We present and discuss accurate and densely mapped BVR
C
I
C light curves of the neon Nova Mon 2012, supplemented by the evolution in Stromgren b and y bands and in the integrated flux of relevant ...emission lines. Our monitoring started with the optical discovery of the nova (50 days past the first detection in gamma-rays by Fermi-LAT) and extend to day +270, well past the end of the super-soft phase in X-rays. The nova was discovered during the nebular decline, well past t
3 and the transition to optically thin ejecta. It displayed very smoothly evolving light curves. A bifurcation between y and V light curves took place at the start of the super-soft X-ray source (SSS) phase, and a knee developed towards the end of the SSS phase. The apparent magnitude of the nova at the unobserved optical maximum is constrained to +3 ≤ V ≤ 4.5. The appearance, grow in amplitude and then demise of a 0.29585 (±0.00002) days orbital modulation of the optical brightness was followed along the nova evolution. The observed modulation, identical in phase and period with the analogue seen in the X-ray and satellite ultraviolet, has a near-sinusoidal shape and a weak secondary minimum at phase 0.5. We favour an interpretation in terms of super-imposed ellipsoidal distortion of the Roche lobe filling companion and irradiation of its side facing the WD. Similar light curves are typical of symbiotic stars where a Roche lobe filling giant is irradiated by a very hot WD. Given the high orbital inclination, mutual occultation between the donor star and the accretion disc could contribute to the observed modulation. The optical+infrared spectral energy distribution of Nova Mon 2012 during the quiescence preceding outburst is nicely fitted by an early K-type main-sequence star (∼K3V) at 1.5 kpc distance, reddened by E(B − V) = 0.38, with a WD companion and an accretion disc contributing to the observed blue excess and moderate Hα emission. A typical early K-type main-sequence star with a mass of ∼0.75 M and a radius of ∼0.8 R would fill its Roche lobe for a P = 0.29585 d orbital period and a more massive WD companion (as implied by the large Ne overabundance of the ejecta).
Abstract
With the conclusion of the third observing run for Advanced LIGO/Virgo (O3), we present a detailed analysis of both triggered and serendipitous observations of 17 gravitational-wave (GW) ...events (7 triggered and 10 purely serendipitous) from the Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO) program. We searched a total of 4935 deg
2
down to a median 5
σ
transient detection depth of 21.1 AB mag using the Mt. Lemmon 1.5 m telescope, the discovery engine for SAGUARO. In addition to triggered events within 24 hr, our transient search encompassed a time interval following GW events of <120 hr, providing observations on ∼1/2 of the events accessible to the Mt. Lemmon 1.5 m telescope. We covered 2.1%–86% of the LVC total probability (
P
total
) for individual events, with a median
P
total
≈ 8% within <120 hr. Following improvements to our pipeline and the addition of serendipitous observations, we find a total of seven new optical candidates across five GW events, which we are unable to rule out after searching for additional information and comparing to kilonova models. Using both publicly available and our own late-time data, we investigated a total of 252 optical candidates for these 17 events, finding that only 65% were followed up in some capacity by the community. Of the total 252 candidates, we are able to rule out an additional 12 previously reported counterpart candidates. In light of these results, we discuss lessons learned from the SAGUARO GW counterpart search. We discuss how community coordination of observations and candidate follow-up, as well as the role of archival data, are crucial to improving the efficiency of follow-up efforts and preventing unnecessary duplication of effort with limited electromagnetic resources.
The GLIMPSE (Galactic Legacy Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire) Point Source Catalog of 630 million mid-infrared sources toward the inner Galaxy, 10 , "l" 65 , 65 and "b" , 1, was used to determine the ...distribution of stars in Galactic longitude, l, latitude, b, and apparent magnitude, m. The counts versus longitude can be approximated by the modified Bessel function N = N sub(0)(l/l sub(0)) K sub(1)(l/l sub(0)), where l sub(0) is insensitive to limiting magnitude, band choice, and side of Galactic center: l sub(0) = 17-30 with a best-fit value in the 4.5 km band of l sub(0) = 24 c 4. Modeling the source distribution as an exponential disk yields a radial scale length of H sub(*) = 3.9 c 0.6 kpc. There is a pronounced north-south asymmetry in source counts for "l" 30, with 625% more stars in the north. For l = 10-30, there is a strong enhancement of stars of m = 11.5-13.5 mag. A linear bar passing through the Galactic center with half-length R sub(bar) = 4.4 c 0.5 kpc, tilted by h = 44 c 10 to the Sun-Galactic center line, provides the simplest interpretation of these data. We examine the possibility that enhanced source counts at l = 26-28, 31.5-34, and 306-309 are related to Galactic spiral structure. Total source counts are depressed in regions where the counts of red objects (m sub(K)-m sub(8.0) > 3) peak. In these areas, the counts are reduced by extinction due to molecular gas, high diffuse backgrounds associated with star formation, or both.
Abstract
We present deep Chandra X-ray observations of two nearby Type Ia supernovae, SN 2017cbv and SN 2020nlb, which reveal no X-ray emission down to a luminosity
L
X
≲ 5.3 × 10
37
and ≲ 5.4 × 10
...37
erg s
−1
(0.3–10 keV), respectively, at ∼16–18 days after the explosion. With these limits, we constrain the pre-explosion mass-loss rate of the progenitor system to be
M
̇
< 7.2 × 10
−9
and < 9.7 × 10
−9
M
⊙
yr
−1
for each (at a wind velocity
v
w
= 100 km s
−1
and a radius of
R
≈ 10
16
cm), assuming any X-ray emission would originate from inverse Compton emission from optical photons upscattered by the supernova shock. If the supernova environment was a constant-density medium, we would find a number density limit of
n
CSM
< 36 and < 65 cm
−3
, respectively. These X-ray limits rule out all plausible symbiotic progenitor systems, as well as large swathes of parameter space associated with the single degenerate scenario, such as mass loss at the outer Lagrange point and accretion winds. We also present late-time optical spectroscopy of SN 2020nlb, and set strong limits on any swept up hydrogen (
L
H
α
< 2.7 × 10
37
erg s
−1
) and helium (
L
He,
λ
6678
< 2.7 × 10
37
erg s
−1
) from a nondegenerate companion, corresponding to
M
H
≲ 0.7–2 × 10
−3
M
⊙
and
M
He
≲ 4 × 10
−3
M
⊙
. Radio observations of SN 2020nlb at 14.6 days after explosion also yield a non-detection, ruling out most plausible symbiotic progenitor systems. While we have doubled the sample of normal Type Ia supernovae with deep X-ray limits, more observations are needed to sample the full range of luminosities and subtypes of these explosions, and set statistical constraints on their circumbinary environments.
ABSTRACT
We use the Very Long Baseline Array to conduct high precision astrometry of a sample of 33 compact, flat spectrum, variable radio sources in the direction of the Galactic plane (Becker ...et al. 2010). Although Becker et al. (2010) ruled out a few potential scenarios for the origin of the radio emission, the study could not rule out that these sources were black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). Most known BHXBs are first detected by X-ray or optical emission when they go into an outburst, leaving the larger quiescent BHXB population undiscovered. In this paper, we attempt to identify any Galactic sources amongst the Becker et al. (2010) sample by measuring their proper motions as a first step to finding quiescent BHXB candidates. Amongst the 33 targets, we could measure the proper motion of six sources. We find that G32.7193-0.6477 is a Galactic source and are able to constrain the parallax of this source with a 3σ significance. We found three strong Galactic candidates, G32.5898-0.4468, G29.1075-0.1546, and G31.1494-0.1727, based purely on their proper motions, and suggest that G29.1075-0.1546 is also likely Galactic. We detected two resolved targets for multiple epochs (G30.1038+0.3984 and G29.7161-0.3178). We find six targets are only detected in one epoch and have an extended structure. We cross-match our VLBA detections with the currently available optical, infrared, and X-ray surveys, and did not find any potential matches. We did not detect 19 targets in any VLBA epochs and suggest that this could be due to limited uv-coverage, drastic radio variability, or faint, extended nature of the sources.
One of the main questions concerning Type Ia supernovae is the nature of the binary companion of the exploding white dwarf. A major discriminant between different suggested models is the presence and ...physical properties of circumstellar material at the time of explosion. If present, this material will be ionized by the ultraviolet radiation of the explosion and later recombine. This ionization–recombination should manifest itself as time-variable absorption features that can be detected via multi-epoch high-spectral-resolution observations. Previous studies have shown that the strongest effect is seen in the neutral sodium D lines. We report on observations of neutral sodium absorption features observed in multi-epoch high-resolution spectra of 14 Type Ia supernova events. This is the first multi-epoch high-resolution study to include multiple SNe. No variability in line strength that can be associated with circumstellar material is detected in the events presented in this paper. If we include previously published events, we find that ∼18 per cent of the events in the extended sample exhibit time-variable sodium features associated with circumstellar material. We explore the implication of this study on our understanding of the progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae via the current Type Ia supernova multi-epoch high-spectral-resolution sample.
We present the discovery of two ultraluminous supernovae (SNe) at z 0.9 with the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey. These SNe, PS1-10ky and PS1-10awh, are among the most luminous SNe ever discovered, ...comparable to the unusual transients SN 2005ap and SCP 06F6. Like SN 2005ap and SCP 06F6, they show characteristic high luminosities (M bol --22.5 mag), blue spectra with a few broad absorption lines, and no evidence for H or He. We have constructed a full multi-color light curve sensitive to the peak of the spectral energy distribution in the rest-frame ultraviolet, and we have obtained time series spectroscopy for these SNe. Given the similarities between the SNe, we combine their light curves to estimate a total radiated energy over the course of explosion of (0.9-1.4) X 1051 erg. We find photospheric velocities of 12,000-19,000 km s--1 with no evidence for deceleration measured across ~3 rest-frame weeks around light curve peak, consistent with the expansion of an optically thick massive shell of material. We show that, consistent with findings for other ultraluminous SNe in this class, radioactive decay is not sufficient to power PS1-10ky, and we discuss two plausible origins for these events: the initial spin-down of a newborn magnetar in a core-collapse SN, or SN shock breakout from the dense circumstellar wind surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star.
ABSTRACT
We present X-ray and radio observations of what may be the closest Type Iax supernova (SN) to date, SN 2014dt (d = 12.3–19.3 Mpc), and provide tight constraints on the radio and X-ray ...emission. We infer a specific radio luminosity $L_R\lt (1.0\!-\!2.4)\times 10^{25}\, \rm {erg\, s^{-1}\, Hz^{-1}}$ at a frequency of 7.5 GHz and a X-ray luminosity $L_X\lt 1.4\times 10^{38}\, \rm {erg\, s^{-1}}$ (0.3–10 keV) at ∼38–48 d post-explosion. We interpret these limits in the context of Inverse Compton (IC) emission and synchrotron emission from a population of electrons accelerated at the forward shock of the explosion in a power-law distribution $N_e(\gamma _e)\propto \gamma _e^{-p}$ with p = 3. Our analysis constrains the progenitor system mass-loss rate to be $\dot{M}\lt 5.0 \times 10^{-6} \rm {M_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}}$ at distances $r\lesssim 10^{16}\, \rm {cm}$ for an assumed wind velocity $v_w=100\, \rm {km\, s^{-1}}$, and a fraction of post-shock energy into magnetic fields and relativistic electrons of ϵB = 0.01 and ϵe = 0.1, respectively. This result rules out some of the parameter space of symbiotic giant star companions, and it is consistent with the low mass-loss rates expected from He-star companions. Our calculations also show that the improved sensitivity of the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) is needed to probe the very low-density media characteristic of He stars that are the leading model for binary stellar companions of white dwarfs giving origin to Type Iax SNe.
We present multiwavelength observations of the unusual nova V1535 Sco throughout its outburst in 2015. Early radio observations were consistent with synchrotron emission, and early X-ray observations ...revealed the presence of high-energy (>1 keV) photons. These indicated that strong shocks were present during the first ∼2 weeks of the nova's evolution. The radio spectral energy distribution was consistent with thermal emission from week 2 to week 6. Starting in week 7, the radio emission again showed evidence of synchrotron emission, and there was an increase in X-ray emission, indicating a second shock event. The optical spectra show evidence of at least two separate outflows, with the faster outflow possibly having a bipolar morphology. The optical and near-infrared light curves and the X-ray measurements indicated that the companion star is likely a K giant.
ABSTRACT
The dynamical production of low-mass X-ray binaries and brighter cataclysmic variables (CVs) in dense globular clusters is well-established. We investigate how the X-ray emissivity of ...fainter X-ray binaries (principally CVs and coronally active binaries) varies between different environments. We compile calculations (largely from the literature) of the X-ray emissivity of old stellar populations, including open and globular clusters and several galaxies. We investigate three literature claims of unusual X-ray sources in low-density stellar populations. We show that a suggested quiescent neutron star in the open cluster NGC 6819 is a foreground M dwarf. We show that the suggested diffuse X-ray emission from an old nova shell in the globular cluster NGC 6366 is actually a background galaxy cluster. And we show that a suggested population of quiescent X-ray binaries in the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy is mostly (perhaps entirely) background galaxies. We find that above densities of 104 M⊙ pc−3, the X-ray emissivity of globular clusters increases, due to dynamical production of X-ray emitting systems. Below this density, globular clusters have lower X-ray emissivity than the other populations, and we do not see a strong dependence of X-ray emissivity due to density effects. We find significant correlations between X-ray emissivity and binary fraction, metallicity, and density. Sampling these fits via bootstrap techniques gives less significant correlations, but confirms the effect of metallicity on low-density populations, and that of density on the full globular cluster sample.
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