We develop a robust technique to determine the minimum variability timescale for gamma-ray burst (GRB) light curves, utilizing Haar wavelets. Our approach averages over the data for a given GRB, ...providing an aggregate measure of signal variation while also retaining sensitivity to narrow pulses within complicated time series. In contrast to previous studies using wavelets, which simply define the minimum timescale in reference to the measurement noise floor, our approach identifies the signature of temporally smooth features in the wavelet scaleogram and then additionally identifies a break in the scaleogram on longer timescales as a signature of a true, temporally unsmooth light curve feature or features. We apply our technique to the large sample of Swift GRB gamma-ray light curves and for the first time-due to the presence of a large number of GRBs with measured redshift-determine the distribution of minimum variability timescales in the source frame. We find a median minimum timescale for long-duration GRBs in the source frame of Deltat sub(min) = 0.5 s, with the shortest timescale found being on the order of 10 ms. This short timescale suggests a compact central engine (3 x 10 super(3) km). We discuss further implications for the GRB fireball model and present a tantalizing correlation between the minimum timescale and redshift, which may in part be due to cosmological time dilation.
Abstract
Starting with models for the compact object merger event rate, the short-duration gamma-ray burst (sGRB) luminosity function, and the Swift-BAT detector, we calculate the observed Swift sGRB ...rate and its uncertainty. Our probabilistic sGRB world model reproduces the observed number distributions in redshift and flux for 123 Swift-BAT detected sGRBs and can be used to predict joint sGRB/LIGO detection rates. We discuss the dependence of the rate predictions on the model parameters and explore how they vary with increasing experimental sensitivity. In particular, the number of bursts in the LIGO volume depends strongly on the parameters that govern sGRB beaming. Our results suggest that nearby sGRBs should be observed to have broader jets on average (
θ
jet
≳ 30°), as compared to the narrowly beamed appearance of cosmological sGRBs due to the detection-selection effect driving the observed jet angle. Assuming all sGRBs are due to compact object mergers, within a
D
< 200 Mpc aLIGO volume, we predict
0.18
−
0.08
+
0.19
sGRB–gravitational wave (GW) associations all sky per year for on-axis events at Swift sensitivities, increasing to
1.2
−
0.6
+
1.9
with the inclusion of off-axis events. We explore the consistency of our model with GW170817/GRB 170817A in the context of structured jets. Predictions for future experiments are made.
ABSTRACT We present a Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectrum of ASASSN-14li, the first rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a tidal disruption flare (TDF). The ...underlying continuum is well fit by a blackbody with K, an order of magnitude smaller than the temperature inferred from X-ray spectra (and significantly more precise than previous efforts based on optical and near-UV photometry). Superimposed on this blue continuum, we detect three classes of features: narrow absorption from the Milky Way (probably a high-velocity cloud), and narrow absorption and broad (∼2000-8000 km s−1) emission lines at or near the systemic host velocity. The absorption lines are blueshifted with respect to the emission lines by Δv = −(250-400) km s−1. Due both to this velocity offset and the lack of common low-ionization features (Mg ii, Fe ii), we argue these arise from the same absorbing material responsible for the low-velocity outflow discovered at X-ray wavelengths. The broad nuclear emission lines display a remarkable abundance pattern: N iii, N iv, and He ii are quite prominent, while the common quasar emission lines of C iii and Mg ii are weak or entirely absent. Detailed modeling of this spectrum will help elucidate fundamental questions regarding the nature of the emission processes at work in TDFs, while future UV spectroscopy of ASASSN-14li would help to confirm (or refute) the previously proposed connection between TDFs and "N-rich" quasars.
Gas accretion onto some massive black holes (MBHs) at the centers of galaxies actively powers luminous emission, but most MBHs are considered dormant. Occasionally, a star passing too near an MBH is ...torn apart by gravitational forces, leading to a bright tidal disruption flare (TDF). Although the high-energy transient Sw 1644+57 initially displayed none of the theoretically anticipated (nor previously observed) TDF characteristics, we show that observations suggest a sudden accretion event onto a central MBH of mass about 10 6 to 10 7 solar masses. There is evidence for a mildly relativistic outflow, jet collimation, and a spectrum characterized by synchrotron and inverse Compton processes; this leads to a natural analogy of Sw 1644+57 to a temporary smaller-scale blazar.
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While a white dwarf (WD) is, from a theoretical perspective, the most plausible primary star of a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), many other candidates have not been formally ruled out. Shock energy ...deposited in the envelope of any exploding primary contributes to the early SN brightness and, since this radiation energy is degraded by expansion after the explosion, the diffusive luminosity depends on the initial primary radius. We present a new non-detection limit of the nearby SN Ia 2011fe, obtained at a time that appears to be just 4 hr after explosion, allowing us to directly constrain the initial primary radius (R{sub p} ). Coupled with the non-detection of a quiescent X-ray counterpart and the inferred synthesized {sup 56}Ni mass, we show that R{sub p} {approx}< 0.02 R{sub Sun} (a factor of five smaller than previously inferred), that the average density of the primary must be {rho}{sub p} > 10{sup 4} g cm{sup -3}, and that the effective temperature must be less than a few Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} K. This rules out hydrogen-burning main-sequence stars and giants. Constructing the helium-burning and carbon-burning main sequences, we find that such objects are also excluded. By process of elimination, we find that only degeneracy-supported compact objects-WDs and neutron stars-are viable as the primary star of SN 2011fe. With few caveats, we also restrict the companion (secondary) star radius to R{sub c} {approx}< 0.1 R{sub Sun }, excluding Roche-lobe overflowing red giant and main-sequence companions to high significance.
ABSTRACT We constrain the minimum variability timescales for 938 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by the Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor instrument prior to 2012 July 11. The tightest constraints on ...progenitor radii derived from these timescales are obtained from light curves in the hardest energy channel. In the softer bands-or from measurements of the same GRBs in the hard X-rays from Swift-we show that variability timescales tend to be a factor of two to three longer. Applying a survival analysis to account for detections and upper limits, we find median minimum timescale in the rest frame for long-duration and short-duration GRBs of 45 and 10 ms, respectively. Less than 10% of GRBs show evidence for variability on timescales below 2 ms. These shortest timescales require Lorentz factors and imply typical emission radii cm for long-duration GRBs and cm for short-duration GRBs. We discuss implications for the GRB fireball model and investigate whether or not GRB minimum timescales evolve with cosmic time.
We calculate durations and spectral parameters for 207 Swift bursts detected by the Burst Alert Telescope from 2007 April to 2009 August, including 67 events with measured redshifts. This is the ...first supplement to our catalog of 425 Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs; 147 with redshifts) starting from GRB 041220. This complete and extensive data set, analyzed with a unified methodology, allows us to conduct an accurate census of intrinsic GRB energetics, hardnesses, durations, and redshifts. The GRB world model we derive reproduces well the observables from both Swift and pre-Swift satellites. Comparing to the cosmic star formation rate, we estimate that only about 0.1% of massive stars explode as bright GRBs. There is strong evidence for evolution in the Swift population at intermediate and high-z, and we can rule out (at the 5sigma level) that this is due to evolution in the luminosity function of GRBs. Instead, the Swift sample suggests a modest propensity for low metallicity, evidenced by an increase in the rate density with redshift. Treating the multivariate data and selection effects rigorously, we find a real, intrinsic correlation between E{sub iso} and E{sub pk} (and possibly also T{sub r45,z}); however, the correlation is not a narrow log-log relation and its observed appearance is strongly detector-dependent. We also estimate the high-z rate (3%-9% of GRBs at z beyond 5) and discuss the extent of a large missing population of low-E{sub pk,obs} X-ray flashes as well as a potentially large missing population of short-duration GRBs that will be probed by EXIST.
We have studied ultraviolet images of 40 Green Pea galaxies and 15 local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs to understand the relation between Lyα photon escape and central UV photometric properties. We ...measured star formation intensity (SFI; star formation rate per unit area) from the central 250 pc region (S250 pc) using Cosmic Origins Spectrograph near-ultraviolet images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The measured S250 pc of our sample Green Peas ranges from 2.3–46M☉ yr−1 kpc−2, with a geometric mean of 15M☉ yr−1 kpc−2 and a standard deviation of 0.266 dex, forming a relatively narrow distribution. The Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs show a similarly narrow distribution of S250 pc (0.271 dex), though with a larger mean of 28M☉ yr−1 kpc−2. We show that while the Lyα equivalent width (EW(Lyα)) and the Lyα escape fraction ( f a esc Lyα) are not significantly correlated with the central SFI (S250 pc), both are positively correlated with the ratio of surface brightness to galaxy stellar mass (S250 pc/Mstar), with correlation coefficients (p-values) of 0.702 (1 × 10−8) and 0.529 (5 × 10−4) with EW(Lyα) and f a esc Lyα, respectively. These correlations suggest a scenario where intense central star formation can drive a galactic wind in galaxies with relatively shallow gravitational potential wells, thus clearing channels for the escape of Lyα photons.
We present a novel method for the optimal selection of quasars using time-series observations in a single photometric bandpass. Utilizing the damped random walk model of Kelly et al., we parameterize ...the ensemble quasar structure function in Sloan Stripe 82 as a function of observed brightness. The ensemble model fit can then be evaluated rigorously for and calibrated with individual light curves with no parameter fitting. This yields a classification in two statistics--one describing the fit confidence and the other describing the probability of a false alarm--which can be tuned, a priori, to achieve high quasar detection fractions (99% completeness with default cuts), given an acceptable rate of false alarms. We establish the typical rate of false alarms due to known variable stars as 3% (high purity). Applying the classification, we increase the sample of potential quasars relative to those known in Stripe 82 by as much as 29%, and by nearly a factor of two in the redshift range 2.5 < z < 3, where selection by color is extremely inefficient. This represents 1875 new quasars in a 290 deg2 field. The observed rates of both quasars and stars agree well with the model predictions, with >99% of quasars exhibiting the expected variability profile. We discuss the utility of the method at high redshift and in the regime of noisy and sparse data. Our time-series selection complements well-independent selection based on quasar colors and has strong potential for identifying high-redshift quasars for Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and other cosmology studies in the LSST era.
We report a candidate centi-parsec supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) in the radio-quiet quasar SDSS J0159+0105 at z= 0.217. With a modified Lomb-Scargle code (GLSdeDRW) and auto-correlation ...analysis, we detect two significant (at P> 99%) periodic signals at ~741 day and ~1500 day from the 8.1 yr Catalina V-band light curve of this quasar. The period ratio, which is close to 1:2, is typical of a black hole binary system with a mass ratio of 0.05 < q< 0.8 according to recent numerical simulations. SDSS J0159+0105 has two SDSS spectroscopic observations separated by ~10 yr. There is a significant change in the broad Hbeta profile between the two epochs, which can be explained by a single broad-line region (BLR) around the binary system illuminated by the aforementioned mini-disks, or a stream of gas flowing from the circumbinary disk to one of the SMBHs. From the single BLR assumption and the orbital period t sub(orb)~ 1500 day, we estimate the total virial masses of M sub(SMBHB)~ 1.3 x 10 super(8)M sub(middot in circle), the average distances of BLR of ~0.04 pc (~50 lt-day, with + or -0.3 dex uncertainty), and an SMBHB separation of d= (0.01 pc)M super(1/3) sub(8.tot )(T sub(rest)/3.3 yr) super(2/3)~ 0.0.13 pc (15 lt-day). Based on analytical work, the postulated circumbinary disk has an inner radius of 2d= 0.026 pc (30 lt-day). SDSS J0159+0105 also displays unusual spectral energy distribution. The unique properties of SDSS J0159+0105 are consistent with it being a centi-parsec SMBHB.
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