ABSTRACT
The impact of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft with Dimorphos allows us to study asteroid collision physics, including momentum transfer, the ejecta properties, and the ...visibility of such events in the Solar system. We report observations of the DART impact in the ultraviolet (UV), visible light, and near-infrared (IR) wavelengths. The observations support the existence of at least two separate components of the ejecta: a fast and a slow component. The fast-ejecta component is composed of a gaseous phase, moving at about 1.6 km s−1 with a mass of ≲104 kg. The fast ejecta is detected in the UV and visible light, but not in the near-IR z-band observations. Fitting a simplified optical thickness model to these observations allows us to constrain some of the properties of the fast ejecta, including its scattering efficiency and the opacity of the gas. The slow ejecta component is moving at typical velocities of up to about 10 m s−1. It is composed of micrometer-size particles, that have a scattering efficiency, at the direction of the observer, of the order of 10−3 and a total mass of ∼106 kg. The larger particles in the slow ejecta, whose size is bound to be in the range between ∼1 mm and ∼1 m, likely have a scattering efficiency larger than that of the pre-impact Didymos system.
A relatively unexplored phase space of transients and stellar variability is that of second and sub-second timescales. We describe a new optical observatory operating in the Negev desert in Israel, ...with a 55 cm aperture, a field of view of 2°.6 × 2°.6 (≈7 deg²) equipped with a high frame rate, low read noise, CMOS camera. The system can observe at a frame rate of up to 90 HZ (full frame), while nominally observations are conducted at 10–25 Hz. The data, generated at a rate of over 6 Gbits s−1 at a frame rate of 25 Hz, are analyzed in real time. The observatory is fully robotic and capable of autonomously collecting data on a few thousand stars in each field each night. We present the system overview, performance metrics, science objectives, and some first results, e.g., the detection of a high rate of glints from geosynchronous satellites, reported in Nir et al. 2020.
We present our observations of SN 2010mb, a Type Ic supernova (SN) lacking spectroscopic signatures of H and He. SN 2010mb has a slowly declining light curve (LC) (~600 days) that cannot be powered ...by super(56)Ni/ super(56)Co radioactivity, the common energy source for Type Ic SNe. We detect signatures of interaction with hydrogen-free circumstellar material including a blue quasi-continuum and, uniquely, narrow oxygen emission lines that require high densities (~10 super(9) cm super(-3)). From the observed spectra and LC, we estimate that the amount of material involved in the interaction was ~3 M sub(middot in circle). Our observations are in agreement with models of pulsational pair-instability SNe described in the literature.
On 2011 May 31 UT a supernova (SN) exploded in the nearby galaxy M51 (the Whirlpool Galaxy). We discovered this event using small telescopes equipped with CCD cameras and also detected it with the ...Palomar Transient Factory survey, rapidly confirming it to be a Type II SN. Here, we present multi-color ultraviolet through infrared photometry which is used to calculate the bolometric luminosity and a series of spectra. Our early-time observations indicate that SN 2011dh resulted from the explosion of a relatively compact progenitor star. Rapid shock-breakout cooling leads to relatively low temperatures in early-time spectra, compared to explosions of red supergiant stars, as well as a rapid early light curve decline. Optical spectra of SN 2011dh are dominated by H lines out to day 10 after explosion, after which He I lines develop. This SN is likely a member of the cIIb (compact IIb) class, with progenitor radius larger than that of SN 2008ax and smaller than the eIIb (extended IIb) SN 1993J progenitor. Our data imply that the object identified in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope images at the SN location is possibly a companion to the progenitor or a blended source, and not the progenitor star itself, as its radius (~1013 cm) would be highly inconsistent with constraints from our post-explosion spectra.
We present optical light curves of 29 novae in M31 during the 2009 and 2010 observing seasons of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). The dynamic and rapid cadences in PTF monitoring of M31, from one ...day to ten minutes, provide excellent temporal coverage of nova light curves, enabling us to record the photometric evolution of M31 novae in unprecedented detail. We also detect eight of these novae in the near-ultraviolet (UV) band with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. Novae M3 IN 2009-10b and M3 IN 2010-11a show prominent UV emission peaking a few days prior to their optical maxima, possibly implying aspherical outbursts. Additionally, our blueshifted spectrum of the recent outburst of PT And (M3IN2010-12a) indicates that it is a recurrent nova in M31 and not a dwarf nova in the Milky Way as was previously assumed. Finally, we systematically searched for novae in all confirmed globular clusters (GCs) of M31 and found only M31N 2010-10f associated with Bol 126. The specific nova rate in the M31 GC system is thus about one per year, which is not enhanced relative to the rate outside the GC system.
Abstract
Several thousand core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) of different flavors have been discovered so far. However, identifying their progenitors has remained an outstanding open question in ...astrophysics. Studies of SN host galaxies have proven to be powerful in providing constraints on the progenitor populations. In this paper, we present all CCSNe detected between 2009 and 2017 by the Palomar Transient Factory. This sample includes 888 SNe of 12 distinct classes out to redshift
z
≈ 1. We present the photometric properties of their host galaxies from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared and model the host-galaxy spectral energy distributions to derive physical properties. The galaxy mass function of Type Ic, Ib, IIb, II, and IIn SNe ranges from 10
5
to 10
11.5
M
⊙
, probing the entire mass range of star-forming galaxies down to the least-massive star-forming galaxies known. Moreover, the galaxy mass distributions are consistent with models of star-formation-weighted mass functions. Regular CCSNe are hence direct tracers of star formation. Small but notable differences exist between some of the SN classes. Type Ib/c SNe prefer galaxies with slightly higher masses (i.e., higher metallicities) and star formation rates than Type IIb and II SNe. These differences are less pronounced than previously thought. H-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) and SNe Ic-BL are scarce in galaxies above 10
10
M
⊙
. Their progenitors require environments with metallicities of < 0.4 and < 1 solar, respectively. In addition, the hosts of H-poor SLSNe are dominated by a younger stellar population than all other classes of CCSNe. Our findings corroborate the notion that low metallicity and young age play an important role in the formation of SLSN progenitors.
Only a few cases of Type Ic supernovae (SNe) with high-velocity ejecta (> or =, slanted0.2 c) have been discovered and studied. Here, we present our analysis of radio and X-ray observations of the ...Type Ic SN PTF 12gzk. The radio emission declined less than 10 days after explosion, suggesting SN ejecta expanding at high velocity (~0.3 c). The radio data also indicate that the density of the circumstellar material (CSM) around the supernova is lower by a factor of ~10 than the CSM around normal Type Ic SNe. PTF 12gzk may therefore be an intermediate event between a "normal" SN Ic and a gamma-ray-burst-SN-like event. Our observations of this rapidly declining radio SN at a distance of 58 Mpc demonstrates the potential to detect many additional radio SNe, given the new capabilities of the Very Large Array (improved sensitivity and dynamic scheduling), which are currently missed, leading to a biased view of radio SNe Ic. Early optical discovery followed by rapid radio observations would provide a full description of the ejecta velocity distribution and CSM densities around stripped massive star explosions as well as strong clues about the nature of their progenitor stars.
We present the discovery and extensive early-time observations of the Type Ic supernova (SN) PTF12gzk. Our light curves show a rise of 0.8 mag within 2.5 hr. Power-law fits (f(t) is proportional to ...(t - t sub(0)) super(n)) to these data constrain the explosion date to within one day. We cannot rule out a quadratic fireball model, but higher values of n are possible as well for larger areas in the fit parameter space. Our bolometric light curve and a dense spectral sequence are used to estimate the physical parameters of the exploding star and of the explosion. We show that the photometric evolution of PTF12gzk is slower than that of most SNe Ic. The high ejecta expansion velocities we measure (~30,000 km s super(-1) derived from line minima four days after explosion) are similar to the observed velocities of broad-lined SNe Ic associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) rather than to normal SN Ic velocities. Yet, this SN does not show the persistent broad lines that are typical of broad-lined SNe Ic. The host-galaxy characteristics are also consistent with GRB-SN hosts, and not with normal SN Ic hosts. By comparison with the spectroscopically similar SN 2004aw, we suggest that the observed properties of PJTUgzk indicate an initial progenitor mass of 25-35 M sub(middot in circle) and a large ((5-10) 10 super(51) erg) kinetic energy, the later being close to the regime of GRB-SN properties.
The SED Machine Blagorodnova, Nadejda; Neill, James D.; Walters, Richard ...
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific,
03/2018, Letnik:
130, Številka:
985
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Current time domain facilities are finding several hundreds of transient astronomical events a year. The discovery rate is expected to increase in the future as soon as new surveys such as the Zwicky ...Transient Facility (ZTF) and the Large Synoptic Sky Survey (LSST) come online. Presently, the rate at which transients are classified is approximately one order or magnitude lower than the discovery rate, leading to an increasing “follow-up drought”. Existing telescopes with moderate aperture can help address this deficit when equipped with spectrographs optimized for spectral classification. Here, we provide an overview of the design, operations and first results of the Spectral Energy Distribution Machine (SEDM), operating on the Palomar 60-inch telescope (P60). The instrument is optimized for classification and high observing efficiency. It combines a low-resolution (R ∼ 100) integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph with “Rainbow Camera” (RC), a multi-band field acquisition camera which also serves as multi-band (ugri) photometer. The SEDM was commissioned during the operation of the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) and has already lived up to its promise. The success of the SEDM demonstrates the value of spectrographs optimized for spectral classification.
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