Abstract
Recent detection of gravitational waves from a neutron star (NS) merger event GW170817 and identification of an electromagnetic counterpart provide a unique opportunity to study the physical ...processes in NS mergers. To derive properties of ejected material from the NS merger, we perform radiative transfer simulations of kilonova, optical and near-infrared emissions powered by radioactive decays of r-process nuclei synthesized in the merger. We find that the observed near-infrared emission lasting for >10 d is explained by 0.03 M⊙ of ejecta containing lanthanide elements. However, the blue optical component observed at the initial phases requires an ejecta component with a relatively high electron fraction (Ye). We show that both optical and near-infrared emissions are simultaneously reproduced by the ejecta with a medium Ye of ∼0.25. We suggest that a dominant component powering the emission is post-merger ejecta, which exhibits that the mass ejection after the first dynamical ejection is quite efficient. Our results indicate that NS mergers synthesize a wide range of r-process elements and strengthen the hypothesis that NS mergers are the origin of r-process elements in the Universe.
Abstract
In this paper, we present the results from spectroscopic and photometric observations of the M-type flare star YZ CMi in the framework of the Optical and Infrared Synergetic Telescopes for ...Education and Research (OISTER) collaborations during the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observation period. We detected 145 white-light flares from the TESS light-curve and four Hα flares from the OISTER observations performed between 2019 January 16 and 18. Among them, three Hα flares were associated with white-light flares. However, one of them did not show clear brightening in the continuum; during this flare, the Hα line exhibited blue asymmetry which lasted for ∼60 min. The line-of-sight velocity of the blueshifted component is in the range from −80 to −100 km s−1. This suggests that there can be upward flows of chromospheric cool plasma even without detectable red/near-infrared (NIR) continuum brightening. By assuming that the blue asymmetry in the Hα line was caused by a prominence eruption on YZ CMi, we estimated the mass and kinetic energy of the upward-moving material to be 1016–1018 g and 1029.5–1031.5 erg, respectively. The estimated mass is comparable to expectations from the empirical relation between the flare X-ray energy and mass of upward-moving material for stellar flares and solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In contrast, the estimated kinetic energy for the non-white-light flare on YZ CMi is roughly two orders of magnitude smaller than that expected from the relation between flare X-ray energy and kinetic energy for solar CMEs. This could be understood by the difference in the velocity between CMEs and prominence eruptions.
Abstract
Asteroid systems such as binaries and pairs are indicative of the physical properties and dynamical histories of small solar system bodies. Although numerous observational and theoretical ...studies have been carried out, the formation mechanism of asteroid pairs is still unclear, especially for near-Earth asteroid (NEA) pairs. We conducted a series of optical photometric and polarimetric observations of a small NEA 2010 XC
15
in 2022 December to investigate its surface properties. The rotation period of 2010 XC
15
is possibly a few to several dozen hours and the color indices of 2010 XC
15
are derived as
g
−
r
= 0.435 ± 0.008,
r
−
i
= 0.158 ± 0.017, and
r
−
z
= 0.186 ± 0.009 in the Pan-STARRS system. The linear polarization degrees of 2010 XC
15
are a few percent at the phase angle range of 58°–114°. We found that 2010 XC
15
is a rare E-type NEA on the basis of its photometric and polarimetric properties. Taking the similarity of not only physical properties but also dynamical integrals and the rarity of E-type NEAs into account, we suppose that 2010 XC
15
and 1998 WT
24
are of common origin (i.e., an asteroid pair). These two NEAs are the sixth NEA pair and first E-type NEA pair ever confirmed, possibly formed by rotational fission. We conjecture that the parent body of 2010 XC
15
and 1998 WT
24
was transported from the main belt through the
ν
6
resonance or Hungaria region.
Abstract
Young solar-type stars are known to show frequent “superflares,” which may severely influence the habitable worlds on young planets via intense radiation and coronal mass ejections. Here we ...report an optical spectroscopic and photometric observation of a long-duration superflare on the young solar-type star EK Draconis (50–120 Myr age) with the Seimei telescope and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The flare energy 2.6 × 10
34
erg and white-light flare duration 2.2 hr are much larger than those of the largest solar flares, and this is the largest superflare on a solar-type star ever detected by optical spectroscopy. The H
α
emission profile shows no significant line asymmetry, meaning no signature of a filament eruption, unlike the only previous detection of a superflare on this star. Also, it did not show significant line broadening, indicating that the nonthermal heating at the flare footpoints is not essential or that the footpoints are behind the limb. The time evolution and duration of the H
α
flare are surprisingly almost the same as those of the white-light flare, which is different from general M-dwarf (super-)flares and solar flares. This unexpected time evolution may suggest that different radiation mechanisms than general solar flares are predominant, such as: (1) radiation from (off-limb) flare loops and (2) re-radiation via radiative back-warming, in both of which the cooling timescales of flare loops could determine the timescales of H
α
and white light.
Optical multi-band photometric observations of SX Phe-type object BL Cam were carried out with 60-cm reflect-ing telescope equipped with CCD camera in 2016 November and 2018 January. The color index ...B-V is estimated as 0.35 from the obtained B- and V-band data. The surface temperature is estimated 6680 K based on this color index. The variations of radius accompanying the variations of luminosity were detected, however, the variations do not correspond to that ever observed in similar objects. The maximum of stellar radius variation is delayed by 0.3〜0.4 of phase to the maximum of light curve variation.
The secular variation in the interval of outbursts in the following six Z Cam-type dwarf novae (including the subtype IW And-type) is investigated: Z Cam, RX And, AH Her, HL CMa, SY Cnc, and WW Cet. ...An analysis using the \(O-C\) diagram shows that the interval of outbursts is not steady in one system. The outburst properties before standstill are the decrease in outburst interval, enhancement of the magnitude in quiescence, and disappearance of the long outburst. Meanwhile, several objects have at least two typical intervals of outbursts. These characteristics are difficult to be explained only by the variation in mass transfer from the secondary.
The homothallic fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe undergoes sexual differentiation when starved, but sam (skips the requirement of starvation for mating) mutants such as those carrying ...mutations in adenylate cyclase (cyr1) or protein kinase A (pka1) mate without starvation. Here, we identified sam3, a dominant negative allele of rad24, encoding one of two 14-3-3 proteins. Genetic mapping and whole-genome sequencing showed that the sam3 mutation comprises a change in nucleotide at position 959 from guanine to adenine, which switches the amino acid at position 185 from glutamic acid to lysine (E185K). We generated the rad24-E185K integrated mutant and its phenotype was similar to that of the sam3 mutant, including calcium sensitivity and UV non-sensitivity, but the phenotype is different from that of the Δrad24 strain. While the UV-sensitive phenotype was observed in the Δrad24 mutant, it was not observed in the sam3 and rad24-E185K mutants. The expression of the rad24-E185K gene in wild type cells induced spore formation in the nutrient rich medium, confirming rad24-E185K is dominant. This dominant effect of rad24-E185K was also observed in Δras1 and Δbyr2 diploid mutants, indicating that rad24-E185K generate stronger phenotype than rad24 null mutants. Ste11, the key transcription factor for sexual differentiation was expressed in sam3 mutants without starvation and it predominantly localized to the nucleus. The Rad24-E185K mutant protein retained its interaction with Check point kinase1 (Chk1), whereas it reduced interaction with Ste11, an RNA binding protein Mei2, and a MAPKKK Byr2, freeing these proteins from negative regulation by Rad24, that account for the sam phenotype and UV non-sensitive phenotype. Glucose depletion in rad24-E185K or Δpka1 Δrad24 double mutation induced haploid meiosis, leading to the formation of spores in haploid. The position of glutamic acid 185 is conserved in all major 14-3-3s; hence, our finding of a dominant negative allele of 14-3-3 is useful for understanding 14-3-3s in other organisms.
Abstract
We present comprehensive spectroscopic and photometric analyses of the intermediate luminosity type Iax supernova (SN Iax) 2019muj based on multi-band datasets observed through the framework ...of the OISTER target-of-opportunity program. SN 2019muj exhibits almost identical characteristics to the subluminous SNe Iax 2008ha and 2010ae in terms of the observed spectral features and the light curve evolution at the early phase, except for the peak luminosity. The long-term observations unveil late-time flattening light curves as seen in luminous SN Iax 2014dt. This can be explained by the existence of an inner dense and optically thick component possibly associated with a bound white dwarf remnant left behind after the explosion. We demonstrate that the weak deflagration model with a wide range of explosion parameters can reproduce the late-phase light curves of other SNe Iax. Therefore, we conclude that a common explosion mechanism operates for different subclass SNe Iax.
Abstract
We report photometric and spectroscopic observations of the eclipsing SU UMa-type dwarf nova ASASSN-18aan. We observed the 2018 superoutburst with 2.3 mag brightening and found the orbital ...period (Porb) to be 0.149454(3) d, or 3.59 hr. This is longward of the period gap, establishing ASASSN-18aan as one of a small number of long-Porb SU UMa-type dwarf novae. The estimated mass ratio, q = M2/M1 = 0.278(1), is almost identical to the upper limit of tidal instability by the 3 : 1 resonance. From eclipses, we found that the accretion disk at the onset of the superoutburst may reach the 3 : 1 resonance radius, suggesting that the superoutburst of ASASSN-18aan results from the tidal instability. Considering the case of long-Porb WZ Sge-type dwarf novae, we suggest that the tidal dissipation at the tidal truncation radius is enough to induce SU UMa-like behavior in relatively high-q systems such as SU UMa-type dwarf novae, but that this is no longer effective in low-q systems such as WZ Sge-type dwarf novae. The unusual nature of the system extends to the secondary star, for which we find a spectral type of G9, much earlier than typical for the orbital period, and a secondary mass M2 of around 0.18 M⊙, smaller than expected for the orbital period and the secondary’s spectral type. We also see indications of enhanced sodium abundance in the secondary’s spectrum. Anomalously hot secondaries are seen in a modest number of other CVs and related objects. These systems evidently underwent significant nuclear evolution before the onset of mass transfer. In the case of ASASSN-18aan, this apparently resulted in a mass ratio lower than typically found at the system’s Porb, which may account for the occurrence of a superoutburst at this relatively long period.
Abstract
The cataclysmic variable SDSS J214354.59+124457.8 (hereafter SDSS J214354) was observed photometrically on sixty one nights between 2012 July 28 and 2019 May 26. The long term variation of ...this object shows changes between two phases; a dwarf nova type and a novalike. This implies that the object belongs to the group of Z Cam type stars. The timing analysis of the light curve reveals a periodic signal at 0.13902(5) d, which we identify as the superhump period. However, the fractional superhump excess of 10 per cent longer than the orbital period is exceptionally large. We obtained a mass ratio of ∼0.4, which is above the accepted upper limit of q = 0.33 for the formation of superhumps. We suggest that the object contains a secondary with an evolved core. With an orbital period of 0.126 d, SDSS J214354 is situated at the upper border of the period gap. The long term light curve of SDSS J214354 is similar to those of Z Cam type stars which are characterized by recurring standstills, followed by short intervals with DN type outbursts. Therefore, we conclude that SDSS J214354 is a new member of the Z Cam type stars.
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