122 research outputs found
Dust extinction bias in the column density distribution of gamma-ray bursts; high column density, low redshift GRBs are more heavily obscured
The afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have more soft X-ray absorption
than expected from the foreground gas column in the Galaxy. While the redshift
of the absorption can in general not be constrained from current X-ray
observations, it has been assumed that the absorption is due to metals in the
host galaxy of the GRB. The large sample of X-ray afterglows and redshifts now
available allows the construction of statistically meaningful distributions of
the metal column densities. We construct such a sample and show, as found in
previous studies, that the typical absorbing column density (N_HX) increases
substantially with redshift, with few high column density objects found at low
to moderate redshifts. We show, however, that when highly extinguished bursts
are included in the sample, using redshifts from their host galaxies, high
column density sources are also found at low to moderate redshift. We infer
from individual objects in the sample and from observations of blazars, that
the increase in column density with redshift is unlikely to be related to
metals in the intergalactic medium or intervening absorbers. Instead we show
that the origin of the apparent increase with redshift is primarily due to dust
extinction bias: GRBs with high X-ray absorption column densities found at
typically have very high dust extinction column densities, while
those found at the highest redshifts do not. It is unclear how such a strongly
evolving N_HX/A_V ratio would arise, and based on current data, remains a
puzzle.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ, 1 August 201
Thermal emission in the early X-ray afterglows of GRBs: following the prompt phase to the late times
Thermal radiation, peaking in soft X-rays, has now been detected in a handful
of GRB afterglows and has to date been interpreted as shock break-out of the
GRB's progenitor star. We present a search for thermal emission in the early
X-ray afterglows of a sample of Swift bursts selected by their brightness in
X-rays at early times. We identify a clear thermal component in eight GRBs and
track the evolution. We show that at least some of the emission must come from
highly relativistic material since two show an apparent super-luminal expansion
of the thermal component. Furthermore we determine very large luminosities and
high temperatures for many of the components-too high to originate in a SN
shock break-out. Instead we suggest that the component may be modelled as late
photospheric emission from the jet, linking it to the apparently thermal
component observed in the prompt emission of some GRBs at gamma-ray and hard
X-ray energies. By comparing the parameters from the prompt emission and the
early afterglow emission we find that the results are compatible with the
interpretation that we are observing the prompt quasi-thermal emission
component in soft X-rays at a later point in its evolution.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, ApJ accepte
The Galactic dust-to-metals ratio and metallicity using gamma-ray bursts
The metallicity and dust-to-metals ratio of the Galaxy are fundamental
parameters in understanding the ISM, but there is still uncertainty surrounding
these parameters. In this paper, the dust-to-metals ratio in the Galaxy is
determined using the photoelectric absorption of the X-ray afterglows of a
sample of several hundred gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to determine the metal column
density in combination with Galactic dust maps to determine the line-of-sight
dust extinction through the Galaxy in the direction of the GRB. GRB afterglows
often have large extragalactic soft X-ray absorptions and therefore the GRB
sample's upper-bound will define the Galactic dust-to-metals relation. Using a
two-dimensional two-sample KS test, we determine this upper-bound and so derive
the dust-to-metals ratio of the Galaxy. We find N_H = 2.2^{+0.3}_{-0.4}e21
cm^-2 A_V assuming solar, Anders & Grevesse (1989), metallicity. This result is
consistent with previous findings using bright X-ray sources in the Galaxy.
Using the same technique but substituting the HI maps from the
Leiden-Argentine-Bonn survey for the dust maps, allows us to place a limit on
the metallicity in the Galaxy. We find a metallicity consistent with the Anders
& Grevesse (1989) solar values often used in X-ray fitting. Based on this and
previous studies, we suggest that the metallicity of a typical ISM sightline
through the Galaxy is ~0.25 dex higher than the current best estimate of the
solar metallicity. We further show that the dust-to-gas ratio seems to be
correlated with the total gas column density, and that this may be due to the
metallicity gradient observed toward the Galactic centre. Based on the
non-constant nature of the dust-to-gas ratio, we propose that the dust column
density, at N_H = 2.2e21 cm^-2 A_V, represents a better proxy for the soft
X-ray absorption column density than HI maps.Comment: A&A in press, 6 pages, 3 figure
The metals-to-dust ratio to very low metallicities using GRB and QSO absorbers; extremely rapid dust formation
Among the key parameters defining the ISM of galaxies is the fraction of the
metals that are locked up in dust: the metals-to-dust ratio. This ratio bears
not only on the ISM and its evolution, but particularly on the origin of cosmic
dust. We combine extinction and abundance data from GRB afterglows, from QSO
absorbers, as well as from galaxy-lensed QSOs, to determine the metals-to-dust
ratios for lines-of-sight through a wide diversity of galaxies from blue, dwarf
starbursts to massive ellipticals, across a vast range in redshift z=0.1-6.3,
and nearly three orders of magnitude in column density and metal abundance. We
thus determine the metals-to-dust ratio in a unique way, providing direct
determinations of in situ gas and dust columns without recourse to assumptions
with large uncertainties. We find that the metals-to-dust ratios in these
systems are surprisingly close to the value for the local group (10^{21.3} cm-2
A_V mag-1), with a mean value of 10^{21.2} cm-2 A_V mag-1 and a standard
deviation of 0.3 dex. There is no evidence of deviation from this mean ratio as
a function of metallicity, even down to our lowest metallicity of 0.01 Z/Z_sun.
The lack of any obvious dependence of the metals-to-dust ratio on either column
density, galaxy type or age, redshift, or metallicity indicates a close
correspondence between the formation of the metals and the formation of dust.
Any delay between the formation of metals and dust must be shorter than the
typical metal-enrichment times of these galaxies. Formation of the bulk of the
dust in low mass stars is therefore ruled out by these data at any cosmic
epoch. Furthermore, dust destruction must not dominate over formation/growth in
virtually any galaxy environment. The correlation between metals and dust is a
natural consequence of the formation of the bulk of dust in SNe [Abridged].Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Enhancing student research projects with new technologies
A critical component in supervising thesis students is helping them maintain focus on the final outcome and continue working consistently for the full project duration. However, it can be difficult for a supervisor to gather concrete data on the progress of a student throughout the project period. Poor outcomes can occur in the middle part of the project as initial excitement flags, complexity grows and the supervisor is typically busy with other tasks. I report here on a test of a coupled set-up of an integrated rich text, code, and data application, a web-based version control system, and cloud-based team collaboration tool, designed to improve consistency of overview of the progress of thesis students. The tools may also increase the rapidity and quality of communication and help maintain consistent supervision and focus for the student over the full project period. I used Jupyter Notebooks, Github, and Slack respectively as a supervision tool with a Master’s student over a full year. Quantitative data from these tools are used to analyse how well the monitoring set up worked. The technical set up works well. There is an initial investment cost for the student to learn the various tools and from the supervisor in ensuring the student gets used to using them consistently and correctly. However, the overall benefits appear to be significant in terms of the supervisor’s overview of the student’s progress, leading to potentially greater consistency of supervision. Secondary effects were also positive, with significant development of transferable skills such as software coding ability and team-working. Modifications were made to improve the use of the set up for the following year and the initial data on a student in the next year are provided
Discovery of a 760 nm P Cygni line in AT2017gfo: Identification of yttrium in the kilonova photosphere
Neutron star mergers are believed to be a major cosmological source of rapid
neutron-capture elements. The kilonovae associated with neutron star mergers
have to date yielded only a single well-identified spectral signature: the P
Cygni line of Sr at about 1m in the spectra of the optical transient,
AT2017gfo. Such P Cygni lines are important, because they provide significant
information not just potentially on the elemental composition of the merger
ejecta, but also on the velocity, geometry, and abundance stratification of the
explosion. In this paper we show evidence for a previously unrecognised P Cygni
line in the spectra of AT2017gfo that emerges several days after the explosion,
located at nm. We show that the feature is
well-reproduced by 4d-4d5p transitions of Y, which have a weighted mean
wavelength around 760-770 nm, with the most prominent line at 788.19 nm. While
the observed line is weaker than the Sr feature, the velocity
stratification of the new line provides an independent constraint on the
expansion rate of the ejecta similar to the constraints from Sr.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Accepted in A&
On inferring extinction laws in z~6 quasars as signatures of supernova dust
Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence
that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular,
the 3000 A Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20
SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we discuss the
challenges in inferring robust extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs and
critically assess previous claims of detection of supernova dust. In
particular, we address the sensitivity to the choice of intrinsic QSO spectrum,
the need for a long wavelength baseline, and the drawbacks in fitting
theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z ~ 6 we detect
significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broad-band optical,
near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is
consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A_1450 ~ 0.7 mag and does
not exhibit any conspicuous (restframe) 2175 A or 3000 A features. For two
QSOs, SDSS J1044-0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further
present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 um. The
resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 A kink.
Finally, in a re-analysis of literature spectra of SDSS J1048+4637, we do not
find evidence for a conspicuous kink. We conclude that the existing evidence
for a 3000 A feature is weak and that the overall dust properties at high and
low redshift show no significant differences. This, however, does not preclude
supernovae from dominating the dust budget at high redshift.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, ApJ, in pres
Dusting off the diffuse interstellar bands: DIBs and dust in extragalactic SDSS spectra
Using over a million and a half extragalactic spectra we study the properties
of the mysterious Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) in the Milky Way. These
data provide us with an unprecedented sampling of the skies at high
Galactic-latitude and low dust-column-density. We present our method, study the
correlation of the equivalent width of 8 DIBs with dust extinction and with a
few atomic species, and the distribution of four DIBs - 5780.6A, 5797.1A,
6204.3A, and 6613.6A - over nearly 15000 squared degrees. As previously found,
DIBs strengths correlate with extinction and therefore inevitably with each
other. However, we show that DIBs can exist even in dust free areas.
Furthermore, we find that the DIBs correlation with dust varies significantly
over the sky. DIB under- or over-densities, relative to the expectation from
dust, are often spread over hundreds of square degrees. These patches are
different for the four DIBs, showing that they are unlikely to originate from
the same carrier, as previously suggested.Comment: MNRAS accepte
Investigating CXOU J163802.6-471358: a new pulsar wind nebula in the Norma region?
We present the first analysis of the extended source CXOU J163802.6--471358,
which was discovered serendipitously during the {\em Chandra} X-ray survey of
the Norma region of the Galactic spiral arms. The X-ray source exhibits a
cometary appearance with a point source and an extended tail region. The
complete source spectrum is fitted well with an absorbed power law model and
jointly fitting the {\em Chandra} spectrum of the full source with one obtained
from an archived {\em XMM-Newton} observation results in best fit parameters
and
(90 confidence uncertainties). The unabsorbed
luminosity of the full source is then ergs
s with kpc, where a distance of 10 kpc is a lower bound
inferred from the large column density. The radio counterpart found for the
source using data from the Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey epoch-2 (MGPS-2)
shows an elongated tail offset from the X-ray emission. No infrared counterpart
was found. The results are consistent with the source being a previously
unknown pulsar driving a bow shock through the ambient medium
Using machine learning to classify the diffuse interstellar bands
Using over a million and a half extragalactic spectra we study the
correlations of the Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) in the Milky Way. We
measure the correlation between DIB strength and dust extinction for 142 DIBs
using 24 stacked spectra in the reddening range E(B-V) < 0.2, many more lines
than ever studied before. Most of the DIBs do not correlate with dust
extinction. However, we find 10 weak and barely studied DIBs with correlations
that are higher than 0.7 with dust extinction and confirm the high correlation
of additional 5 strong DIBs. Furthermore, we find a pair of DIBs, 5925.9A and
5927.5A which exhibits significant negative correlation with dust extinction,
indicating that their carrier may be depleted on dust. We use Machine Learning
algorithms to divide the DIBs to spectroscopic families based on 250 stacked
spectra. By removing the dust dependency we study how DIBs follow their local
environment. We thus obtain 6 groups of weak DIBs, 4 of which are tightly
associated with C2 or CN absorption lines.Comment: minor changes, MNRAS accepte
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