The binary neutron-star merger GW170817
was accompanied by radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum
and localized
to the galaxy NGC 4993 at a distance
of about 41 megaparsecs from Earth. The ...radio and X-ray afterglows of GW170817 exhibited delayed onset
, a gradual increase
in the emission with time (proportional to t
) to a peak about 150 days after the merger event
, followed by a relatively rapid decline
. So far, various models have been proposed to explain the afterglow emission, including a choked-jet cocoon
and a successful-jet cocoon
(also called a structured jet). However, the observational data have remained inconclusive
as to whether GW170817 launched a successful relativistic jet. Here we report radio observations using very long-baseline interferometry. We find that the compact radio source associated with GW170817 exhibits superluminal apparent motion between 75 days and 230 days after the merger event. This measurement breaks the degeneracy between the choked- and successful-jet cocoon models and indicates that, although the early-time radio emission was powered by a wide-angle outflow
(a cocoon), the late-time emission was most probably dominated by an energetic and narrowly collimated jet (with an opening angle of less than five degrees) and observed from a viewing angle of about 20 degrees. The imaging of a collimated relativistic outflow emerging from GW170817 adds substantial weight to the evidence linking binary neutron-star mergers and short γ-ray bursts.
More than three-quarters of the baryonic content of the Universe resides in a highly diffuse state that is difficult to detect, with only a small fraction directly observed in galaxies and galaxy ...clusters
. Censuses of the nearby Universe have used absorption line spectroscopy
to observe the 'invisible' baryons, but these measurements rely on large and uncertain corrections and are insensitive to most of the Universe's volume and probably most of its mass. In particular, quasar spectroscopy is sensitive either to the very small amounts of hydrogen that exist in the atomic state, or to highly ionized and enriched gas
in denser regions near galaxies
. Other techniques to observe these invisible baryons also have limitations; Sunyaev-Zel'dovich analyses
can provide evidence from gas within filamentary structures, and studies of X-ray emission are most sensitive to gas near galaxy clusters
. Here we report a measurement of the baryon content of the Universe using the dispersion of a sample of localized fast radio bursts; this technique determines the electron column density along each line of sight and accounts for every ionized baryon
. We augment the sample of reported arcsecond-localized
fast radio bursts with four new localizations in host galaxies that have measured redshifts of 0.291, 0.118, 0.378 and 0.522. This completes a sample sufficiently large to account for dispersion variations along the lines of sight and in the host-galaxy environments
, and we derive a cosmic baryon density of Formula: see text (95 per cent confidence; h
= H
/(70 km s
Mpc
) and H
is Hubble's constant). This independent measurement is consistent with values derived from the cosmic microwave background and from Big Bang nucleosynthesis
.
We present the description and early results of the mJy Imaging VLBA Exploration at 20 cm (mJIVE-20). The survey is being undertaken using filler time on the VLBA, which utilizes short segments ...scheduled in bad weather and/or with a reduced number of antennas, during which no highly rated science projects can be scheduled. The results of the mJIVE-20 survey are made publicly available as soon as the data are calibrated. Over half of all arcsecond-scale mJy radio sources contain a compact component, although the fraction of sources that are dominated by milliarcsecond scale structure is smaller at around 30%-35%, increasing toward lower flux densities. Significant differences are seen depending on the optical classification of the source. These results are consistent with a unification model of active galactic nuclei in which less luminous sources have on average slower radio jets, with lower Doppler suppression of compact core emission over a wider range of viewing angles.
Abstract
We use very long baseline interferometry to measure the proper motions of three black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). Using these results together with data from the literature and Gaia DR2 to ...collate the best available constraints on proper motion, parallax, distance, and systemic radial velocity of 16 BHXBs, we determined their three-dimensional Galactocentric orbits. We extended this analysis to estimate the probability distribution for the potential kick velocity (PKV) a BHXB system could have received on formation. Constraining the kicks imparted to BHXBs provides insight into the birth mechanism of black holes (BHs). Kicks also have a significant effect on BH–BH merger rates, merger sites, and binary evolution, and can be responsible for spin–orbit misalignment in BH binary systems. 75 per cent of our systems have potential kicks $\gt 70\, \rm {km\,s^{-1}}$. This suggests that strong kicks and hence spin–orbit misalignment might be common among BHXBs, in agreement with the observed quasi-periodic X-ray variability in their power density spectra. We used a Bayesian hierarchical methodology to analyse the PKV distribution of the BHXB population, and suggest that a unimodal Gaussian model with a mean of 107 $\pm \,\,16\, \rm {km\,s^{-1}}$ is a statistically favourable fit. Such relatively high PKVs would also reduce the number of BHs likely to be retained in globular clusters. We found no significant correlation between the BH mass and PKV, suggesting a lack of correlation between BH mass and the BH birth mechanism. Our python code allows the estimation of the PKV for any system with sufficient observational constraints.
Continued timing observations of the double pulsar PSR J0737–3039A/B, which consists of two active radio pulsars (A and B) that orbit each other with a period of 2.45 h in a mildly eccentric ...(e=0.088) binary system, have led to large improvements in the measurement of relativistic effects in this system. With a 16-yr data span, the results enable precision tests of theories of gravity for strongly self-gravitating bodies and also reveal new relativistic effects that have been expected but are now observed for the first time. These include effects of light propagation in strong gravitational fields which are currently not testable by any other method. In particular, we observe the effects of retardation and aberrational light bending that allow determination of the spin direction of the pulsar. In total, we detect seven post-Keplerian parameters in this system, more than for any other known binary pulsar. For some of these effects, the measurement precision is now so high that for the first time we have to take higher-order contributions into account. These include the contribution of the A pulsar’s effective mass loss (due to spin-down) to the observed orbital period decay, a relativistic deformation of the orbit, and the effects of the equation of state of superdense matter on the observed post-Keplerian parameters via relativistic spin-orbit coupling. We discuss the implications of our findings, including those for the moment of inertia of neutron stars, and present the currently most precise test of general relativity’s quadrupolar description of gravitational waves, validating the prediction of general relativity at a level of 1.3×10^{-4} with 95% confidence. We demonstrate the utility of the double pulsar for tests of alternative theories of gravity by focusing on two specific examples and also discuss some implications of the observations for studies of the interstellar medium and models for the formation of the double pulsar system. Finally, we provide context to other types of related experiments and prospects for the future.
GW170817 was the first gravitational-wave detection of a binary neutron-star merger. It was accompanied by radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum and localized to the galaxy NGC 4993 at a ...distance of 40 megaparsecs. It has been proposed that the observed γ-ray, X-ray and radio emission is due to an ultra-relativistic jet being launched during the merger (and successfully breaking out of the surrounding material), directed away from our line of sight (off-axis). The presence of such a jet is predicted from models that posit neutron-star mergers as the drivers of short hard-γ-ray bursts. Here we report that the radio light curve of GW170817 has no direct signature of the afterglow of an off-axis jet. Although we cannot completely rule out the existence of a jet directed away from the line of sight, the observed γ-ray emission could not have originated from such a jet. Instead, the radio data require the existence of a mildly relativistic wide-angle outflow moving towards us. This outflow could be the high-velocity tail of the neutron-rich material that was ejected dynamically during the merger, or a cocoon of material that breaks out when a jet launched during the merger transfers its energy to the dynamical ejecta. Because the cocoon model explains the radio light curve of GW170817, as well as the γ-ray and X-ray emission (and possibly also the ultraviolet and optical emission), it is the model that is most consistent with the observational data. Cocoons may be a ubiquitous phenomenon produced in neutron-star mergers, giving rise to a hitherto unidentified population of radio, ultraviolet, X-ray and γ-ray transients in the local Universe.
ABSTRACT Using the Very Long Baseline Array and the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network, we have made a precise measurement of the radio parallax of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI ...J1820+070, providing a model-independent distance to the source. Our parallax measurement of (0.348 ± 0.033) mas for MAXI J1820+070 translates to a distance of (2.96 ± 0.33) kpc. This distance implies that the source reached (15 ± 3) per cent of the Eddington luminosity at the peak of its outburst. Further, we use this distance to refine previous estimates of the jet inclination angle, jet velocity, and the mass of the black hole in MAXI J1820+070 to be (63 ± 3)°, (0.89 ± 0.09) c, and (9.2 ± 1.3) M⊙, respectively.
We describe the development of an FX‐style correlator for very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), implemented in software and intended to run in multiprocessor computing environments, such as large ...clusters of commodity machines (Beowulf clusters) or computers specifically designed for high‐performance computing, such as multiprocessor shared‐memory machines. We outline the scientific and practical benefits for VLBI correlation, these chiefly being due to the inherent flexibility of software and the fact that the highly parallel and scalable nature of the correlation task is well suited to a multiprocessor computing environment. We suggest scientific applications where such an approach to VLBI correlation is most suited and will give the best returns. We report detailed results from the Distributed FX (DiFX) software correlator running on the Swinburne supercomputer (a Beowulf cluster of ∼300 commodity processors), including measures of the performance of the system. For example, to correlate all Stokes products for a 10 antenna array with an aggregate bandwidth of 64 MHz per station, and using typical time and frequency resolution, currently requires an order of 100 desktop‐class compute nodes. Due to the effect of Moore’s law on commodity computing performance, the total number and cost of compute nodes required to meet a given correlation task continues to decrease rapidly with time. We show detailed comparisons between DiFX and two existing hardware‐based correlators: the Australian Long Baseline Array S2 correlator and the NRAO Very Long Baseline Array correlator. In both cases, excellent agreement was found between the correlators. Finally, we describe plans for the future operation of DiFX on the Swinburne supercomputer for both astrophysical and geodetic science.
Context. Quantifying the fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the faint radio population and understanding their relation with star-forming activity are fundamental to studies of galaxy ...evolution. Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations are able to identify AGN above relatively low redshifts (z> 0.1) since they provide milli-arcsecond resolution. Aims. We have created an AGN catalogue from 2865 known radio sources observed in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, which has exceptional multi-wavelength coverage. With this catalogue we intend to study the faint radio sky with statistically relevant numbers and to analyse the AGN – host galaxy co-evolution, making use of the large amount of ancillary data available in the field. Methods. Wide-field VLBI observations were made of all known radio sources in the COSMOS field at 1.4 GHz to measure the AGN fraction, in particular in the faint radio population. We describe in detail the observations, data calibration, source detection and flux density measurements, parts of which we have developed for this survey. The combination of number of sources, sensitivity, and area covered with this project are unprecedented. Results. We have detected 468 radio sources, expected to be AGN, with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). This is, to date, the largest sample assembled of VLBI detected sources in the sub-mJy regime. The input sample was taken from previous observations with the Very Large Array (VLA). We present the catalogue with additional optical, infrared and X-ray information. Conclusions. We find a detection fraction of 20 ± 1%, considering only those sources from the input catalogue which were in principle detectable with the VLBA (2361). As a function of the VLA flux density, the detection fraction is higher for higher flux densities, since at high flux densities a source could be detected even if the VLBI core accounts for a small percentage of the total flux density. As a function of redshift, we see no evolution of the detection fraction over the redshift range 0.5 <z< 3. In addition, we find that faint radio sources typically have a greater fraction of their radio luminosity in a compact core – ~70% of the sub-mJy sources detected with the VLBA have more than half of their total radio luminosity in a VLBI-scale component, whereas this is true for only ~30% of the sources that are brighter than 10 mJy. This suggests that fainter radio sources differ intrinsically from brighter ones. Across our entire sample, we find the predominant morphological classification of the host galaxies of the VLBA detected sources to be early type (57%), although this varies with redshift and at z> 1.5 we find that spiral galaxies become the most prevalent (48%). The number of detections is high enough to study the faint radio population with statistically significant numbers. We demonstrate that wide-field VLBI observations, together with new calibration methods such as multi-source self-calibration and mosaicing, result in information which is difficult or impossible to obtain otherwise.
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