet breaks compared to the BeppoSAX, or pre-Swift
era. Specifically, relatively few breaks, consistent with jet breaks, are
observed in the X-ray light curves of these bursts. If these breaks are truly
missing, it has serious consequences for the interpretation of GRB jet
collimation and energy requirements, and the use of GRBs as standard candles.
Here we address the issue of X-ray breaks which are possibly 'hidden' and
hence the light curves are misinterpreted as being single power-laws. We show
how a number of precedents, including GRB 990510 & GRB 060206, exist for such
hidden breaks and how, even with the well sampled light curves of the Swift
era, these breaks may be left misidentified. We do so by synthesising X-ray
light curves and finding general trends via Monte Carlo analysis. Furthermore,
in light of these simulations, we discuss how to best identify achromatic
breaks in afterglow light curves via multi-wavelength analysis.Comment: 4 pages, contributed talk, submitted to the proceedings of Gamma Ray
Bursts 2007, Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 5-9 200
Picoradian deflection measurement with an interferometric quasi-autocollimator using weak value amplification
We present an "interferometric quasi-autocollimator" that employs weak value
amplification to measure angular deflections of a target mirror. The device has
been designed to be insensitive to all translations of the target. We present a
conceptual explanation of the amplification effect used by the device. An
implementation of the device demonstrates sensitivities better than 10
picoradians per root hertz between 10 and 200 hertz.Comment: To be published in Optics Letter
Finding LoTSS of hosts for GRBs: a search for galaxy - gamma-ray burst coincidences at low frequencies with LOFAR
The LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) is an invaluable new tool for
investigating the properties of sources at low frequencies and has helped to
open up the study of galaxy populations in this regime. In this work, we
perform a search for host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We use the
relative density of sources in Data Release 2 of LoTSS to define the
probability of a chance alignment, , and find 18 sources
corresponding to 17 GRBs which meet a <1% criterion. We examine
the nature and properties of these radio sources using both LOFAR data and
broadband information, including their radio spectral index, star formation
rate estimates and any contributions from active galactic nucleus emission.
Assuming the radio emission is dominated by star formation, we find that our
sources show high star formation rates (- yr)
compared with both a field galaxy sample and a sample of core-collapse
supernova hosts, and the majority of putative hosts are consistent with
ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) classifications. As a result of our
analyses, we define a final sample of eight likely GRB host candidates in the
LoTSS DR2 survey.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures and 6 tables. Accepted by MNRA
A Precision Angle Sensor using an Optical Lever inside a Sagnac Interferometer
We built an ultra low noise angle sensor by combining a folded optical lever
and a Sagnac interferometer. The instrument has a measured noise floor of 1.3
prad / Hz^(1/2) at 2.4 kHz. We achieve this record angle sensitivity using a
proof-of-concept apparatus with a conservative N=11 bounces in the optical
lever. This technique could be extended to reach sub-picoradian / Hz^(1/2)
sensitivities with an optimized design.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
Robust photometric redshift determinations of gamma-ray burst afterglows at z > 2
Theory suggests that about 10% of Swift-detected gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) will
originate at redshifts greater than 5 yet a number of high redshift candidates
may be left unconfirmed due to the lack of measured redshifts. Here we
introduce our code, GRBz, a method of simultaneous multi-parameter fitting of
GRB afterglow optical and near infrared, spectral energy distributions. It
allows for early determinations of the photometric redshift, spectral index and
host extinction to be made. We assume that GRB afterglow spectra are well
represented by a power-law decay and model the effects of absorption due to the
Lyman forest and host extinction. We use a genetic algorithm-based routine to
simultaneously fit the parameters of interest, and a Monte Carlo error
analysis. We use GRBs of previously determined spectroscopic redshifts to prove
our method, while also introducing new near infrared data of GRB 990510 which
further constrains the value of the host extinction. Our method is effective in
estimating the photometric redshift of GRBs, relatively unbiased by assumptions
of the afterglow spectral index or the host galaxy extinction. Monte Carlo
error analysis is required as the method of error estimate based on the optimum
population of the genetic algorithm underestimates errors significantly.Comment: Accepted to A&A: 8 pages, 5 figure
Extensive telomere repeat arrays in mouse are hypervariable
In this study we have analysed mouse telomeres by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). A number of specific restriction fragments hybridising to a (TTA-GGG)4 probe in the size range 50-150kb can be detected. These fragments are devoid of sites for most restriction enzymes suggesting that they comprise simple repeats; we argue that most of these are likely to be (TTAGGG)n. Each discrete fragment corresponds to the telomere of an individual chromosome and segregates as a Mendelian character. However, new size variants are being generated in the germ line at very high rates such that inbred mice are heterozygous at all telomeres analysable. In addition we show that specific small (approximately 4-12kb) fragments can be cleaved within some terminal arrays by the restriction enzyme MnII which recognises 5'(N7)GAGG3'. Like the complete telomere-repeat arrays (TRA's) these fragments form new variants at high rates and possibly by the same process. We speculate on the mechanisms that may be involved
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