The Connection Between X-ray Binaries and Star Clusters in the Antennae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangelov, Blagoy; Chandar, R.; Prestwich, A.

2011-05-01

High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) are believed to form in massive, compact star clusters. However the correlation between these young binary star systems and properties of their parent clusters are still poorly known. We compare the locations of 82 X-ray binaries detected in the merging Antennae galaxies by Zezas et al. (2006) based on observations taken with the Chandra Space Telescope, with a catalog of optically selected star clusters presented recently by Whitmore et al. (2010) based on observations taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. We find 22 X-ray binaries coincident or nearly coincident with star clusters. The ages of the clusters were estimated by comparing their UBVIHα colors with predictions from stellar evolutionary models. We find that 14 of the 22 coincident sources (64%) are hosted by star clusters with ages of 6 Myr or less. At these very young ages, only stars initially more massive than M ≥ 30 Msun have evolved into compact remnants, almost certainly black holes. Therefore, these 14 sources are likely to be black hole binaries. Five of the XRBs are hosted by young clusters with ages τ 30-50 Myr, while three are hosted by intermediate age clusters with τ 100-300 Myr. We suggest that these older X-ray binaries likely have neutron stars as the compact object. We conclude that precision age-dating of star clusters, which are spatially coincident with XRBs in nearby star forming galaxies, is a powerful method of constraining the nature of the XRBs.

I-Love-Q relations: from compact stars to black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagi, Kent; Yunes, Nicolás

2016-05-01

The relations between most observables associated with a compact star, such as the mass and radius of a neutron star or a quark star, typically depend strongly on their unknown internal structure. The recently discovered I-Love-Q relations (between the moment of inertia, the tidal deformability and the quadrupole moment) are however approximately insensitive to this structure. These relations become exact for stationary black holes (BHs) in General Relativity as shown by the no-hair theorems, mainly because BHs are vacuum solutions with event horizons. In this paper, we take the first steps toward studying how the approximate I-Love-Q relations become exact in the limit as compact stars become BHs. To do so, we consider a toy model for compact stars, i.e. incompressible stars with anisotropic pressure, which allows us to model an equilibrium sequence of stars with ever increasing compactness that approaches the BH limit arbitrarily closely. We numerically construct such a sequence in the slow-rotation and in the small-tide approximations by extending the Hartle-Thorne formalism, and then extract the I-Love-Q trio from the asymptotic behavior of the metric tensor at spatial infinity. We find that the I-Love-Q relations approach the BH limit in a nontrivial way, with the quadrupole moment and the tidal deformability changing sign as the compactness and the amount of anisotropy are increased. Through a generalization of Maclaurin spheroids to anisotropic stars, we show that the multipole moments also change sign in the Newtonian limit as the amount of anisotropy is increased because the star becomes prolate. We also prove analytically that the stellar moment of inertia reaches the BH limit as the compactness reaches a critical BH value in the strongly anisotropic limit. Modeling the BH limit through a sequence of anisotropic stars, however, can fail when considering other theories of gravity. We calculate the scalar dipole charge and the moment of inertia in a particular parity-violating modified theory and find that these quantities do not tend to their BH counterparts as the anisotropic stellar sequence approaches the BH limit.

Accretion torques in X-ray pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rappaport, S.; Joss, P. C.

1977-01-01

An analysis of the accretion process in an X-ray pulsar, whereby angular momentum is transferred to the star and its rotation period is changed, is presented, and an expression for the fractional rate of change of the pulse period in terms of X-ray luminosity and other star parameters is derived. It is shown that observed characteristic spin-up time scales for seven X-ray pulsars strongly support the view that in every source (1) the pulse period reflects the rotation period of a compact object, (2) the accretion is mediated by a disk surrounding the compact object and rotating in the same sense, and (3) the compact object is a neutron star rather than a white dwarf.

A neutron star with a carbon atmosphere in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.

PubMed

Ho, Wynn C G; Heinke, Craig O

2009-11-05

The surface of hot neutron stars is covered by a thin atmosphere. If there is accretion after neutron-star formation, the atmosphere could be composed of light elements (H or He); if no accretion takes place or if thermonuclear reactions occur after accretion, heavy elements (for example, Fe) are expected. Despite detailed searches, observations have been unable to confirm the atmospheric composition of isolated neutron stars. Here we report an analysis of archival observations of the compact X-ray source in the centre of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. We show that a carbon atmosphere neutron star (with low magnetic field) produces a good fit to the spectrum. Our emission model, in contrast with others, implies an emission size consistent with theoretical predictions for the radius of neutron stars. This result suggests that there is nuclear burning in the surface layers and also identifies the compact source as a very young ( approximately 330-year-old) neutron star.

Frontiers of stellar evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambert, David L. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The present conference discusses theoretical and observational views of star formation, spectroscopic constraints on the evolution of massive stars, very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, asteroseismology, globular clusters as tests of stellar evolution, observational tests of stellar evolution, and mass loss from cool evolved giant stars. Also discussed are white dwarfs and hot subdwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, supernovae from single stars, close binaries with evolved components, accretion disks in interacting binaries, supernovae in binary systems, stellar evolution and galactic chemical evolution, and interacting binaries containing compact components.

X-Ray Emission from "Uranium" Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlegel, Eric; Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor)

2005-01-01

The project aims to secure XMM observations of two targets with extremely low abundances of the majority of heavy elements (e.g., log[Fe/H] $\\sim$-4), but that show absorption lines of uranium. The presence of an r-process element such as uranium requires a binary star system in which the companion underwent a supernova explosion. A binary star system raises the distinct possibility of the existence of a compact object, most likely a neutron star, in the binary, assuming it survived the supernova blast. The presence of a compact object then suggests X-ray emission if sufficient matter accretes to the compact object. The observations were completed less than one year ago following a series of reobservations to correct for significant flaring that occurred during the original observations. The ROSAT all-sky survey was used to report on the initial assessment of X-ray emission from these objects; only upper limits were reported. These upper limits were used to justify the XMM observing time, but with the expectation that upper limits would merely be pushed lower. The data analysis hinges critically on the quality and degree of precision with which the background is handled. During the past year, I have spent some time learning the ins and outs of XMM data analysis. In the coming year, I can apply that learning to the analysis of the 'uranium' stars.

Quark Phase Transition in Compact Objects and Multimessenger Astronomy: Neutrino Signals, Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, V. V.; Vlasyuk, V. V.; Petkov, V. B.

2016-06-01

The International Workshop on Quark Phase Transition in Compact Objects and Multimessenger Astronomy: Neutrino Signals, Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts (October, 7-14, 2015) was dedicated to Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) Phase Transitions and observational signals of these transitions related to formation of compact astrophysical objects. The aim of this workshop was to bring together researchers working on the problems of behavior of matter under critical conditions achievable in such astrophysical objects as "strange" or "hybrid" stars and in laboratories at heavy-ion collisions to discuss fundamental issues and recent developments. Topics included both observations (radio, optical and X-ray astronomy, gamma ray bursts, gravitational waves, neutrino detection, heavy-ion collisions, etc.) and theory (supernova simulations, proto-neutron and neutron stars, equation of state of dense matter, neutron star cooling, unstable modes, nucleosynthesis, explosive transitions, quark-gluon plasma).

Surface brightness and color distributions in blue compact dwarf galaxies. I - Haro 2, an extreme example of a star-forming young elliptical galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loose, Hans-Hermann; Thuan, Trinh X.

1986-01-01

The first results of a large-scale program to study the morphology and structure of blue compact dwarf galaxies from CCD observations are presented. The observations and reduction procedures are described, and surface brightness and color profiles are shown. The results are used to discuss the morphological type of Haro 2 and its stellar populations. It is found that Haro 2 appears to be an extreme example of an elliptical galaxy undergoing intense star formation in its central regions, and that the oldest stars it contains were made only about four million yr ago. The 'missing' mass problem of Haro 2 is also discussed.

Search for Gravitational Waves from Low Mass Compact Binary Coalescence in LIGO's Sixth Science Run and Virgo's Science Runs 2 and 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M.; Accadia, T.; Acernese, F.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C.;

Search for gravitational waves from low mass compact binary coalescence in LIGO's sixth science run and Virgo's science runs 2 and 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M.; Accadia, T.; Acernese, F.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G. S.; Amador Ceron, E.; Amariutei, D.; Amin, R. S.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Arain, M. A.; Araya, M. C.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Atkinson, D.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Aylott, B. E.; Babak, S.; Baker, P.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barriga, P.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barton, M. A.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Bastarrika, M.; Basti, A.; Batch, J.; Bauchrowitz, J.; Bauer, Th. S.; Bebronne, M.; Behnke, B.; Beker, M. G.; Bell, A. S.; Belletoile, A.; Belopolski, I.; Benacquista, M.; Berliner, J. M.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Beveridge, N.; Beyersdorf, P. T.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Biswas, R.; Bitossi, M.; Bizouard, M. A.; Black, E.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackburn, L.; Blair, D.; Bland, B.; Blom, M.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Bogan, C.; Bondarescu, R.; Bondu, F.; Bonelli, L.; Bonnand, R.; Bork, R.; Born, M.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bosi, L.; Bouhou, B.; Braccini, S.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Breyer, J.; Briant, T.; Bridges, D. O.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Britzger, M.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brummit, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Burguet–Castell, J.; Burmeister, O.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Campsie, P.; Cannizzo, J.; Cannon, K.; Canuel, B.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C.; Cesarini, E.; Chaibi, O.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chalkley, E.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chelkowski, S.; Chen, Y.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H.; Christensen, N.; Chua, S. S. Y.; Chung, C. T. Y.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, D. E.; Clark, J.; Clayton, J. H.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colacino, C. N.; Colas, J.; Colla, A.; Colombini, M.; Conte, A.; Conte, R.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cordier, M.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M.; Coulon, J.-P.; Couvares, P.; Coward, D. M.; Coyne, D. C.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cruise, A. M.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Cutler, R. M.; Dahl, K.; Danilishin, S. L.; Dannenberg, R.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dattilo, V.; Daudert, B.; Daveloza, H.; Davier, M.; Davies, G.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Dayanga, T.; De Rosa, R.; DeBra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; Del Pozzo, W.; del Prete, M.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.; DeRosa, R.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Palma, I.; Di Paolo Emilio, M.; Di Virgilio, A.; Díaz, M.; Dietz, A.; DiGuglielmo, J.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Dorsher, S.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Dumas, J.-C.; Dwyer, S.; Eberle, T.; Edgar, M.; Edwards, M.; Effler, A.; Ehrens, P.; Endrőczi, G.; Engel, R.; Etzel, T.; Evans, K.; Evans, M.; Evans, T.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, Y.; Farr, B. F.; Farr, W.; Fazi, D.; Fehrmann, H.; Feldbaum, D.; Ferrante, I.; Fidecaro, F.; Finn, L. S.; Fiori, I.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Flanigan, M.; Foley, S.; Forsi, E.; Forte, L. A.; Fotopoulos, N.; Fournier, J.-D.; Franc, J.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frede, M.; Frei, M.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Fricke, T. T.; Friedrich, D.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P. J.; Fyffe, M.; Galimberti, M.; Gammaitoni, L.; Ganija, M. R.; Garcia, J.; Garofoli, J. A.; Garufi, F.; Gáspár, M. E.; Gemme, G.; Geng, R.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; Gergely, L. Á.; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giampanis, S.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, C.; Goetz, E.; Goggin, L. M.; González, G.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Goßler, S.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Gray, N.; Greenhalgh, R. J. S.; Gretarsson, A. M.; Greverie, C.; Grosso, R.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guido, C.; Gupta, R.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Ha, T.; Hage, B.; Hallam, J. M.; Hammer, D.; Hammond, G.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hanson, J.; Hardt, A.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Harstad, E. D.; Hartman, M. T.; Haughian, K.; Hayama, K.; Hayau, J.-F.; Heefner, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hendry, M. A.; Heng, I. S.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Herrera, V.; Hewitson, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Holt, K.; Hong, T.; Hooper, S.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Howell, E. J.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isogai, T.; Ivanov, A.; Izumi, K.; Jacobson, M.; Jang, H.; Jaranowski, P.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, G.; Jones, R.; Ju, L.; Kalmus, P.; Kalogera, V.; Kamaretsos, I.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, H.; Kawabe, K.; Kawamura, S.; Kawazoe, F.; Kells, W.; Keppel, D. G.; Keresztes, Z.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kim, B.; Kim, C.; Kim, D.; Kim, H.; Kim, K.; Kim, N.; Kim, Y.-M.; King, P. J.; Kinsey, M.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Klimenko, S.; Kokeyama, K.; Kondrashov, V.; Kopparapu, R.; Koranda, S.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D.; Kringel, V.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, R.; Kwee, P.; Lam, P. K.; Landry, M.; Lang, M.; Lantz, B.; Lastzka, N.; Lawrie, C.; Lazzarini, A.; Leaci, P.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. M.; Leindecker, N.; Leong, J. R.; Leonor, I.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Li, J.; Li, T. G. F.; Liguori, N.; Lindquist, P. E.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Lodhia, D.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Luan, J.; Lubinski, M.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Macdonald, E.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Mailand, K.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mantovani, M.; Marandi, A.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A.; Maros, E.; Marque, J.; Martelli, F.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Matzner, R. A.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McKechan, D. J. A.; Meadors, G. D.; Mehmet, M.; Meier, T.; Melatos, A.; Melissinos, A. C.; Mendell, G.; Menendez, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Meyer, M. S.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Minenkov, Y.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Miyakawa, O.; Moe, B.; Moesta, P.; Mohan, M.; Mohanty, S. D.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morgado, N.; Morgia, A.; Mori, T.; Mosca, S.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Mukherjee, S.; Mullavey, A.; Müller-Ebhardt, H.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D.; Murray, P. G.; Mytidis, A.; Nash, T.; Naticchioni, L.; Nawrodt, R.; Necula, V.; Nelson, J.; Newton, G.; Nishizawa, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Nuttall, L.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Oldenburg, R. G.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Osthelder, C.; Ott, C. D.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Page, A.; Pagliaroli, G.; Palladino, L.; Palomba, C.; Pan, Y.; Pankow, C.; Paoletti, F.; Papa, M. A.; Parisi, M.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patel, P.; Pedraza, M.; Peiris, P.; Pekowsky, L.; Penn, S.; Peralta, C.; Perreca, A.; Persichetti, G.; Phelps, M.; Pickenpack, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pietka, M.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Pletsch, H. J.; Plissi, M. V.; Poggiani, R.; Pöld, J.; Postiglione, F.; Prato, M.; Predoi, V.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Quetschke, V.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Rácz, I.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramet, C. R.; Rankins, B.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Re, V.; Redwine, K.; Reed, C. M.; Reed, T.; Regimbau, T.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Ricci, F.; Riesen, R.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robinet, F.; Robinson, C.; Robinson, E. L.; Rocchi, A.; Roddy, S.; Rodriguez, C.; Rodruck, M.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Röver, C.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Ryll, H.; Sainathan, P.; Sakosky, M.; Salemi, F.; Samblowski, A.; Sammut, L.; Sancho de la Jordana, L.; Sandberg, V.; Sankar, S.; Sannibale, V.; Santamaría, L.; Santiago-Prieto, I.; Santostasi, G.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Sato, S.; Saulson, P. R.; Savage, R. L.; Schilling, R.; Schlamminger, S.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schulz, B.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwinberg, P.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Searle, A. C.; Seifert, F.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaltev, M.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Sibley, A.; Siemens, X.; Sigg, D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L.; Sintes, A. M.; Skelton, G.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Slutsky, J.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, M. R.; Smith, N. D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Somiya, K.; Sorazu, B.; Soto, J.; Speirits, F. C.; Sperandio, L.; Stefszky, M.; Stein, A. J.; Steinert, E.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steplewski, S.; Stochino, A.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Strigin, S.; Stroeer, A. S.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sung, M.; Susmithan, S.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B.; Tacca, M.; Taffarello, L.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taylor, J. R.; Taylor, R.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Thüring, A.; Titsler, C.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toncelli, A.; Tonelli, M.; Torre, O.; Torres, C.; Torrie, C. I.; Tournefier, E.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trias, M.; Tseng, K.; Tucker, E.; Ugolini, D.; Urbanek, K.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Vallisneri, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; van der Putten, S.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vass, S.; Vasuth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vavoulidis, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Veltkamp, C.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Villar, A. E.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vitale, S.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A.; Waldman, S. J.; Wallace, L.; Wan, Y.; Wang, X.; Wang, Z.; Wanner, A.; Ward, R. L.; Was, M.; Wei, P.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wen, S.; Wessels, P.; West, M.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whitcomb, S. E.; White, D.; Whiting, B. F.; Wilkinson, C.; Willems, P. A.; Williams, H. R.; Williams, L.; Willke, B.; Winkelmann, L.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wiseman, A. G.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Wooley, R.; Worden, J.; Yablon, J.; Yakushin, I.; Yamamoto, H.; Yamamoto, K.; Yang, H.; Yeaton-Massey, D.; Yoshida, S.; Yu, P.; Yvert, M.; Zadroźny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, W.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, C.; Zotov, N.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.

2012-04-01

We report on a search for gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries using LIGO and Virgo observations between July 7, 2009, and October 20, 2010. We searched for signals from binaries with total mass between 2 and 25M⊙; this includes binary neutron stars, binary black holes, and binaries consisting of a black hole and neutron star. The detectors were sensitive to systems up to 40 Mpc distant for binary neutron stars, and further for higher mass systems. No gravitational-wave signals were detected. We report upper limits on the rate of compact binary coalescence as a function of total mass, including the results from previous LIGO and Virgo observations. The cumulative 90% confidence rate upper limits of the binary coalescence of binary neutron star, neutron star-black hole, and binary black hole systems are 1.3×10-4, 3.1×10-5, and 6.4×10-6Mpc-3yr-1, respectively. These upper limits are up to a factor 1.4 lower than previously derived limits. We also report on results from a blind injection challenge.

High energy neutrinos and gamma-ray emission from supernovae in compact star clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykov, A. M.; Ellison, D. C.; Gladilin, P. E.; Osipov, S. M.

2017-01-01

Compact clusters of young massive stars are observed in the Milky Way and in starburst galaxies. The compact clusters with multiple powerful winds of young massive stars and supernova shocks are favorable sites for high-energy particle acceleration. We argue that expanding young supernova (SN) shells in compact stellar clusters can be very efficient PeV CR accelerators. At a stage when a supernova shock is colliding with collective fast winds from massive stars in a compact cluster the Fermi mechanism allows particle acceleration to energies well above the standard limits of diffusive shock acceleration in an isolated SNR. The energy spectrum of protons in such an accelerator is a hard power-law with a broad spectral upturn above TeV before a break at multi-PeV energies, providing a large energy flux in the high-energy end of the spectrum. The acceleration stage in the colliding shock flow lasts for a few hundred years after the supernova explosion producing high-energy CRs that escape the accelerator and diffuse through the ambient matter producing γ-rays and neutrinos in inelastic nuclear collisions. In starburst galaxies a sizeable fraction of core collapse supernovae is expected to occur in compact star clusters and therefore their high energy gamma-ray and neutrino spectra in the PeV energy regime may differ strongly from that of our Galaxy. To test the model with individual sources we briefly discuss the recent H.E.S.S. detections of gamma-rays from two potential candidate sources, Westerlund 1 and HESS J1806-204 in the Milky Way. We argue that this model of compact star clusters, with typical parameters, could produce a neutrino flux sufficient to explain a fraction of the recently detected IceCube South Pole Observatory neutrinos.

Results of the GstLAL Search for Compact Binary Mergers in Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Ryan; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration Collaboration

2017-01-01

Advanced LIGO's first observing period ended in January 2016. We discuss the GstLAL matched-filter search over this data set for gravitational waves from compact binary objects with total mass up to 100 solar masses. In particular, we discuss the recovery of the unambiguous gravitational wave signals GW150914 and GW151226, as well as the possible third signal LVT151012. Additionally, we discuss the constraints we can place on binary-neutron-star and neutron-star-black-hole system merger rates.

Subaru And Gemini Observations Of SS 433: New Constraint On The Mass Of The Compact Object

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, K.; Ueda, Y.; Fabrika, S.; Medvedev, A.; Barsukova, E. A.; Sholukhova, O.; Goranskij, V. P.

2010-02-01

We present results of optical spectroscopic observations of the mass donor star in SS 433 with Subaru and Gemini, with an aim to best constrain the mass of the compact object. Subaru/Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph observations were performed on four nights of 2007 October 6-8 and 10, covering the orbital phase of phi = 0.96 - 0.26. We first calculate the cross-correlation function (CCF) of these spectra with that of the reference star HD 9233 in the wavelength range of 4740-4840 Å. This region is selected to avoid "strong" absorption lines accompanied with contaminating emission components, which most probably originate from the surroundings of the donor star, such as the wind and gas stream. The same analysis is applied to archive data of Gemini/GMOS taken at phi = 0.84 - 0.30 by Hillwig & Gies. From the Subaru and Gemini CCF results, the amplitude of the radial velocity curve of the donor star is determined to be 58.3 ± 3.8 km s-1 with a systemic velocity of 59.2 ± 2.5 km s-1. Together with the radial velocity curve of the compact object, we derive the mass of the donor star and compact object to be M O = 12.4 ± 1.9 M sun and M X = 4.3 ± 0.6 M sun, respectively. We conclude, however, that these values should be taken as upper limits. From the analysis of the averaged absorption line profiles of strong lines (mostly ions) and weak lines (mostly neutrals) observed with Subaru, we find evidence for heating effects from the compact object. Using a simple model, we find that the true radial velocity amplitude of the donor star could be as low as 40 ± 5 km s-1 in order to produce the observed absorption-line profiles. Taking into account the heating of the donor star may lower the derived masses to M O = 10.4+2.3 -1.9 M sun and M X = 2.5+0.7 -0.6 M sun. Our final constraint, 1.9 M sun <=M X<= 4.9 M sun, indicates that the compact object in SS 433 is most likely a low mass black hole, although the possibility of a massive neutron star cannot be firmly excluded. Based on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (USA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (Brazil), and SECYT (Argentina).

Searching Ultra-compact Pulsar Binaries with Abnormal Timing Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, B. P.; Li, Y. P.; Yuan, J. P.; Tian, J.; Zhang, Y. Y.; Li, D.; Jiang, B.; Li, X. D.; Wang, H. G.; Zou, Y. C.; Shao, L. J.

2018-03-01

Ultra-compact pulsar binaries are both ideal sources of gravitational radiation for gravitational wave detectors and laboratories for fundamental physics. However, the shortest orbital period of all radio pulsar binaries is currently 1.6 hr. The absence of pulsar binaries with a shorter orbital period is most likely due to technique limit. This paper points out that a tidal effect occurring on pulsar binaries with a short orbital period can perturb the orbital elements and result in a significant change in orbital modulation, which dramatically reduces the sensitivity of the acceleration searching that is widely used. Here a new search is proposed. The abnormal timing residual exhibited in a single pulse observation is simulated by a tidal effect occurring on an ultra-compact binary. The reproduction of the main features represented by the sharp peaks displayed in the abnormal timing behavior suggests that pulsars like PSR B0919+06 could be a candidate for an ultra-compact binary of an orbital period of ∼10 minutes and a companion star of a white dwarf star. The binary nature of such a candidate is further tested by (1) comparing the predicted long-term binary effect with decades of timing noise observed and (2) observing the optical counterpart of the expected companion star. Test (1) likely supports our model, while more observations are needed in test (2). Some interesting ultra-compact binaries could be found in the near future by applying such a new approach to other binary candidates.

Relativistic compact stars with charged anisotropic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurya, S. K.; Banerjee, Ayan; Channuie, Phongpichit

2018-05-01

In this article, we perform a detailed theoretical analysis of new exact solutions with anisotropic fluid distribution of matter for compact objects subject to hydrostatic equilibrium. We present a family solution to the Einstein-Maxwell equations describing a spherically symmetric, static distribution of a fluid with pressure anisotropy. We implement an embedding class one condition to obtain a relation between the metric functions. We generalize the properties of a spherical star with hydrostatic equilibrium using the generalised Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation. We match the interior solution to an exterior Reissner-Nordström one, and study the energy conditions, speed of sound, and mass-radius relation of the star. We also show that the obtained solutions are compatible with observational data for the compact object Her X-1. Regarding our results, the physical behaviour of the present model may serve for the modeling of ultra compact objects.

Gravitationally Focused Dark Matter around Compact Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromley, Benjamin C.

2011-12-01

If dark matter self-annihilates then it may produce an observable signal when its density is high. The details depend on the intrinsic properties of dark matter and how it clusters in space. For example, the density profile of some dark matter candidates may rise steeply enough toward the Galactic Center that self-annihilation may produce detectable γ-ray emission. Here, we discuss the possibility that an annihilation signal arises near a compact object (e.g., neutron star or black hole) even when the density of dark matter in the neighborhood of the object is uniform. Gravitational focusing produces a local enhancement of density with a profile that falls off approximately as the inverse square-root of distance from the compact star. While geometric dilution may overwhelm the annihilation signal from this local enhancement, magnetic fields tied to the compact object can increase the signal's contrast relative to the background.

A new anisotropic compact star model having Matese & Whitman mass function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhar, Piyali; Ratanpal, B. S.

2016-07-01

Present paper proposed a new singularity free model of anisotropic compact star. The Einstein field equations are solved in closed form by utilizing Matese & Whitman mass function. The model parameters ρ, pr and pt all are well behaved inside the stellar interior and our model satisfies all the required conditions to be physically acceptable. The model given in the present work is compatible with observational data of compact objects like SAX J 1808.4-3658 (SS1), SAX J 1808.4-3658 (SS2) and 4U 1820-30. A particular model of 4U 1820-30 is studied in detail and found that it satisfies all the condition needed for physically acceptable model. The present work is the generalization of Sharma and Ratanpal (Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 22:1350074, 2013) model for compact stars admitting quadratic equation of state.

Constraints on core collapse from the black hole mass function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochanek, C. S.

2015-01-01

We model the observed black hole mass function under the assumption that black hole formation is controlled by the compactness of the stellar core at the time of collapse. Low-compactness stars are more likely to explode as supernovae and produce neutron stars, while high-compactness stars are more likely to be failed supernovae that produce black holes with the mass of the helium core of the star. Using three sequences of stellar models and marginalizing over a model for the completeness of the black hole mass function, we find that the compactness ξ2.5 above which 50% of core collapses produce black holes is ξ _{2.5}^{50%}=0.24 (0.15 < ξ _{2.5}^{50%} < 0.37 at 90% confidence). The models also predict that f = 0.18 (0.09 < f < 0.39) of core collapses fail. We tested four other criteria for black hole formation based on ξ2.0 and ξ3.0, the compactnesses at enclosed masses of 2.0 or 3.0 rather than 2.5 M⊙, the mass of the iron core MFe, and the mass inside the oxygen burning shell MO. We found that ξ2.0 works as well as ξ2.5, while ξ3.0, MFe and MO are significantly worse. As expected from the high compactness of 20-25 M⊙ stars, black hole formation in this mass range provides a natural explanation of the red supergiant problem.

Properties of compact HII regions and their host clumps in the inner vs outer Galaxy - early results from SASSy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djordjevic, Julie; Thompson, Mark; Urquhart, James S.

2017-01-01

We present a catalog of compact and ultracompact HII regions for all Galactocentric radii. Previous catalogs focus on the inner Galaxy (Rgal ≤ 8 kpc) but the recent SASSy 870 µm survey allows us to identify regions out to ~20 kpc. Early samples are also filled with false classifications leading to uncertainty when deriving star formation efficiencies in Galactic models. These objects have similar mid-IR colours to HII regions. Urquhart et al. (2013) found that they could use mid-IR, submm, and radio data to identify the genuine compact HII regions, avoiding confusion. They used this method on a small portion of the Galaxy (10 < l < 60), identifying 213 HII regions embedded in 170 clumps. We use ATLASGAL and SASSy, crossmatched with RMS, to sample the remaining galactic longitudes out to Rgal = 20 kpc. We derive the properties of the identified compact HII regions and their host clumps while addressing the implications for recent massive star formation in the outer Galaxy. Observations towards nearby galaxies are biased towards massive stars, affecting simulations and overestimating models for galactic evolution and star formation rates. The Milky Way provides the ideal template for studying factors affecting massive star formation rates and efficiencies at high resolution, thus fine-tuning those models. We find that there is no significant change in the rate of massive star formation in the outer vs inner Galaxy. Despite some peaks in known complexes and possible correlation with spiral arms, the outer Galaxy appears to produce massive stars as efficiently as the inner regions. However, many of the potential star forming SASSy clumps have no available radio counterpart to confirm the presence of an HII region or other star formation tracer. Follow-up observations will be required to verify this conclusion and are currently in progress.

POX 186: the ultracompact blue compact dwarf galaxy reveals its nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doublier, V.; Kunth, D.; Courbin, F.; Magain, P.

2000-01-01

High resolution, ground based R and I band observations of the ultra compact dwarf galaxy POX 186 are presented. The data, obtained with the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT), are analyzed using a new deconvolution algorithm which allows one to resolve the innermost regions of this stellar-like object into three Super-Star Clusters (SSC). Upper limits to both masses (M ~ 105 Msun) and physical sizes (<=60pc) of the SSCs are set. In addition, and maybe most importantly, extended light emission underlying the compact star-forming region is clearly detected in both bands. The R-I color rules out nebular Hα contamination and is consistent with an old stellar population. This casts doubt on the hypothesis that Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies (BCDG) are young galaxies. based on observations carried out at NTT in La Silla, operated by the European Southern Observatory, during Director's Discretionary Time.

A POSSIBLE SIGNATURE OF LENSE-THIRRING PRECESSION IN DIPPING AND ECLIPSING NEUTRON-STAR LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Homan, Jeroen, E-mail: jeroen@space.mit.edu

2012-12-01

Relativistic Lense-Thirring precession of a tilted inner accretion disk around a compact object has been proposed as a mechanism for low-frequency ({approx}0.01-70 Hz) quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the light curves of X-ray binaries. A substantial misalignment angle ({approx}15 Degree-Sign -20 Degree-Sign ) between the inner-disk rotation axis and the compact-object spin axis is required for the effects of this precession to produce observable modulations in the X-ray light curve. A consequence of this misalignment is that in high-inclination X-ray binaries the precessing inner disk will quasi-periodically intercept our line of sight to the compact object. In the case of neutron-starmore » systems, this should have a significant observational effect, since a large fraction of the accretion energy is released on or near the neutron-star surface. In this Letter, I suggest that this specific effect of Lense-Thirring precession may already have been observed as {approx}1 Hz QPOs in several dipping/eclipsing neutron-star X-ray binaries.« less

Green Peas emit X-rays: Extreme Star Formation in Early Universe Analog Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brorby, Matthew; Kaaret, Philip

2017-01-01

Luminous compact galaxies (LCGs), Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs), and Lyman Break Analog galaxies (LBAs) are all used as proxies for star-forming galaxies in the early Universe (z ≥ 6). The X-ray emission from such galaxies has been found to be elevated compared to other star-forming galaxies in our local Universe. It has been suggested that this may be due to the lower metallicity seen in these proxies to high-redshift galaxies and the elevated X-ray emission may affect the heating and Reionization evolution of the early Universe. Our previous studies have suggested the existence of an LX-SFR-metallicity plane for all star-forming galaxies. We present these results in the context of our newest Joint Chandra/HST study containing the first X-ray detection of the Green Pea galaxies, a population of compact starburst galaxies discovered by volunteers in the Galaxy Zoo Project (Cardamone+2009). The galaxies were given the name Green Peas due to their compact size and green appearance in the gri composite images from SDSS. The green color is caused by a strong [OIII]λ5007Å emission line, an indicator of recent star formation. We observed a few of the most promising candidates with joint Chandra/HST observation and discuss our findings here.

Distance biases in the estimation of the physical properties of Hi-GAL compact sources - I. Clump properties and the identification of high-mass star-forming candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldeschi, Adriano; Elia, D.; Molinari, S.; Pezzuto, S.; Schisano, E.; Gatti, M.; Serra, A.; Merello, M.; Benedettini, M.; Di Giorgio, A. M.; Liu, J. S.

2017-04-01

The degradation of spatial resolution in star-forming regions, observed at large distances (d ≳ 1 kpc) with Herschel, can lead to estimates of the physical parameters of the detected compact sources (clumps), which do not necessarily mirror the properties of the original population of cores. This paper aims at quantifying the bias introduced in the estimation of these parameters by the distance effect. To do so, we consider Herschel maps of nearby star-forming regions taken from the Herschel Gould Belt survey, and simulate the effect of increased distance to understand what amount of information is lost when a distant star-forming region is observed with Herschel resolution. In the maps displaced to different distances we extract compact sources, and we derive their physical parameters as if they were original Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey maps of the extracted source samples. In this way, we are able to discuss how the main physical properties change with distance. In particular, we discuss the ability of clumps to form massive stars: we estimate the fraction of distant sources that are classified as high-mass stars-forming objects due to their position in the mass versus radius diagram, that are only 'false positives'. We also give a threshold for high-mass star formation M>1282 (r/ [pc])^{1.42} M_{⊙}. In conclusion, this paper provides the astronomer dealing with Herschel maps of distant star-forming regions with a set of prescriptions to partially recover the character of the core population in unresolved clumps.

Formation of Compact Ellipticals in the merging star cluster scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia Zapata, Fernanda Cecilia; Theory and star formation group

2018-01-01

In the last years, extended old stellar clusters have been observed. They are like globular clusters (GCs) but with larger sizes(a limit of Re=10 pc is currently seen as reasonable). These extended objects (EOs) cover a huge range of mass. Objects at the low mass end with masses comparable to normal globular clusters are called extended clusters or faint fuzzies Larsen & Brodie (2000) and objects at the high-mass end are called ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). Ultra compact dwarf galaxies are compact object with luminositys above the brigtest known GCs. UCDs are more compact than typical dwarf galaxies but with comparable luminosities. Usually, a lower mass limit of 2 × 10^6 Solar masses is applied.Fellhauer & Kroupa (2002a,b) demostrated that object like ECs, FFs and UCDs can be the remnants of the merger of star clusters complexes, this scenario is called the Merging Star Cluster Scenario. Amore concise study was performed by Bruens et al. (2009, 2011).Our work tries to explain the formation of compact elliptical(cE). These objects are a comparatively rare class of spheroidal galaxies, possessing very small Re and high central surface brightnesses (Faber 1973). cEs have the same parameters as extended objects but they are slightly larger than 100 pc and the luminosities are in the range of -11 to -12 Mag.The standard formation sceanrio of these systems proposes a galaxy origin. CEs are the result of tidal stripping and truncation of nucleated larger systems. Or they could be a natural extension of the class of elliptical galaxies to lower luminosities and smaller sizes.We want to propose a completely new formation scenario for cEs. In our project we try to model cEs in a similar way that UCDs using the merging star cluster scenario extended to much higher masses and sizes. We think that in the early Universe we might have produced sufficiently strong star bursts to form cluster complexes which merge into cEs. So far it is observationally unknown if cEs are dark matter dominated objects. If our scenario is true, then they would be dark matter free very extended and massive "star clusters".

I-Love-Q anisotropically: Universal relations for compact stars with scalar pressure anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagi, Kent; Yunes, Nicolás

2015-06-01

Certain physical quantities that characterize neutron stars and quark stars (e.g. their mass, spin angular momentum, and quadrupole moment) have recently been found to be interrelated in a manner that is approximately insensitive to their internal structure. Such approximately universal relations are useful to break degeneracies in data analysis and model selection for future radio, x-ray, and gravitational wave observations. Although the pressure inside compact stars is most likely nearly isotropic, certain scenarios have been put forth that suggest otherwise, for example due to magnetic fields or phase transitions in their interior. We investigate here whether pressure anisotropy affects the approximate universal relations and, if so, whether it prevents their use in future astrophysical observations. We achieve this by numerically constructing slowly rotating and tidally deformed, anisotropic, compact stars in general relativity to third order in stellar rotation relative to the mass shedding limit. We adopt simple models for pressure anisotropy where the matter stress-energy tensor is diagonal for a spherically symmetric spacetime but the tangential pressure differs from the radial one. We find that the equation-of-state variation increases as one increases the amount of anisotropy, but within the anisotropy range studied in this paper (motivated from anisotropy due to crystallization of the core and pion condensation), anisotropy affects the universal relations only weakly. The relations become less universal by a factor of 1.5-3 relative to the isotropic case when anisotropy is maximal, but even then they remain approximately universal to 10%. We find evidence that this increase in variability is strongly correlated to an increase in the eccentricity variation of isodensity contours, which provides further support for the emergent approximate symmetry explanation of universality. Whether one can use universal relations in actual observations ultimately depends on the currently unknown amount of anisotropy inside stars, but within the range studied in this paper, anisotropy does not prevent the use of universal relations in gravitational wave astrophysics or in experimental relativity. We provide an explicit example of the latter by simulating a binary pulsar/gravitational wave test of dynamical Chern-Simons gravity with anisotropic neutron stars. The increase in variability of the universal relations due to pressure anisotropy could affect their use in future x-ray observations of hot spots on rotating compact stars. Given expected observational uncertainties, however, the relations remain sufficiently universal for use in such observations if the anisotropic modifications to the moment of inertia and the quadrupole moment are less than 10% of their isotropic values.

Accreting neutron stars, black holes, and degenerate dwarf stars.

PubMed

Pines, D

1980-02-08

During the past 8 years, extended temporal and broadband spectroscopic studies carried out by x-ray astronomical satellites have led to the identification of specific compact x-ray sources as accreting neutron stars, black holes, and degenerate dwarf stars in close binary systems. Such sources provide a unique opportunity to study matter under extreme conditions not accessible in the terrestrial laboratory. Quantitative theoretical models have been developed which demonstrate that detailed studies of these sources will lead to a greatly increased understanding of dense and superdense hadron matter, hadron superfluidity, high-temperature plasma in superstrong magnetic fields, and physical processes in strong gravitational fields. Through a combination of theory and observation such studies will make possible the determination of the mass, radius, magnetic field, and structure of neutron stars and degenerate dwarf stars and the identification of further candidate black holes, and will contribute appreciably to our understanding of the physics of accretion by compact astronomical objects.

Confronting Models of Massive Star Evolution and Explosions with Remnant Mass Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raithel, Carolyn A.; Sukhbold, Tuguldur; Özel, Feryal

2018-03-01

The mass distribution of compact objects provides a fossil record that can be studied to uncover information on the late stages of massive star evolution, the supernova explosion mechanism, and the dense matter equation of state. Observations of neutron star masses indicate a bimodal Gaussian distribution, while the observed black hole mass distribution decays exponentially for stellar-mass black holes. We use these observed distributions to directly confront the predictions of stellar evolution models and the neutrino-driven supernova simulations of Sukhbold et al. We find strong agreement between the black hole and low-mass neutron star distributions created by these simulations and the observations. We show that a large fraction of the stellar envelope must be ejected, either during the formation of stellar-mass black holes or prior to the implosion through tidal stripping due to a binary companion, in order to reproduce the observed black hole mass distribution. We also determine the origins of the bimodal peaks of the neutron star mass distribution, finding that the low-mass peak (centered at ∼1.4 M ⊙) originates from progenitors with M ZAMS ≈ 9–18 M ⊙. The simulations fail to reproduce the observed peak of high-mass neutron stars (centered at ∼1.8 M ⊙) and we explore several possible explanations. We argue that the close agreement between the observed and predicted black hole and low-mass neutron star mass distributions provides new, promising evidence that these stellar evolution and explosion models capture the majority of relevant stellar, nuclear, and explosion physics involved in the formation of compact objects.

A Missing Link in Galaxy Evolution: The Mysteries of Dissolving Star Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellerin, Anne; Meyer, Martin; Harris, Jason; Calzetti, Daniela

2007-05-01

Star-forming events in starbursts and normal galaxies have a direct impact on the global stellar content of galaxies. These events create numerous compact clusters where stars are produced in great number. These stars eventually end up in the star field background where they are smoothly distributed. However, due to instrumental limitations such as spatial resolution and sensitivity, the processes involved during the transition phase from the compact clusters to the star field background as well as the impact of the environment (spiral waves, bars, starburst) on the lifetime of clusters are still poorly constrained observationally. I will present our latest results on the physical properties of dissolving clusters directly detected in HST/ACS archival images of the three nearby galaxies IC 2574, NGC 1313, and IC 10 (D < 5 Mpc). The ACS has the capability to detect and spatially resolve individual stars in nearby galaxies within a large field-of-view. For all ACS images obtained in three filters (F435W, F555W or F606W, and F814W), we performed PSF stellar photometry in crowded field. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMD) allow us to identify the most massive stars more likely to be part of dissolving clusters (A-type and earlier), and to isolate them from the star field background. We then adapt and use a clustering algorithm on the selected stars to find groups of stars to reveal and quantify the properties of all star clusters (compactness, size, age, mass). With this algorithm, even the less compact clusters are revealed while they are being destroyed. Our sample of three galaxies covers an interesting range in gravitational potential well and explores a variety of galaxy morphological types, which allows us to discuss the dissolving cluster properties as a function of the host galaxy characteristics. The properties of the star field background will also be discussed.

Electromagnetic fields of slowly rotating magnetized compact stars in conformal gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turimov, Bobur; Ahmedov, Bobomurat; Abdujabbarov, Ahmadjon; Bambi, Cosimo

2018-06-01

In this paper we investigate the exterior vacuum electromagnetic fields of slow-rotating magnetized compact stars in conformal gravity. Assuming the dipolar magnetic field configuration, we obtain an analytical solution of the Maxwell equations for the magnetic and the electric fields outside a slowly rotating magnetized star in conformal gravity. Furthermore, we study the dipolar electromagnetic radiation and energy losses from a rotating magnetized star in conformal gravity. In order to get constraints on the L parameter of conformal gravity, the theoretical results for the magnetic field of a magnetized star in conformal gravity are combined with the precise observational data of radio pulsar period slowdown, and it is found that the maximum value of the parameter of conformal gravity is less than L ≲9.5 ×105 cm (L /M ≲5 ).

Finding binaries from phase modulation of pulsating stars with Kepler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibahashi, Hiromoto; Murphy, Simon; Bedding, Tim

2017-09-01

Binary orbital motion causes a periodic variation in the path length travelled by light emitted from a star towards us. Hence, if the star is pulsating, the observed phase of the pulsation varies over the orbit. Conversely, once we have observed such phase variation, we can extract information about the binary orbit from photometry alone. Continuous and precise space-based photometry has made it possible to measure these light travel time effects on the pulsating stars in binary systems. This opens up a new way of finding unseen brown dwarfs, planets, or massive compact stellar remnants: neutron stars and black holes.

An Overabundance of Black Hole X-Ray Binaries in the Galactic Center from Tidal Captures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Generozov, A.; Stone, N. C.; Metzger, B. D.; Ostriker, J. P.

2018-05-01

A large population of X-ray binaries (XRBs) was recently discovered within the central parsec of the Galaxy by Hailey et al. (2018). While the presence of compact objects on this scale due to radial mass segregation is, in itself, unsurprising, the fraction of binaries would naively be expected to be small because of how easily primordial binaries are dissociated in the dynamically hot environment of the nuclear star cluster (NSC). We propose that the formation of XRBs in the central parsec is dominated by the tidal capture of stars by black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs). We model the time-dependent radial density profiles of stars and compact objects in the NSC with a Fokker-Planck approach, using the present-day stellar population and rate of in situ massive star (and thus compact object) formation as observational constraints. Of the ˜1 - 4 × 104 BHs that accumulate in the central parsec over the age of the Galaxy, we predict that ˜60 - 200 currently exist as BH-XRBs formed from tidal capture, consistent with the population seen by Hailey et al. (2018). A somewhat lower number of tidal capture NS-XRBs is also predicted. We also use our observationally calibrated models for the NSC to predict rates of other exotic dynamical processes, such as the tidal disruption of stars by the central supermassive black hole (˜10-4 per year at z=0).

Study of isotropic compact stars in f(R,T,R_{μν}T^{μν}) gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharif, M.; Waseem, Arfa

2016-06-01

In this paper, we investigate physical behavior and stability of compact stars filled with isotropic fluid in f(R,T,R_{μν}T^{μν}) gravity. We consider the static spherically symmetric spacetime and choose the simplest model of this gravity, i.e., R+α R_{μν}T^{μν} . To examine the basic features of compact stars like Her X-1, SAX J 1808.4-3658 and 4U 1820-30, we apply analytic solutions of Krori and Barua metric using the mass-radius relation. We study the behavior of effective energy density, pressure, equation of state parameter and energy conditions in the interior of compact stars. We also explore the stability criteria of compact stars via the speed of sound. It is concluded that all the energy conditions are satisfied and the compact stars are found to be stable at the boundary for this particular model.

SPECTROSCOPY OF LUMINOUS COMPACT BLUE GALAXIES IN DISTANT CLUSTERS. II. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF dE PROGENITOR CANDIDATES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crawford, S. M.; Wirth, Gregory D.; Bershady, M. A.

2016-02-01

Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) are an extreme star-bursting population of galaxies that were far more common at earlier epochs than today. Based on spectroscopic and photometric measurements of LCBGs in massive (M > 10{sup 15} M{sub ⊙}), intermediate redshift (0.5 < z < 0.9) galaxy clusters, we present their rest-frame properties including star formation rate, dynamical mass, size, luminosity, and metallicity. The appearance of these small, compact galaxies in clusters at intermediate redshift helps explain the observed redshift evolution in the size–luminosity relationship among cluster galaxies. In addition, we find the rest-frame properties of LCBGs appearing in galaxy clusters are indistinguishable from field LCBGs atmore » the same redshift. Up to 35% of the LCBGs show significant discrepancies between optical and infrared indicators of star formation, suggesting that star formation occurs in obscured regions. Nonetheless, the star formation for LCBGs shows a decrease toward the center of the galaxy clusters. Based on their position and velocity, we estimate that up to 10% of cluster LCBGs are likely to merge with another cluster galaxy. Finally, the observed properties and distributions of the LCBGs in these clusters lead us to conclude that we are witnessing the quenching of the progenitors of dwarf elliptical galaxies that dominate the number density of present-epoch galaxy clusters.« less

Watching AGN feedback at its birth: HST observations of nascent outflow host IC860

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alatalo, Katherine

2016-10-01

IC860 is a nearby IR-luminous early-type spiral with a unique set of properties: it is a shocked, poststarburst galaxy that hosts an AGN-driven neutral wind and a compact core of molecular gas. IC860 can serve as a rosetta stone for the early stages of triggering AGN feedback. We propose to use WFC3 on HST to obtain NUV, optical and near-IR imaging of IC860. We will create a spatially-resolved history of star formation quenching through SED-fitting of 7 requested broadband filters, and compare the spatially resolved star formation histories to in different positions within the underlying stellar features (such as spiral structure) that might define a narrative of how star formation is quenching in IC860. These observations will also resolve the super-star cluster sites to trace the most recent star formation. Finally, these observations will trace the mass of the outflow by building an absorption map of the dust. IC860 presents a unique opportunity to study a galaxy at an early stage of transitioning from blue spiral to red early-type galaxy, that also hosts an AGN-driven neutral wind and a compact, turbulent molecular gas core.

Central Stars of Mid-Infrared Nebulae Discovered with Spitzer and WISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2017-02-01

Searches for compact mid-IR nebulae with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), accompanied by spectroscopic observations of central stars of these nebulae led to the discovery of many dozens of massive stars at different evolutionary stages, of which the most numerous are candidate luminous blue variables (LBVs). In this paper, we give a census of candidate and confirmed Galactic LBVs revealed with Spitzer and WISE, and present some new results of spectroscopic observations of central stars of mid-IR nebulae.

Designing a Template Bank to Observe Compact Binary Coalescences in Advanced Ligo's Second Observing Run

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dal Canton, Tito; Harry, Ian W.

2017-01-01

We describe the methodology and novel techniques used to construct a set of waveforms, or template bank, applicable to searches for compact binary coalescences in Advanced LIGO's second observing run. This template bank is suitable for observing systems composed of two neutron stars, two black holes, or a neutron star and a black hole. The Post-Newtonian formulation is used to model waveforms with total mass less than 4 Solar Mass and the most recent effective-one-body model, calibrated to numerical relativity to include the merger and ringdown, is used for total masses greater than 4 Solar Mass. The effects of spin precession, matter, orbital eccentricity and radiation modes beyond the quadrupole are neglected. In contrast to the template bank used to search for compact binary mergers in Advanced LIGO's first observing run, here we are including binary-black-hole systems with total mass up to several hundreds of solar masses, thereby improving the ability to observe such systems. We introduce a technique to vary the starting frequency of waveform filters so that our bank can simultaneously contain binary-neutron-star and high-mass binary-black hole waveforms. We also introduce a lower-bound on the filter waveform length, to exclude very short-duration, high-mass templates whose sensitivity is strongly reduced by the characteristics and performance of the interferometers.

A hot compact dust disk around a massive young stellar object.

PubMed

Kraus, Stefan; Hofmann, Karl-Heinz; Menten, Karl M; Schertl, Dieter; Weigelt, Gerd; Wyrowski, Friedrich; Meilland, Anthony; Perraut, Karine; Petrov, Romain; Robbe-Dubois, Sylvie; Schilke, Peter; Testi, Leonardo

2010-07-15

Circumstellar disks are an essential ingredient of the formation of low-mass stars. It is unclear, however, whether the accretion-disk paradigm can also account for the formation of stars more massive than about 10 solar masses, in which strong radiation pressure might halt mass infall. Massive stars may form by stellar merging, although more recent theoretical investigations suggest that the radiative-pressure limit may be overcome by considering more complex, non-spherical infall geometries. Clear observational evidence, such as the detection of compact dusty disks around massive young stellar objects, is needed to identify unambiguously the formation mode of the most massive stars. Here we report near-infrared interferometric observations that spatially resolve the astronomical-unit-scale distribution of hot material around a high-mass ( approximately 20 solar masses) young stellar object. The image shows an elongated structure with a size of approximately 13 x 19 astronomical units, consistent with a disk seen at an inclination angle of approximately 45 degrees . Using geometric and detailed physical models, we found a radial temperature gradient in the disk, with a dust-free region less than 9.5 astronomical units from the star, qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the disks observed in low-mass star formation. Perpendicular to the disk plane we observed a molecular outflow and two bow shocks, indicating that a bipolar outflow emanates from the inner regions of the system.

Well behaved anisotropic compact star models in general relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasim, M. K.; Maurya, S. K.; Gupta, Y. K.; Dayanandan, B.

2016-11-01

Anisotropic compact star models have been constructed by assuming a particular form of a metric function e^{λ}. We solved the Einstein field equations for determining the metric function e^{ν}. For this purpose we have assumed a physically valid expression of radial pressure (pr). The obtained anisotropic compact star model is representing the realistic compact objects such as PSR 1937 +21. We have done an extensive study about physical parameters for anisotropic models and found that these parameters are well behaved throughout inside the star. Along with these we have also determined the equation of state for compact star which gives the radial pressure is purely the function of density i.e. pr=f(ρ).

The Constant Average Relationship Between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from z=0 to z=2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitaker, Katherine E.; Pope, Alexandra; Cybulski, Ryan; Casey, Caitlin M.; Popping, Gergo; Yun, Min; 3D-HST Collaboration

2018-01-01

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends (SFR) and stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at 0 < z < 2.5. We combine GALEX and WISE photometry for SDSS-selected galaxies with the 3D-HST treasury program and Spitzer/MIPS 24μm photometry in the well-studied 5 extragalactic CANDELS fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (f_obscured=SFR_IR/SFR_UV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z=2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M⊙)=9.4 although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low mass extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at z > 1. For log(M/M⊙)>10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, f_obscured is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in f_obscured with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models to reproduce, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

The Constant Average Relationship between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from z = 0 to z = 2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitaker, Katherine E.; Pope, Alexandra; Cybulski, Ryan; Casey, Caitlin M.; Popping, Gergö; Yun, Min S.

2017-12-01

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends on stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at 0< z< 2.5. We combine GALEX and WISE photometry for SDSS-selected galaxies with the 3D-HST treasury program and Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm photometry in the well-studied five extragalactic Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (f obscured = SFRIR/SFRUV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z = 2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M ⊙) = 9.4 although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low-mass, extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at z> 1. For log(M/M ⊙) > 10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, {f}{obscured} is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions, and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in {f}{obscured} with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

Constraining black holes with light boson hair and boson stars using epicyclic frequencies and quasiperiodic oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franchini, Nicola; Pani, Paolo; Maselli, Andrea; Gualtieri, Leonardo; Herdeiro, Carlos A. R.; Radu, Eugen; Ferrari, Valeria

2017-06-01

Light bosonic fields are ubiquitous in extensions of the Standard Model. Even when minimally coupled to gravity, these fields might evade the assumptions of the black-hole no-hair theorems and give rise to spinning black holes which can be drastically different from the Kerr metric. Furthermore, they allow for self-gravitating compact solitons, known as (scalar or Proca) boson stars. The quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in the x-ray flux emitted by accreting compact objects carry information about the strong-field region, thus providing a powerful tool to constrain deviations from Kerr's geometry and to search for exotic compact objects. By using the relativistic precession model as a proxy to interpret the QPOs in terms of geodesic frequencies, we investigate how the QPO frequencies could be used to test the no-hair theorem and the existence of light bosonic fields near accreting compact objects. We show that a detection of two QPO triplets with current sensitivity can already constrain these models and that the future eXTP mission or a LOFT-like mission can set very stringent constraints on black holes with bosonic hair and on (scalar or Proca) boson stars. The peculiar geodesic structure of compact scalar/Proca boson stars implies that these objects can easily be ruled out as alternative models for x-ray source GRO J1655-40.

Galaxy interactions in compact groups - II. Abundance and kinematic anomalies in HCG 91c

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Frédéric P. A.; Dopita, Michael A.; Borthakur, Sanchayeeta; Verdes-Montenegro, Lourdes; Heckman, Timothy M.; Yun, Min S.; Chambers, Kenneth C.

2015-07-01

Galaxies in Hickson Compact Group 91 (HCG 91) were observed with the WiFeS integral field spectrograph as part of our ongoing campaign targeting the ionized gas physics and kinematics inside star-forming members of compact groups. Here, we report the discovery of H II regions with abundance and kinematic offsets in the otherwise unremarkable star-forming spiral HCG 91c. The optical emission line analysis of this galaxy reveals that at least three H II regions harbour an oxygen abundance ˜0.15 dex lower than expected from their immediate surroundings and from the abundance gradient present in the inner regions of HCG 91c. The same star-forming regions are also associated with a small kinematic offset in the form of a lag of 5-10 km s-1 with respect to the local circular rotation of the gas. H I observations of HCG 91 from the Very Large Array and broad-band optical images from Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System) suggest that HCG 91c is caught early in its interaction with the other members of HCG 91. We discuss different scenarios to explain the origin of the peculiar star-forming regions detected with WiFeS, and show that evidence points towards infalling and collapsing extraplanar gas clouds at the disc-halo interface, possibly as a consequence of long-range gravitational perturbations of HCG 91c from the other group members. As such, HCG 91c provides evidence that some of the perturbations possibly associated with the early phase of galaxy evolution in compact groups impact the star-forming disc locally, and on sub-kpc scales.

Searching for Compact Binary Mergers with Advanced LIGO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitz, Alexander` Harvey

2017-06-01

Several binary black hole mergers were discovered during Advanced LIGOs first observing run, and LIGO is currently well into its second observing run. We will discuss the state of the art in searching for merger signals in LIGO data, and how this will aid in the detection of binary neutron star, neutron-star black hole, and binary black hole mergers.

Initial data for high-compactness black hole-neutron star binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksson, Katherine; Foucart, François; Kidder, Lawrence E.; Teukolsky, Saul A.

2016-05-01

For highly compact neutron stars, constructing numerical initial data for black hole-neutron star binary evolutions is very difficult. We describe improvements to an earlier method that enable it to handle these more challenging cases. These improvements were found by invoking a general relaxation principle that may be helpful in improving robustness in other initial data solvers. We examine the case of a 6:1 mass ratio system in inspiral close to merger, where the star is governed by a polytropic {{Γ }}=2, an SLy, or an LS220 equation of state (EOS). In particular, we are able to obtain a solution with a realistic LS220 EOS for a star with compactness 0.26 and mass 1.98 M ⊙, which is representative of the highest reliably determined neutron star masses. For the SLy EOS, we can obtain solutions with a comparable compactness of 0.25, while for a family of polytropic equations of state, we obtain solutions with compactness up to 0.21, the largest compactness that is stable in this family. These compactness values are significantly higher than any previously published results.

Astrophysics: quark matter in compact stars?

PubMed

Alford, M; Blaschke, D; Drago, A; Klähn, T; Pagliara, G; Schaffner-Bielich, J

2007-01-18

In a theoretical interpretation of observational data from the neutron star EXO 0748-676, Ozel concludes that quark matter probably does not exist in the centre of neutron stars. However, this conclusion is based on a limited set of possible equations of state for quark matter. Here we compare Ozel's observational limits with predictions based on a more comprehensive set of proposed quark-matter equations of state from the literature, and conclude that the presence of quark matter in EXO 0748-676 is not ruled out.

IUE observations of the hot components in two symbiotic stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalitsianos, A. G.; Hobbs, R. W.; Maran, S. P.; Kafatos, M.

1980-01-01

Recent IUE observations reveal striking differences in the UV spectra of two symbiotic stars, R Aqr and RW Hya. RW Hya is found to be an unexpectedly intense source of UV radiation. The measurements reported demonstrate the presence of a hot component in each star, supporting the view that each is a binary system with a luminous red primary and a hot, subluminous companion. In one case, the hot companion manifests itself by exciting a compact nebulosity; in the other case the continuous spectrum of the hot star is directly detected, while the continuum of nebulosity excited by the hot star is detected at longer wavelengths.

Formation of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies from supergiant molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, Morgan; Bekki, Kenji

2018-05-01

The origin of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) is not yet clear. One possible formation path of UCDs is the threshing of a nucleated elliptical dwarf galaxy (dE, N), however, it remains unclear how such massive nuclear stellar systems were formed in dwarf galaxies. To better establish the early history of UCDs, we investigate the formation of UCD progenitor clusters from super giant molecular clouds (SGMCs), using hydrodynamical simulations. In this study we focus on SGMCs with masses 107 - 108 M_{\\odot } that can form massive star clusters that display physical properties similar to UCDs. We find that the clusters have extended star formation histories with two phases, producing multiple distinct stellar populations, and that the star formation rate is dependent on the feedback effects of SNe and AGB stars. The later generations of stars formed in these clusters are more compact, leading to a clearly nested structure, and these stars will be more He-rich than those of the first generation, leading to a slight colour gradient. The simulated clusters demonstrate scaling relations between Reff and M and σv and M consistent with those observed in UCDs and strongly consistent with those of the original SGMC. We discuss whether SGMCs such as these can be formed through merging of self-gravitating molecular clouds in galaxies at high-z.

Study of a new central compact object: The neutron star in the supernova remnant G15.9+0.2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klochkov, D.; Suleimanov, V.; Sasaki, M.; Santangelo, A.

2016-08-01

We present our study of the central point source CXOU J181852.0-150213 in the young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G15.9+0.2 based on the recent ~90 ks Chandra observations. The point source was discovered in 2005 in shorter Chandra observations and was hypothesized to be a neutron star associated with the SNR. Our X-ray spectral analysis strongly supports the hypothesis of a thermally emitting neutron star associated with G15.9+0.2. We conclude that the object belongs to the class of young cooling low-magnetized neutron stars referred to as central compact objects (CCOs). We modeled the spectrum of the neutron star with a blackbody spectral function and with our hydrogen and carbon neutron star atmosphere models, assuming that the radiation is uniformly emitted by the entire stellar surface. Under this assumption, only the carbon atmosphere models yield a distance that is compatible with a source located in the Galaxy. In this respect, CXOU J181852.0-150213 is similar to two other well-studied CCOs, the neutron stars in Cas A and in HESS J1731-347, for which carbon atmosphere models were used to reconcile their emission with the known or estimated distances.

Grand unification of neutron stars

PubMed Central

Kaspi, Victoria M.

2010-01-01

The last decade has shown us that the observational properties of neutron stars are remarkably diverse. From magnetars to rotating radio transients, from radio pulsars to isolated neutron stars, from central compact objects to millisecond pulsars, observational manifestations of neutron stars are surprisingly varied, with most properties totally unpredicted. The challenge is to establish an overarching physical theory of neutron stars and their birth properties that can explain this great diversity. Here I survey the disparate neutron stars classes, describe their properties, and highlight results made possible by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Finally, I describe the current status of efforts at physical “grand unification” of this wealth of observational phenomena, and comment on possibilities for Chandra’s next decade in this field. PMID:20404205

NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of 1E1743.1-2843: Indications of a Neutron Star LMXB Nature of the Compact Object

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lotti, Simone; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Mori, Kaya; Baganoff, Frederick K.; Boggs, Steven E.; Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William W.; Hailey, Charles J.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Hong, Jaesub;

Cometary compact H II regions are stellar-wind bow shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Buren, Dave; Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark; Wood, Douglas O. S.; Churchwell, ED

1990-01-01

Comet-shaped H II regions, like G34.3 + 0.2, are easily explained as bow shocks created by wind-blowing massive stars moving supersonically through molecular clouds. The required velocities of the stars through dense clumps are less than about 10 km/s, comparable to the velocity dispersion of stars in OB associations. An analytic model of bow shocks matches the gross characteristics seen in the radio continuum and the velocity structure inferred from hydrogen recombination and molecular line observations. The champagne flow model cannot account for these structures. VLBI observations of masers associated with the shells of cometary compact H II regions should reveal tailward proper motions predominantly parallel to the shell, rather than perpendicular. It is predicted that over a decade baseline, high signal-to-noise VLA observations of this class of objects will show headward pattern motion in the direction of the symmetry axis, but not expansion. Finally, shock-generated and coronal infrared lines are also predicted.

SPT0346-52: Negligible AGN Activity in a Compact, Hyper-starburst Galaxy at z = 5.7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony. H.; Vieira, J. D.; Aravena, M.; Ashby, M. L. N.; Béthermin, M.; Bothwell, M. S.; Brandt, W. N.; de Breuck, C.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Chapman, S. C.; Gullberg, B.; Hezaveh, Y.; Litke, K.; Malkan, M.; Marrone, D. P.; McDonald, M.; Murphy, E. J.; Spilker, J. S.; Sreevani, J.; Stark, A. A.; Strandet, M.; Wang, S. X.

2016-12-01

We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST, Spitzer, Herschel, Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (˜4500 M ⊙ yr-1) and SFR surface density ΣSFR (˜2000 M ⊙ yr-1 kpc-2) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear from the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 1013 L ⊙ originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest ΣSFR of any known galaxy. This high ΣSFR, which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.

Millisecond Oscillations in X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Klis, M.

The first millisecond X-ray variability phenomena from accreting compact objects have recently been discovered with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Three new phenomena are observed from low-mass X-ray binaries containing low-magnetic-field neutron stars: millisecond pulsations, burst oscillations, and kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations. Models for these new phenomena involve the neutron star spin and orbital motion close around the neutron star, and rely explicitly on our understanding of strong gravity and dense matter. I review the observations of these new neutron-star phenomena and some possibly related phenomena in black-hole candidates, and describe the attempts to use these observations to perform measurements of fundamental physical interest in these systems.

Measuring neutron star tidal deformability with Advanced LIGO: black hole - neutron star binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Prayush; Pürrer, Michael; Pfeiffer, Harald

2017-01-01

The pioneering observations of gravitational waves (GW) by Advanced LIGO have ushered us into an era of observational GW astrophysics. Compact binaries remain the primary target sources for GW observations, of which black hole - neutron star (BHNS) binaries form an important subset. GWs from coalescing BHNS systems carry signatures of the tidal distortion of the neutron star by its companion black hole during inspiral, as well as of its disruption close to merger. In this talk, I will discuss how well we can measure tidal effects from individual and populations of LIGO observations of disruptive BHNS mergers. I will also talk about how our measurements of non-tidal parameters can get affected by ignoring tidal effects in BHNS parameter estimation.

The Milky Way Project: What are Yellowballs?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerton, C. R.; Wolf-Chase, G.; Arvidsson, K.; Lintott, C. J.; Simpson, R. J.

2015-02-01

Yellowballs are a collection of approximately 900 compact, infrared sources identified and named by volunteers participating in the Milky Way Project (MWP), a citizen science project that uses GLIMPSE/MIPSGAL images from Spitzer to explore topics related to Galactic star formation. In this paper, through a combination of catalog cross-matching and infrared color analysis, we show that yellowballs are a mix of compact star-forming regions, including ultra-compact and compact H II regions, as well as analogous regions for less massive B-type stars. The resulting MWP yellowball catalog provides a useful complement to the Red MSX Source survey. It similarly highlights regions of massive star formation, but the selection of objects purely on the basis of their infrared morphology and color in Spitzer images identifies a signature of compact star-forming regions shared across a broad range of luminosities and, by inference, masses. We discuss the origin of their striking mid-infrared appearance and suggest that future studies of the yellowball sample will improve our understanding of how massive and intermediate-mass star-forming regions transition from compact to more extended bubble-like structures.

INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton observations of the puzzling binary system LSI +61 303

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyakova, Masha; Neronov, A.; Walter, R.

LSI +61° 303 is one of the few X-ray binaries with Be star companion from which both radio and high-energy gamma-ray emission have been observed. We present XMM-Newton and INTE- GRAL observations which reveal variability of the X-ray spectral index of the system. The X-ray spectrum is hard (photon index Γ ≃ 1.5) during the orbital phases of both high and low X-ray flux. However, the spectrum softens at the moment of transition from high to low X-ray state. The spectrum of the system in the hard X-ray band does not reveal the presence of a cut-off (or, at least a spectral break) at 10-60 keV energies, expected if the compact object is an accreting neu- tron star. The observed spectrum and spectral variability can be explained if the compact object in the system is a rotation powered pulsar. In this case the recently found X-ray spectral variability of the system on the several kiloseconds time scale can be explained by the clumpy structure of the Be star disk.

Compact Stars with Sequential QCD Phase Transitions.

PubMed

Alford, Mark; Sedrakian, Armen

2017-10-20

Compact stars may contain quark matter in their interiors at densities exceeding several times the nuclear saturation density. We explore models of such compact stars where there are two first-order phase transitions: the first from nuclear matter to a quark-matter phase, followed at a higher density by another first-order transition to a different quark-matter phase [e.g., from the two-flavor color-superconducting (2SC) to the color-flavor-locked (CFL) phase]. We show that this can give rise to two separate branches of hybrid stars, separated from each other and from the nuclear branch by instability regions, and, therefore, to a new family of compact stars, denser than the ordinary hybrid stars. In a range of parameters, one may obtain twin hybrid stars (hybrid stars with the same masses but different radii) and even triplets where three stars, with inner cores of nuclear matter, 2SC matter, and CFL matter, respectively, all have the same mass but different radii.

Near infrared observations of S155. evidence of induced star formation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, L. K.; Lisi, F.; Felli, M.; Tofani, G.

At the interface of the giant molecular cloud Cepheus OB3, S155 represents one of the most interesting examples of bright rim produced by the ionization of a nearby O-star. The interaction between the ionized HII region S155 and the hot molecular core Cepheus B may constitute the ideal site for new stars, according to the sequential star-formation theory. Past observations of molecular lines have shown the evidence of a hot spot in the cloud core, probably a compact region associated to a young stellar object. New J,H,K images recently obtained with the ARNICA array at the TIRGO telescope give evidence of stars with strong near-infrared excess, which must represent the newest generation of young stars.

Equations of state for neutron stars and core-collapse supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oertel, Micaela; Providência, Constança

2018-04-01

Modelling compact stars is a complex task which depends on many ingredients, among others the properties of dense matter. In this contribution models for the equation of state (EoS) of dense matter will be discussed, relevant for the description of core-collapse supernovae, compact stars and compact star mergers. Such EoS models have to cover large ranges in baryon number density, temperature and isospin asymmetry. The characteristics of matter change dramatically within these ranges, from a mixture of nucleons, nuclei, and electrons to uniform, strongly interacting matter containing nucleons, and possibly other particles such as hyperons or quarks. Some implications for compact star astrophysics will be highlighted, too.

Searching for Compact Radio Sources Associated with UCH ii Regions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masqué, Josep M.; Trinidad, Miguel A.; Rodríguez-Rico, Carlos A.

Ultra-compact (UC)H ii regions represent a very early stage of massive star formation. The structure and evolution of these regions are not yet fully understood. Interferometric observations showed in recent years that compact sources of uncertain nature are associated with some UCH ii regions. To examine this, we carried out VLA 1.3 cm observations in the A configuration of selected UCH ii regions in order to report additional cases of compact sources embedded in UCH ii regions. With these observations, we find 13 compact sources that are associated with 9 UCH ii regions. Although we cannot establish an unambiguous naturemore » for the newly detected sources, we assess some of their observational properties. According to the results, we can distinguish between two types of compact sources. One type corresponds to sources that are probably deeply embedded in the dense ionized gas of the UCH ii region. These sources are photoevaporated by the exciting star of the region and will last for 10{sup 4}–10{sup 5} years. They may play a crucial role in the evolution of the UCH ii region as the photoevaporated material could replenish the expanding plasma and might provide a solution to the so-called lifetime problem of these regions. The second type of compact sources is not associated with the densest ionized gas of the region. A few of these sources appear resolved and may be photoevaporating objects such as those of the first type, but with significantly lower mass depletion rates. The remaining sources of this second type appear unresolved, and their properties are varied. We speculate on the similarity between the sources of the second type and those of the Orion population of radio sources.« less

Searches for all types of binary mergers in the first Advanced LIGO observing run

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Read, Jocelyn

2017-01-01

The first observational run of the Advanced LIGO detectors covered September 12, 2015 to January 19, 2016. In that time, two definitive observations of merging binary black hole systems were made. In particular, the second observation, GW151226, relied on matched-filter searches targeting merging binaries. These searches were also capable of detecting binary mergers from binary neutron stars and from black-hole/neutron-star binaries. In this talk, I will give an overview of LIGO compact binary coalescence searches, in particular focusing on systems that contain neutron stars. I will discuss the sensitive volumes of the first observing run, the astrophysical implications of detections and non-detections, and prospects for future observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, Zheng; Zhou, Menglei; Bambi, Cosimo

The present paper is a sequel to our previous work [1] in which we studied the iron Kα line expected in the reflection spectrum of Kerr black holes with scalar hair. These metrics are solutions of Einstein's gravity minimally coupled to a massive, complex scalar field. They form a continuous bridge between a subset of Kerr black holes and a family of rotating boson stars depending on one extra parameter, the dimensionless scalar hair parameter q , ranging from 0 (Kerr black holes) to 1 (boson stars). Here we study the limiting case q = 1, corresponding to rotating bosonmore » stars. For comparison, spherical boson stars are also considered. We simulate observations with XIS/Suzaku. Using the fact that current observations are well fit by the Kerr solution and thus requiring that acceptable alternative compact objects must be compatible with a Kerr fit, we find that some boson star solutions are relatively easy to rule out as potential candidates to explain astrophysical black holes, while other solutions, which are neither too dilute nor too compact are more elusive and we argue that they cannot be distinguished from Kerr black holes by the analysis of the iron line with current X-ray facilities.« less

The multiple infrared source GL 437

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wynn-Williams, C. G.; Becklin, E. E.; Beichman, C. A.; Capps, R.; Shakeshaft, J. R.

1981-01-01

Infrared and radio continuum observations of the multiple infrared source GL 437 show that it consists of a compact H II region plus two objects which are probably early B stars undergoing rapid mass loss. The group of sources appears to be a multiple system of young stars that have recently emerged from the near side of a molecular cloud. Emission in the unidentified 3.3 micron feature is associated with, but more extended than, the emission from the compact H II region; it probably arises from hot dust grains at the interface between the H II region and the molecular cloud.

Enhanced X-ray Emission from Early Universe Analog Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brorby, Matthew; Kaaret, Philip; Prestwich, Andrea H.; Mirabel, I. Felix; Feng, Hua

2016-04-01

X-rays from binaries containing compact objects may have played an important role in heating the early Universe. Here we discuss our findings from X-ray studies of blue compact dwarf galaxies (BCDs), Lyman break analogs (LBAs), and Green Pea galaxies (GP), all of which are considered local analogs to high redshift galaxies. We find enhanced X-ray emission per unit star-formation rate which strongly correlates with decreasing metallicity. We find evidence for the existence of a L_X-SFR-Metallicity plane for star-forming galaxies. The exact properties of X-ray emission in the early Universe affects the timing and morphology of reionization, both being observable properties of current and future radio observations of the redshifted 21cm signal from neutral hydrogen.

Spectroscopic observations of V443 Herculis - A symbiotic binary with a low mass white dwarf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobrzycka, Danuta; Kenyon, Scott J.; Mikolajewska, Joanna

1993-01-01

We present an analysis of new and existing photometric and spectroscopic observations of the symbiotic binary V443 Herculis. This binary system consists of a normal M5 giant and a hot compact star. These two objects have comparable luminosities: about 1500 solar for the M5 giant and about 1000 solar for the compact star. We identify three nebular regions in this binary: a small, highly ionized volume surrounding the hot component, a modestly ionized shell close to the red giant photosphere, and a less dense region of intermediate ionization encompassing both binary components. The system parameters for V443 Her suggest the hot component currently declines from a symbiotic nova eruption.

Star formation towards the Galactic H II region RCW 120. Herschel observations of compact sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueira, M.; Zavagno, A.; Deharveng, L.; Russeil, D.; Anderson, L. D.; Men'shchikov, A.; Schneider, N.; Hill, T.; Motte, F.; Mège, P.; LeLeu, G.; Roussel, H.; Bernard, J.-P.; Traficante, A.; Paradis, D.; Tigé, J.; André, P.; Bontemps, S.; Abergel, A.

2017-04-01

Context. The expansion of H II regions can trigger the formation of stars. An overdensity of young stellar objects is observed at the edges of H II regions but the mechanisms that give rise to this phenomenon are not clearly identified. Moreover, it is difficult to establish a causal link between H II -region expansion and the star formation observed at the edges of these regions. A clear age gradient observed in the spatial distribution of young sources in the surrounding might be a strong argument in favor of triggering. Aims: We aim to characterize the star formation observed at the edges of H II regions by studying the properties of young stars that form there. We aim to detect young sources, derive their properties and their evolution stage in order to discuss the possible causal link between the first-generation massive stars that form the H II region and the young sources observed at their edges. Methods: We have observed the Galactic H II region RCW 120 with Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometers at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 μm. We produced temperature and H2 column density maps and use the getsources algorithm to detect compact sources and measure their fluxes at Herschel wavelengths. We have complemented these fluxes with existing infrared data. Fitting their spectral energy distributions with a modified blackbody model, we derived their envelope dust temperature and envelope mass. We computed their bolometric luminosities and discuss their evolutionary stages. Results: The overall temperatures of the region (without background subtraction) range from 15 K to 24 K. The warmest regions are observed towards the ionized gas. The coldest regions are observed outside the ionized gas and follow the emission of the cold material previously detected at 870 μm and 1.3 mm. The H2 column density map reveals the distribution of the cold medium to be organized in filaments and highly structured. Column densities range from 7 × 1021 cm-2 up to 9 × 1023 cm-2 without background subtraction. The cold regions observed outside the ionized gas are the densest and host star formation when the column density exceeds 2 × 1022 cm-2. The most reliable 35 compact sources are discussed. Using existing CO data and morphological arguments we show that these sources are likely to be associated with the RCW 120 region. These sources' volume densities range from 2 × 105 cm-3 to 108 cm-3. Five sources have envelope masses larger than 50 M⊙ and are all observed in high column density regions (>7 × 1022 cm-2). We find that the evolutionary stage of the sources primarily depends on the density of their hosting condensation and is not correlated with the distance to the ionizing star. Conclusions: The Herschel data, with their unique sampling of the far infrared domain, have allowed us to characterize the properties of compact sources observed towards RCW 120 for the first time. We have also been able to determine the envelope temperature, envelope mass and evolutionary stage of these sources. Using these properties we have shown that the density of the condensations that host star formation is a key parameter of the star-formation history, irrespective of their projected distance to the ionizing stars. Table A.1 is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/600/A93Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

Formation Timescales for High-Mass X-ray Binaries in M33

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garofali, Kristen; Williams, Benjamin F.; Hillis, Tristan; Gilbert, Karoline M.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Eracleous, Michael; Binder, Breanna

2018-06-01

We have identified 55 candidate high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in M33 using available archival HST and Chandra imaging to find blue stars associated with X-ray positions. We use the HST photometric data to model the color-magnitude diagrams in the vicinity of each candidate HMXB to measure a resolved recent star formation history (SFH), and thus a formation timescale, or age for the source. Taken together, the SFHs for all candidate HMXBs in M33 yield an age distribution that suggests preferred formation timescales for HMXBs in M33 of < 5 Myr and ˜ 40 Myr after the initial star formation episode. The population at 40 Myr is seen in other Local Group galaxies, and can be attributed to a peak in formation efficiency of HMXBs with neutron stars as compact objects and B star secondary companions. This timescale is preferred as neutron stars should form in abundance from ˜ 8 M⊙ core-collapse progenitors on these timescales, and B stars are shown observationally to be most actively losing mass around this time. The young population at < 5 Myr has not be observed in other Local Group HMXB population studies, but may be attributed to a population of very massive progenitors forming black holes very early on. We discuss these results in the context of massive binary evolution, and the implications for compact object binaries and gravitational wave sources.

Scalar field configurations supported by charged compact reflecting stars in a curved spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yan

2018-05-01

We study the system of static scalar fields coupled to charged compact reflecting stars through both analytical and numerical methods. We enclose the star in a box and our solutions are related to cases without box boundaries when putting the box far away from the star. We provide bottom and upper bounds for the radius of the scalar hairy compact reflecting star. We obtain numerical scalar hairy star solutions satisfying boundary conditions and find that the radius of the hairy star in a box is continuous in a range, which is very different from cases without box boundaries where the radius is discrete in the range. We also examine effects of the star charge and mass on the largest radius.

Stationary bound-state massive scalar field configurations supported by spherically symmetric compact reflecting stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hod, Shahar

2017-12-01

It has recently been demonstrated that asymptotically flat neutral reflecting stars are characterized by an intriguing no-hair property. In particular, it has been proved that these horizonless compact objects cannot support spatially regular static matter configurations made of scalar (spin-0) fields, vector (spin-1) fields and tensor (spin-2) fields. In the present paper we shall explicitly prove that spherically symmetric compact reflecting stars can support stationary (rather than static) bound-state massive scalar fields in their exterior spacetime regions. To this end, we solve analytically the Klein-Gordon wave equation for a linearized scalar field of mass μ and proper frequency ω in the curved background of a spherically symmetric compact reflecting star of mass M and radius R_{ {s}}. It is proved that the regime of existence of these stationary composed star-field configurations is characterized by the simple inequalities 1-2M/R_{ {s}}<(ω /μ )^2<1. Interestingly, in the regime M/R_{ {s}}≪ 1 of weakly self-gravitating stars we derive a remarkably compact analytical equation for the discrete spectrum {ω (M,R_{ {s}},μ )}^{n=∞}_{n=1} of resonant oscillation frequencies which characterize the stationary composed compact-reflecting-star-linearized-massive-scalar-field configurations. Finally, we verify the accuracy of the analytically derived resonance formula of the composed star-field configurations with direct numerical computations.

CANDELS+3D-HST: Compact SFGs at z ∼ 2-3, the progenitors of the first quiescent galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barro, G.; Faber, S. M.; Koo, D. C.

We analyze the star-forming and structural properties of 45 massive (log(M/M{sub ☉}) >10) compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at 2 < z < 3 to explore whether they are progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2. The optical/NIR and far-IR Spitzer/Herschel colors indicate that most compact SFGs are heavily obscured. Nearly half (47%) host an X-ray-bright active galactic nucleus (AGN). In contrast, only about 10% of other massive galaxies at that time host AGNs. Compact SFGs have centrally concentrated light profiles and spheroidal morphologies similar to quiescent galaxies and are thus strikingly different from other SFGs, which typically aremore » disk-like and sometimes clumpy or irregular. Most compact SFGs lie either within the star formation rate (SFR)-mass main sequence (65%) or below it (30%), on the expected evolutionary path toward quiescent galaxies. These results show conclusively that galaxies become more compact before they lose their gas and dust, quenching star formation. Using extensive HST photometry from CANDELS and grism spectroscopy from the 3D-HST survey, we model their stellar populations with either exponentially declining (τ) star formation histories (SFHs) or physically motivated SFHs drawn from semianalytic models (SAMs). SAMs predict longer formation timescales and older ages ∼2 Gyr, which are nearly twice as old as the estimates of the τ models. Both models yield good spectral energy distribution fits, indicating that the systematic uncertainty in the age due to degeneracies in the SFH is of that order of magnitude. However, SAM SFHs better match the observed slope and zero point of the SFR-mass main sequence. Contrary to expectations, some low-mass compact SFGs (log(M/M{sub ☉}) =10-10.6) have younger ages but lower specific SFRs than that of more massive galaxies, suggesting that the low-mass galaxies reach the red sequence faster. If the progenitors of compact SFGs are extended SFGs, state-of-the-art SAMs show that mergers and disk instabilities (DIs) are both able to shrink galaxies, but DIs are more frequent (60% versus 40%) and form more concentrated galaxies. We confirm this result via high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations.« less

A key factor to the spin parameter of uniformly rotating compact stars: crust structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Bin; Zhang, Nai-Bo; Sun, Bao-Yuan; Wang, Shou-Yu; Gao, Jian-Hua

2016-04-01

We study the dimensionless spin parameter j ≡ cJ/(GM2) of different kinds of uniformly rotating compact stars, including traditional neutron stars, hyperonic neutron stars and hybrid stars, based on relativistic mean field theory and the MIT bag model. It is found that jmax ˜ 0.7, which had been suggested in traditional neutron stars, is sustained for hyperonic neutron stars and hybrid stars with M > 0.5 M⊙. Not the interior but rather the crust structure of the stars is a key factor to determine jmax for three kinds of selected compact stars. Furthermore, a universal formula j = 0.63(f/fK) - 0.42(f/fK)2 + 0.48(f/fK)3 is suggested to determine the spin parameter at any rotational frequency f smaller than the Keplerian frequency fK.

STELLAR POPULATIONS IN COMPACT GALAXY GROUPS: A MULTI-WAVELENGTH STUDY OF HCGs 16, 22, AND 42, THEIR STAR CLUSTERS, AND DWARF GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Maybhate, A.; Charlton, J. C.

2013-06-20

We present a multi-wavelength analysis of three compact galaxy groups, Hickson compact groups (HCGs) 16, 22, and 42, which describe a sequence in terms of gas richness, from space- (Swift, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Spitzer) and ground-based (Las Campanas Observatory and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory) imaging and spectroscopy. We study various signs of past interactions including a faint, dusty tidal feature about HCG 16A, which we tentatively age-date at <1 Gyr. This represents the possible detection of a tidal feature at the end of its phase of optical observability. Our HST images also resolve what were thought to bemore » double nuclei in HCG 16C and D into multiple, distinct sources, likely to be star clusters. Beyond our phenomenological treatment, we focus primarily on contrasting the stellar populations across these three groups. The star clusters show a remarkable intermediate-age population in HCG 22, and identify the time at which star formation was quenched in HCG 42. We also search for dwarf galaxies at accordant redshifts. The inclusion of 33 members and 27 ''associates'' (possible members) radically changes group dynamical masses, which in turn may affect previous evolutionary classifications. The extended membership paints a picture of relative isolation in HCGs 16 and 22, but shows HCG 42 to be part of a larger structure, following a dichotomy expected from recent studies. We conclude that (1) star cluster populations provide an excellent metric of evolutionary state, as they can age-date the past epochs of star formation; and (2) the extended dwarf galaxy population must be considered in assessing the dynamical state of a compact group.« less

Stellar Populations in Compact Galaxy Groups: a Multi-wavelength Study of HCGs 16, 22, and 42, Their Star Clusters, and Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Maybhate, A.; Charlton, J. C.; Fedotov, K.; Durrell, P. R.; Mulchaey, J. S.; English, J.; Desjardins, T. D.; Gallagher, S. C.; Walker, L. M.;

Far-infrared data for symbiotic stars. II - The IRAS survey observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenyon, S. J.; Fernandez-Castro, T.; Stencel, R. E.

1988-01-01

IRAS survey data for all known symbiotic binaries are reported. S type systems have 25 micron excesses much larger than those of single red giant stars, suggesting that these objects lose mass more rapidly than do normal giants. D type objects have far-IR colors similar to those of Mira variables, implying mass-loss rate of about 10 to the -6th solar masses/yr. The near-IR extinctions of the D types indicate that their Mira components are enshrouded in optically thick dust shells, while their hot companions lie outside the shells. If this interpretation of the data is correct, then the very red near-IR colors of D type symbiotic stars are caused by extreme amounts of dust absorption rather than dust emission. The small group of D prime objects possesses far-IR colors resembling those of compact planetary nebulae or extreme OH/IR stars. It is speculated that these binaries are not symbiotic stars at all, but contain a hot compact star and an exasymptotic branch giant which is in the process of ejecting a planetary nebula shell.

Analysing neutron star in HESS J1731-347 from thermal emission and cooling theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ofengeim, D. D.; Kaminker, A. D.; Klochkov, D.; Suleimanov, V.; Yakovlev, D. G.

2015-12-01

The central compact object in the supernova remnant HESS J1731-347 appears to be the hottest observed isolated cooling neutron star. The cooling theory of neutron stars enables one to explain observations of this star by assuming the presence of strong proton superfluidity in the stellar core and the existence of the surface heat blanketing envelope which almost fully consists of carbon. The cooling model of this star is elaborated to take proper account of the neutrino emission due to neutron-neutron collisions which is not suppressed by proton superfluidity. Using the results of spectral fits of observed thermal spectra for the distance of 3.2 kpc and the cooling theory for the neutron star of age 27 kyr, new constraints on the stellar mass and radius are obtained which are more stringent than those derived from the spectral fits alone.

General Relativistic Non-radial Oscillations of Compact Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Zack, II; Jaikumar, Prashanth

2017-01-01

Currently, we lack a means of identifying the type of matter at the core of compact stars, but in the future, we may be able to use gravitational wave signals produced by fluid oscillations inside compact stars to discover new phases of dense matter. To this end, we study the fluid perturbations inside compact stars such as Neutron Stars and Strange Quark Stars, focusing on modes that couple to gravitational waves. Using a modern equation of state for quark matter that incorporates interactions at moderately high densities, we implement an efficient computational scheme to solve the oscillation equations in the framework of General Relativity, and determine the complex eigenfrequencies that describe the oscillation and damping of the non-radial fluid modes. We discuss the significance of our results for future detection of these modes through gravitational waves. This work is supported in part by the CSULB Graduate Research Fellowship and by the National Science Foundation NSF PHY-1608959.

Spectral Identification of New Galactic cLBV and WR Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stringfellow, G. S.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Beletsky, Y.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2012-12-01

We have undertaken a near-IR spectral survey of stars associated with compact nebulae recently revealed by the Spitzer and WISE imaging surveys. These circumstellar nebulae, produced by massive evolved stars, display a variety of symmetries and shapes and are often only evident at mid-IR wavelengths. Stars associated with ˜50 of these nebulae have been observed. We also obtained recent spectra of previously confirmed (known) luminous blue variables (LBVs) and candidate LBVs (cLBVs). The spectral similarity of the stars observed when compared directly to known LBVs and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars indicate many are newly identified cLBVs, with a few being newly discovered WR stars, mostly of WN8-9h spectral type. These results suggest that a large population of previously unidentified cLBVs and related transitional stars reside in the Galaxy and confirm that circumstellar nebulae are inherent to most (c)LBVs.

The formation of ultra compact dwarf galaxies and massive globular clusters. Quasar-like objects to test for a variable stellar initial mass function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeřábková, T.; Kroupa, P.; Dabringhausen, J.; Hilker, M.; Bekki, K.

2017-12-01

The stellar initial mass function (IMF) has been described as being invariant, bottom-heavy, or top-heavy in extremely dense star-burst conditions. To provide usable observable diagnostics, we calculate redshift dependent spectral energy distributions of stellar populations in extreme star-burst clusters, which are likely to have been the precursors of present day massive globular clusters (GCs) and of ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). The retention fraction of stellar remnants is taken into account to assess the mass to light ratios of the ageing star-burst. Their redshift dependent photometric properties are calculated as predictions for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations. While the present day GCs and UCDs are largely degenerate concerning bottom-heavy or top-heavy IMFs, a metallicity- and density-dependent top-heavy IMF implies the most massive UCDs, at ages < 100 Myr, to appear as objects with quasar-like luminosities with a 0.1-10% variability on a monthly timescale due to core collapse supernovae.

Theoretical constraints on the properties of low-mass neutron stars from the equation of state of nuclear matter in the inner crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Yong-Mei; Wen, De-Hua

2017-06-01

By employing four typical equation of states (EOSs) of nuclear matter in the inner crust, the properties of low-mass neutron stars are investigated theoretically. Based on the well-known fact that there is a big gap between the neutron stars and white dwarfs in the mass-radius sequence of compact stars, according to the mass-radius relations of the four adopted EOSs, we conclude that there is a rough forbidden region for the central density and stellar radius to form a compact star; that is, there is no compact star in nature having central density in the region from about 1012kgm-3 to 1017kgm-3 , and there is also no compact star having a radius in the region from about 400 km to 2000 km. Moreover, the properties of the low-mass neutron stars are also explored. It is shown that for a stable neutron star near the minimum mass point, the stellar size (with radius >200 km) is much larger than that of normal neutron stars, and there is a compact "core" concentrated at about 95% of the stellar mass in the inner core with a radius of about 13 km and density higher than the neutron-drip point (4.3 ×1014kgm-3) . This property totally differs from that of normal neutron stars and white dwarfs. Furthermore, the Keplerian period, the moment of inertia, and the surface gravitational redshift of the star near the minimum-mass point are also investigated.

Introduction to neutron stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lattimer, James M.

Neutron stars contain the densest form of matter in the present universe. General relativity and causality set important constraints to their compactness. In addition, analytic GR solutions are useful in understanding the relationships that exist among the maximum mass, radii, moments of inertia, and tidal Love numbers of neutron stars, all of which are accessible to observation. Some of these relations are independent of the underlying dense matter equation of state, while others are very sensitive to the equation of state. Recent observations of neutron stars from pulsar timing, quiescent X-ray emission from binaries, and Type I X-ray bursts canmore » set important constraints on the structure of neutron stars and the underlying equation of state. In addition, measurements of thermal radiation from neutron stars has uncovered the possible existence of neutron and proton superfluidity/superconductivity in the core of a neutron star, as well as offering powerful evidence that typical neutron stars have significant crusts. These observations impose constraints on the existence of strange quark matter stars, and limit the possibility that abundant deconfined quark matter or hyperons exist in the cores of neutron stars.« less

Introduction to neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattimer, James M.

2015-02-01

Neutron stars contain the densest form of matter in the present universe. General relativity and causality set important constraints to their compactness. In addition, analytic GR solutions are useful in understanding the relationships that exist among the maximum mass, radii, moments of inertia, and tidal Love numbers of neutron stars, all of which are accessible to observation. Some of these relations are independent of the underlying dense matter equation of state, while others are very sensitive to the equation of state. Recent observations of neutron stars from pulsar timing, quiescent X-ray emission from binaries, and Type I X-ray bursts can set important constraints on the structure of neutron stars and the underlying equation of state. In addition, measurements of thermal radiation from neutron stars has uncovered the possible existence of neutron and proton superfluidity/superconductivity in the core of a neutron star, as well as offering powerful evidence that typical neutron stars have significant crusts. These observations impose constraints on the existence of strange quark matter stars, and limit the possibility that abundant deconfined quark matter or hyperons exist in the cores of neutron stars.

Universality and stationarity of the I-Love relation for self-bound stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, T. K.; Chan, AtMa P. O.; Leung, P. T.

2016-01-01

The emergence of the I-Love-Q relations, revealing that the moment of inertia, the tidal Love number (deformability) and the spin-induced quadrupole moment of compact stars are, to high accuracy, interconnected in a universal way disregarding the wide variety of equations of state (EOSs) of dense matter, has attracted much interest recently. However, the physical origin of these relations is still a debatable issue. In the present paper, we focus on the I-Love relation for self-bound stars (SBSs) such as incompressible stars and quark stars. We formulate perturbative expansions for the moment of inertia, the tidal Love number (deformability) and the I-Love relation of SBSs. By comparing the respective I-Love relations of incompressible stars and a specific kind of SBSs, we show analytically that the I-Love relation is, to relevant leading orders in stellar compactness, stationary with respect to changes in the EOS about the incompressible limit. Hence, the universality of the I-Love relation is indeed attributable to the proximity of compact stars to incompressible stars, and the stationarity of the relation as unveiled here. We also discover that the moment of inertia and the tidal deformability of a SBS with finite compressibility are, to leading order in compactness, equal to their counterparts of an incompressible star with an adjusted compactness, thus leading to a novel explanation for the I-Love universal relation.

Detection of high Lyman continuum leakage from four low-redshift compact star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotov, Y. I.; Schaerer, D.; Thuan, T. X.; Worseck, G.; Guseva, N. G.; Orlitová, I.; Verhamme, A.

2016-10-01

Following our first detection reported in Izotov et al., we present the detection of Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation of four other compact star-forming galaxies observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. These galaxies, at redshifts of z ˜ 0.3, are characterized by high emission-line flux ratios [O III] λ5007/[O II] λ3727 ≳ 5. The escape fractions of the LyC radiation fesc(LyC) in these galaxies are in the range of ˜6-13 per cent, the highest values found so far in low-redshift star-forming galaxies. Narrow double-peaked Ly α emission lines are detected in the spectra of all four galaxies, compatible with predictions for LyC leakers. We find escape fractions of Ly α, fesc(Ly α) ˜ 20-40 per cent, among the highest known for Ly α emitting galaxies. Surface brightness profiles produced from the COS acquisition images reveal bright star-forming regions in the centre and exponential discs in the outskirts with disc scalelengths α in the range ˜0.6-1.4 kpc. Our galaxies are characterized by low metallicity, ˜1/8-1/5 solar, low stellar mass ˜(0.2-4) × 109 M⊙, high star formation rates, SFR ˜ 14-36 M⊙ yr-1, and high SFR densities, Σ ˜ 2-35 M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2. These properties are comparable to those of high-redshift star-forming galaxies. Finally, our observations, combined with our first detection reported in Izotov et al., reveal that a selection for compact star-forming galaxies showing high [O III] λ5007/[O II] λ3727 ratios appears to pick up very efficiently sources with escaping LyC radiation: all five of our selected galaxies are LyC leakers.

PSR J1740-3052: a pulsar with a massive companion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stairs, I. H.; Manchester, R. N.; Lyne, A. G.; Kaspi, V. M.; Camilo, F.; Bell, J. F.; D'Amico, N.; Kramer, M.; Crawford, F.; Morris, D. J.; Possenti, A.; McKay, N. P. F.; Lumsden, S. L.; Tacconi-Garman, L. E.; Cannon, R. D.; Hambly, N. C.; Wood, P. R.

2001-08-01

We report on the discovery of a binary pulsar, PSR J1740-3052, during the Parkes multibeam survey. Timing observations of the 570-ms pulsar at Jodrell Bank and Parkes show that it is young, with a characteristic age of 350kyr, and is in a 231-d, highly eccentric orbit with a companion whose mass exceeds 11Msolar. An accurate position for the pulsar was obtained using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Near-infrared 2.2-μm observations made with the telescopes at the Siding Spring observatory reveal a late-type star coincident with the pulsar position. However, we do not believe that this star is the companion of the pulsar, because a typical star of this spectral type and required mass would extend beyond the orbit of the pulsar. Furthermore, the measured advance of periastron of the pulsar suggests a more compact companion, for example, a main-sequence star with radius only a few times that of the Sun. Such a companion is also more consistent with the small dispersion measure variations seen near periastron. Although we cannot conclusively rule out a black hole companion, we believe that the companion is probably an early B star, making the system similar to the binary PSR J0045-7319.

Comparing Low-Redshift Compact Dwarf Starbursts in the RESOLVE Survey with High-Redshift Blue Nuggets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palumbo, Michael Louis; Kannappan, Sheila; Snyder, Elaine; Eckert, Kathleen; Norman, Dara; Fraga, Luciano; Quint, Bruno; Amram, Philippe; Mendes de Oliveira, Claudia; RESOLVE Team

2018-01-01

We identify and characterize a population of compact dwarf starburst galaxies in the RESOLVE survey, a volume-limited census of galaxies in the local universe, to probe the possibility that these galaxies are related to “blue nuggets,” a class of intensely star-forming and compact galaxies previously identified at high redshift. Blue nuggets are thought to form as the result of intense compaction events that drive fresh gas to their centers. They are expected to display prolate morphology and rotation along their minor axes. We report IFU observations of three of our compact dwarf starburst galaxies, from which we construct high-resolution velocity fields, examining the evidence for minor axis or otherwise misaligned rotation. We find multiple cases of double nuclei in our sample, which may be indicative of a merger origin as in some blue nugget formation scenarios. We compare the masses, radii, gas-to-stellar mass ratios, star formation rates, stellar surface mass densities, and environmental contexts of our sample to expectations for blue nuggets.

Hydrodynamic simulations of stellar wind disruption by a compact X-ray source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blondin, John M.; Kallman, Timothy R.; Fryxell, Bruce A.; Taam, Ronald E.

1990-01-01

This paper presents two-dimensional numerical simulations of the gas flow in the orbital plane of a massive X-ray binary system, in which the mass accretion is fueled by a radiation-driven wind from an early-type companion star. These simulations are used to examine the role of the compact object (either a neutron star or a black hole) in disturbing the radiatively accelerating wind of the OB companion, with an emphasis on understanding the origin of the observed soft X-ray photoelectric absorption seen at late orbital phases in these systems. On the basis of these simulations, it is suggested that the phase-dependent photoelectric absorption seen in several of these systems can be explained by dense filaments of compressend gas formed in the nonsteady accreation bow shock and wake of the compact object.

A comprehensive HST BVI catalogue of star clusters in five Hickson compact groups of galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedotov, K.; Gallagher, S. C.; Durrell, P. R.; Bastian, N.; Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Charlton, J.; Johnson, K. E.; Chandar, R.

2015-05-01

We present a photometric catalogue of star cluster candidates in Hickson compact groups (HCGs) 7, 31, 42, 59, and 92, based on observations with the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope. The catalogue contains precise cluster positions (right ascension and declination), magnitudes, and colours in the BVI filters. The number of detected sources ranges from 2200 to 5600 per group, from which we construct the high-confidence sample by applying a number of criteria designed to reduce foreground and background contaminants. Furthermore, the high-confidence cluster candidates for each of the 16 galaxies in our sample are split into two subpopulations: one that may contain young star clusters and one that is dominated by globular older clusters. The ratio of young star cluster to globular cluster candidates varies from group to group, from equal numbers to the extreme of HCG 31 which has a ratio of 8 to 1, due to a recent starburst induced by interactions in the group. We find that the number of blue clusters with MV < -9 correlates well with the current star formation rate in an individual galaxy, while the number of globular cluster candidates with MV < -7.8 correlates well (though with large scatter) with the stellar mass. Analyses of the high-confidence sample presented in this paper show that star clusters can be successfully used to infer the gross star formation history of the host groups and therefore determine their placement in a proposed evolutionary sequence for compact galaxy groups.

What do you gain from deconvolution? - Observing faint galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schade, David J.; Elson, Rebecca A. W.

1993-01-01

We describe experiments with deconvolutions of simulations of deep HST Wide Field Camera images containing faint, compact galaxies to determine under what circumstances there is a quantitative advantage to image deconvolution, and explore whether it is (1) helpful for distinguishing between stars and compact galaxies, or between spiral and elliptical galaxies, and whether it (2) improves the accuracy with which characteristic radii and integrated magnitudes may be determined. The Maximum Entropy and Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithms give the same results. For medium and low S/N images, deconvolution does not significantly improve our ability to distinguish between faint stars and compact galaxies, nor between spiral and elliptical galaxies. Measurements from both raw and deconvolved images are biased and must be corrected; it is easier to quantify and remove the biases for cases that have not been deconvolved. We find no benefit from deconvolution for measuring luminosity profiles, but these results are limited to low S/N images of very compact (often undersampled) galaxies.

A class of compact dwarf galaxies from disruptive processes in galaxy clusters.

PubMed

Drinkwater, M J; Gregg, M D; Hilker, M; Bekki, K; Couch, W J; Ferguson, H C; Jones, J B; Phillipps, S

2003-05-29

Dwarf galaxies have attracted increased attention in recent years, because of their susceptibility to galaxy transformation processes within rich galaxy clusters. Direct evidence for these processes, however, has been difficult to obtain, with a small number of diffuse light trails and intra-cluster stars being the only signs of galaxy disruption. Furthermore, our current knowledge of dwarf galaxy populations may be very incomplete, because traditional galaxy surveys are insensitive to extremely diffuse or compact galaxies. Aware of these concerns, we recently undertook an all-object survey of the Fornax galaxy cluster. This revealed a new population of compact members, overlooked in previous conventional surveys. Here we demonstrate that these 'ultra-compact' dwarf galaxies are structurally and dynamically distinct from both globular star clusters and known types of dwarf galaxy, and thus represent a new class of dwarf galaxy. Our data are consistent with the interpretation that these are the remnant nuclei of disrupted dwarf galaxies, making them an easily observed tracer of galaxy disruption.

Compact Neutral Hydrogen Clouds: Searching for Undiscovered Dwarf Galaxies and Gas Associated with an Algol-type Variable Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grcevich, Jana; Berger, Sabrina; Putman, Mary E.; Eli Goldston Peek, Joshua

2016-01-01

Several interesting compact neutral hydrogen clouds were found in the GALFA-HI (Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array HI) survey which may represent undiscovered dwarf galaxy candidates. The continuation of this search is motivated by successful discoveries of Local Volume dwarfs in the GALFA-HI DR1. We identify additional potential dwarf galaxies from the GALFA-HI DR1 Compact Cloud Catalog which are indentified as having unexpected velocities given their other characteristics via the bayesian analysis software BayesDB. We also present preliminary results of a by-eye search for dwarf galaxies in the GALFA-HI DR2, which provides additional sky coverage. Interestingly, one particularly compact cloud discovered during our dwarf galaxy search is spatially coincident with an Algol-type variable star. Although the association is tentative, Algol-type variables are thought to have undergone significant gas loss and it is possible this gas may be observable in HI.

Panchromatic Observations of SN2011dh Point to a Compact Progenitor Star

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderberg, A. M.; Margutti, R.; Zauerer, B. A.; Krauss, M.; Katz, B.; Chomiuk, L.; Dittmann, J. A.; Nakar, E.; Sakamoto, T.; Kawai, N.;

Role of pressure anisotropy on relativistic compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurya, S. K.; Banerjee, Ayan; Hansraj, Sudan

2018-02-01

We investigate a compact spherically symmetric relativistic body with anisotropic particle pressure profiles. The distribution possesses characteristics relevant to modeling compact stars within the framework of general relativity. For this purpose, we consider a spatial metric potential of Korkina and Orlyanskii [Ukr. Phys. J. 36, 885 (1991)] type in order to solve the Einstein field equations. An additional prescription we make is that the pressure anisotropy parameter takes the functional form proposed by Lake [Phys. Rev. D 67, 104015 (2003), 10.1103/PhysRevD.67.104015]. Specifying these two geometric quantities allows for further analysis to be carried out in determining unknown constants and obtaining a limit of the mass-radius diagram, which adequately describes compact strange star candidates like Her X-1 and SMC X-1. Using the anisotropic Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations, we explore the hydrostatic equilibrium and the stability of such compact objects. Then, we investigate other physical features of this model, such as the energy conditions, speeds of sound, and compactness of the star, in detail and show that our results satisfy all the required elementary conditions for a physically acceptable stellar model. The results obtained are useful in analyzing the stability of other anisotropic compact objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars, and gravastars.

An XMM-Newton and NuSTAR Study of IGR J18214-1318: A Non-pulsating High-mass X-Ray Binary with a Neutron Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornasini, Francesca M.; Tomsick, John A.; Bachetti, Matteo; Krivonos, Roman A.; Fürst, Felix; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Pottschmidt, Katja; Wilms, Jörn

2017-05-01

IGR J18214-1318, a Galactic source discovered by the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, is a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) with a supergiant O-type stellar donor. We report on the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations that were undertaken to determine the nature of the compact object in this system. This source exhibits high levels of aperiodic variability, but no periodic pulsations are detected with a 90% confidence upper limit of 2% fractional rms between 0.00003-88 Hz, a frequency range that includes the typical pulse periods of neutron stars (NSs) in HMXBs (0.1-103 s). Although the lack of pulsations prevents us from definitively identifying the compact object in IGR J18214-1318, the presence of an exponential cutoff with e-folding energy ≲ 30 {keV} in its 0.3-79 keV spectrum strongly suggests that the compact object is an NS. The X-ray spectrum also shows a Fe Kα emission line and a soft excess, which can be accounted for by either a partial-covering absorber with {N}{{H}}≈ {10}23 cm-2, which could be due to the inhomogeneous supergiant wind, or a blackbody component with {kT}={1.74}-0.05+0.04 keV and {R}{BB}≈ 0.3 km, which may originate from NS hot spots. Although neither explanation for the soft excess can be excluded, the former is more consistent with the properties observed in other supergiant HMXBs. We compare IGR J18214-1318 to other HMXBs that lack pulsations or have long pulsation periods beyond the range covered by our observations.

Tidal deformations of compact stars with crystalline quark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, S. Y.; Leung, P. T.; Lin, L.-M.

2017-05-01

We study the tidal deformability of bare quark stars and hybrid compact stars composed of a quark-matter core in general relativity, assuming that the deconfined quark matter exists in a crystalline color superconducting phase. We find that taking the elastic property of crystalline quark matter into account in the calculation of the tidal deformability can break the universal I-Love relation discovered for fluid compact stars, which connects the moment of inertia and tidal deformability. Our result suggests that measurements of the moment of inertia and tidal deformability can in principle be used to test the existence of solid quark stars, despite our ignorance of the high-density equation of state. Assuming that the moment of inertia can be measured to 10% level, one can then distinguish a 1.4 (1 ) M⊙ solid quark star described by our quark-matter equation of state model with a gap parameter Δ =25 MeV from a fluid compact star if the tidal deformability can be measured to about 10% (45%) level. On the other hand, we find that the nuclear matter fluid envelope of a hybrid star can screen out the effect of the solid core significantly so that the resulting I-Love relation for hybrid stars still agrees with the universal relation for fluid stars to about 1% level.

Gravitational radiation emitted when a mass falls onto a compact star.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borelli, A.

1997-03-01

The authors study the energy spectrum related to the axial perturbations of a compact star when a particle falls spiralling onto it. They find that both slowly-damped quasi-normal modes and strongly damped w-modes are excited, and that a part of the energy in the process is associated to these w-modes. A substantial difference between the energy spectra of compact stars and black holes is shown.

Deep CO(1-0) Observations of z = 1.62 Cluster Galaxies with Substantial Molecular Gas Reservoirs and Normal Star Formation Efficiencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, Gregory; Hodge, Jacqueline; Walter, Fabian; Momcheva, Ivelina; Tran, Kim-Vy; Papovich, Casey; da Cunha, Elisabete; Decarli, Roberto; Saintonge, Amelie; Willmer, Christopher; Lotz, Jennifer; Lentati, Lindley

2017-11-01

We present an extremely deep CO(1-0) observation of a confirmed z = 1.62 galaxy cluster. We detect two spectroscopically confirmed cluster members in CO(1-0) with signal-to-noise ratio > 5. Both galaxies have log({{ M }}\\star /{{ M }}⊙ ) > 11 and are gas rich, with {{ M }}{mol}/({{ M }}\\star +{{ M }}{mol}) ˜ 0.17-0.45. One of these galaxies lies on the star formation rate (SFR)-{{ M }}\\star sequence, while the other lies an order of magnitude below. We compare the cluster galaxies to other SFR-selected galaxies with CO measurements and find that they have CO luminosities consistent with expectations given their infrared luminosities. We also find that they have gas fractions and star formation efficiencies (SFE) comparable to what is expected from published field galaxy scaling relations. The galaxies are compact in their stellar light distribution, at the extreme end for all high-redshift star-forming galaxies. However, their SFE is consistent with other field galaxies at comparable compactness. This is similar to two other sources selected in a blind CO survey of the HDF-N. Despite living in a highly quenched protocluster core, the molecular gas properties of these two galaxies, one of which may be in the process of quenching, appear entirely consistent with field scaling relations between the molecular gas content, stellar mass, star formation rate, and redshift. We speculate that these cluster galaxies cannot have any further substantive gas accretion if they are to become members of the dominant passive population in z< 1 clusters.

Sub-mm galaxies as progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, Sune

2015-08-01

Three billion years after the big bang (at redshift z=2), half of the most massive galaxies were already old, quiescent systems with little to no residual star formation and extremely compact with stellar mass densities at least an order of magnitude larger than in low redshift ellipticals, their descendants. Little is known about how they formed, but their evolved, dense stellar populations suggest formation within intense, compact starbursts 1-2 Gyr earlier (at 3 < z < 6). Simulations show that gas-rich major mergers can give rise to such starbursts which produce dense remnants. Sub-millimetre selected galaxies (SMGs) are prime examples of intense, gas-rich, starbursts. With a new, mass-complete spectroscopic sample of compact quiescent galaxies at z=2 and a statistically well-understood sample of SMGs, we show that z = 3 -6 SMGs are consistent with being the progenitors of z = 2 quiescent galaxies, matching their formation redshifts and their distributions of sizes, stellar masses and internal velocities. Assuming an evolutionary connection, their space densities also match if the mean duty cycle of SMG starbursts is 42 (+40/-29) Myr (consistent with independent estimates), indicating that the bulk of stars in these massive galaxies were formed in a major, early surge of star-formation. These results suggests a coherent picture of the formation history of the most massive galaxies in the universe, from their initial burst of violent star-formation through their appearance as high stellardensity galaxy cores and to their ultimate fate as giant ellipticals.If time permits i will show novel, spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of the inner regions (r2, allowing for strong new constraints on their formation and evolutionary path

Parameter Estimation for Compact Binaries with Ground-Based Gravitational-Wave Observations Using the LALInference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veitch, J.; Raymond, V.; Farr, B.; Farr, W.; Graff, P.; Vitale, S.; Aylott, B.; Blackburn, K.; Christensen, N.; Coughlin, M.

2015-01-01

The Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational wave (GW) detectors will begin operation in the coming years, with compact binary coalescence events a likely source for the first detections. The gravitational waveforms emitted directly encode information about the sources, including the masses and spins of the compact objects. Recovering the physical parameters of the sources from the GW observations is a key analysis task. This work describes the LALInference software library for Bayesian parameter estimation of compact binary signals, which builds on several previous methods to provide a well-tested toolkit which has already been used for several studies. We show that our implementation is able to correctly recover the parameters of compact binary signals from simulated data from the advanced GW detectors. We demonstrate this with a detailed comparison on three compact binary systems: a binary neutron star (BNS), a neutron star - black hole binary (NSBH) and a binary black hole (BBH), where we show a cross-comparison of results obtained using three independent sampling algorithms. These systems were analysed with non-spinning, aligned spin and generic spin configurations respectively, showing that consistent results can be obtained even with the full 15-dimensional parameter space of the generic spin configurations. We also demonstrate statistically that the Bayesian credible intervals we recover correspond to frequentist confidence intervals under correct prior assumptions by analysing a set of 100 signals drawn from the prior. We discuss the computational cost of these algorithms, and describe the general and problem-specific sampling techniques we have used to improve the efficiency of sampling the compact binary coalescence (CBC) parameter space.

10 CFR Appendix W to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Medium Base Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for [Compact Fluorescent Lamps] CFLs,” Version dated August 9, 2001... DOE's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for [Compact Fluorescent Lamps] CFLs,” Version dated August 9...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walker, Lisa May; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Gallagher, Sarah C.

Compact groups of galaxies provide a unique environment to study the evolution of galaxies amid frequent gravitational encounters. These nearby groups have conditions similar to those in the earlier universe when galaxies were assembled and give us the opportunity to witness hierarchical formation in progress. To understand how the compact group environment affects galaxy evolution, we examine the gas and dust in these groups. We present new single-dish GBT neutral hydrogen (H i) observations of 30 compact groups and define a new way to quantify the group H i content as the H i-to-stellar mass ratio of the group asmore » a whole. We compare the H i content with mid-IR indicators of star formation and optical [g − r] color to search for correlations between group gas content and star formation activity of individual group members. Quiescent galaxies tend to live in H i-poor groups, and galaxies with active star formation are more commonly found in H i-rich groups. Intriguingly, we also find “rogue” galaxies whose star formation does not correlate with group H i content. In particular, we identify three galaxies (NGC 2968 in RSCG 34, KUG 1131+202A in RSCG 42, and NGC 4613 in RSCG 64) whose mid-IR activity is discrepant with the H i. We speculate that this mismatch between mid-IR activity and H i content is a consequence of strong interactions in this environment that can strip H i from galaxies and abruptly affect star formation. Ultimately, characterizing how and on what timescales the gas is processed in compact groups will help us understand the interstellar medium in complex, dense environments similar to the earlier universe.« less

COMPACT DUST CONCENTRATION IN THE MWC 758 PROTOPLANETARY DISK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marino, S.; Casassus, S.; Perez, S.

2015-11-01

The formation of planetesimals requires that primordial dust grains grow from micron- to kilometer-sized bodies. Dust traps caused by gas pressure maxima have been proposed as regions where grains can concentrate and grow fast enough to form planetesimals, before radially migrating onto the star. We report new VLA Ka and Ku observations of the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae/Be star MWC 758. The Ka image shows a compact emission region in the outer disk, indicating a strong concentration of big dust grains. Tracing smaller grains, archival ALMA data in band 7 continuum shows extended disk emission with an intensitymore » maximum to the northwest of the central star, which matches the VLA clump position. The compactness of the Ka emission is expected in the context of dust trapping, as big grains are trapped more easily than smaller grains in gas pressure maxima. We develop a nonaxisymmetric parametric model inspired by a steady-state vortex solution with parameters adequately selected to reproduce the observations, including the spectral energy distribution. Finally, we compare the radio continuum with SPHERE scattered light data. The ALMA continuum spatially coincides with a spiral-like feature seen in scattered light, while the VLA clump is offset from the scattered light maximum. Moreover, the ALMA map shows a decrement that matches a region devoid of scattered polarized emission. Continuum observations at a different wavelength are necessary to conclude whether the VLA-ALMA difference is an opacity or a real dust segregation.« less

Mass ejection by strange star mergers and observational implications.

PubMed

Bauswein, A; Janka, H-T; Oechslin, R; Pagliara, G; Sagert, I; Schaffner-Bielich, J; Hohle, M M; Neuhäuser, R

2009-07-03

We determine the Galactic production rate of strangelets as a canonical input to calculations of the measurable cosmic ray flux of strangelets by performing simulations of strange star mergers and combining the results with recent estimates of stellar binary populations. We find that the flux depends sensitively on the bag constant of the MIT bag model of QCD and disappears for high values of the bag constant and thus more compact strange stars. In the latter case, strange stars could coexist with ordinary neutron stars as they are not converted by the capture of cosmic ray strangelets. An unambiguous detection of an ordinary neutron star would then not rule out the strange matter hypothesis.

A MULTIWAVELENGTH STUDY OF STAR FORMATION IN THE VICINITY OF GALACTIC H II REGION Sh 2-100

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samal, M. R.; Pandey, A. K.; Sagar, R.

We present multiwavelength investigation of morphology, physical-environment, stellar contents, and star formation activity in the vicinity of star-forming region Sh 2-100. It is found that the Sh 2-100 region contains seven H II regions of ultracompact and compact nature. The present estimation of distance for three H II regions, along with the kinematic distance for others, suggests that all of them belong to the same molecular cloud complex. Using near-infrared photometry, we identified the most probable ionizing sources of six H II regions. Their approximate photometric spectral type estimates suggest that they are massive early-B to mid-O zero-age-main-sequence stars andmore » agree well with radio continuum observations at 1280 MHz, for sources whose emissions are optically thin at this frequency. The morphology of the complex shows a non-uniform distribution of warm and hot dust, well mixed with the ionized gas, which correlates well with the variation of average visual extinction ({approx}4.2-97 mag) across the region. We estimated the physical parameters of ionized gas with the help of radio continuum observations. We detected an optically visible compact nebula located to the south of the 850 {mu}m emission associated with one of the H II regions and the diagnostic of the optical emission line ratios gives electron density and electron temperature of {approx}0.67 x 10{sup 3} cm{sup -3} and {approx}10{sup 4} K, respectively. The physical parameters suggest that all the H II regions are in different stages of evolution, which correlate well with the probable ages in the range {approx}0.01-2 Myr of the ionizing sources. The spatial distribution of infrared excess stars, selected from near-infrared and Infrared Array Camera color-color diagrams, correlates well with the association of gas and dust. The positions of infrared excess stars, ultracompact and compact H II regions at the periphery of an H I shell, possibly created by a WR star, indicate that star formation in Sh 2-100 region might have been induced by an expanding H I shell.« less

Approximate universal relations for neutron stars and quark stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagi, Kent; Yunes, Nicolás

2017-04-01

Neutron stars and quark stars are ideal laboratories to study fundamental physics at supra nuclear densities and strong gravitational fields. Astrophysical observables, however, depend strongly on the star's internal structure, which is currently unknown due to uncertainties in the equation of state. Universal relations, however, exist among certain stellar observables that do not depend sensitively on the star's internal structure. One such set of relations is between the star's moment of inertia (I), its tidal Love number (Love) and its quadrupole moment (Q), the so-called I-Love-Q relations. Similar relations hold among the star's multipole moments, which resemble the well-known black hole no-hair theorems. Universal relations break degeneracies among astrophysical observables, leading to a variety of applications: (i) X-ray measurements of the nuclear matter equation of state, (ii) gravitational wave measurements of the intrinsic spin of inspiraling compact objects, and (iii) gravitational and astrophysical tests of General Relativity that are independent of the equation of state. We here review how the universal relations come about and all the applications that have been devised to date.

Abundance profiling of extremely metal-poor stars and supernova properties in the early universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tominaga, Nozomu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Nomoto, Ken'ichi, E-mail: tominaga@konan-u.ac.jp, E-mail: iwamoto.nobuyuki@jaea.go.jp, E-mail: nomoto@astron.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2014-04-20

After the big bang nucleosynthesis, the first heavy element enrichment in the universe was made by a supernova (SN) explosion of a population (Pop) III star (Pop III SN). The abundance ratios of elements produced from Pop III SNe are recorded in abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. The observations of the increasing number of EMP stars have made it possible to statistically constrain the explosion properties of Pop III SNe. We present Pop III SN models whose nucleosynthesis yields well reproduce, individually, the abundance patterns of 48 such metal-poor stars as [Fe/H] ≲ – 3.5. We then derivemore » relations between the abundance ratios of EMP stars and certain explosion properties of Pop III SNe: the higher [(C + N)/Fe] and [(C + N)/Mg] ratios correspond to the smaller ejected Fe mass and the larger compact remnant mass, respectively. Using these relations, the distributions of the abundance ratios of EMP stars are converted to those of the explosion properties of Pop III SNe. Such distributions are compared with those of the explosion properties of present day SNe: the distribution of the ejected Fe mass of Pop III SNe has the same peak as that of the present day SNe but shows an extended tail down to ∼10{sup –2}-10{sup –5} M {sub ☉}, and the distribution of the mass of the compact remnant of Pop III SNe is as wide as that of the present-day, stellar-mass black holes. Our results demonstrate the importance of large samples of EMP stars obtained by ongoing and future EMP star surveys and subsequent high-dispersion spectroscopic observations in clarifying the nature of Pop III SNe in the early universe.« less

Resolution of massive compact clusters in the 30 Doradus periphery with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walborn, Nolan R.; Mackenty, John W.; Saha, Abhijit; White, Richard L.; Parker, Joel WM.

1995-01-01

Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field/Planetary Camera UBV images of three massive, compact multiple systems with the SNR 30 Dor B/NGC 2060 and 30 Dor C/NGC 2044 are discussed and illustrated. In two cases, WN+OB objects have been resolved into additional components to those previously known from ground-based observations, substantially reducing the luminosities of the WN stars and rendering them currently unidentified; in the third case, the components of a B+K composite-spectrum object have been clearly identified. The results are of significance for evolutionary interpretations of these massive stars and for determinations of the upper IMF in extragalactic systems.

Spectral synthesis in the ultraviolet. II - Stellar populations and star formation in blue compact galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fanelli, Michael N.; O'Connell, Robert W.; Thuan, Trinh X.

1988-01-01

An initial attempt to apply optimizing spectral synthesis techniques to the far-UV spectra of blue compact galaxies (BCGs) is presented. The far-UV absorption-line spectra of the galaxies are clearly composite, with the signatures of the main-sequence types between O3 and mid-A. Most of the low-ionization absorption lines have a stellar origin. The Si IV and C IV features in several objects have P Cygni profiles. In Haro I the strength of Si IV indicates a significant blue supergiant population. The metal-poor blue compact dwarf Mrk 209 displays weak absorption lines, evidence that the stellar component has the same low metallicity as observed in the ionized gas. Good fits to the data are obtained the technique of optimizing population synthesis. The solutions yield stellar luminosity functions which display large discontinuities, indicative of discrete star formation episodes or bursts. The amount of UV extinction is low.

Construction of Database for Pulsating Variable Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, B. Q.; Yang, M.; Jiang, B. W.

2011-07-01

A database for the pulsating variable stars is constructed for Chinese astronomers to study the variable stars conveniently. The database includes about 230000 variable stars in the Galactic bulge, LMC and SMC observed by the MACHO (MAssive Compact Halo Objects) and OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) projects at present. The software used for the construction is LAMP, i.e., Linux+Apache+MySQL+PHP. A web page is provided to search the photometric data and the light curve in the database through the right ascension and declination of the object. More data will be incorporated into the database.

Neutron star mergers as a probe of modifications of general relativity with finite-range scalar forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagunski, Laura; Zhang, Jun; Johnson, Matthew C.; Lehner, Luis; Sakellariadou, Mairi; Liebling, Steven L.; Palenzuela, Carlos; Neilsen, David

2018-03-01

Observations of gravitational radiation from compact binary systems provide an unprecedented opportunity to test general relativity in the strong field dynamical regime. In this paper, we investigate how future observations of gravitational radiation from binary neutron star mergers might provide constraints on finite-range forces from a universally coupled massive scalar field. Such scalar degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) are a characteristic feature of many extensions of general relativity. For concreteness, we work in the context of metric f (R ) gravity, which is equivalent to general relativity and a universally coupled scalar field with a nonlinear potential whose form is fixed by the choice of f (R ). In theories where neutron stars (or other compact objects) obtain a significant scalar charge, the resulting attractive finite-range scalar force has implications for both the inspiral and merger phases of binary systems. We first present an analysis of the inspiral dynamics in Newtonian limit, and forecast the constraints on the mass of the scalar and charge of the compact objects for the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave observatory. We then perform a comparative study of binary neutron star mergers in general relativity with those of a one-parameter model of f (R ) gravity using fully relativistic hydrodynamical simulations. These simulations elucidate the effects of the scalar on the merger and postmerger dynamics. We comment on the utility of the full waveform (inspiral, merger, postmerger) to probe different regions of parameter space for both the particular model of f (R ) gravity studied here and for finite-range scalar forces more generally.

Primordial black holes as dark matter: constraints from compact ultra-faint dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qirong; Vasiliev, Eugene; Li, Yuexing; Jing, Yipeng

2018-05-01

The ground-breaking detections of gravitational waves from black hole mergers by LIGO have rekindled interest in primordial black holes (PBHs) and the possibility of dark matter being composed of PBHs. It has been suggested that PBHs of tens of solar masses could serve as dark matter candidates. Recent analytical studies demonstrated that compact ultra-faint dwarf galaxies can serve as a sensitive test for the PBH dark matter hypothesis, since stars in such a halo-dominated system would be heated by the more massive PBHs, their present-day distribution can provide strong constraints on PBH mass. In this study, we further explore this scenario with more detailed calculations, using a combination of dynamical simulations and Bayesian inference methods. The joint evolution of stars and PBH dark matter is followed with a Fokker-Planck code PHASEFLOW. We run a large suite of such simulations for different dark matter parameters, then use a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to constrain the PBH properties with observations of ultra-faint galaxies. We find that two-body relaxation between the stars and PBH drives up the stellar core size, and increases the central stellar velocity dispersion. Using the observed half-light radius and velocity dispersion of stars in the compact ultra-faint dwarf galaxies as joint constraints, we infer that these dwarfs may have a cored dark matter halo with the central density in the range of 1-2 M⊙pc - 3, and that the PBHs may have a mass range of 2-14 M⊙ if they constitute all or a substantial fraction of the dark matter.

AN ULTRA-LOW-MASS AND SMALL-RADIUS COMPACT OBJECT IN 4U 1746-37?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhaosheng; Qu, Zhijie; Guo, Yanjun

Photospheric radius expansion (PRE) bursts have already been used to constrain the masses and radii of neutron stars. RXTE observed three PRE bursts in 4U 1746-37, all with low touchdown fluxes. We discuss here the possibility of a low-mass neutron star in 4U 1746-37 because the Eddington luminosity depends on stellar mass. With typical values of hydrogen mass fraction and color correction factor, a Monte Carlo simulation was applied to constrain the mass and radius of a neutron star in 4U 1746-37. 4U 1746-37 has a high inclination angle. Two geometric effects, the reflection of the far-side accretion disk andmore » the obscuration of the near-side accretion disk, have also been included in the mass and radius constraints of 4U 1746-37. If the reflection of the far-side accretion disk is accounted for, a low-mass compact object (mass of 0.41 ± 0.14 M {sub ☉} and radius of 8.73 ± 1.54 km at 68% confidence) exists in 4U 1746-37. If another effect operated, 4U 1746-37 may contain an ultra-low-mass and small-radius object (M = 0.21 ± 0.06 M {sub ☉}, R = 6.26 ± 0.99 km at 68% confidence). Combining all possibilities, the mass of 4U 1746-37 is 0.41{sub −0.30}{sup +0.70} M{sub ⊙} at 99.7% confidence. For such low-mass neutron stars, it could be reproduced by a self-bound compact star, i.e., a quark star or quark-cluster star.« less

X ray timing observations and gravitational physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michelson, Peter F.; Wood, Kent S.

1989-01-01

Photon-rich x ray observations on bright compact galactic sources will make it possible to detect many fast processes that may occur in these systems on millisecond and submillisecond timescales. Many of these processes are of direct relevance to gravitational physics because they arise in regions of strong gravity near neutron stars and black holes where the dynamical timescales for compact objects of stellar mass are milliseconds. To date, such observations have been limited by the detector area and telemetry rates available. However, instruments such as the proposed X ray Large Array (XLA) would achieve collecting areas of about 100 sq m. This instrument has been described elsewhere (Wood and Michelson 1988) and was the subject of a recent prephase A feasibility study at Marshall Space Flight Center. Observations with an XLA class instrument will directly impact five primary areas of astrophysics research: the attempt to detect gravitational radiation, the study of black holes, the physics of mass accretion onto compact objects, the structure of neutron stars and nuclear matter, and the characterization of dark matter in the universe. Those observations are discussed that are most directly relevant to gravitational physics: the search for millisecond x ray pulsars that are potential sources of continuous gravitational radiation; and the use of x ray timing observations to probe the physical conditions in extreme relativistic regions of space near black holes, both stellar-sized and supermassive.

General relativistic treatment of the thermal, magnetic and rotational evolution of isolated neutron stars with crustal magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Page, D.; Geppert, U.; Zannias, T.

2000-08-01

We investigate the thermal, magnetic and rotational evolution of isolated neutron stars assuming that the dipolar magnetic field is confined to the crust. Our treatment, for the first time, uses a fully general relativistic formalism not only for the thermal but also for the magnetic part, and includes partial general relativistic effects in the rotational part. Due to the fact that the combined evolution depends crucially upon the compactness of the star, three different equations of state have been employed in the calculations. In the absence of general relativistic effects, while upon increasing compactness a decrease of the crust thickness takes place leading into an accelerating field decay, the inclusion of general relativistic effects intend to "decelerate this acceleration". As a consequence we find that, within the crustal field hypothesis, a given equation of state is compatible with the observed distribution of pulsar periods P and period derivative &mathaccent "705Frelax dot; provided the initial field strength and current location as well as the magnitude of the impurity content are appropriately constrained. Finally, we access the flexibility of the soft, medium and stiff classes of equations of state as candidates in describing the state of the matter in the neutron star interiors. The comparison of our model calculations with observations, together with the consideration of independent information about neutron star evolution, suggests that a not too soft equation of state describes neutron star interiors and its cooling proceeds along the `standard' scenario.

PALFA Discovers Neutron Stars on a Collision Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-03-01

Got any plans in 46 million years? If not, you should keep an eye out for PSR J1946+2052 around that time this upcoming merger of two neutron stars promises to be an exciting show!Survey SuccessAverage profile for PSR J1946+2052 at 1.43 GHz from a 2 hr observation from the Arecibo Observatory. [Stovall et al. 2018]It seems like we just wrote about the dearth of known double-neutron-star systems, and about how new surveys are doing their best to find more of these compact binaries. Observing these systems improves our knowledge of how pairs of evolved stars behave before they eventually spiral in, merge, and emit gravitational waves that detectors like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory might observe.Todays study, led by Kevin Stovall (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), goes to show that these surveys are doing a great job so far! Yet another double-neutron-star binary, PSR J1946+2052, has now been discovered as part of the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. This one is especially unique due to the incredible speed with which these neutron stars orbit each other and their correspondingly (relatively!) short timescale for merger.An Extreme ExampleThe PALFA survey, conducted with the enormous 305-meter radio dish at Arecibo, has thus far resulted in the discovery of 180 pulsars including two double-neutron-star systems. The most recent discovery by Stovall and collaborators brings that number up to three, for a grand total of 16 binary-neutron-star systems (confirmed and unconfirmed) known to date.The 305-m Arecibo Radio Telescope, built into the landscape at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. [NOAO/AURA/NSF/H. Schweiker/WIYN]The newest binary in this collection, PSR J1946+2052, exhibits a pulsar with a 17-millisecond spin period thatwhips around its compact companion at a terrifying rate: the binary period is just 1.88 hours. Follow-up observations with the Jansky Very Large Array and other telescopes allowed the team to identify the binarys location to high precision and establish additional parameters of the system.PSR J1946+2052 is a system of extremes. The binarys total mass is found to be 2.5 solar masses, placing it among the lightest binary-neutron-star systems known. Its orbital period is the shortest weve observed, and the two neutron stars are on track to merge in less time than any other known neutron-star binaries: in just 46 million years. When the two stars reach the final stages of their merger, the effects of the pulsars rapid spin on the gravitational-wave signal will be the largest of any such system discovered to date.More Tests of General RelativityWhat can PSR J1946+2052 do for us? This extreme system will be especially useful as a gravitational laboratory. Continued observations of PSR J1946+2052 will pin down with unprecedented precision parameters like the Einstein delay and the rate of decay of the binarys orbit due to the emission of gravitational waves, testing the predictions of general relativity to an order of magnitude higher precision than was possible before.As we expect there to be thousands of systems like PSR J1946+2052 in our galaxy alone, better understanding this binary and finding more like it continue to be important steps toward interpreting compact-object merger observations in the future.CitationK. Stovall et al 2018 ApJL 854 L22. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

Towards a Unified View of Inhomogeneous Stellar Winds in Isolated Supergiant Stars and Supergiant High Mass X-Ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Núñez, Silvia; Kretschmar, Peter; Bozzo, Enrico; Oskinova, Lidia M.; Puls, Joachim; Sidoli, Lara; Sundqvist, Jon Olof; Blay, Pere; Falanga, Maurizio; Fürst, Felix; Gímenez-García, Angel; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kühnel, Matthias; Sander, Andreas; Torrejón, José Miguel; Wilms, Jörn

2017-10-01

Massive stars, at least ˜10 times more massive than the Sun, have two key properties that make them the main drivers of evolution of star clusters, galaxies, and the Universe as a whole. On the one hand, the outer layers of massive stars are so hot that they produce most of the ionizing ultraviolet radiation of galaxies; in fact, the first massive stars helped to re-ionize the Universe after its Dark Ages. Another important property of massive stars are the strong stellar winds and outflows they produce. This mass loss, and finally the explosion of a massive star as a supernova or a gamma-ray burst, provide a significant input of mechanical and radiative energy into the interstellar space. These two properties together make massive stars one of the most important cosmic engines: they trigger the star formation and enrich the interstellar medium with heavy elements, that ultimately leads to formation of Earth-like rocky planets and the development of complex life. The study of massive star winds is thus a truly multidisciplinary field and has a wide impact on different areas of astronomy. In recent years observational and theoretical evidences have been growing that these winds are not smooth and homogeneous as previously assumed, but rather populated by dense "clumps". The presence of these structures dramatically affects the mass loss rates derived from the study of stellar winds. Clump properties in isolated stars are nowadays inferred mostly through indirect methods (i.e., spectroscopic observations of line profiles in various wavelength regimes, and their analysis based on tailored, inhomogeneous wind models). The limited characterization of the clump physical properties (mass, size) obtained so far have led to large uncertainties in the mass loss rates from massive stars. Such uncertainties limit our understanding of the role of massive star winds in galactic and cosmic evolution. Supergiant high mass X-ray binaries (SgXBs) are among the brightest X-ray sources in the sky. A large number of them consist of a neutron star accreting from the wind of a massive companion and producing a powerful X-ray source. The characteristics of the stellar wind together with the complex interactions between the compact object and the donor star determine the observed X-ray output from all these systems. Consequently, the use of SgXBs for studies of massive stars is only possible when the physics of the stellar winds, the compact objects, and accretion mechanisms are combined together and confronted with observations. This detailed review summarises the current knowledge on the theory and observations of winds from massive stars, as well as on observations and accretion processes in wind-fed high mass X-ray binaries. The aim is to combine in the near future all available theoretical diagnostics and observational measurements to achieve a unified picture of massive star winds in isolated objects and in binary systems.

Detecting sub-lunar mass compact objects toward the Local Group galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Kaiki Taro

2018-01-01

By monitoring a large number of stars in the Local Group galaxies, we can detect nanolensing events by sub-lunar mass compact objects (SULCOs) such as primordial black holes (PBHs) and rogue (free-floating) dwarf planets in the Milky Way halo. In contarst to microlensing by stellar-mass objects, the finite-source size effect becomes important and the lensing time duration becomes shorter (∼10 1 - 4s). Using stars with V < 26 in M33 as sources, for one-night observation, we would be able to detect 10 3 - 4 nanolensing events caused by SULCOs in the Milky Way halo with a mass of 10-9M⊙ to 10-7M⊙ for sources with S/N > 5 if SULCOs constitute all the dark matter components. Moreover, we expect 10 1 - 2 events in which bright blue stars with S/N > 100 are weakly amplified due to lensing by SULCOs with a mass range of 10-11M⊙ to 10-9M⊙ . Thus the method would open a new window on SULCOs in the Milky Way halo that would otherwise not be observable.

Correlation between diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) and interstellar extinction using data from Bosscha Compact Spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspitarini, L.; Malasan, H. L.; Aprilia; Arifyanto, M. I.; Lallement, R.; Irfan, M.; Puspitaningrum, E.

2018-04-01

A longstanding challenge in astronomical spectroscopy is to uncover the carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). They are broad absorption features due to the interstellar matter (ISM). They are seen in stellar spectra of background stars or other astronomical objects. Although we do not know utterly the carriers of the DIBs, they can be a promising tracer of the ISM. One of the interesting properties is their correlations with the interstellar (IS) extinction. For each band, the correlation has considerable dispersion and differences that possibly due to the IS physical conditions. Some DIBs are sensitive to the stellar radiation field, and some are not. To study the effect, we measured the DIB observed in Be/B stars spectra. The stars were observed by using Bosscha Compact Spectrograph at the Bosscha Observatory, Lembang, Indonesia. We performed an automated fitting of a combination of a smooth stellar continuum, the DIB profile, and a synthetic telluric transmission to the spectrum. The DIB measurements were compared to the general DIBs-extinction relationship. The correlation is found to be in good agreement with previous determinations.

COLA. III. Radio Detection of Active Galactic Nucleus in Compact Moderate Luminosity Infrared Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parra, R.; Conway, J. E.; Aalto, S.; Appleton, P. N.; Norris, R. P.; Pihlström, Y. M.; Kewley, L. J.

2010-09-01

We present results from 4.8 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) and global very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the northern half of the moderate FIR luminosity (median L IR = 1011.01 L sun) COLA sample of star-forming galaxies. VLBI sources are detected in a high fraction (20/90) of the galaxies observed. The radio luminosities of these cores (~1021 W Hz-1) are too large to be explained by radio supernovae or supernova remnants and we argue that they are instead powered by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These sub-parsec scale radio cores are preferentially detected toward galaxies whose VLA maps show bright 100-500 parsec scale nuclear radio components. Since these latter structures tightly follow the FIR to radio-continuum correlation for star formation, we conclude that the AGN-powered VLBI sources are associated with compact nuclear starburst environments. The implications for possible starburst-AGN connections are discussed. The detected VLBI sources have a relatively narrow range of radio luminosity consistent with models in which intense compact Eddington-limited starbursts regulate the gas supply onto a central supermassive black hole. The high incidence of AGN radio cores in compact starbursts suggests little or no delay between the starburst phase and the onset of AGN activity.

ALMA view of a massive spheroid progenitor: a compact rotating core of molecular gas in an AGN host at z = 2.226

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talia, M.; Pozzi, F.; Vallini, L.; Cimatti, A.; Cassata, P.; Fraternali, F.; Brusa, M.; Daddi, E.; Delvecchio, I.; Ibar, E.; Liuzzo, E.; Vignali, C.; Massardi, M.; Zamorani, G.; Gruppioni, C.; Renzini, A.; Mignoli, M.; Pozzetti, L.; Rodighiero, G.

2018-05-01

We present ALMA observations at 107.291 GHz (band 3) and 214.532 GHz (band 6) of GMASS 0953, a star-forming galaxy at z = 2.226 hosting an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that has been proposed as a progenitor of compact quiescent galaxies (QGs). We measure for the first time the size of the dust and molecular gas emission of GMASS 0953 that we find to be extremely compact (˜1 kpc). This result, coupled with a very high interstellar medium (ISM) density (n ˜ 105.5 cm-3), a low gas mass fraction (˜0.2), and a short gas depletion time-scale (˜150 Myr), implies that GMASS 0953 is experiencing an episode of intense star formation in its central region that will rapidly exhaust its gas reservoirs, likely aided by AGN-induced feedback, confirming its fate as a compact QG. Kinematic analysis of the CO(6-5) line shows evidence of rapidly rotating gas (Vrot = 320^{+92}_{-53} km s-1), as observed also in a handful of similar sources at the same redshift. On-going quenching mechanisms could either destroy the rotation or leave it intact leading the galaxy to evolve into a rotating QG.

Neutron stars: Observational diversity and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safi-Harb, S.

2017-12-01

Ever since the discovery of the Crab and Vela pulsars in their respective Supernova Remnants, our understanding of how neutron stars manifest themselves observationally has been dramatically shaped by the surge of discoveries and dedicated studies across the electromagnetic spectrum, particularly in the high-energy band. The growing diversity of neutron stars includes the highly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars) and the Central Compact Objects shining in X-rays and mostly lacking pulsar wind nebulae. These two subclasses of high-energy objects, however, seem to be characterized by anomalously high or anomalously low surface magnetic fields (thus dubbed as ‘magnetars’ and ‘anti-magnetars’, respectively), and have pulsar characteristic ages that are often much offset from their associated SNRs’ ages. In addition, some neutron stars act ‘schizophrenic’ in that they occasionally display properties that seem common to more than one of the defined subclasses. I review the growing diversity of neutron stars from an observational perspective, then highlight recent and on-going theoretical and observational work attempting to address this diversity, particularly in light of their magnetic field evolution, energy loss mechanisms, and supernova progenitors’ studies.

First results from the faint object camera - High-resolution observations of the central object R136 in the 30 Doradus nebula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weigelt, G.; Albrecht, R.; Barbieri, C.; Blades, J. C.; Boksenberg, A.; Crane, P.; Deharveng, J. M.; Disney, M. J.; Jakobsen, P.; Kamperman, T. M.

1991-01-01

R136 is the luminous central object of the giant H II region 30 Doradus in the LMC. The first high-resolution observations of R136 with the Faint Object Camera on board the Hubble Space Telescope are reported. The physical nature of the brightest component R136a has been a matter of some controversy over the last few years. The UV images obtained show that R136a is a very compact star cluster consisting of more than eight stars within 0.7 arcsec diameter. From these high-resolution images a mass upper limit can be derived for the most luminous stars observed in R136.

How do stars affect ψDM halos?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, James H. H.; Schive, Hsi-Yu; Woo, Tak-Pong; Chiueh, Tzihong

2018-04-01

Wave dark matter (ψDM) predicts a compact soliton core and a granular halo in every galaxy. This work presents the first simulation study of an elliptical galaxy by including both stars and ψDM, focusing on the systematic changes of the central soliton and halo granules. With the addition of stars in the inner halo, we find the soliton core consistently becomes more prominent by absorbing mass from the host halo than that without stars, and the halo granules become "non-isothermal", "hotter" in the inner halo and "cooler" in the outer halo, as opposed to the isothermal halo in pure ψDM cosmological simulations. Moreover, the composite (star+ψDM) mass density is found to follow a r-2 isothermal profile near the half-light radius in most cases. Most striking is the velocity dispersion of halo stars that increases rapidly toward the galactic center by a factor of at least 2 inside the half-light radius caused by the deepened soliton gravitational potential, a result that compares favorably with observations of elliptical galaxies and bulges in spiral galaxies. However in some rare situations we find a phase segregation turning a compact distribution of stars into two distinct populations with high and very low velocity dispersions; while the high-velocity component mostly resides in the halo, the very low-velocity component is bound to the interior of the soliton core, resembling stars in faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

High-Precision Studies of Compact Variable Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloemen, Steven

2014-10-01

This book, which is a reworked and updated version of Steven Bloemen's original PhD thesis, reports on several high-precision studies of compact variable stars. Its strength lies in the large variety of observational, theoretical and instrumentation techniques that are presented and used and paves the way towards new and detailed asteroseismic applications of single and binary subdwarf stars. Close binary stars are studied using high cadence spectroscopic datasets collected with state of the art electron multiplying CCDs and analysed using Doppler tomography visualization techniques. The work touches upon instrumentation, presenting the calibration of a new fast, multi-colour camera installed at the Mercator Telescope on La Palma. The thesis also includes theoretical work on the computation of the temperature range in which stellar oscillations can be driven in subdwarf B-stars. Finally, the highlight of the thesis is the measurement of velocities of stars using only photometric data from NASA's Kepler satellite. Doppler beaming causes stars to appear slightly brighter when they move towards us in their orbits, and this subtle effect can be seen in Kepler's brightness measurements. The thesis presents the first validation of such velocity measurements using independent spectroscopic measurements. Since the detection and validation of this Doppler beaming effect, it has been used in tens of studies to detect and characterize binary star systems, which are key calibrators in stellar astronomy.

I-Love-Q relations for gravastars and the approach to the black-hole limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pani, Paolo

2015-12-01

The multipole moments and the tidal Love numbers of neutron stars and quark stars satisfy certain relations which are almost insensitive to the star's internal structure. A natural question is whether the same relations hold for different compact objects and how they possibly approach the black-hole limit. Here we consider "gravastars," which are hypothetical compact objects sustained by their internal vacuum energy. Such solutions have been proposed as exotic alternatives to the black-hole paradigm because they can be as compact as black holes and exist in any mass range. By constructing slowly rotating, thin-shell gravastars to quadratic order in the spin, we compute the moment of inertia I , the mass quadrupole moment Q , and the tidal Love number λ in exact form. The I -λ -Q relations of a gravastar are dramatically different from those of an ordinary compact star, but the black-hole limit is continuous; i.e., these quantities approach their Kerr counterparts when the compactness is maximum. Therefore, such relations can be used to discern a gravastar from an ordinary compact star but not to break the degeneracy with the black-hole case. Based on these results, we conjecture that the full multipolar structure and the tidal deformability of a spinning, ultracompact gravastar are identical to those of a Kerr black hole. The approach to the black-hole limit is nonpolynomial, thus differing from the critical behavior recently found for strongly anisotropic neutron stars.

Near infrared observations of S 155. Evidence of induced star formation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, L. K.; Lisi, F.; Felli, M.; Tofani, G.

In order to investigate the possible existence of embedded objects of recent formation in the area of the Cepheus B - Sh2-155 interface, the authors have observed the region of the compact radio continuum source with the new near infrared camera ARNICA and the TIRGO telescope.

Identifying Bright X-Ray Beasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-10-01

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are astronomical sources of X-rays that, while dimmer than active galactic nuclei, are nonetheless brighter than any known stellar process. What are these beasts and why do they shine so brightly?Exceeding the LimitFirst discovered in the 1980s, ULXs are rare sources that have nonetheless been found in all types of galaxies. Though the bright X-ray radiation seems likely to be coming from compact objects accreting gas, theres a problem with this theory: ULXs outshine the Eddington luminosity for stellar-mass compact objects. This means that a stellar-mass object couldnt emit this much radiation isotropically without blowing itself apart.There are two alternative explanations commonly proposed for ULXs:Rather than being accreting stellar-mass compact objects, they are accreting intermediate-mass black holes. A hypothetical black hole of 100 solar masses or more would have a much higher Eddington luminosity than a stellar-mass black hole, making the luminosities that we observe from ULXs feasible.An example of one of the common routes the authors find for a binary system to become a ULX. In this case, the binary begins as two main sequence stars. As one star evolves off the main sequence, the binary undergoes a common envelope phase and a stage of mass transfer. The star ends its life as a supernova, and the resulting neutron star then accretes matter from the main sequence star as a ULX. [Wiktorowicz et al. 2017]They are ordinary X-ray binaries (a stellar-mass compact object accreting matter from a companion star), but they are undergoing a short phase of extreme accretion. During this time, their emission is beamed into jets, making them appear brighter than the Eddington luminosity.Clues from a New DiscoveryA few years ago, a new discovery shed some light on ULXs: M82 X-2, a pulsing ULX. Two more pulsing ULXs have been discovered since then, demonstrating that at least some ULXs contain pulsars i.e., neutron stars as the accreting object. This provided strong support for the second model of ULXs as X-ray binaries with super-Eddington luminosity.But could this model in fact account for all ULXs? A team of authors led by Grzegorz Wiktorowicz (Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UC Santa Barbara and Warsaw University, Poland) says yes.Time evolution of the number of ULXs since the beginning of star formation, for a star formation burst (left panels) and continuous star formation (right panels), and for solar-metallicity (top panels) and low-metallicity (bottom panels) environments. The heavy solid line shows ULXs with black-hole accretors, the dashed line ULXs with neutron-star accretors, and the solid line the total. [Wiktorowicz et al. 2017]No Exotic Objects NeededWiktorowicz and collaborators performed a massive suite of simulations made possible by donated computer time from the Universe@Home project to examine how 20 million binary systems evolve into X-ray binaries. They then determined the number and nature of the ones that could appear as ULXs to us. The authors results show that the vast majority of the observed population of ULXs can be accounted for with super-Eddington compact binaries, without needing to invoke intermediate-mass black holes.Wiktorowicz and collaborators demonstrate that in environments with short star-formation bursts, black-hole accretors are the most common ULX source in the early periods after the burst, but neutron-star accretors dominate the ULX population after a few 100 Myr. In the case of prolonged and continuous star formation, neutron-star accretors dominate ULXs if the environment is solar metallicity, whereas black-hole accretors dominate in low-metallicity environments.The authors results present very clear and testable relations between the companion and donor star evolutionary stage and the age of the system, which we will hopefully be able to use to test this model with future observations of ULXs.CitationGrzegorz Wiktorowicz et al 2017 ApJ 846 17. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa821d

Compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estevez-Delgado, Gabino; Estevez-Delgado, Joaquin

2018-05-01

An analysis and construction is presented for a stellar model characterized by two parameters (w, n) associated with the compactness ratio and anisotropy, respectively. The reliability range for the parameter w ≤ 1.97981225149 corresponds with a compactness ratio u ≤ 0.2644959374, the density and pressures are positive, regular and monotonic decrescent functions, the radial and tangential speed of sound are lower than the light speed, moreover, than the plausible stability. The behavior of the speeds of sound are determinate for the anisotropy parameter n, admitting a subinterval where the speeds are monotonic crescent functions and other where we have monotonic decrescent functions for the same speeds, both cases describing a compact object that is also potentially stable. In the bigger value for the observational mass M = 2.05 M⊙ and radii R = 12.957 Km for the star PSR J0348+0432, the model indicates that the maximum central density ρc = 1.283820319 × 1018 Kg/m3 corresponds to the maximum value of the anisotropy parameter and the radial and tangential speed of the sound are monotonic decrescent functions.

Sleuthing the Isolated Compact Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, J. J.

2004-08-01

In the early 1990's, isolated thermally-emitting neutron stars accreting from the interstellar medium were predicted to show up in their thousands in the ROSAT soft X-ray all-sky survey. The glut of sources would provide unprecedented opportunities for probing the equation of state of ultra-dense matter. Only seven objects have been firmly identified to date. The reasons for this discrepency are discussed and recent high resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of these objects are described. Spectra of the brightest of the isolated neutron star candidates, RX J1856.5-3754, continue to present interpretational difficulties for current neutron star model atmospheres and alternative models are briefly discussed. RX J1856.5-3754 remains a valid quark star candidate.

Shedding light on baryonic dark matter.

PubMed

Silk, J

1991-02-01

Halo dark matter, if it is baryonic, may plausibly consist of compact stellar remnants. Jeans mass clouds containing 10(6) to 10(8) solar masses could have efficiently formed stars in the early universe and could plausibly have generated, for a suitably top-heavy stellar initial mass function, a high abundance of neutron stars as well as a small admixture of long-lived low mass stars. Within the resulting clusters of dark remnants, which eventually are tidally disrupted when halos eventually form, captures of neutron stars by non-degenerate stars resulted in formation of close binaries. These evolve to produce, by the present epoch, an observable x-ray signal associated with dark matter aggregations in galaxy halos and galaxy cluster cores.

Construction of the Database for Pulsating Variable Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bing-Qiu; Yang, Ming; Jiang, Bi-Wei

2012-01-01

A database for pulsating variable stars is constructed to favor the study of variable stars in China. The database includes about 230,000 variable stars in the Galactic bulge, LMC and SMC observed in an about 10 yr period by the MACHO(MAssive Compact Halo Objects) and OGLE(Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) projects. The software used for the construction is LAMP, i.e., Linux+Apache+MySQL+PHP. A web page is provided for searching the photometric data and light curves in the database through the right ascension and declination of an object. Because of the flexibility of this database, more up-to-date data of variable stars can be incorporated into the database conveniently.

Building the Hot Intra-Group Medium in Spiral-Rich Compact Groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Sullivan, Ewan

2014-11-01

Galaxy groups provide a natural laboratory for investigating the formation of the hot intergalactic medium (IGM). While galaxy clusters gain most of their hot gas through accretion and gravitational shocks, in groups the processes of galaxy evolution (stripping, collisions, star formation) play an important role in the initial build up of the hot halo. We present Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of groups still in the process of forming their IGM, including the well known compact groups HCG 16 and Stephan's Quintet (HCG 92). We show that starburst winds and shock-heating of stripped HI provide important contributions of gas and metals to the IGM, and discuss the impact of gas stripping, enhanced star formation and nuclear activity in the group member galaxies.

The nature of the central parsec of the Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lacy, J. H.; Townes, C. H.; Hollenbach, D. J.

1982-01-01

Observations of infrared fine-structure line emission from compact clouds of ionized gas in the galactic center have been reported by Lacy et al (1979, 1980). These observations suggest the existence of a central black hole of nearly 3,000,000 solar masses and require mechanisms to generate, ionize, and dispose of the gas clouds. It is found that the best model to fulfill these requirements involves cloud generation through disruption of red giants by stellar collisions, ionization by a population of stars which is affected either by enhanced metal abundances or the death of the most massive stars, and gas disposal by star formation. Although the existence of a massive black hole cannot be ruled out, it would play no necessary role in this model and may cause the tidal disruption of stars at a rate such that their accretion into the black hole would produce more radiation than is observed.

Tidal interaction, star formation and chemical evolution in blue compact dwarf galaxy Mrk 22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paswan, A.; Omar, A.; Jaiswal, S.

2018-02-01

The optical spectroscopic and radio interferometric H I 21 cm-line observations of the blue compact dwarf galaxy Mrk 22 are presented. The Wolf-Rayet (WR) emission-line features corresponding to high ionization lines of He II λ4686 and C IV λ5808 from young massive stars are detected. The ages of two prominent star-forming regions in the galaxy are estimated as ∼10 and ∼ 4 Myr. The galaxy has non-thermal radio deficiency, which also indicates a young starburst and lack of supernovae events from the current star formation activities, consistent with the detection of WR emission-line features. A significant N/O enrichment is seen in the fainter star-forming region. The gas-phase metallicities [12 + log(O/H)] for the bright and faint regions are estimated as 7.98±0.07 and 7.46±0.09, respectively. The galaxy has a large diffuse H I envelop. The H I images reveal disturbed gas kinematics and H I clouds outside the optical extent of the galaxy, indicating recent tidal interaction or merger in the system. The results strongly indicate that Mrk 22 is undergoing a chemical and morphological evolution due to ongoing star formation, most likely triggered by a merger.

Neutron-Star Radius from a Population of Binary Neutron Star Mergers.

PubMed

Bose, Sukanta; Chakravarti, Kabir; Rezzolla, Luciano; Sathyaprakash, B S; Takami, Kentaro

2018-01-19

We show how gravitational-wave observations with advanced detectors of tens to several tens of neutron-star binaries can measure the neutron-star radius with an accuracy of several to a few percent, for mass and spatial distributions that are realistic, and with none of the sources located within 100 Mpc. We achieve such an accuracy by combining measurements of the total mass from the inspiral phase with those of the compactness from the postmerger oscillation frequencies. For estimating the measurement errors of these frequencies, we utilize analytical fits to postmerger numerical relativity waveforms in the time domain, obtained here for the first time, for four nuclear-physics equations of state and a couple of values for the mass. We further exploit quasiuniversal relations to derive errors in compactness from those frequencies. Measuring the average radius to well within 10% is possible for a sample of 100 binaries distributed uniformly in volume between 100 and 300 Mpc, so long as the equation of state is not too soft or the binaries are not too heavy. We also give error estimates for the Einstein Telescope.

NuSTAR constraints on coronal cutoffs in Swift-BAT selected Seyfert 1 AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamraj, Nikita; Harrison, Fiona; Balokovic, Mislav; Brightman, Murray; Stern, Daniel

2017-08-01

The continuum X-ray emission from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is believed to originate in a hot, compact corona above the accretion disk. Compton upscattering of UV photons from the inner accretion disk by coronal electrons produces a power law X-ray continuum with a cutoff at energies determined by the electron temperature. The NuSTAR observatory, with its high sensitivity in hard X-rays, has enabled detailed broadband modeling of the X-ray spectra of AGN, thereby allowing tight constraints to be placed on the high-energy cutoff of the X-ray continuum. Recent detections of low cutoff energies in Seyfert 1 AGN in the NuSTAR band have motivated us to pursue a systematic search for low cutoff candidates in Swift-BAT detected Seyfert 1 AGN that have been observed with NuSTAR. We use our constraints on the cutoff energy to map out the location of these sources on the compactness - temperature diagram for AGN coronae, and discuss the implications of low cutoff energies for the cooling and thermalization mechanisms in the corona.

GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Afrough, M.; Agarwal, B.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Amato, A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Angelova, S. V.; Antier, S.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Atallah, D. V.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; AultONeal, K.; Austin, C.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Bae, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Banagiri, S.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barkett, K.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Bawaj, M.; Bayley, J. C.; Bazzan, M.; Bécsy, B.; Beer, C.; Bejger, M.; Belahcene, I.; Bell, A. S.; Berger, B. K.; Bergmann, G.; Bero, J. J.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Billman, C. R.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Birnholtz, O.; Biscans, S.; Biscoveanu, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackman, J.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bode, N.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bohe, A.; Bondu, F.; Bonilla, E.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bossie, K.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Broida, J. E.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brunett, S.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cabero, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Bustillo, J. Calderón; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Canepa, M.; Canizares, P.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, H.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Carney, M. F.; Diaz, J. Casanueva; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Cerdá-Durán, P.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chase, E.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chatterjee, D.; Cheeseboro, B. D.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H.-P.; Chia, H.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Chmiel, T.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, A. J. K.; Chua, S.; Chung, A. K. W.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Ciolfi, R.; Cirelli, C. E.; Cirone, A.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Clearwater, P.; Cleva, F.; Cocchieri, C.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Cohen, D.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L. R.; Constancio, M.; Conti, L.; Cooper, S. J.; Corban, P.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cordero-Carrión, I.; Corley, K. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Covas, P. B.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cullen, T. J.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Dálya, G.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dasgupta, A.; Da Silva Costa, C. F.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Davier, M.; Davis, D.; Daw, E. J.; Day, B.; De, S.; DeBra, D.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Demos, N.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; De Pietri, R.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; De Rossi, C.; DeSalvo, R.; de Varona, O.; Devenson, J.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Renzo, F.; Doctor, Z.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Dorrington, I.; Douglas, R.; Dovale Álvarez, M.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Dreissigacker, C.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dupej, P.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Eisenstein, R. A.; Essick, R. C.; Estevez, D.; Etienne, Z. B.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Fauchon-Jones, E. J.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fee, C.; Fehrmann, H.; Feicht, J.; Fejer, M. M.; Fernandez-Galiana, A.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Finstad, D.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fishbach, M.; Fisher, R. P.; Fitz-Axen, M.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fong, H.; Font, J. A.; Forsyth, P. W. F.; Forsyth, S. S.; Fournier, J.-D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fries, E. M.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H.; Gadre, B. U.; Gaebel, S. M.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Ganija, M. R.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garcia-Quiros, C.; Garufi, F.; Gateley, B.; Gaudio, S.; Gaur, G.; Gayathri, V.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, D.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghonge, S.; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glover, L.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gomes, S.; Goncharov, B.; González, G.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Gretarsson, E. M.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Gruning, P.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Halim, O.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hamilton, E. Z.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hannuksela, O. A.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hinderer, T.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Horst, C.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hreibi, A.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Inta, R.; Intini, G.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kamai, B.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Kapadia, S. J.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katolik, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kemball, A. J.; Kennedy, R.; Kent, C.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Kim, W. S.; Kim, Y.-M.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinley-Hanlon, M.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Knowles, T. D.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Krämer, C.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Kwang, S.; Lackey, B. D.; Lai, K. H.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, H. W.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Linker, S. D.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lo, R. K. L.; Lockerbie, N. A.; London, L. T.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lousto, C. O.; Lovelace, G.; Lück, H.; Lumaca, D.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macas, R.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña Hernandez, I.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magaña Zertuche, L.; Magee, R. M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markakis, C.; Markosyan, A. S.; Markowitz, A.; Maros, E.; Marquina, A.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Massera, E.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matas, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McCuller, L.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McNeill, L.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Mehmet, M.; Meidam, J.; Mejuto-Villa, E.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Milovich-Goff, M. C.; Minazzoli, O.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moffa, D.; Moggi, A.; Mogushi, K.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muñiz, E. A.; Muratore, M.; Murray, P. G.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Neilson, J.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Nevin, L.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Ng, K. K. Y.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nichols, D.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; North, C.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; O'Dea, G. D.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Okada, M. A.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; Ormiston, R.; Ortega, L. F.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ossokine, S.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pace, A. E.; Page, J.; Page, M. A.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, Howard; Pan, Huang-Wei; Pang, B.; Pang, P. T. H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Parida, A.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patil, M.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pirello, M.; Pitkin, M.; Poe, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Porter, E. K.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Pratten, G.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rajbhandari, B.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramirez, K. E.; Ramos-Buades, A.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Ren, W.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Ricker, P. M.; Rieger, S.; Riles, K.; Rizzo, M.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romel, C. L.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Ross, M. P.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Rutins, G.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Sakellariadou, M.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sampson, L. M.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sanchez, L. E.; Sanchis-Gual, N.; Sandberg, V.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Scheel, M.; Scheuer, J.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schulte, B. W.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwalbe, S. G.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Seidel, E.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shah, A. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaner, M. B.; Shao, L.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, R. J. E.; Somala, S.; Son, E. J.; Sonnenberg, J. A.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Spencer, A. P.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staats, K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stevenson, S. P.; Stone, R.; Stops, D. J.; Strain, K. A.; Stratta, G.; Strigin, S. E.; Strunk, A.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sunil, S.; Suresh, J.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Tait, S. C.; Talbot, C.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Taracchini, A.; Tasson, J. D.; Taylor, J. A.; Taylor, R.; Tewari, S. V.; Theeg, T.; Thies, F.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toland, K.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torres-Forné, A.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tsang, K. W.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Tsukada, L.; Tsuna, D.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ueno, K.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walet, R.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, J. Z.; Wang, W. H.; Wang, Y. F.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wessel, E. K.; Weßels, P.; Westerweck, J.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Wilken, D.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Wofford, J.; Wong, K. W. K.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wysocki, D. M.; Xiao, S.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yang, L.; Yap, M. J.; Yazback, M.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; ZadroŻny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zelenova, T.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2018-03-01

The LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaborations have announced the event GW170817, the first detection of gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars. The merger rate of binary neutron stars estimated from this event suggests that distant, unresolvable binary neutron stars create a significant astrophysical stochastic gravitational-wave background. The binary neutron star component will add to the contribution from binary black holes, increasing the amplitude of the total astrophysical background relative to previous expectations. In the Advanced LIGO-Virgo frequency band most sensitive to stochastic backgrounds (near 25 Hz), we predict a total astrophysical background with amplitude ΩGW(f =25 Hz )=1. 8-1.3+2.7×10-9 with 90% confidence, compared with ΩGW(f =25 Hz )=1. 1-0.7+1.2×10-9 from binary black holes alone. Assuming the most probable rate for compact binary mergers, we find that the total background may be detectable with a signal-to-noise-ratio of 3 after 40 months of total observation time, based on the expected timeline for Advanced LIGO and Virgo to reach their design sensitivity.

The origin of ultra-compact binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hachisu, Izumi; Miyaji, Shigeki; Saio, Hideyuki

1987-01-01

The origin of ultra-compact binaries composed of a neutron star and a low-mass (about 0.06 solar mass) white dwarf is considered. Taking account of the systemic losses of mass and angular momentum, it was found that a serious difficulty exists in the scenarios which involve tidal captures of a normal star (a main sequence star or a red giant) by a neutron star. This difficulty can be avoided if a red giant star is captured by a massive white dwarf (M is approx. greater than 1.2 solar masses), which becomes a neutron star through the accretion induced collapse.

The MUCHFUSS project - searching for hot subdwarf binaries with massive unseen companions. Survey, target selection and atmospheric parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geier, S.; Hirsch, H.; Tillich, A.; Maxted, P. F. L.; Bentley, S. J.; Østensen, R. H.; Heber, U.; Gänsicke, B. T.; Marsh, T. R.; Napiwotzki, R.; Barlow, B. N.; O'Toole, S. J.

2011-06-01

The project Massive Unseen Companions to Hot Faint Underluminous Stars from SDSS (MUCHFUSS) aims at finding sdBs with compact companions like supermassive white dwarfs (M > 1.0 M⊙), neutron stars or black holes. The existence of such systems is predicted by binary evolution theory and recent discoveries indicate that they are likely to exist in our Galaxy. A determination of the orbital parameters is sufficient to put a lower limit on the companion mass by calculating the binary mass function. If this lower limit exceeds the Chandrasekhar mass and no sign of a companion is visible in the spectra, the existence of a massive compact companion is proven without the need for any additional assumptions. We identified about 1100 hot subdwarf stars from the SDSS by colour selection and visual inspection of their spectra. Stars with high velocities have been reobserved and individual SDSS spectra have been analysed. In total 127 radial velocity variable subdwarfs have been discovered. Binaries with high RV shifts and binaries with moderate shifts within short timespans have the highest probability of hosting massive compact companions. Atmospheric parameters of 69 hot subdwarfs in these binary systems have been determined by means of a quantitative spectral analysis. The atmospheric parameter distribution of the selected sample does not differ from previously studied samples of hot subdwarfs. The systems are considered the best candidates to search for massive compact companions by follow-up time resolved spectroscopy. Based on observations at the Paranal Observatory of the European Southern Observatory for programme number 081.D-0819. Based on observations at the La Silla Observatory of the European Southern Observatory for programme number 082.D-0649. Based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by the Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). Based on observations with the William Herschel Telescope operated by the Isaac Newton Group at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias on the island of La Palma, Spain.Tables 2-4 and Appendix A are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Tidal Love numbers of neutron and self-bound quark stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Postnikov, Sergey; Prakash, Madappa; Lattimer, James M.

Gravitational waves from the final stages of inspiraling binary neutron stars are expected to be one of the most important sources for ground-based gravitational wave detectors. The masses of the components are determinable from the orbital and chirp frequencies during the early part of the evolution, and large finite-size (tidal) effects are measurable toward the end of inspiral, but the gravitational wave signal is expected to be very complex at this time. Tidal effects during the early part of the evolution will form a very small correction, but during this phase the signal is relatively clean. The accumulated phase shiftmore » due to tidal corrections is characterized by a single quantity related to a star's tidal Love number. The Love number is sensitive, in particular, to the compactness parameter M/R and the star's internal structure, and its determination could provide an important constraint to the neutron star radius. We show that Love numbers of self-bound strange quark matter stars are qualitatively different from those of normal neutron stars. Observations of the tidal signature from coalescing compact binaries could therefore provide an important, and possibly unique, way to distinguish self-bound strange quark stars from normal neutron stars. Tidal signatures from self-bound strange quark stars with masses smaller than 1M{sub {center_dot}}are substantially smaller than those of normal stars owing to their smaller radii. Thus tidal signatures of stars less massive than 1M{sub {center_dot}}are probably not detectable with Advanced LIGO. For stars with masses in the range 1-2M{sub {center_dot},} the anticipated efficiency of the proposed Einstein telescope would be required for the detection of tidal signatures.« less

Compact Objects In Binary Systems: Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries and Tides in Double White Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valsecchi, Francesca

Binary star systems hosting black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs are unique laboratories for investigating both extreme physical conditions, and stellar and binary evolution. Black holes and neutron stars are observed in X-ray binaries, where mass accretion from a stellar companion renders them X-ray bright. Although instruments like Chandra have revolutionized the field of X-ray binaries, our theoretical understanding of their origin and formation lags behind. Progress can be made by unravelling the evolutionary history of observed systems. As part of my thesis work, I have developed an analysis method that uses detailed stellar models and all the observational constraints of a system to reconstruct its evolutionary path. This analysis models the orbital evolution from compact-object formation to the present time, the binary orbital dynamics due to explosive mass loss and a possible kick at core collapse, and the evolution from the progenitor's Zero Age Main Sequence to compact-object formation. This method led to a theoretical model for M33 X-7, one of the most massive X-ray binaries known and originally marked as an evolutionary challenge. Compact objects are also expected gravitational wave (GW) sources. In particular, double white dwarfs are both guaranteed GW sources and observed electromagnetically. Although known systems show evidence of tidal deformation and a successful GW astronomy requires realistic models of the sources, detached double white dwarfs are generally approximated to point masses. For the first time, I used realistic models to study tidally-driven periastron precession in eccentric binaries. I demonstrated that its imprint on the GW signal yields constrains on the components' masses and that the source would be misclassified if tides are neglected. Beyond this adiabatic precession, tidal dissipation creates a sink of orbital angular momentum. Its efficiency is strongest when tides are dynamic and excite the components' free oscillation modes. Accounting for this effect will determine whether our interpretation of current and future observations will constrain the sources' true physical properties. To investigate dynamic tides I have developed CAFein, a novel code that calculates forced non-adiabatic stellar oscillations using a highly stable and efficient numerical method.

DETECTION OF STRONG MILLIMETER EMISSION FROM THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DUST DISK AROUND V1094 SCO: COLD AND MASSIVE DISK AROUND A T TAURI STAR IN A QUIESCENT ACCRETION PHASE?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsukagoshi, Takashi; Kohno, Kotaro; Saito, Masao

2011-01-01

We present the discovery of a cold massive dust disk around the T Tauri star V1094 Sco in the Lupus molecular cloud from the 1.1 mm continuum observations with AzTEC on ASTE. A compact (r{approx}< 320 AU) continuum emission coincides with the stellar position having a flux density of 272 mJy, which is the largest among T Tauri stars in Lupus. We also present the detection of molecular gas associated with the star in the five-point observations in {sup 12}CO J = 3-2 and {sup 13}CO J = 3-2. Since our {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO observations did not showmore » any signature of a large-scale outflow or a massive envelope, the compact dust emission is likely to come from a disk around the star. The observed spectral energy distribution (SED) of V1094 Sco shows no distinct turnover from near-infrared to millimeter wavelengths, can be well described by a flattened disk for the dust component, and no clear dip feature around 10 {mu}m suggestive of the absence of an inner hole in the disk. We fit a simple power-law disk model to the observed SED. The estimated disk mass ranges from 0.03 M{sub sun} to {approx}>0.12 M{sub sun}, which is one or two orders of magnitude larger than the median disk mass of T Tauri stars in Taurus. The resultant temperature is lower than that of a flared disk with well-mixed dust in hydrostatic equilibrium and is probably attributed to the flattened disk geometry for the dust which the central star cannot illuminate efficiently. From these results, together with the fact that there is no signature of an inner hole in the SED, we suggest that the dust grains in the disk around V1094 Sco sank into the midplane with grain growth by coalescence and are in the evolutional stage just prior to or at the formation of planetesimals.« less

A0535+26 - Refined position measurement and new pulse period data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, F.; Clark, G. W.; Jernigan, J. G.; Rappaport, S.

1979-01-01

The hard, pulsing, transient X-ray source A0535+26 has been observed with SAS 3 on three occasions during 1977-1978. These observations have yielded a precise position measurement (20 arcsec error radius), which renders the identification of A0535+26 with the Be star HDE 245770 virtually certain. The pulse phase was tracked for about 9 days in April 1978 and clearly showed both first and second derivatives in the pulse period. An analysis of these timing data, combined with data from previous observations, leads to the following conclusions: (1) a significant fraction of the observed changes in pulse period is probably intrinsic to the compact X-ray star (e.g., accretion torques on a neutron star), and (2) conservative limits on binary orbital parameters tend to further confirm a long orbital period (at least about 20 days).

COSMIC probes into compact binary formation and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breivik, Katelyn

2018-01-01

The population of compact binaries in the galaxy represents the final state of all binaries that have lived up to the present epoch. Compact binaries present a unique opportunity to probe binary evolution since many of the interactions binaries experience can be imprinted on the compact binary population. By combining binary evolution simulations with catalogs of observable compact binary systems, we can distill the dominant physical processes that govern binary star evolution, as well as predict the abundance and variety of their end products.The next decades herald a previously unseen opportunity to study compact binaries. Multi-messenger observations from telescopes across all wavelengths and gravitational-wave observatories spanning several decades of frequency will give an unprecedented view into the structure of these systems and the composition of their components. Observations will not always be coincident and in some cases may be separated by several years, providing an avenue for simulations to better constrain binary evolution models in preparation for future observations.I will present the results of three population synthesis studies of compact binary populations carried out with the Compact Object Synthesis and Monte Carlo Investigation Code (COSMIC). I will first show how binary-black-hole formation channels can be understood with LISA observations. I will then show how the population of double white dwarfs observed with LISA and Gaia could provide a detailed view of mass transfer and accretion. Finally, I will show that Gaia could discover thousands black holes in the Milky Way through astrometric observations, yielding view into black-hole astrophysics that is complementary to and independent from both X-ray and gravitational-wave astronomy.

The Maximum Mass of Rotating Strange Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szkudlarek, M.; Gondek-Rosiń; ska, D.; Villain, L.; Ansorg, M.

2012-12-01

Strange quark stars are considered as a possible alternative to neutron stars as compact objects (e.g. Weber 2003). A hot compact star (a proto-neutron star or a strange star) born in a supernova explosion or a remnant of neutron stars binary merger are expected to rotate differentially and be important sources of gravitational waves. We present results of the first relativistic calculations of differentially rotating strange quark stars for broad ranges of degree of differential rotation and maximum densities. Using a highly accurate, relativistic code we show that rotation may cause a significant increase of maximum allowed mass of strange stars, much larger than in the case of neutron stars with the same degree of differential rotation. Depending on the maximum allowed mass a massive neutron star (strange star) can be temporarily stabilized by differential rotation or collapse to a black hole.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alatalo, Katherine; Lanz, Lauranne; Bitsakis, Theodoros

NGC 1266 is a nearby lenticular galaxy that harbors a massive outflow of molecular gas powered by the mechanical energy of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). It has been speculated that such outflows hinder star formation (SF) in their host galaxies, providing a form of feedback to the process of galaxy formation. Previous studies, however, indicated that only jets from extremely rare, high-power quasars or radio galaxies could impart significant feedback on their hosts. Here we present detailed observations of the gas and dust continuum of NGC 1266 at millimeter wavelengths. Our observations show that molecular gas is being drivenmore » out of the nuclear region at M-dot {sub out}≈110 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup –1}, of which the vast majority cannot escape the nucleus. Only 2 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} is actually capable of escaping the galaxy. Most of the molecular gas that remains is very inefficient at forming stars. The far-infrared emission is dominated by an ultra-compact (≲ 50 pc) source that could either be powered by an AGN or by an ultra-compact starburst. The ratio of the SF surface density (Σ{sub SFR}) to the gas surface density (Σ{sub H{sub 2}}) indicates that SF is suppressed by a factor of ≈50 compared to normal star-forming galaxies if all gas is forming stars, and ≈150 for the outskirt (98%) dense molecular gas if the central region is powered by an ultra-compact starburst. The AGN-driven bulk outflow could account for this extreme suppression by hindering the fragmentation and gravitational collapse necessary to form stars through a process of turbulent injection. This result suggests that even relatively common, low-power AGNs are able to alter the evolution of their host galaxies as their black holes grow onto the M-σ relation.« less

The JCMT Gould Belt Survey: A First Look at the Auriga–California Molecular Cloud with SCUBA-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broekhoven-Fiene, H.; Matthews, B. C.; Harvey, P.; Kirk, H.; Chen, M.; Currie, M. J.; Pattle, K.; Lane, J.; Buckle, J.; Di Francesco, J.; Drabek-Maunder, E.; Johnstone, D.; Berry, D. S.; Fich, M.; Hatchell, J.; Jenness, T.; Mottram, J. C.; Nutter, D.; Pineda, J. E.; Quinn, C.; Salji, C.; Tisi, S.; Hogerheijde, M. R.; Ward-Thompson, D.; Bastien, P.; Bresnahan, D.; Butner, H.; Chrysostomou, A.; Coude, S.; Davis, C. J.; Duarte-Cabral, A.; Fiege, J.; Friberg, P.; Friesen, R.; Fuller, G. A.; Graves, S.; Greaves, J.; Gregson, J.; Holland, W.; Joncas, G.; Kirk, J. M.; Knee, L. B. G.; Mairs, S.; Marsh, K.; Moriarty-Schieven, G.; Mowat, C.; Rawlings, J.; Richer, J.; Robertson, D.; Rosolowsky, E.; Rumble, D.; Sadavoy, S.; Thomas, H.; Tothill, N.; Viti, S.; White, G. J.; Wilson, C. D.; Wouterloot, J.; Yates, J.; Zhu, M.

2018-01-01

We present 850 and 450 μm observations of the dense regions within the Auriga–California molecular cloud using SCUBA-2 as part of the JCMT Gould Belt Legacy Survey to identify candidate protostellar objects, measure the masses of their circumstellar material (disk and envelope), and compare the star formation to that in the Orion A molecular cloud. We identify 59 candidate protostars based on the presence of compact submillimeter emission, complementing these observations with existing Herschel/SPIRE maps. Of our candidate protostars, 24 are associated with young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Spitzer and Herschel/PACS catalogs of 166 and 60 YSOs, respectively (177 unique), confirming their protostellar nature. The remaining 35 candidate protostars are in regions, particularly around LkHα 101, where the background cloud emission is too bright to verify or rule out the presence of the compact 70 μm emission that is expected for a protostellar source. We keep these candidate protostars in our sample but note that they may indeed be prestellar in nature. Our observations are sensitive to the high end of the mass distribution in Auriga–Cal. We find that the disparity between the richness of infrared star-forming objects in Orion A and the sparsity in Auriga–Cal extends to the submillimeter, suggesting that the relative star formation rates have not varied over the Class II lifetime and that Auriga–Cal will maintain a lower star formation efficiency.

180-GHz Interferometric Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kangaslahti, Pekka P.; Lim, Boon H.; O'Dwyer, Ian J.; Soria, Mary M.; Owen, Heather R.; Gaier, Todd C.; Lambrigtsen, Bjorn, H.; Tanner, Alan B.; Ruf, Christopher

2011-01-01

A 180-GHz interferometric imager uses compact receiver modules, combined high- and low-gain antennas, and ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) correlator technology, enabling continuous, all-weather observations of water vapor with 25-km resolution and 0.3-K noise in 15 minutes of observation for numerical weather forecasting and tropical storm prediction. The GeoSTAR-II prototype instrument is broken down into four major subsystems: the compact, low-noise receivers; sub-array modules; IF signal distribution; and the digitizer/correlator. Instead of the single row of antennas adopted in GeoSTAR, this version has four rows of antennas on a coarser grid. This dramatically improves the sensitivity in the desired field of view. The GeoSTAR-II instrument is a 48-element, synthetic, thinned aperture radiometer operating at 165-183 GHz. The instrument has compact receivers integrated into tiles of 16 elements in a 4x4 arrangement. These tiles become the building block of larger arrays. The tiles contain signal distribution for bias controls, IF signal, and local oscillator signals. The IF signals are digitized and correlated using an ASIC correlator to minimize power consumption. Previous synthetic aperture imagers have used comparatively large multichip modules, whereas this approach uses chip-scale modules mounted on circuit boards, which are in turn mounted on the distribution manifolds. This minimizes the number of connectors and reduces system mass. The use of ASIC technology in the digitizers and correlators leads to a power reduction close to an order of magnitude.

Research Developments in Li-Paczyński Novae (II): Observational Aspect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan-qin, Wang; Zi-gao, Dai; Xue-feng, Wu

2016-10-01

Since the LP-Nova models were proposed, and the short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) afterglows were confirmed, people have actively made searches for the evidence of the existence of LP-Novae among the optical (or near-infrared) counterparts of SGRBs. In this paper, we first summarize these observational progresses before 2012 in Section 2. In Section 3 and 4, we respectively introduce the basic properties of GRBs 130603B and 060614, as well as the theoretical interpretation for their near-infrared (NIR) counterparts, and their NIR excess may be the signature of the existence of LP-Novae. In Section 5, we describe the basic properties of GRB 080503, and the theoretical interpretation for its optical and X-ray counterparts, and the later re-brightening of its optical and X-ray light curves is explained as the ejecta radiation (merger-nova radiation) of magnetar heating after the neutron star merging. If the interpretations for the SGRB-associated optical and infrared counterparts are correct, they may provide the first series of direct evidence to show that SGRBs and some special LGRBs are originated from the compact star mergers. Besides LP-novae (and merger-novae), the high-speed orbital motion before the compact star merging and the merger itself will produce strong gravitational-wave bursts (GWBs). In the coming era of gravitational wave detection, the theoretical and observational studies on the electromagnetic counterparts of compact star mergers will receive more and more attentions. Due to the larger uncertainty of GWB's location, the LP-Novae associated with GWBs can serve as the best candidates for the precise location of GWBs. The fast developing high-cadence and wide-field optical-NIR surveys will make effective explorations on the LP-Novae and similar phenomena, and interact the detection and research of gravitational waves. Therefore, in the last section we present the methods for the future detections of LP-Novae, and the prospect of their multi-messenger detections.

Probing axions with neutron star inspirals and other stellar processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hook, Anson; Huang, Junwu

2018-06-01

In certain models of a QCD axion, finite density corrections to the axion potential can result in the axion being sourced by large dense objects. There are a variety of ways to test this phenomenon, but perhaps the most surprising effect is that the axion can mediate forces between neutron stars that can be as strong as gravity. These forces can be attractive or repulsive and their presence can be detected by Advanced LIGO observations of neutron star inspirals. By a numerical coincidence, axion forces between neutron stars with gravitational strength naturally have an associated length scale of tens of kilometers or longer, similar to that of a neutron star. Future observations of neutron star mergers in Advanced LIGO can probe many orders of magnitude of axion parameter space. Because the axion is only sourced by large dense objects, the axion force evades fifth force constraints. We also outline several other ways to probe this phenomenon using electromagnetic signals associated with compact objects.

Evidence for Neutron Star Formation from Accretion Induced Collapse of a White Dwarf

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paradijis, J. Van; VanDenHeuvel, E. P. J.; Kouveliotou, C.; Fishman, G. J.; Finger, M. H.; Lewin, W. H. G.

1997-01-01

The orbital parameters of the recently discovered transient burster/pulsar GRO J1744-28 indicate that this system is a low-mass X-ray binary in an advanced stage of its mass transfer, with several tenths of a solar mass already transferred from the donor to the compact star. All neutron stars known to have accreted such an amount have very weak magnetic fields, and this has led to the idea that the magnetic fields of neutron stars decay as a result of accretion. The observation of a strongly magnetized neutron star in GRO J1744-28 then suggests that this neutron star was formed recently as a result of the collapse of a white dwarf during an earlier stage of the current phase of mass transfer. It is shown that this model can consistently explain the observed characteristics of GRO J1744-28. Attractive progenitors for such an evolution are the luminous supersoft X-ray sources detected with ROSAT.

Studies of compact objects with Einstein - Review and prospects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grindlay, Jonathan E.

1990-01-01

X-ray images and spectra of a wide range of systems containing compact objects were obtained with the Einstein X-ray Observatory. Accreting white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes were observed in binary systems in the Galaxy, and new constraints were derived for their formation, nature and evolution. Massive black holes were studied in active galactic nuclei, and X-ray spectra (and evolution) of AGN have led to a new model for the diffuse X-ray background.

COLA. III. RADIO DETECTION OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS IN COMPACT MODERATE LUMINOSITY INFRARED GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parra, R.; Conway, J. E.; Aalto, S.

2010-09-01

We present results from 4.8 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) and global very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the northern half of the moderate FIR luminosity (median L{sub IR} = 10{sup 11.01} L{sub sun}) COLA sample of star-forming galaxies. VLBI sources are detected in a high fraction (20/90) of the galaxies observed. The radio luminosities of these cores ({approx}10{sup 21} W Hz{sup -1}) are too large to be explained by radio supernovae or supernova remnants and we argue that they are instead powered by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These sub-parsec scale radio cores are preferentially detected toward galaxies whosemore » VLA maps show bright 100-500 parsec scale nuclear radio components. Since these latter structures tightly follow the FIR to radio-continuum correlation for star formation, we conclude that the AGN-powered VLBI sources are associated with compact nuclear starburst environments. The implications for possible starburst-AGN connections are discussed. The detected VLBI sources have a relatively narrow range of radio luminosity consistent with models in which intense compact Eddington-limited starbursts regulate the gas supply onto a central supermassive black hole. The high incidence of AGN radio cores in compact starbursts suggests little or no delay between the starburst phase and the onset of AGN activity.« less

Shedding light on baryonic dark matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, Joseph

1991-01-01

Halo dark matter, if it is baryonic, may plausibly consist of compact stellar remnants. Jeans mass clouds containing 10 to the 6th to 10 to the 8th solar masses could have efficiently formed stars in the early universe and could plausibly have generated, for a suitably top-heavy stellar initial mass function, a high abundance of neutron stars as well as a small admixture of long-lived low mass stars. Within the resulting clusters of dark remnants, which eventually are tidally disrupted when halos eventually form, captures of neutron stars by nondegenerate stars resulted in formation of close binaries. These evolve to produce, by the present epoch, an observable X-ray signal associated with dark matter aggregations in galaxy cluster cores.

I-Love-Q Anisotropically

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagi, Kent; Yunes, Nicolas

2015-04-01

Recent work shows that rotating incompressible stars with anisotropic matter in the weak-field limit become prolate, which is rather counter-intuitive. We construct slowly-rotating, incompressible and anisotropic stellar solutions in full General Relativity valid to quadratic order in spin and show that the stellar shape shifts from prolate to oblate as one increases the relativistic effect. Anisotropic stars are also interesting because they can be more compact than isotropic stars, and can even be as compact as black holes. We present how stellar multipole moments approach the black hole limit as one increases the compactness, suggesting that they reach the black hole limit continuously.

Spectroscopic Observations of the Mass Donor Star in SS 433

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillwig, T. C.; Gies, D. R.

2008-03-01

The microquasar SS 433 is an interacting massive binary consisting of an evolved mass donor and a compact companion that ejects relativistic jets. The mass donor was previously identified through spectroscopic observations of absorption lines in the blue part of the spectrum that showed Doppler shifts associated with orbital motion and strength variations related to the orbital modulation of the star-to-disk flux ratio and to disk obscuration. However, subsequent observations revealed other absorption features that lacked these properties and that were probably formed in the disk gas outflow. We present follow-up observations of SS 433 at orbital and precession phases identical to those from several previous studies, with the goals of confirming the detection of the mass donor spectrum and providing more reliable masses for the two system components. We show that the absorption features present as well as those previously observed almost certainly belong to the mass donor star, and find revised masses of 12.3 ± 3.3 and 4.3 ± 0.8 M⊙ for the mass donor and compact object, respectively. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (US), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil), and SECYT (Argentina).

The Spatial Distribution of Resolved Young Stars in Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, K.; Crone, M. M.

2002-12-01

We present the first results from a survey of the distribution of resolved young stars in Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies. In order to identify the dominant physical processes driving star formation in these puzzling galaxies, we use a multi-scale cluster-finding algorithm to quantify the characteristic scales and properties of star-forming regions, from sizes smaller than 10 pc up to the size of each entire galaxy. This project was partially funded by the Lubin Chair at Skidmore College.

DISTINGUISHING COMPACT BINARY POPULATION SYNTHESIS MODELS USING GRAVITATIONAL WAVE OBSERVATIONS OF COALESCING BINARY BLACK HOLES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stevenson, Simon; Ohme, Frank; Fairhurst, Stephen, E-mail: simon.stevenson@ligo.org

2015-09-01

The coalescence of compact binaries containing neutron stars or black holes is one of the most promising signals for advanced ground-based laser interferometer gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, with the first direct detections expected over the next few years. The rate of binary coalescences and the distribution of component masses is highly uncertain, and population synthesis models predict a wide range of plausible values. Poorly constrained parameters in population synthesis models correspond to poorly understood astrophysics at various stages in the evolution of massive binary stars, the progenitors of binary neutron star and binary black hole systems. These include effects such asmore » supernova kick velocities, parameters governing the energetics of common envelope evolution and the strength of stellar winds. Observing multiple binary black hole systems through GWs will allow us to infer details of the astrophysical mechanisms that lead to their formation. Here we simulate GW observations from a series of population synthesis models including the effects of known selection biases, measurement errors and cosmology. We compare the predictions arising from different models and show that we will be able to distinguish between them with observations (or the lack of them) from the early runs of the advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors. This will allow us to narrow down the large parameter space for binary evolution models.« less

Young star clusters in the interacting galaxies of Hickson Compact Group 90

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miah, J. A.; Sharples, R. M.; Cho, J.

2015-03-01

Deep images of Hickson Compact Group 90 (HCG 90) have been obtained using the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. We report results for star clusters observed in the interacting pair of galaxies NGC 7174 and NGC 7176. We present magnitude and colour distributions for the observed cluster population and find that the majority of objects show colours similar to intermediate/old age (>1 Gyr) globular clusters. However, a significant population of blue star clusters are also observed which may have formed from the tidal interaction currently occurring between the two galaxies. We find luminosity function turnover magnitudes of m^{TO}g = 25.1 ± 0.1 and m^{TO}z = 24.3 ± 0.1 for the g and z bands, respectively, implying distances of Dg = 28.8 ± 2.6 Mpc and Dz = 34.7 ± 3.1 Mpc to these galaxies, using the globular cluster luminosity function method. Lastly, we determine a total cluster population of approximately NGC ≃ 212 ± 10 over all magnitudes and a low specific frequency of SN ˜ 0.6 ± 0.1 for this pair of interacting elliptical and spiral galaxies. The small globular cluster population is likely due to tidal interactions taking place between the two galaxies which may have stripped many progenitor clusters away and formed the diffuse light observed at the core of HCG 90.

ALMA Compact Array observations of the Fried Egg nebula: Evidence for large-scale asymmetric mass-loss from the yellow hypergiant IRAS 17163-3907.

PubMed

Wallström, S H J; Lagadec, E; Muller, S; Black, J H; Cox, N L J; Galván-Madrid, R; Justtanont, K; Longmore, S; Olofsson, H; Oudmaijer, R D; Quintana-Lacaci, G; Szczerba, R; Vlemmings, W; van Winckel, H; Zijlstra, A

2017-01-10

Yellow hypergiants are rare and represent a fast evolutionary stage of massive evolved stars. That evolutionary phase is characterised by a very intense mass loss, the understanding of which is still very limited. Here we report ALMA Compact Array observations of a 50″-mosaic toward the Fried Egg nebula, around one of the few Galactic yellow hypergiants IRAS 17163-3907. The emission from the 12 CO J=2-1 line, H30 α recombination line, and continuum is imaged at a resolution of ~8″, revealing the morphology of the molecular environment around the star. The continuum emission is unresolved and peaks at the position of the star. The radio recombination line H30 α shows unresolved emission at the star, with an approximately gaussian spectrum centered on a velocity of 21±3 km s -1 with a width of 57±6 km s -1 . In contrast, the CO 2-1 emission is complex and decomposes into several components beyond the contamination from interstellar gas in the line of sight. The CO spectrum toward the star is a broad plateau, centered at the systemic velocity of +18 km s -1 and with an expansion velocity of 100±10 km s -1 . Assuming isotropic and constant mass-loss, we estimate a mass-loss rate of 8±1.5 ×10 -5 M ⊙ yr -1 . At a radius of 25″ from the star, we detect CO emission associated with the dust ring previously imaged by Herschel . The kinematics of this ring, however, is not consistent with an expanding shell, but show a velocity gradient of v sys ±20 km s -1 . In addition, we find a puzzling bright feature radially connecting the star to the CO ring, at a velocity of +40 km s -1 relative to the star. This spur feature may trace a unidirectional ejection event from the star. Our ACA observations reveal the complex morphology around IRAS 17163 and illustrate the breakthroughs that ALMA will bring to the field of massive stellar evolution.

ALMA Compact Array observations of the Fried Egg nebula: Evidence for large-scale asymmetric mass-loss from the yellow hypergiant IRAS 17163-3907

PubMed Central

Wallström, S.H.J.; Lagadec, E.; Muller, S.; Black, J.H.; Cox, N.L.J.; Galván-Madrid, R.; Justtanont, K.; Longmore, S.; Olofsson, H.; Oudmaijer, R.D.; Quintana-Lacaci, G.; Szczerba, R.; Vlemmings, W.; van Winckel, H.; Zijlstra, A.

2017-01-01

Yellow hypergiants are rare and represent a fast evolutionary stage of massive evolved stars. That evolutionary phase is characterised by a very intense mass loss, the understanding of which is still very limited. Here we report ALMA Compact Array observations of a 50″-mosaic toward the Fried Egg nebula, around one of the few Galactic yellow hypergiants IRAS 17163-3907. The emission from the 12CO J=2-1 line, H30α recombination line, and continuum is imaged at a resolution of ~8″, revealing the morphology of the molecular environment around the star. The continuum emission is unresolved and peaks at the position of the star. The radio recombination line H30α shows unresolved emission at the star, with an approximately gaussian spectrum centered on a velocity of 21±3 km s−1 with a width of 57±6 km s−1. In contrast, the CO 2-1 emission is complex and decomposes into several components beyond the contamination from interstellar gas in the line of sight. The CO spectrum toward the star is a broad plateau, centered at the systemic velocity of +18 km s−1 and with an expansion velocity of 100±10 km s−1. Assuming isotropic and constant mass-loss, we estimate a mass-loss rate of 8±1.5 ×10−5 M⊙ yr−1. At a radius of 25″ from the star, we detect CO emission associated with the dust ring previously imaged by Herschel. The kinematics of this ring, however, is not consistent with an expanding shell, but show a velocity gradient of vsys±20 km s−1. In addition, we find a puzzling bright feature radially connecting the star to the CO ring, at a velocity of +40 km s−1 relative to the star. This spur feature may trace a unidirectional ejection event from the star. Our ACA observations reveal the complex morphology around IRAS 17163 and illustrate the breakthroughs that ALMA will bring to the field of massive stellar evolution. PMID:28190887

High-mass twins & resolution of the reconfinement, masquerade and hyperon puzzles of compact star interiors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blaschke, David; Instytut Fizyki Teoretycznej, Uniwersytet Wroclawski, 50-204 Wroclaw; Alvarez-Castillo, David E.

2016-01-22

We aim at contributing to the resolution of three of the fundamental puzzles related to the still unsolved problem of the structure of the dense core of compact stars (CS): (i) the hyperon puzzle: how to reconcile pulsar masses of 2 M{sub ⊙} with the hyperon softening of the equation of state (EoS); (ii) the masquerade problem: modern EoS for cold, high density hadronic and quark matter are almost identical; and (iii) the reconfinement puzzle: what to do when after a deconfinement transition the hadronic EoS becomes favorable again? We show that taking into account the compositeness of baryons (bymore » excluded volume and/or quark Pauli blocking) on the hadronic side and confining and stiffening effects on the quark matter side results in an early phase transition to quark matter with sufficient stiffening at high densities which removes all three present-day puzzles of CS interiors. Moreover, in this new class of EoS for hybrid CS falls the interesting case of a strong first order phase transition which results in the observable high mass twin star phenomenon, an astrophysical observation of a critical endpoint in the QCD phase diagram.« less

Opening the CHOCBOX: clumpy stellar winds in Cyg X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinberg, V.; Uttley, P.; Wilms, J.; Miller-Jones, J.; Pottschmidt, K.; Niu, S.; Hirsch, M.; Chocbox Collaboration

2017-10-01

Winds of O/B-stars are key drivers of enrichment and star formation and evolution. Yet, our understanding of their clumpy structure is limited. Luckily, high mass X-ray binaries, where the compact object accretes from the stellar wind of the companion, are perfect laboratories to study such winds: the X-ray radiation from the vicinity of the compact object is quasi-pointlike and effectively X-rays the clumps crossing the line of sight. We observed the high mass X-ray binary Cyg X-1 with XMM for 7 consecutive days with simultaneous coverage with NuSTAR, INTEGRAL and VLBA. One of our main aims was to probe the wind of the O-type companion in an unprecedented uninterrupted campaign, spanning more than an orbital period and including two superior conjunctions where we expect the densest wind. Here, we present first results from the CHOCBOX (Cyg X-1 Hard state Observations of a Complete Binary Orbit in X-rays) campaign and compare them to previous work, in particular multi-year studies of absorption variability and high resolution snapshots with Chandra-HETG. We argue that the clumps have a complex structure with hotter outer and colder inner layers and are not symmetrical.

Implications from GW170817 and I-Love-Q relations for relativistic hybrid stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paschalidis, Vasileios; Yagi, Kent; Alvarez-Castillo, David; Blaschke, David B.; Sedrakian, Armen

2018-04-01

Gravitational wave observations of GW170817 placed bounds on the tidal deformabilities of compact stars, allowing one to probe equations of state for matter at supranuclear densities. Here we design new parametrizations for hybrid hadron-quark equations of state, which give rise to low-mass twin stars, and test them against GW170817. We find that GW170817 is consistent with the coalescence of a binary hybrid star-neutron star. We also test and find that the I-Love-Q relations for hybrid stars in the third family agree with those for purely hadronic and quark stars within ˜3 % for both slowly and rapidly rotating configurations, implying that these relations can be used to perform equation-of-state independent tests of general relativity and to break degeneracies in gravitational waveforms for hybrid stars in the third family as well.

Relativistic jets in SS 433

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margon, B.

1982-01-01

A variety of recent optical, radio, and X-ray observations have confirmed the hypothesis that the peculiar star SS 433 is ejecting two narrow, opposed, highly collimated jets of matter at one-quarter the speed of light. This unique behavior is probably driven by mass exchange between a relatively normal star and a compact companion, either a neutron star or a black hole. However, numerous details regarding the energetics, radiation, acceleration, and collimation of the jets remain to be understood. This phenomenon may well be a miniature example of similar collimated ejection of gas by active extragalactic objects such as quasars and radio galaxies.

Can a Bright and Energetic X-Ray Pulsar Be Hiding Amid the Debris of SN 1987A?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Paolo; Rea, Nanda; Lazzati, Davide; Matsuura, Mikako; Perna, Rosalba; Pons, José A.

2018-04-01

The mass of the stellar precursor of supernova (SN) 1987A and the burst of neutrinos observed at the moment of the explosion are consistent with the core-collapse formation of a neutron star. However, no compelling evidence for the presence of a compact object of any kind in SN 1987A has been found yet in any band of the electromagnetic spectrum, prompting questions on whether the neutron star survived and, if it did, on its properties. Beginning with an analysis of recent Chandra observations, here we appraise the current observational situation. We derived limits on the X-ray luminosity of a compact object with a nonthermal, Crab-pulsar-like spectrum of the order of ≈(1–5) × 1035 erg s‑1, corresponding to limits on the rotational energy loss of a possible X-ray pulsar in SN 1987A of ≈(0.5–1.5) × 1038 erg s‑1. However, a much brighter X-ray source cannot be excluded if, as is likely, it is enshrouded in a cloud of absorbing matter with a metallicity similar to that expected in the outer layers of a massive star toward the end of its life. We found that other limits obtained from various arguments and observations in other energy ranges either are unbinding or allow a similar maximum luminosity of the order of ≈1035 erg s‑1. We conclude that while a pulsar alike the one in the Crab Nebula in both luminosity and spectrum is hardly compatible with the observations, there is ample space for an “ordinary” X-ray-emitting young neutron star, born with normal initial spin period, temperature, and magnetic field, to be hiding inside the evolving remnant of SN 1987A.

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE NEUTRINO MECHANISM OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE: NEUTRON STAR AND BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTIONS, EXPLOSION ENERGIES, AND NICKEL YIELDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pejcha, Ondřej; Thompson, Todd A., E-mail: pejcha@astro.princeton.edu, E-mail: thompson@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2015-03-10

If the neutrino luminosity from the proto-neutron star formed during a massive star core collapse exceeds a critical threshold, a supernova (SN) results. Using spherical quasi-static evolutionary sequences for hundreds of progenitors over a range of metallicities, we study how the explosion threshold maps onto observables, including the fraction of successful explosions, the neutron star (NS) and black hole (BH) mass functions, the explosion energies (E {sub SN}) and nickel yields (M {sub Ni}), and their mutual correlations. Successful explosions are intertwined with failures in a complex pattern that is not simply related to initial progenitor mass or compactness. Wemore » predict that progenitors with initial masses of 15 ± 1, 19 ± 1, and ∼21-26 M {sub ☉} are most likely to form BHs, that the BH formation probability is non-zero at solar-metallicity and increases significantly at low metallicity, and that low luminosity, low Ni-yield SNe come from progenitors close to success/failure interfaces. We qualitatively reproduce the observed E {sub SN}-M {sub Ni} correlation, we predict a correlation between the mean and width of the NS mass and E {sub SN} distributions, and that the means of the NS and BH mass distributions are correlated. We show that the observed mean NS mass of ≅ 1.33 M {sub ☉} implies that the successful explosion fraction is higher than 0.35. Overall, we show that the neutrino mechanism can in principle explain the observed properties of SNe and their compact objects. We argue that the rugged landscape of progenitors and outcomes mandates that SN theory should focus on reproducing the wide ranging distributions of observed SN properties.« less

Berezin-Toeplitz quantization and naturally defined star products for Kähler manifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlichenmaier, Martin

2018-04-01

For compact quantizable Kähler manifolds the Berezin-Toeplitz quantization schemes, both operator and deformation quantization (star product) are reviewed. The treatment includes Berezin's covariant symbols and the Berezin transform. The general compact quantizable case was done by Bordemann-Meinrenken-Schlichenmaier, Schlichenmaier, and Karabegov-Schlichenmaier. For star products on Kähler manifolds, separation of variables, or equivalently star product of (anti-) Wick type, is a crucial property. As canonically defined star products the Berezin-Toeplitz, Berezin, and the geometric quantization are treated. It turns out that all three are equivalent, but different.

The Orion Bullets: New GEMS MCAO images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginsburg, Adam; Bally, John; Youngblood, Allison

2013-07-01

The Orion A molecular cloud (OMC1) is the nearest site of massive star formation at a distance of 414 pc. The BN/KL region within it contains signs of a massive explosion triggered 500 years ago by decay of a non- hierarchical multiple system of massive stars. We present observations of the OMC1 core at high spatial resolution (<0.1") in narrow-band [Fe II] 1.64um and H2 S(1) 1-0 2.12um filters. The new data reveal compact (0.1" to 0.5") knots with unique excitation and chemical properties, unveiling new details about the three-dimensional structure of the explosion. Bright H2 emission from these compact, high proper-motion knots and compact [Fe II] features are consistent with scenario proposed by Bally et al. (2011) in which they are interpreted to be high density (n > 10^8 cm^{-3}) disk fragments launched from within a few AU of a massive star by a > three-body dynamical interaction that led to the ejection of the BN objects and the formation of a compact (separation < few AU) binary, most likely radio source I. The proper motions are as high as 400 km/s, hinting at the enormous energy unleashed in the explosion. The data also unveiled a population of obscured close binary systems. This new population will allow a comparison of embedded young binary systems with the older, un-obscured, visual binary population to test models of the evolution of multiplicity statistics in the Orion Nebula Cluster.

Dust Around Herbig Ae Stars: Additional Constraints from their Photometric and Polarimetric Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krivova, N. A.; Ilin, V. B.; Fischer, O.

1996-01-01

For the Herbig Ae stars with Algol-like minima (UX Ori, WW Vul, etc), the effects of circumstellar dust include: excess infrared emission, anomalous ultraviolet extinction, the 'blueing' of the stars in minima accompanying by an increase of intrinsic polarization. Using a Monte-Carlo code for polarized radiation transfer we have simulated these effects and compared the results obtained for different models with the observational data available. We found that the photometric and polarimetric behavior of the stars provided essential additional constraints on the circumstellar dust models. The models with spheroidal shell geometry and compact (non-fluffy) dust grains do not appear to be able to explain all the data.

Prompt merger collapse and the maximum mass of neutron stars.

PubMed

Bauswein, A; Baumgarte, T W; Janka, H-T

2013-09-27

We perform hydrodynamical simulations of neutron-star mergers for a large sample of temperature-dependent nuclear equations of state and determine the threshold mass above which the merger remnant promptly collapses to form a black hole. We find that, depending on the equation of state, the threshold mass is larger than the maximum mass of a nonrotating star in isolation by between 30 and 70 percent. Our simulations also show that the ratio between the threshold mass and maximum mass is tightly correlated with the compactness of the nonrotating maximum-mass configuration. We speculate on how this relation can be used to derive constraints on neutron-star properties from future observations.

The observation and coverage analysis of the moon-based ultraviolet telescope on CE-3 lander

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

wang, f.; wen, w.-b.; liu, d.-w.; geng, l.; zhang, x.-x.; zhao, s.

2017-09-01

Through the analysis of all the observed images of MUVT, it is found that in the celestial coordinate system, all the images of the survey are concentrated at Latitude 65 degrees and Longtitude -90 degrees as the center, a ring of 15 degrees width. The observation data analysis: the coverage of the northern area is up to 2263.8 square degrees, accounting for about 5.487% of the all area. The task is completed the observation target. For the first time, the MUVT in a long time has carried out the astronomical observations, and accumulated abundant observational data for basic research on the evolution of stars, compact star and high energy astrophysics and so on.

Galaxy triplets in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 - II. A connection with compact groups?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duplancic, Fernanda; O'Mill, Ana Laura; Lambas, Diego G.; Sodré, Laerte; Alonso, Sol

2013-08-01

We analyse a sample of 71 triplets of luminous galaxies derived from the work of O'Mill et al. We compare the properties of triplets and their members with those of control samples of compact groups, the 10 brightest members of rich clusters and galaxies in pairs. The triplets are restricted to have members with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.01 ≤ z ≤ 0.14 and absolute r-band luminosities brighter than Mr = -20.5. For these member galaxies, we analyse the stellar mass content, the star formation rates, the Dn(4000) parameter and (Mg - Mr) colour index. Since galaxies in triplets may finally merge in a single system, we analyse different global properties of these systems. We calculate the probability that the properties of galaxies in triplets are strongly correlated. We also study total star formation activity and global colours, and define the triplet compactness as a measure of the percentage of the system total area that is filled by the light of member galaxies. We concentrate in the comparison of our results with those of compact groups to assess how the triplets are a natural extension of these compact systems. Our analysis suggests that triplet galaxy members behave similarly to compact group members and galaxies in rich clusters. We also find that systems comprising three blue, star-forming, young stellar population galaxies (blue triplets) are most probably real systems and not a chance configuration of interloping galaxies. The same holds for triplets composed of three red, non-star-forming galaxies, showing the correlation of galaxy properties in these systems. From the analysis of the triplet as a whole, we conclude that, at a given total stellar mass content, triplets show a total star formation activity and global colours similar to compact groups. However, blue triplets show a high total star formation activity with a lower stellar mass content. From an analysis of the compactness parameter of the systems we find that light is even more concentrated in triplets than in compact groups. We propose that triplets composed of three luminous galaxies, should not be considered as an analogous of galaxy pairs with a third extra member, but rather they are a natural extension of compact groups.

Evolving ONe WD+He star systems to intermediate-mass binary pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Wang, B.; Chen, W.; Zuo, Z.; Han, Z.

2018-06-01

It has been suggested that accretion-induced collapse (AIC) is a non-negligible path for the formation of the observed neutron stars (NSs). An ONe white dwarf (WD) that accretes material from a He star may experience AIC process and eventually produce intermediate-mass binary pulsars (IMBPs), named as the ONe WD+He star scenario. Note that previous studies can only account for part of the observed IMBPs with short orbital periods. In this work, we investigate the evolution of about 900 ONe WD+He star binaries to explore the distribution of IMBPs. We found that the ONe WD+He star scenario could form IMBPs including pulsars with 5-340 ms spin periods and 0.75-1.38 M_{⊙} WD companions, in which the orbital periods range from 0.04 to 900 d. Compared with the 20 observed IMBPs, this scenario can cover the parameters of 13 sources in the final orbital period-WD mass plane and the Corbet diagram, most of which have short orbital periods. We found that the ONe WD+He star scenario can explain almost all the observed IMBPs with short orbital periods. This work can well match the observed parameters of PSR J1802-2124 (one of the two precisely observed IMBPs), providing a possible evolutional path for its formation. We also speculate that the compact companion of HD 49798 (a hydrogen depleted sdO6 star) may be not a NS based on this work.

Strange stars in f(R,Script T) gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Debabrata; Rahaman, Farook; Ray, Saibal; Guha, B. K.

2018-03-01

In this article we try to present spherically symmetric isotropic strange star model under the framework of f(R,Script T) theory of gravity. To this end, we consider that the Lagrangian density is a linear function of the Ricci scalar R and the trace of the energy momentum tensor Script T given as f(R,Script T)=R+2χ Script T. We also assume that the quark matter distribution is governed by the simplest form of the MIT bag model equation of state (EOS) as p=1/3(ρ‑4B), where B is the bag constant. We have obtained an exact solution of the modified form of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation in the framework of f(R,Script T) gravity theory and have studied the dependence of different physical properties, viz., the total mass, radius, energy density and pressure for the chosen values of χ. Further, to examine physical acceptability of the proposed stellar model, we have conducted different tests in detail, viz., the energy conditions, modified TOV equation, mass-radius relation, causality condition etc. We have precisely explained the effects arising due to the coupling of the matter and geometry on the compact stellar system. For a chosen value of the bag constant, we have predicted numerical values of the different physical parameters in tabular form for the different strange star candidates. It is found that as the factor χ decreases the strange star candidates become gradually massive and larger in size with less dense stellar configuration. However, when χ increases the stars shrink gradually and become less massive to turn into a more compact stellar system. Hence for χ>0 our proposed model is suitable to explain the ultra-dense compact stars well within the observational limits and for χ<0 case allows to represent the recent massive pulsars and super-Chandrasekhar stars. For χ=0 we retrieve as usual the standard results of the general relativity (GR).

Ingress observations of the 1980 eclipse of the symbiotic star CI Cyngni

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stencel, R. E.; Michalitsianos, A. G.; Kafatos, M.; Boyarchuk, A. A.

1981-01-01

One of the major results from the IUE may prove to be the knowledge gained by studies of the ultraviolet spectra of symbiotic stars. Symbiotics combine spectral features of a cool M giant like photosphere with strong high excitation emission lines of nebular origin, superposed. The UV spectra are dominated by intense permitted and semiforbidden emission lines and weak continua indicative of hot compact objects and accretion disks. Two symbiotics, AR Pav and CI Cyg are thought to be eclipsing binaries and IUE observations during the 1980 eclipse of CI Cygni are discussed.

Strange matter in compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klähn, Thomas; Blaschke, David B.

2018-02-01

We discuss possible scenarios for the existence of strange matter in compact stars. The appearance of hyperons leads to a hyperon puzzle in ab-initio approaches based on effective baryon-baryon potentials but is not a severe problem in relativistic mean field models. In general, the puzzle can be resolved in a natural way if hadronic matter gets stiffened at supersaturation densities, an effect based on the quark Pauli quenching between hadrons. We explain the conflict between the necessity to implement dynamical chiral symmetry breaking into a model description and the conditions for the appearance of absolutely stable strange quark matter that require both, approximately masslessness of quarks and a mechanism of confinement. The role of strangeness in compact stars (hadronic or quark matter realizations) remains unsettled. It is not excluded that strangeness plays no role in compact stars at all. To answer the question whether the case of absolutely stable strange quark matter can be excluded on theoretical grounds requires an understanding of dense matter that we have not yet reached.

Probing crustal structures from neutron star compactness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotani, Hajime; Iida, Kei; Oyamatsu, Kazuhiro

2017-10-01

With various sets of the parameters that characterize the equation of state (EOS) of nuclear matter, we systematically examine the thickness of a neutron star crust and of the pasta phases contained therein. Then, with respect to the thickness of the phase of spherical nuclei, the thickness of the cylindrical phase and the crust thickness, we successfully derive fitting formulas that express the ratio of each thickness to the star's radius as a function of the star's compactness, the incompressibility of symmetric nuclear matter and the density dependence of the symmetry energy. In particular, we find that the thickness of the phase of spherical nuclei has such a strong dependence on the stellar compactness as the crust thickness, but both of them show a much weaker dependence on the EOS parameters. Thus, via determination of the compactness, the thickness of the phase of spherical nuclei as well as the crust thickness can be constrained reasonably, even if the EOS parameters remain to be well-determined.

Trajectories of Cepheid variable stars in the Galactic nuclear bulge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsunaga, Noriyuki

2012-06-01

The central region of our Galaxy provides us with a good opportunity to study the evolution of galactic nuclei and bulges because we can observe various phenomena in detail at the proximity of 8 kpc. There is a hierarchical alignment of stellar systems with different sizes; from the extended bulge, the nuclear bulge, down to the compact cluster around the central supermassive blackhole. The nuclear bulge contains stars as young as a few Myr, and even hosts the ongoing star formation. These are in contrast to the more extended bulge which are dominated by old stars, 10Gyr. It is considered that the star formation in the nuclear bulge is caused by fresh gas provided from the inner disk. In this picture, the nuclear bulge plays an important role as the interface between the gas supplier, the inner disk, and the galactic nucleus. Kinematics of young stars in the nuclear bulge is important to discuss the star forming process and the gas circulation in the Galactic Center. We here propose spectroscopic observations of Cepheid variable stars, 25 Myr, which we recently discovered in the nuclear bulge. The spectra taken in this proposal will allow timely estimates of the systemic velocities of the variable stars.

Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Imaging of Red and Blue Galaxies at z ~ 2.5: A Correlation between Size and Star Formation Activity from Compact Quiescent Galaxies to Extended Star-forming Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, S.; van Dokkum, P.; Franx, M.; Labbe, I.; Förster Schreiber, N. M.; Wuyts, S.; Webb, T.; Rudnick, G.; Zirm, A.; Kriek, M.; van der Werf, P.; Blakeslee, J. P.; Illingworth, G.; Rix, H.-W.; Papovich, C.; Moorwood, A.

2007-12-01

We present HST NICMOS+ACS and Spitzer IRAC+MIPS observations of 41 galaxies at 2

Newly Uncovered Large-Scale Component of the Northern Jet in R Aqr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montez, Rodolfo; Karovska, Margarita; Nichols, Joy S.; Kashyap, Vinay

2017-06-01

R Aqr is a symbiotic system comprised a compact white dwarf and Mira giant star. The interaction of these stars is responsible for the presence of a two-sided jet structure that is seen across the electromagnetic spectrum. X-ray emission from the jet was first discovered in 2000 with an observation by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Since then follow-up observations have traced the evolution of the X-ray emission from the jet and a central compact source. In X-rays, the NE jet is brighter than the SW jet, but the full extent of the SW jet was larger - before it began fading below the detection threshold. However, we have uncovered evidence for large-scale emission associated with the NE jet that matches the extent of the SW jet. The emission has escaped previous identification because it is near the detection threshold, but it has been present since the first 2000 observation and clearly evolves in subsequent observations. We present our study of the emission from this component of the NE jet, its relationship to multiwavelength observations, and how it impacts our interpretation of the jet-phenomenon in R Aqr.

Cygnus X-3 Returns to an Active State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCollough, Michael L.; Koljonen, Karri; Gurwell, Mark A.; Trushkin, Sergei; Pooley, Guy G.

2017-08-01

Cygnus X-3 is a well-known microquasar composed of a mass-donating Wolf-Rayet star and a compact object. Recently, Cygnus X-3 has been in a quiescent state for an extended period of time (2011-2016) but returned to an active state on two occasions during 2016/2017 including quenched/hypersoft states, gamma-ray emission, and major radio flares. During these two periods of activity, we undertook multi-wavelength observing campaigns with observations in the radio (RATAN-600, AMI-LA, Metsähovi), submillimeter (SMA, EHT), X-ray (Swift/XRT, MAXI), hard X-ray (Swift/BAT, NuSTAR), and gamma-ray (AGILE, Fermi, VERITAS). At the peak of the major radio flare in April 2017 observations were made with VERITAS (TeV), NuSTAR (hard X-ray), and the Event Horizon Telescope (submillimeter). In this presentation, I will review these observing campaigns and the insights they provide about Cygnus X-3.

Starbursts in blue compact dwarf galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thuan, Trinh Xuan

1987-01-01

All the arguments for a bursting mode of star formation in blue compact dwarf galaxies (BCD) are summarized. It is shown that spectral synthesis of far-ultraviolet spectra of BCDs constitutes a powerful way to study the star formation history in these galaxies. BCD luminosity functions show jumps and discontinuities. These jumps act like fossil records of the star-forming bursts, aiding in the counting and dating of the bursts.

Hans A. Bethe Prize: Cosmic Collisions Online - Compact Binary Mergers, Gravitational Waves and Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Stuart

2017-01-01

Hans A. Bethe elucidated our understanding of the fundamental forces of Nature by exploring and explaining countless phenomena occurring in nuclear laboratories and in stars. With the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy we now can probe compact binary mergers - Nature's cosmic collision experiments - to deepen our understanding, especially where strong-field gravitation is involved. In addition to gravitational waves, some mergers are likely to generate observable electromagnetic and/or neutrino radiation, heralding a new era of multimessenger astronomy. Robust numerical algorithms now allow us to simulate these events in full general relativity on supercomputers. We will describe some recent magnetohydrodynamic simulations that show how binary black hole-neutron star and neutron star-neutron star mergers can launch jets, lending support to the idea that such mergers could be the engines that power short gamma-ray bursts. We will also show how the magnetorotational collapse of very massive stars to spinning black holes immersed in magnetized accretion disks can launch jets as well, reinforcing the belief that such ``collapsars'' are the progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts. Computer-generated movies highlighting some of these simulations will be shown. We gratefully acknowledge support from NSF Grants 1300903 and 1602536 and NASA Grant NNX13AH44G.

Blue compact dwarfs - Extreme dwarf irregular galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thuan, Trinh X.

1987-01-01

Observational data on the most extreme members of the irregular dwarf (dI) galaxy class, the blue compact dwarfs (BCDs), are characterized, reviewing the results of recent investigations. The properties of the young stellar population, the ionized gas, the older star population, and the gas and dust of BCDs are contrasted with those of other dIs; BCD morphology is illustrated with sample images; and the value of BCDs (as nearby 'young' chemically unevolved galaxies) for studies of galaxy formation, galactic evolution, and starburst triggering mechanisms is indicated.

A Multiwavelength Study of Cygnus X-1: The First Mid-Infrared Spectroscopic Detection of Compact Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rahoui, Farid; Lee, Julia C.; Heinz, Sebastian; Hines, Dean C.; Pottschmidt, Katja; Wilms, Joern

2011-01-01

We report on a Spitzer/IRS (mid-infrared), RXTE /PCA+HEXTE (X-ray), and Ryle (radio) simultaneous multi-wavelength study of the micro quasar Cygnus X-I, which aimed at an investigation of the origin of its mid-infrared emission. Compact jets were present in two out of three observations, and we show that they strongly contribute to the mid-infrared continuum. During the first observation, we detect the spectral break - where the transition from the optically thick to the optically thin regime takes place - at about 2.9 x 10(exp 13) Hz. We then show that the jet's optically thin synchrotron emission accounts for the Cygnus X-1's emission beyond 400 keY, although it cannot alone explain its 3-200 keV continuum. A compact jet was also present during the second observation, but we do not detect the break, since it has likely shifted to higher frequencies. In contrast, the compact jet was absent during the last observation, and we show that the 5-30 micron mid-infrared continuum of Cygnus X-I stems from the blue supergiant companion star HD 226868. Indeed, the emission can then be understood as the combination of the photospheric Raleigh-Jeans tail and the bremsstrahlung from the expanding stellar wind. Moreover, the stellar wind is found to be clumpy, with a filling factor f(sub infinity) approx.= 0.09-0.10. Its bremsstrahlung emission is likely anti-correlated to the soft X-ray emission, suggesting an anticorrelation between the mass-loss and mass-accretion rates. Nevertheless, we do not detect any mid-infrared spectroscopic evidence of interaction between the jets and the Cygnus X-1's environment and/or companion star's stellar wind.

Initial data for black hole-neutron star binaries, with rotating stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tacik, Nick; Foucart, Francois; Pfeiffer, Harald P.; Muhlberger, Curran; Kidder, Lawrence E.; Scheel, Mark A.; Szilágyi, Béla

2016-11-01

The coalescence of a neutron star with a black hole is a primary science target of ground-based gravitational wave detectors. Constraining or measuring the neutron star spin directly from gravitational wave observations requires knowledge of the dependence of the emission properties of these systems on the neutron star spin. This paper lays foundations for this task, by developing a numerical method to construct initial data for black hole-neutron star binaries with arbitrary spin on the neutron star. We demonstrate the robustness of the code by constructing initial-data sets in large regions of the parameter space. In addition to varying the neutron star spin-magnitude and spin-direction, we also explore neutron star compactness, mass-ratio, black hole spin, and black hole spin-direction. Specifically, we are able to construct initial data sets with neutron stars spinning near centrifugal break-up, and with black hole spins as large as {S}{BH}/{M}{BH}2=0.99.

News on the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palombara, Nicola La; Mereghetti, Sandro

2017-12-01

In latest years, the high sensitivity of the instruments on-board the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites allowed us to explore the properties of the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars. The small but growing sample of X-ray detected hot subdwarfs includes binary systems, in which the X-ray emission is due to wind accretion onto a compact companion (white dwarf or neutron star), as well as isolated sdO stars, in which X-rays are probably due to shock instabilities in the wind. X-ray observations of these low-mass stars provide information which can be useful for our understanding of the weak winds of this type of stars and can lead to the discovery of particularly interesting binary systems. Here we report the most recent results we have recently obtained in this research area.

Current Physics Research. Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schewe, Phillip F.

1980-01-01

Discussed are two current physics research areas. Solar cell efficiencies are discussed relating to present and future conversion efficiencies. Topics discussed in Astrophysics include the observation of astronomical bodies at different wavelengths, in terms of electromagnetic spectrum, tools of astronomy, compact stars, pulsars X-ray binaries,…

Cygnus OB2: Star Formation Ugly Duckling Causes a Flap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, Jeremy J.; Wright, Nicholas; Guarcello, Mario

2015-08-01

Cygnus OB2 is one of the largest known OB associations in our Galaxy, with a total stellar mass of 30,000 Msun and boasting an estimated 65 O-type stars and hundreds of OB stars. At a distance of only 1.4kpc, it is also the closest truly massive star forming region and provides a valuable testbed for star and planet formation theory. We have performed a deep stellar census using observations from X-ray to infrared, which has enabled studies of sub-structuring, mass segregation and dynamics, while infrared data reveal a story of protoplanetary disk attrition in an extremely harsh radiation environment. I will discuss how Cygnus OB2 challenges the idea that stars must form in dense, compact clusters, and demonstrates that stars as massive as 100 Msun can form in relatively low-density environments. Convincing evidence of disk photoevaporation poses a potential problem for planet formation and growth in starburst environments.

EVIDENCE FOR A COMPACT WOLF-RAYET PROGENITOR FOR THE TYPE Ic SUPERNOVA PTF 10vgv

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Corsi, A.; Ofek, E. O.; Gal-Yam, A.

We present the discovery of PTF 10vgv, a Type Ic supernova (SN) detected by the Palomar Transient Factory, using the Palomar 48 inch telescope (P48). R-band observations of the PTF 10vgv field with P48 probe the SN emission from its very early phases (about two weeks before R-band maximum) and set limits on its flux in the week prior to the discovery. Our sensitive upper limits and early detections constrain the post-shock-breakout luminosity of this event. Via comparison to numerical (analytical) models, we derive an upper-limit of R {approx}< 4.5 R{sub Sun} (R {approx}< 1 R{sub Sun }) on themore » radius of the progenitor star, a direct indication in favor of a compact Wolf-Rayet star. Applying a similar analysis to the historical observations of SN 1994I yields R {approx}< 1/4 R{sub Sun} for the progenitor radius of this SN.« less

II Zw 40 - 30 Doradus on Steroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitherer, Claus; Lee, Janice C.; Levesque, Emily M.

2017-11-01

We obtained HST COS G140L spectra of the enigmatic nearby blue compact dwarf galaxy II Zw 40. The galaxy hosts a nuclear super star cluster embedded in a radio-bright nebula, similar to those observed in the related blue compact dwarfs NGC 5253 and Henize 2-10. The ultraviolet spectrum of II Zw 40 is exceptional in terms of the strength of He II 1640, O III] 1666 and C III] 1909. We determined reddening, age, and the cluster mass from the ultraviolet data. The super nebula and the ionizing cluster exceed the ionizing luminosity and stellar mass of the local benchmark 30 Doradus by an order of magnitude. Comparison with stellar evolution models accounting for rotation reveals serious short-comings: these models do not account for the presence of Wolf-Rayet-like stars at young ages observed in II Zw 40. Photoionization modeling is used to probe the origin of the nebular lines and determine gas phase abundances. C/O is solar, in agreement with the result of the stellar-wind modeling.

The contribution of dissolving star clusters to the population of ultra faint objects in the outer halo of the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contenta, Filippo; Gieles, Mark; Balbinot, Eduardo; Collins, Michelle L. M.

2017-04-01

In the last decade, several ultra faint objects (UFOs, MV ≳ -3.5) have been discovered in the outer halo of the Milky Way. For some of these objects, it is not clear whether they are star clusters or (ultra faint) dwarf galaxies. In this work, we quantify the contribution of star clusters to the population of UFOs. We extrapolated the mass and Galactocentric radius distribution of the globular clusters using a population model, finding that the Milky Way contains about 3.3^{+7.3}_{-1.6} star clusters with MV ≳ -3.5 and Galactocentric radius ≥20 kpc. To understand whether dissolving clusters can appear as UFOs, we run a suite of direct N-body models, varying the orbit, the Galactic potential, the binary fraction and the black hole (BH) natal kick velocities. In the analyses, we consider observational biases such as luminosity limit, field stars and line-of-sight projection. We find that star clusters contribute to both the compact and the extended population of UFOs: clusters without BHs appear compact with radii ˜5 pc, while clusters that retain their BHs after formation have radii ≳ 20 pc. The properties of the extended clusters are remarkably similar to those of dwarf galaxies: high-inferred mass-to-light ratios due to binaries, binary properties mildly affected by dynamical evolution, no observable mass segregation and flattened stellar mass function. We conclude that the slope of the stellar mass function as a function of Galactocentric radius and the presence/absence of cold streams can discriminate between dark matter-free and dark matter-dominated UFOs.

On the Holmberg asymmetry of the satellites of disk galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byrd, Gene G.; Valtonen, Mauri J.

1987-01-01

A tidal explanation for the observation by Holmberg that the satellites of edge-on disk galaxies tend to avoid the sector within + or - 30 deg of the major axes of the disk galaxies is considered. It is shown that satellites with small orbit-to-disk inclinations are likely to become compact and consequently be left out in Holmberg's survey due to the resemblance to stars. The explanation is supported by the observation of an excess of compact galaxies near the major-axis direction of edge-on disk galaxies. The disk tidal explanation also predicts that the asymmetry should be weaker with larger satellites. It is found that the Karachentsev (1972, 1980) binary galaxy sample, where the typical companion is comparable to the primary galaxy, shows no Holmberg effect. The case of M32 as a compact satellite of the Andromeda galaxy is discussed as a nearby observationally supported example of the above processes.

Formation of compact HII regions possibly triggered by cloud-cloud collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohama, Akio; Torii, Kazufumi; Hasegawa, Keisuke; Fukui, Yasuo

2015-08-01

Compact HII regions are ionized by young high-mass star(s) and ~1000 compact HII regions are cataloged in the Galaxy (Urquhart et al. MNRAS 443, 1555-1586 (2014)). Compact HII regions are one of the major populations of Galactic HII regions. The molecular environments around compact HII regions are however not well understood due to lack of extensive molecular surveys. In order to better understand formation of exciting stars and compact HII regions, we have carried out a systematic study of molecular clouds toward compact HII regions by using the 12CO datasets obtained with the JCMT and NANTEN2 telescopes for l = 10 - 56, and present here the first results.In one of the present samples, RCW166, we have discovered that the HII region is associated with two molecular clouds whose velocity separation is ~10 km s-1 the two clouds show complimentary spatial distributions, where one of the clouds have a cavity-like distribution apparently embracing the other. We present an interpretation that the two clouds collided with each other and the cavity-like distribution represents a hole created by the collision in the larger cloud as modeled by Habe and Ohta (1992). Similar molecular distributions are often found in the other compact HII regions in the present study.A recent study by Torii et al. (2015, arXiv:1503.00070) indicates that the Spitzer bubble RCW120 was formed by cloud-cloud collision where the inside of the cavity is fully ionized by the exiting stars. RCW166, on the other hand, shows that only a small part of the cavity, the compact HII region, is ionized. We thus suggest that RCW166 represents an evolutionary stage corresponding to an earlier phase of RCW120 in the collision scenario.

Neutron star evolution and emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epstein, R. I.; Edwards, B. C.; Haines, T. J.

1997-01-01

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The authors investigated the evolution and radiation characteristics of individual neutron stars and stellar systems. The work concentrated on phenomena where new techniques and observations are dramatically enlarging the understanding of stellar phenomena. Part of this project was a study of x-ray and gamma-ray emission from neutron stars and other compact objects. This effort included calculating the thermal x-ray emission from young neutron stars, deriving the radio and gamma-ray emission from active pulsars and modeling intense gamma-ray bursts in distant galaxies. They also measured periodic optical and infrared fluctuations from rotating neutron stars and search for high-energy TeV gamma rays from discrete celestial sources.

Surface emission from neutron stars and implications for the physics of their interiors.

PubMed

Ozel, Feryal

2013-01-01

Neutron stars are associated with diverse physical phenomena that take place in conditions characterized by ultrahigh densities as well as intense gravitational, magnetic and radiation fields. Understanding the properties and interactions of matter in these regimes remains one of the challenges in compact object astrophysics. Photons emitted from the surfaces of neutron stars provide direct probes of their structure, composition and magnetic fields. In this review, I discuss in detail the physics that governs the properties of emission from the surfaces of neutron stars and their various observational manifestations. I present the constraints on neutron star radii, core and crust composition, and magnetic field strength and topology obtained from studies of their broadband spectra, evolution of thermal luminosity, and the profiles of pulsations that originate on their surfaces.

Embedded class solutions compatible for physical compact stars in general relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton Singh, Ksh.; Pant, Neeraj; Tewari, Neeraj; Aria, Anil K.

2018-05-01

We have explored a family of new solutions satisfying Einstein's field equations and Karmarkar condition. We have assumed an anisotropic stress-tensor with no net electric charge. Interestingly, the new solutions yield zero values of all the physical quantities for all even integer n > 0. However, for all n >0 (n ≠ even numbers) they yield physically possible solutions. We have tuned the solution for neutron star Vela X-1 so that the solutions matches the observed mass and radius. For the same star we have extensively discussed the behavior of the solutions. The solutions yield a stiffer equation of state for larger values of n since the adiabatic index increases and speed of sound approaches the speed of light. It is also found that the solution is physically possible for Vela X-1 if 1.8 ≤ n < 7 (with n≠ 2,4,6). All the solutions for n ≥ 7 violates the causality condition and all the solutions with 0 < n < 1.8 lead to complex values of transverse sound speed vt. The range of well-behaved n depends on the mass and radius of compact stars.

Is the Link Between the Observed Velocities of Neutron Stars and their Progenitors a Simple Mass Relationship?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, J. C.

2017-11-01

While the imparting of velocity `kicks' to compact remnants from supernovae is widely accepted, the relationship of the `kick' to the progenitor is not. We propose the `kick' is predominantly a result of conservation of momentum between the ejected and compact remnant masses. We propose the `kick' velocity is given by v kick = α(M ejecta/M remnant)+β, where α and β are constants we wish to determine. To test this we use the BPASS v2 (Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis) code to create stellar populations from both single star and binary star evolutionary pathways. We then use our Remnant Ejecta and Progenitor Explosion Relationship (REAPER) code to apply `kicks' to neutron stars from supernovae in these models using a grid of α and β values, (from 0 to 200 km s-1 in steps of 10 km s-1), in three different `kick' orientations, (isotropic, spin-axis aligned and orthogonal to spin-axis) and weighted by three different Salpeter initial mass functions (IMF's), with slopes of -2.0, -2.35 and -2.70. We compare our synthetic 2D and 3D velocity probability distributions to the distributions provided by Hobbs et al. (1995).

GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences.

PubMed

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Raffai, P; Raja, S; Rajan, C; Rajbhandari, B; Rakhmanov, M; Ramirez, K E; Ramos-Buades, A; Rapagnani, P; Raymond, V; Razzano, M; Read, J; Regimbau, T; Rei, L; Reid, S; Reitze, D H; Ren, W; Reyes, S D; Ricci, F; Ricker, P M; Rieger, S; Riles, K; Rizzo, M; Robertson, N A; Robie, R; Robinet, F; Rocchi, A; Rolland, L; Rollins, J G; Roma, V J; Romano, J D; Romano, R; Romel, C L; Romie, J H; Rosińska, D; Ross, M P; Rowan, S; Rüdiger, A; Ruggi, P; Rutins, G; Ryan, K; Sachdev, S; Sadecki, T; Sadeghian, L; Sakellariadou, M; Salconi, L; Saleem, M; Salemi, F; Samajdar, A; Sammut, L; Sampson, L M; Sanchez, E J; Sanchez, L E; Sanchis-Gual, N; Sandberg, V; Sanders, J R; Sassolas, B; Sathyaprakash, B S; Saulson, P R; Sauter, O; Savage, R L; Sawadsky, A; Schale, P; Scheel, M; Scheuer, J; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P; Schnabel, R; Schofield, R M S; Schönbeck, A; Schreiber, E; Schuette, D; Schulte, B W; Schutz, B F; Schwalbe, S G; Scott, J; Scott, S M; Seidel, E; Sellers, D; Sengupta, A S; Sentenac, D; Sequino, V; Sergeev, A; Shaddock, D A; Shaffer, T J; Shah, A A; Shahriar, M S; Shaner, M B; Shao, L; Shapiro, B; Shawhan, P; Sheperd, A; Shoemaker, D H; Shoemaker, D M; Siellez, K; Siemens, X; Sieniawska, M; Sigg, D; Silva, A D; Singer, L P; Singh, A; Singhal, A; Sintes, A M; Slagmolen, B J J; Smith, B; Smith, J R; Smith, R J E; Somala, S; Son, E J; Sonnenberg, J A; Sorazu, B; Sorrentino, F; Souradeep, T; Spencer, A P; Srivastava, A K; Staats, K; Staley, A; Steinke, M; Steinlechner, J; Steinlechner, S; Steinmeyer, D; Stevenson, S P; Stone, R; Stops, D J; Strain, K A; Stratta, G; Strigin, S E; Strunk, A; Sturani, R; Stuver, A L; Summerscales, T Z; Sun, L; Sunil, S; Suresh, J; Sutton, P J; Swinkels, B L; Szczepańczyk, M J; Tacca, M; Tait, S C; Talbot, C; Talukder, D; Tanner, D B; Tápai, M; Taracchini, A; Tasson, J D; Taylor, J A; Taylor, R; Tewari, S V; Theeg, T; Thies, F; Thomas, E G; Thomas, M; Thomas, P; Thorne, K A; Thrane, E; Tiwari, S; Tiwari, V; Tokmakov, K V; Toland, K; Tonelli, M; Tornasi, Z; Torres-Forné, A; Torrie, C I; Töyrä, D; Travasso, F; Traylor, G; Trinastic, J; Tringali, M C; Trozzo, L; Tsang, K W; Tse, M; Tso, R; Tsukada, L; Tsuna, D; Tuyenbayev, D; Ueno, K; Ugolini, D; Unnikrishnan, C S; Urban, A L; Usman, S A; Vahlbruch, H; Vajente, G; Valdes, G; van Bakel, N; van Beuzekom, M; van den Brand, J F J; Van Den Broeck, C; Vander-Hyde, D C; van der Schaaf, L; van Heijningen, J V; van Veggel, A A; Vardaro, M; Varma, V; Vass, S; Vasúth, M; Vecchio, A; Vedovato, G; Veitch, J; Veitch, P J; Venkateswara, K; Venugopalan, G; Verkindt, D; Vetrano, F; Viceré, A; Viets, A D; Vinciguerra, S; Vine, D J; Vinet, J-Y; Vitale, S; Vo, T; Vocca, H; Vorvick, C; Vyatchanin, S P; Wade, A R; Wade, L E; Wade, M; Walet, R; Walker, M; Wallace, L; Walsh, S; Wang, G; Wang, H; Wang, J Z; Wang, W H; Wang, Y F; Ward, R L; Warner, J; Was, M; Watchi, J; Weaver, B; Wei, L-W; Weinert, M; Weinstein, A J; Weiss, R; Wen, L; Wessel, E K; Weßels, P; Westerweck, J; Westphal, T; Wette, K; Whelan, J T; Whiting, B F; 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2018-03-02

The LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaborations have announced the event GW170817, the first detection of gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars. The merger rate of binary neutron stars estimated from this event suggests that distant, unresolvable binary neutron stars create a significant astrophysical stochastic gravitational-wave background. The binary neutron star component will add to the contribution from binary black holes, increasing the amplitude of the total astrophysical background relative to previous expectations. In the Advanced LIGO-Virgo frequency band most sensitive to stochastic backgrounds (near 25 Hz), we predict a total astrophysical background with amplitude Ω_{GW}(f=25  Hz)=1.8_{-1.3}^{+2.7}×10^{-9} with 90% confidence, compared with Ω_{GW}(f=25  Hz)=1.1_{-0.7}^{+1.2}×10^{-9} from binary black holes alone. Assuming the most probable rate for compact binary mergers, we find that the total background may be detectable with a signal-to-noise-ratio of 3 after 40 months of total observation time, based on the expected timeline for Advanced LIGO and Virgo to reach their design sensitivity.

The Lore of the Hair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunes, Nicolas; Yagi, Kent; Stein, Leo

2016-03-01

Stars can be hairy beasts, especially in theories that go beyond Einstein's. In the latter, a scalar field can be sourced and anchored to a neutron star, and if the later is in a binary system, the scalar field will emit dipole radiation. This radiation removes energy from the binary, forcing the orbit to adiabatically decay much more rapidly than due to the emission of gravitational waves as predicted in General Relativity. The detailed radio observation of binary pulsars has constrained the orbital decay of compact binaries stringently, so much so that theories that predict neutron stars with scalar hair are believed to be essentially ruled out. In this talk I will explain why this ``lore'' is actually incorrect, providing a counter-example in which scalar hair is sourced by neutron stars, yet dipole radiation is absent. I will then describe what binary systems need to be observed to constrain such theories with future astrophysical observations. I acknowledge support from NSF CAREER Grant PHY-1250636.

Time-Series Monitoring of Open Star Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hojaev, A. S.; Semakov, D. G.

2006-08-01

Star clusters especially a compact ones (with diameter of few to ten arcmin) are suitable targets to search of light variability for orchestera of stars by means of ordinary Casegrain telescope plus CCD system. A special patroling with short time-fixed exposures and mmag accuracy could be used also to study of stellar oscillation for group of stars simultaneously. The last can be carried out both separately from one site and within international campaigns. Detection and study of optical variability of X-ray sources including X-ray binaries with compact objects might be as a result of a long-term monitoring of such clusters as well. We present the program of open star clusters monitoring with Zeiss 1 meter RCC telescope of Maidanak observatory has been recently automated. In combination with quite good seeing at this observatory (see, e.g., Sarazin, M. 1999, URL http://www.eso.org/gen-fac/pubs/astclim/) the automatic telescope equipped with large-format (2KX2K) CCD camera AP-10 available will allow to collect homogenious time-series for analysis. We already started this program in 2001 and had a set of patrol observations with Zeiss 0.6 meter telescope and AP-10 camera in 2003. 7 compact open clusters in the Milky Way (NGC 7801, King1, King 13, King18, King20, Berkeley 55, IC 4996) have been monitored for stellar variability and some results of photometry will be presented. A few interesting variables were discovered and dozens were suspected for variability to the moment in these clusters for the first time. We have made steps to join the Whole-Earth Telescope effort in its future campaigns.

A Search for X-Ray Evidence of a Compact Companion to the Unusual Wolf-Rayet Star HD 50896 (EZ CMa)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, Stephen L.; Itoh, Masayuki; Nagase, Fumiaki

1998-01-01

We analyze results of a approx.25 ksec ASCA X-ray observation of the unusual Wolf-Rayet star HD 50896 (= EZ CMa). This WN5 star shows optical and ultraviolet variability at a 3.766 day period, which has been interpreted as a possible signature of a compact companion. Our objective was to search for evidence of hard X-rays (greater than or equal to 5 keV) which could be present if the WN5 wind is accreting onto a compact object. The ASCA spectra are dominated by emission below 5 keV and show no significant emission in the harder 5-10 keV range. Weak emission lines are present, and the X-rays arise in an optically thin plasma which spans a range of temperatures from less than or equal to 0.4 keV up to at least approx. 2 keV. Excess X-ray absorption above the interstellar value is present, but the column density is no larger than N(sub H) approx. 10(exp 22)/sq cm. The absorption-corrected X-ray luminosity L(sub x)(0.5 - 10 keV) = 10(exp 32.85) erg/s gives L(sub x)/ L(sub bol) approx. 10(exp -6), a value that is typical of WN stars. No X-ray variability was detected. Our main conclusion is that the X-ray properties of HD 50896 are inconsistent with the behavior expected for wind accretion onto a neutron star or black hole companion. Alternative models based on wind shocks can explain most aspects of the X-ray behavior, and we argue that the hotter plasma near approx. 2 keV could be due to the WR wind shocking onto a normal (nondegenerate) companion.

A model for the infrared emission from an OB star cluster environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leisawitz, D.

1991-01-01

A model for the infrared emission from the neighborhood of an OB star cluster is described. The distribution of gas and dust around the stars, properties of the dust, and the cluster and interstellar radiation fields are variable. The model can be applied to regions around clusters embedded to various degrees in their parental molecular clouds (i.e., compact H II regions, blister-type H II regions, and the tenuous H II regions ionized by naked O stars). The model is used to simulate IRAS observations of a typical blister H II region. Infrared surface brightness and spectral energy distributions are predicted and the impact of limited spatial resolution is illustrated. The model results are shown to be consistent with observations of the exemplary outer Galaxy OB cluster NGC 7380. It is planned to use the model as a diagnostic tool to probe the physical conditions and dust properties in star-formation regions and, ultimately, in an interpretation of the spectral energy distributions of spiral galaxies.

Deep space target location with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Hipparcos data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Null, George W.

1988-01-01

Interplanetary spacecraft navigation requires accurate a priori knowledge of target positions. A concept is presented for attaining improved target ephemeris accuracy using two future Earth-orbiting optical observatories, the European Space Agency (ESA) Hipparcos observatory and the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Assuming nominal observatory performance, the Hipparcos data reduction will provide an accurate global star catalog, and HST will provide a capability for accurate angular measurements of stars and solar system bodies. The target location concept employs HST to observe solar system bodies relative to Hipparcos catalog stars and to determine the orientation (frame tie) of these stars to compact extragalactic radio sources. The target location process is described, the major error sources discussed, the potential target ephemeris error predicted, and mission applications identified. Preliminary results indicate that ephemeris accuracy comparable to the errors in individual Hipparcos catalog stars may be possible with a more extensive HST observing program. Possible future ground and spacebased replacements for Hipparcos and HST astrometric capabilities are also discussed.

Megamasers: Molecular Diagnostics of the Nuclear ISM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baan, Willem A.; Klöckner, Hans-R.

Molecular emissions are powerful tracers of intense heating and star-formation processes in galactic nuclei. In this paper we consider the characteristics of molecular Megamaser emission among the population of (Ultra-) Luminous Infrared Galaxies that are powered by intense star-formation or accretion onto a massive compact object. In addition, we consider the systematic behavior of the line emission of high-density tracer molecules. An evolutionary scenario is presented for ULIRGs that may explain the molecular line ratios observed in the population of FIR galaxies.

Megamasers: Molecular Diagnostics of the Nuclear Ism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baan, Willem A.; Klöckner, Hans-R.

2005-01-01

Molecular emissions are powerful tracers of intense heating and star-formation processes in galactic nuclei. In this paper we consider the characteristics of molecular Megamaser emission among the population of (Ultra-) Luminous Infrared Galaxies that are powered by intense star-formation or accretion onto a massive compact object. In addition, we consider the systematic behavior of the line emission of high-density tracer molecules. An evolutionary scenario is presented for ULIRGs that may explain the molecular line ratios observed in the population of FIR galaxies.

Neutron Stars and NuSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhalerao, Varun

2012-05-01

My thesis centers around the study of neutron stars, especially those in massive binary systems. To this end, it has two distinct components: the observational study of neutron stars in massive binaries with a goal of measuring neutron star masses and participation in NuSTAR, the first imaging hard X-ray mission, one that is extremely well suited to the study of massive binaries and compact objects in our Galaxy. The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will carry the first focusing high energy X-ray telescope to orbit. NuSTAR has an order-of-magnitude better angular resolution and has two orders of magnitude higher sensitivity than any currently orbiting hard X-ray telescope. I worked to develop, calibrate, and test CdZnTe detectors for NuSTAR. I describe the CdZnTe detectors in comprehensive detail here - from readout procedures to data analysis. Detailed calibration of detectors is necessary for analyzing astrophysical source data obtained by the NuSTAR. I discuss the design and implementation of an automated setup for calibrating flight detectors, followed by calibration procedures and results. Neutron stars are an excellent probe of fundamental physics. The maximum mass of a neutron star can put stringent constraints on the equation of state of matter at extreme pressures and densities. From an astrophysical perspective, there are several open questions in our understanding of neutron stars. What are the birth masses of neutron stars? How do they change in binary evolution? Are there multiple mechanisms for the formation of neutron stars? Measuring masses of neutron stars helps answer these questions. Neutron stars in high-mass X-ray binaries have masses close to their birth mass, providing an opportunity to disentangle the role of "nature" and "nurture" in the observed mass distributions. In 2006, masses had been measured for only six such objects, but this small sample showed the greatest diversity in masses among all classes of neutron star binaries. Intrigued by this diversity - which points to diverse birth masses - we undertook a systematic survey to measure the masses of neutron stars in nine high-mass X-ray binaries. In this thesis, I present results from this ongoing project. While neutron stars formed the primary focus of my work, I also explored other topics in compact objects. Appendix A describes the discovery and complete characterization of a 1RXS J173006.4+033813, a polar cataclysmic variable. Appendix B describes the discovery of a diamond planet orbiting a millisecond pulsar, and our search for its optical counterpart.

Simulations of Fractal Star Cluster Formation. I. New Insights for Measuring Mass Segregation of Star Clusters with Substructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jincheng; Puzia, Thomas H.; Lin, Congping; Zhang, Yiwei

2017-05-01

We compare the existent methods, including the minimum spanning tree based method and the local stellar density based method, in measuring mass segregation of star clusters. We find that the minimum spanning tree method reflects more the compactness, which represents the global spatial distribution of massive stars, while the local stellar density method reflects more the crowdedness, which provides the local gravitational potential information. It is suggested to measure the local and the global mass segregation simultaneously. We also develop a hybrid method that takes both aspects into account. This hybrid method balances the local and the global mass segregation in the sense that the predominant one is either caused by dynamical evolution or purely accidental, especially when such information is unknown a priori. In addition, we test our prescriptions with numerical models and show the impact of binaries in estimating the mass segregation value. As an application, we use these methods on the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) observations and the Taurus cluster. We find that the ONC is significantly mass segregated down to the 20th most massive stars. In contrast, the massive stars of the Taurus cluster are sparsely distributed in many different subclusters, showing a low degree of compactness. The massive stars of Taurus are also found to be distributed in the high-density region of the subclusters, showing significant mass segregation at subcluster scales. Meanwhile, we also apply these methods to discuss the possible mechanisms of the dynamical evolution of the simulated substructured star clusters.

Simulations of Fractal Star Cluster Formation. I. New Insights for Measuring Mass Segregation of Star Clusters with Substructure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Jincheng; Puzia, Thomas H.; Lin, Congping

2017-05-10

We compare the existent methods, including the minimum spanning tree based method and the local stellar density based method, in measuring mass segregation of star clusters. We find that the minimum spanning tree method reflects more the compactness, which represents the global spatial distribution of massive stars, while the local stellar density method reflects more the crowdedness, which provides the local gravitational potential information. It is suggested to measure the local and the global mass segregation simultaneously. We also develop a hybrid method that takes both aspects into account. This hybrid method balances the local and the global mass segregationmore » in the sense that the predominant one is either caused by dynamical evolution or purely accidental, especially when such information is unknown a priori. In addition, we test our prescriptions with numerical models and show the impact of binaries in estimating the mass segregation value. As an application, we use these methods on the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) observations and the Taurus cluster. We find that the ONC is significantly mass segregated down to the 20th most massive stars. In contrast, the massive stars of the Taurus cluster are sparsely distributed in many different subclusters, showing a low degree of compactness. The massive stars of Taurus are also found to be distributed in the high-density region of the subclusters, showing significant mass segregation at subcluster scales. Meanwhile, we also apply these methods to discuss the possible mechanisms of the dynamical evolution of the simulated substructured star clusters.« less

Blue large-amplitude pulsators as a new class of variable stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietrukowicz, Paweł; Dziembowski, Wojciech A.; Latour, Marilyn; Angeloni, Rodolfo; Poleski, Radosław; di Mille, Francesco; Soszyński, Igor; Udalski, Andrzej; Szymański, Michał K.; Wyrzykowski, Łukasz; Kozłowski, Szymon; Skowron, Jan; Skowron, Dorota; Mróz, Przemek; Pawlak, Michał; Ulaczyk, Krzysztof

2017-08-01

Regular intrinsic brightness variations observed in many stars are caused by pulsations. These pulsations provide information on the global and structural parameters of the star. The pulsation periods range from seconds to years, depending on the compactness of the star and properties of the matter that forms its outer layers. Here, we report the discovery of more than a dozen previously unknown short-period variable stars: blue large-amplitude pulsators. These objects show very regular brightness variations with periods in the range of 20-40 min and amplitudes of 0.2-0.4 mag in the optical passbands. The phased light curves have a characteristic sawtooth shape, similar to the shape of classical Cepheids and RR Lyrae-type stars pulsating in the fundamental mode. The objects are significantly bluer than main-sequence stars observed in the same fields, which indicates that all of them are hot stars. Follow-up spectroscopy confirms a high surface temperature of about 30,000 K. Temperature and colour changes over the cycle prove the pulsational nature of the variables. However, large-amplitude pulsations at such short periods are not observed in any known type of stars, including hot objects. Long-term photometric observations show that the variable stars are very stable over time. Derived rates of period change are of the order of 10-7 per year and, in most cases, they are positive. According to pulsation theory, such large-amplitude oscillations may occur in evolved low-mass stars that have inflated helium-enriched envelopes. The evolutionary path that could lead to such stellar configurations remains unknown.

PREFACE: 2nd International Symposium on the Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edvard Chubaryan, Professor; Aram Saharian, Professor; Armen Sedrakian, Professor

2014-03-01

The international conference ''The Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity'' took place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 18-21 September 2013. This was the second in a series of conferences which aim to bring together people working in astrophysics of compact stars, physics of dense matter, gravitation and cosmology, observations of pulsars and binary neutron stars and related fields. The conference was held on the occasion of 100th birthday of the founder of the Theoretical Physics Chair at the Department of Physics of Yerevan State University and prominent Armenian scientist Academician Gurgen S Sahakyan. The field of compact stars has seen extraordinary development since the discovery of pulsars in 1967. Even before this discovery, pioneering work of a number of theoretical groups had laid the foundation for this development. A pioneer of this effort was Professor G S Sahakyan who, together with Professor Victor Ambartsumyan and a group of young scientists, started in the early sixties their fundamental work on the properties of superdense matter and on the relativistic structure of compact stellar objects. This conference explored the vast diversity of the manifestations of compact stars, including the modern aspects of the equation of state of superdense matter, its magnetic and thermal properties, rotational dynamics, superfluidity and superconductivity, phase transition from hadronic to quark matter, etc. The articles on these subjects collected in this volume are evidence of liveliness of the field and of the continuous feedback between theory and the experiment. A part of this volume is devoted to the cosmology and the theories of gravity — the subfields of astrophysics that are of fundamental importance to our understanding of the universe. The reader will find here articles touching on the most diverse aspects of these fields such as modern problems in Einstein's classical theory of gravity and its alternatives, string theory motivated cosmological models, theories of cosmic microwave background, quantum field theory in curved background, Casimir effect, etc. Thus, it is fair to say that the present volume covers a large number of actively pursued subjects of modern relativistic astrophysics. We would like to thank all those individuals and organizations that helped us in organizing a successful conference. These include the members of the international advisory committee as well as the local organizing committee (whose names are listed separately above) and the sponsors of the conference — the Volkswagen Stiftung (Hannover, Germany), the HIC for FAIR Institute (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and the State Committee for Sciences of Armenia. Edvard Chubaryan, Aram Saharian and Armen Sedrakian Yerevan / Frankfurt-Main, 1 February, 2014 Conference photograph A list of participants is available in the PDF

Diverse Formation Mechanisms for Compact Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jin-Ah; Paudel, Sanjaya; Yoon, Suk-Jin

2018-01-01

Compact, quenched galaxies such as M32 are unusual ones located off the mass - size scaling relation defined by normal galaxies. Still, their formation mechanisms remain unsolved. Here we investigate the evolution of ~100 compact, quenched galaxies at z = 0 identified in the Illustris cosmological simulation. We identify three ways for a galaxy to become a compact one and, often, multiple mechanisms operate in a combined manner. First, stripping is responsible for making about a third of compact galaxies. Stripping removes stars from galaxies, usually while keeping their sizes intact. About one third are galaxies that cease their growth early on after entering into more massive, gigantic halos. Finally, about half of compact galaxies, ~ 35 % of which turn out to undergo stripping, experience the compaction due to the highly centrally concentrated star formation. We discuss the evolutionary path of compact galaxies on the mass – size plane for each mechanism in a broader context of dwarf galaxy formation and evolution.

The Formation of a Planetary Nebula.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harpaz, Amos

1991-01-01

Proposes a scenario to describe the formation of a planetary nebula, a cloud of gas surrounding a very hot compact star. Describes the nature of a planetary nebula, the number observed to date in the Milky Way Galaxy, and the results of research on a specific nebula. (MDH)

Blue compact dwarf galaxies. I - Neutral hydrogen observations of 115 galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thuan, T. X.; Martin, G. E.

1981-01-01

HI observations are reported for a sample of 115 blue compact dwarf (M sub B greater than approximately -18) galaxies or 'extragalactic H II regions' chosen mostly from the objective prism surveys of Markarian (1967-1974) and Haro (1956), with a few objects from Zwicky (1971) and other investigators. Ninety-three galaxies are detected. H I profiles, neutral hydrogen masses, total masses, and all available optical data are given for the 115 galaxies in a consistent and homogeneous system and in a useful format for statistical studies. The data are used in a companion paper to study the stochastic mode of star formation in galaxies.

Caught in the Act: Gas and Stellar Velocity Dispersions in a Fast Quenching Compact Star-Forming Galaxy at z~1.7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barro, Guillermo; Faber, Sandra M.; Dekel, Avishai; Pacifici, Camilla; Pérez-González, Pablo G.; Toloba, Elisa; Koo, David C.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Inoue, Shigeki; Guo, Yicheng; Liu, Fengshan; Primack, Joel R.; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Brammer, Gabriel; Cava, Antonio; Cardiel, Nicolas; Ceverino, Daniel; Eliche, Carmen; Fang, Jerome J.; Finkelstein, Steven L.; Kocevski, Dale D.; Livermore, Rachael C.; McGrath, Elizabeth

2016-04-01

We present Keck I MOSFIRE spectroscopy in the Y and H bands of GDN-8231, a massive, compact, star-forming galaxy at a redshift of z ˜ 1.7. Its spectrum reveals both Hα and [N II] emission lines and strong Balmer absorption lines. The Hα and Spitzer MIPS 24 μm fluxes are both weak, thus indicating a low star-formation rate of SFR ≲ 5{--}10 {M}⊙ yr-1. This, added to a relatively young age of ˜700 Myr measured from the absorption lines, provides the first direct evidence for a distant galaxy being caught in the act of rapidly shutting down its star formation. Such quenching allows GDN-8231 to become a compact, quiescent galaxy, similar to three other galaxies in our sample, by z ˜ 1.5. Moreover, the color profile of GDN-8231 shows a bluer center, consistent with the predictions of recent simulations for an early phase of inside-out quenching. Its line-of-sight velocity dispersion for the gas, {σ }{{{LOS}}}{{gas}} = 127 ± 32 km s-1, is nearly 40% smaller than that of its stars, {σ }{{{LOS}}}\\star = 215 ± 35 km s-1. High-resolution hydro-simulations of galaxies explain such apparently colder gas kinematics of up to a factor of ˜1.5 with rotating disks being viewed at different inclinations and/or centrally concentrated star-forming regions. A clear prediction is that their compact, quiescent descendants preserve some remnant rotation from their star-forming progenitors.

Compact stars in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity: Anomalies associated with phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sham, Y.-H.; Leung, P. T.; Lin, L.-M.

2013-03-01

We study how generic phase transitions taking place in compact stars constructed in the framework of the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld (EiBI) gravity can lead to anomalous behavior of these stars. For the case with first-order phase transitions, compact stars in EiBI gravity with a positive coupling parameter κ exhibit a finite region with constant pressure, which is absent in general relativity. However, for the case with a negative κ, an equilibrium stellar configuration cannot be constructed. Hence EiBI gravity seems to impose stricter constraints on the microphysics of stellar matter. Besides, in the presence of spatial discontinuities in the sound speed cs due to phase transitions, the Ricci scalar is spatially discontinuous and contains δ-function singularities proportional to the jump in cs2 acquired in the associated phase transition.

Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS Observations of I Zw 18: A Population of Old Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars Revealed.

PubMed

Östlin

2000-06-01

I present the first results from a Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS imaging study of the most metal-poor blue compact dwarf galaxy, I Zw 18. The near-infrared color-magnitude diagram (CMD) is dominated by two populations, one 10-20 Myr population of red supergiants and one 0.1-5 Gyr population of asymptotic giant branch stars. Stars older than 1 Gyr are required to explain the observed CMD at the adopted distance of 12.6 Mpc, showing that I Zw 18 is not a young galaxy. The results hold also if the distance to I Zw 18 is significantly larger. This rules out the possibility that I Zw 18 is a truly young galaxy formed recently in the local universe.

Nonradial oscillation modes of compact stars with a crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores, Cesar Vásquez; Hall, Zack B.; Jaikumar, Prashanth

2017-12-01

Oscillation modes of isolated compact stars can, in principle, be a fingerprint of the equation of state (EoS) of dense matter. We study the non-radial high-frequency l =2 spheroidal modes of neutron stars and strange quark stars, adopting a two-component model (core and crust) for these two types of stars. Using perturbed fluid equations in the relativistic Cowling approximation, we explore the effect of a strangelet or hadronic crust on the oscillation modes of strange stars. The results differ from the case of neutron stars with a crust. In comparison to fluid-only configurations, we find that a solid crust on top of a neutron star increases the p -mode frequency slightly with little effect on the f -mode frequency, whereas for strange stars, a strangelet crust on top of a quark core significantly increases the f -mode frequency with little effect on the p -mode frequency.

Exploring properties of high-density matter through remnants of neutron-star mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauswein, Andreas; Stergioulas, Nikolaos; Janka, Hans-Thomas

2016-03-01

Remnants of neutron-star mergers are essentially massive, hot, differentially rotating neutron stars, which are initially strongly oscillating. As such they represent a unique probe for high-density matter because the oscillations are detectable via gravitational-wave measurements and are strongly dependent on the equation of state. The impact of the equation of state for instance is apparent in the frequency of the dominant oscillation mode of the remnant. For a fixed total binary mass a tight relation between the dominant postmerger oscillation frequency and the radii of nonrotating neutron stars exists. Inferring observationally the dominant postmerger frequency thus determines neutron star radii with high accuracy of the order of a few hundred meters. By considering symmetric and asymmetric binaries of the same chirp mass, we show that the knowledge of the binary mass ratio is not critical for this kind of radius measurements. We perform simulations which show that initial intrinsic neutron star rotation is unlikely to affect this method of constraining the high-density equation of state. We also summarize different possibilities about how the postmerger gravitational-wave emission can be employed to deduce the maximum mass of nonrotating neutron stars. We clarify the nature of the three most prominent features of the postmerger gravitational-wave spectrum and argue that the merger remnant can be considered to be a single, isolated, self-gravitating object that can be described by concepts of asteroseismology. We sketch how the consideration of the strength of secondary gravitational-wave peaks leads to a classification scheme of the gravitational-wave emission and postmerger dynamics. The understanding of the different mechanisms shaping the gravitational-wave signal yields a physically motivated analytic model of the gravitational-wave emission, which may form the basis for template-based gravitational-wave data analysis. We explore the observational consequences of a scenario of two families of compact stars including hadronic and quark matter stars. We find that this scenario leaves a distinctive imprint on the postmerger gravitational-wave signal. In particular, a strong discontinuity in the dominant postmerger frequency as function of the total mass will be a strong indication for two families of compact stars.

Equation of state survey of black hole-neutron star mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brege, Wyatt

2016-03-01

By varying across several realistic equations of state in the regime in which most neutron star masses are most likely to appear, we can study how important a role these EOS's play in the properties of the post-merger accretion disk in mixed binary systems. In each system considered, the black hole has a mass of MBH = 7M⊙ and a spin of a* = 0 . 9 , and the neutron star has a mass of 1.2 or 1.4 M⊙. The realistic EOS's chosen satisfy experimental and observational constraints, and explore a wide range of neutron star compactnesses. We will address remaining uncertainties in the NS high-density EOS's and, principally, examine differences in the dynamical ejecta and consider implications for nucleosynthesis.

Aperture Effects in the Long Slit Spectrophotometry of the Polar Ring Galaxy IIZw71

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Montero, E.; García-Benito, R.; Díaz, Á. I.; Pérez, E.; Kehrig, C.

2008-10-01

Polar ring galaxies are composed by an early type galaxy and a polar ring rotating around it and which is rich in gas, dust and star formation. IIZw71 is catalogued as a blue compact dwarf galaxy and as a probable polar ring galaxy (Whitmore et al. 1990). The formation of the polar ring and the very luminous bursts of star formation along it, is a consequence of the interaction with a close companion, IIZw70, situated at 18.1 kpc (Cox et al. 2001). We have carried out spectrophotometric observations of the bursts of star formation along the polar ring in order to study differences in the physical properties or the star formation histories between the knots

Radial Angular Momentum Transfer and Magnetic Barrier for Short-type Gamma-Ray-burst Central Engine Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tong; Liang, En-Wei; Gu, Wei-Min; Hou, Shu-Jin; Lei, Wei-Hua; Lin, Lin; Dai, Zi-Gao; Zhang, Shuang-Nan

2012-11-01

Soft extended emission (EE) following initial hard spikes up to 100 s was observed with Swift/BAT for about half of known short-type gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). This challenges the conversional central engine models of SGRBs, i.e., compact star merger models. In the framework of black-hole-neutron-star merger models, we study the roles of radial angular momentum transfer in the disk and the magnetic barrier around the black hole in the activity of SGRB central engines. We show that radial angular momentum transfer may significantly prolong the lifetime of the accretion process, which may be divided into multiple episodes by the magnetic barrier. Our numerical calculations based on models of neutrino-dominated accretion flows suggest that disk mass is critical for producing the observed EE. In the case of the mass being ~0.8 M ⊙, our model can reproduce the observed timescale and luminosity of both the main and the EE episodes in a reasonable parameter set. The predicted luminosity of the EE component is lower than the observed EE within about one order of magnitude and the timescale is shorter than 20 s if the disk mass is ~0.2 M ⊙. Swift/BAT-like instruments may be not sensitive enough to detect the EE component in this case. We argue that the EE component could be a probe for the merger process and disk formation for compact star mergers.

The Fate of the Compact Remnant in Neutron Star Mergers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fryer, Chris L.; Belczynski, Krzysztoff; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico

Neutron star (binary neutron star and neutron star - black hole) mergers are believed to produce short-duration gamma-ray bursts. They are also believed to be the dominant source of gravitational waves to be detected by the advanced LIGO and the dominant source of the heavy r-process elements in the universe. Whether or not these mergers produce short-duration GRBs depends sensitively on the fate of the core of the remnant (whether, and how quickly, it forms a black hole). In this paper, we combine the results of merger calculations and equation of state studies to determine the fate of the coresmore » of neutron star mergers. Using population studies, we can determine the distribution of these fates to compare to observations. We find that black hole cores form quickly only for equations of state that predict maximum non-rotating neutron star masses below 2.3-2.4 solar masses. If quick black hole formation is essential in producing gamma-ray bursts, LIGO observed rates compared to GRB rates could be used to constrain the equation of state for dense nuclear matter.« less

The Fate of the Compact Remnant in Neutron Star Mergers

DOE PAGES

Fryer, Chris L.; Belczynski, Krzysztoff; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; ...

2015-10-06

Neutron star (binary neutron star and neutron star - black hole) mergers are believed to produce short-duration gamma-ray bursts. They are also believed to be the dominant source of gravitational waves to be detected by the advanced LIGO and the dominant source of the heavy r-process elements in the universe. Whether or not these mergers produce short-duration GRBs depends sensitively on the fate of the core of the remnant (whether, and how quickly, it forms a black hole). In this paper, we combine the results of merger calculations and equation of state studies to determine the fate of the coresmore » of neutron star mergers. Using population studies, we can determine the distribution of these fates to compare to observations. We find that black hole cores form quickly only for equations of state that predict maximum non-rotating neutron star masses below 2.3-2.4 solar masses. If quick black hole formation is essential in producing gamma-ray bursts, LIGO observed rates compared to GRB rates could be used to constrain the equation of state for dense nuclear matter.« less

Simulating the X-ray luminosity of Be X-ray binaries: the case for black holes versus neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, R. O.; Ho, W. C. G.; Coe, M. J.; Okazaki, A. T.

2018-04-01

There are over 100 Be stars that are known to have neutron star companions but only one such system with a black hole. Previous theoretical work suggests this is not due to their formation but due to differences in X-ray luminosity. It has also been proposed that the truncation of the Be star's circumstellar disc is dependent on the mass of the compact object. Hence, Be star discs in black hole binaries are smaller. Since accretion onto the compact object from the Be star's disc is what powers the X-ray luminosity, a smaller disc in black hole systems leads to a lower luminosity. In this paper, simulations are performed with a range of eccentricities and compact object mass. The disc's size and density are shown to be dependent on both quantities. Mass capture and, in turn, X-ray luminosity are heavily dependent on the size and density of the disc. Be/black hole binaries are expected to be up to ˜10 times fainter than Be/neutron star binaries when both systems have the same eccentricity and can be 100 times fainter when comparing systems with different eccentricity.

Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: Detection of a blue kilonova

DOE PAGES

Evans, P. A.; Cenko, S. B.; Kennea, J. A.; ...

2017-10-16

With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. However, a complete picture of compact object mergers requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. Here, we report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) of the EM counterpart of the binary neutron star merger GW 170817. The bright, rapidly fading ultraviolet emission indicates a high mass (≈ 0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction (Ye ≈ 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of ≈30°more » away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultra-relativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a γ-ray burst afterglow).« less

Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: Detection of a blue kilonova

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, P. A.; Cenko, S. B.; Kennea, J. A.

With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. However, a complete picture of compact object mergers requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. Here, we report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) of the EM counterpart of the binary neutron star merger GW 170817. The bright, rapidly fading ultraviolet emission indicates a high mass (≈ 0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction (Ye ≈ 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of ≈30°more » away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultra-relativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a γ-ray burst afterglow).« less

Searching for X-ray Pulsations from Neutron Stars Using NICER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Paul S.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Bogdanov, Slavko; Bult, Peter; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Guillot, Sebastien; Kust Harding, Alice; Ho, Wynn C. G.; Lamb, Frederick K.; Mahmoodifar, Simin; Miller, M. Coleman; Strohmayer, Tod E.; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.; Wolff, Michael Thomas

2017-08-01

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) presents an exciting new capability for discovering new modulation properties of X-ray emitting neutron stars, including large area, low background, extremely precise absolute time stamps, superb low-energy response and flexible scheduling. The Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination working group has designed a 2.5 Ms observing program to search for pulsations and characterize the modulation properties of about 30 known or suspected neutron star sources across a number of source categories. A key early goal will be to search for pulsations from millisecond pulsars that might exhibit thermal pulsations from the surface suitable for pulse profile modeling to constrain the neutron star equation of state. In addition, we will search for pulsations from transitional millisecond pulsars, isolated neutron stars, LMXBs, accretion-powered millisecond pulsars, central compact objects and other sources. We will present our science plan and initial results from the first months of the NICER mission.

Searching for X-ray Pulsations from Neutron Stars Using NICER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Paul S.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Gendreau, Keith C.; Bogdanov, Slavko; Bult, Peter; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Guillot, Sebastien; Harding, Alice; Ho, Wynn C. G.; Lamb, Frederick; Mahmoodifar, Simin; Miller, Cole; Strohmayer, Tod; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen; Wolff, Michael T.; NICER Science Team Working Group on Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination

2018-01-01

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) presents an exciting new capability for discovering new modulation properties of X-ray emitting neutron stars, including large area, low background, extremely precise absolute time stamps, superb low-energy response and flexible scheduling. The Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination working group has designed a 2.5 Ms observing program to search for pulsations and characterize the modulation properties of about 30 known or suspected neutron star sources across a number of source categories. A key early goal will be to search for pulsations from millisecond pulsars that might exhibit thermal pulsations from the surface suitable for pulse profile modeling to constrain the neutron star equation of state. In addition, we will search for pulsations from transitional millisecond pulsars, isolated neutron stars, LMXBs, accretion-powered millisecond pulsars, central compact objects and other sources. We present our science plan and initial results from the first months of the NICER mission.

A Herschel and CARMA synergistic study of turbulent gas in Hickson Compact Groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appleton, Philip N.; Alatalo, Katherine A.; Lisenfeld, Ute; Bitsakis, Thodoris; Guillard, Pierre; Charmandaris, Vassilis; Cluver, Michelle; Dopita, Michael A.; Freeland, Emily; Hickson Compact Group Team

2015-01-01

We have performed deep PACS and SPIRE imaging, [CII] and [OI] spectroscopy and CARMA CO J= 1-0 imaging of a dozen Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs). The observations attempt to explore the physical conditions of the gas in a subset of galaxies containing large quantities of warm molecular hydrogen based on previous Spitzer IRS observations. The H2 is too powerful to be heated in PDR regions, and is most likely powered by turbulence and shocks. Such galaxies are found to fall in a region of the IR color-color space believed to show galaxies rapidly transitioning from the blue cloud to the red sequence, and so shocks may play a role in quenching star formation. We explore far-IR line luminosities and surface densities for extended diffuse [CII] emission and compare this to similar quanties in the CO emitting gas, and the far-IR continuum. Preliminary results suggest that high [CII]/FIR and [CII]/CO ratios are common in these systems, and in some cases correlate with peculiar velocities in the CO emitting gas. Star formation suppression may be seen in some of the systems with the highest warm H2/PAH ratios found by Spitzer, implying that turbulence may suppress star formation.

Star-formation rate in compact star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotova, I. Y.; Izotov, Y. I.

2018-03-01

We use the data for the Hβ emission-line, far-ultraviolet (FUV) and mid-infrared 22 μm continuum luminosities to estimate star formation rates < SFR > averaged over the galaxy lifetime for a sample of about 14000 bursting compact star-forming galaxies (CSFGs) selected from the Data Release 12 (DR12) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The average coefficient linking < SFR > and the star formation rate SFR0 derived from the Hβ luminosity at zero starburst age is found to be 0.04. We compare < SFR > s with some commonly used SFRs which are derived adopting a continuous star formation during a period of {˜} 100 Myr, and find that the latter ones are 2-3 times higher. It is shown that the relations between SFRs derived using a geometric mean of two star-formation indicators in the UV and IR ranges and reduced to zero starburst age have considerably lower dispersion compared to those with single star-formation indicators. We suggest that our relations for < SFR > determination are more appropriate for CSFGs because they take into account a proper temporal evolution of their luminosities. On the other hand, we show that commonly used SFR relations can be applied for approximate estimation within a factor of {˜} 2 of the < SFR > averaged over the lifetime of the bursting compact galaxy.

What are the Progenitors of Compace, Massive, Quiescent Galaxies at z (equals) 2.3? The Population of Massive Galaxies at z (greater than) 3 From NMBS AND CANDELS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stefanon, Mauro; Marchesini, Danilo; Rudnick, Gregory H.; Brammer, Gabriel B.; Tease, Katherine Whitaker

2013-01-01

Using public data from the NEWFIRM Medium-Band Survey (NMBS) and the Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS), we investigate the population of massive galaxies at z > 3. The main aim of this work is to identify the potential progenitors of z 2 compact, massive, quiescent galaxies (CMQGs), furthering our understanding of the onset and evolution of massive galaxies. Our work is enabled by high-resolution images from CANDELS data and accurate photometric redshifts, stellar masses, and star formation rates (SFRs) from 37-band NMBS photometry. The total number of massive galaxies at z > 3 is consistent with the number of massive, quiescent galaxies (MQGs) at z 2, implying that the SFRs for all of these galaxies must be much lower by z 2. We discover four CMQGs at z > 3, pushing back the time for which such galaxies have been observed. However, the volume density for these galaxies is significantly less than that of galaxies at z < 2 with similar masses, SFRs, and sizes, implying that additional CMQGs must be created in the intervening 1 Gyr between z = 3 and z = 2. We find five star-forming galaxies at z 3 that are compact (Re < 1.4 kpc) and have stellar mass M* > 1010.6M; these galaxies are likely to become members of the massive, quiescent, compact galaxy population at z 2. We evolve the stellar masses and SFRs of each individual z > 3 galaxy adopting five different star formation histories (SFHs) and studying the resulting population of massive galaxies at z = 2.3. We find that declining or truncated SFHs are necessary to match the observed number density of MQGs at z 2, whereas a constant delayed-exponential SFH would result in a number density significantly smaller than observed. All of our assumed SFHs imply number densities of CMQGs at z 2 that are consistent with the observed number density. Better agreement with the observed number density of CMQGs at z 2 is obtained if merging is included in the analysis and better still if star formation quenching is assumed to shortly follow the merging event, as implied by recent models of the formation of MQGs.

Colliding black holes and pulsating compact objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrade, Zeferino

2000-08-01

This thesis presents a study of two kinds of sources of gravitational waves: black hole collisions and pulsating compact objects (either a black hole or a star) The computational solution of the Einstein field equations for the coalescence of two black holes is of great interest for both theoretical and astrophysical reasons. Despite the strong motivation for results, outstanding mathematical and numerical problems have prevented a complete analysis of two black hole systems. Workers in the field have resorted to approximate techniques that make the study of such systems tractable. In Chapter 2 we use the close limit approximation to compute the gravitational energy radiated, and the recoil velocity acquired, by a system of two unequal mass black holes colliding head-on. A recent independent comparison of our approximate result with a full numerical analysis of the problem shows excellent agreement. Until recently, vibrations even of relativistically compact stars were studied using Newtonian physics and the weak field limit of general relativity. The study of the problem in the framework of general relativity revealed the existence of modes of vibration (w modes) characteristic of the spacetime geometry and therefore modes not predicted by Newtonian physics. Chapter 3 addresses the question of whether these modes can be excited in a natural astrophysical process. A small particle with a given energy and angular momentum is scattered by a compact star or black hole and in the process excites, although weakly, the w modes. Chapter 4 compares the study of pulsating stars in a Newtonian framework and in a fully relativistic setting. To excite the vibrations of the stellar model we use time dependent surface mass density and surface stress in a thin spherical shell surrounding the star. Even for stars as compact as typical neutron stars (radius ~ 5G/ c2 × mass), the two theories predict essentially the same level of excitation of the f (fluid) modes of the star. The w modes are not excited for these stars. All of the chapters in this thesis, except the introductory chapter, have been published or have been submitted for publication.

Star formation properties of Hickson Compact Groups based on deep Hα imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eigenthaler, Paul; Ploeckinger, Sylvia; Verdugo, Miguel; Ziegler, Bodo

2015-08-01

We present deep Hα imaging of seven Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) using the 4.1-m Southern Astrophysics Research (SOAR) Telescope. The high spatial resolution of the observations allows us to study both the integrated star formation properties of the main galaxies as well as the 2D distribution of star-forming knots in the faint tidal arms that form during interactions between the individual galaxies. We derive star formation rates and stellar masses for group members and discuss their position relative to the main sequence of star-forming galaxies. Despite the existence of tidal features within the galaxy groups, we do not find any indication for enhanced star formation in the selected sample of HCGs. We study azimuthally averaged Hα profiles of the galaxy discs and compare them with the g' and r' surface brightness profiles. We do not find any truncated galaxy discs but reveal that more massive galaxies show a higher light concentration in Hα than less massive ones. We also see that galaxies that show a high light concentration in r', show a systematic higher light concentration in Hα. Tidal dwarf galaxy (TDG) candidates have been previously detected in R-band images for two groups in our sample but we find that most of them are likely background objects as they do not show any emission in Hα. We present a new TDG candidate at the tip of the tidal tail in HCG 91.

Panchromatic Calibration of Astronomical Observations with State-of-the-Art White Dwarf Model Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauch, T.

2016-05-01

Theoretical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of white dwarfs provide a powerful tool for cross-calibration and sensitivity control of instruments from the far infrared to the X-ray energy range. Such SEDs can be calculated from fully metal-line blanketed NLTE model-atmospheres that are e.g. computed by the Tübingen NLTE Model-Atmosphere Package (TMAP) that has arrived at a high level of sophistication. TMAP was successfully employed for the reliable spectral analysis of many hot, compact post-AGB stars. High-quality stellar spectra obtained over a wide energy range establish a data base with a large number of spectral lines of many successive ions of different species. Their analysis allows to determine effective temperatures, surface gravities, and element abundances of individual (pre-)white dwarfs with very small error ranges. We present applications of TMAP SEDs for spectral analyses of hot, compact stars in the parameter range from (pre-) white dwarfs to neutron stars and demonstrate the improvement of flux calibration using white-dwarf SEDs that are e.g. available via registered services in the Virtual Observatory.

Probing the clumpy winds of giant stars with high mass X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinberg, Victoria; Hell, Natalie; Hirsch, Maria; Garcia, Javier; Huenemoerder, David; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Nowak, Michael; Pottschmidt, Katja; Schulz, Norbert S.; Sundqvists, Jon O.; Townsend, Richard D.; Wilms, Joern

2016-04-01

Line-driven winds from early type stars are structured, with small, overdense clumps embedded in tenuous hot gas. High mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), systems where a neutron star or a black hole accretes from the line-driven stellar wind of an O/B-type companion, are ideal for studying such winds: the wind drives the accretion onto the compact object and thus the X-ray production. The radiation from close to the compact object is quasi-pointlike and effectively X-rays the wind.We used RXTE and Chandra-HETG observations of two of the brightest HMXBs, Cyg X-1 and Vela X-1, to decipher their wind structure. In Cyg X-1, we show that the orbital variability of absorption can be only explained by a clumpy wind model and constrain the porosity of the wind as well as the onion-like structure of the clumps. In Vela X-1 we show, using the newest reference energies for low ionization Si-lines obtained with LLNL’s EBIT-I, that the ionized phase of the circumstellar medium and the cold clumps have different velocities.

Relativistic model for anisotropic strange stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Debabrata; Chowdhury, Sourav Roy; Ray, Saibal; Rahaman, Farook; Guha, B. K.

2017-12-01

In this article, we attempt to find a singularity free solution of Einstein's field equations for compact stellar objects, precisely strange (quark) stars, considering Schwarzschild metric as the exterior spacetime. To this end, we consider that the stellar object is spherically symmetric, static and anisotropic in nature and follows the density profile given by Mak and Harko (2002) , which satisfies all the physical conditions. To investigate different properties of the ultra-dense strange stars we have employed the MIT bag model for the quark matter. Our investigation displays an interesting feature that the anisotropy of compact stars increases with the radial coordinate and attains its maximum value at the surface which seems an inherent property for the singularity free anisotropic compact stellar objects. In this connection we also perform several tests for physical features of the proposed model and show that these are reasonably acceptable within certain range. Further, we find that the model is consistent with the energy conditions and the compact stellar structure is stable with the validity of the TOV equation and Herrera cracking concept. For the masses below the maximum mass point in mass vs radius curve the typical behavior achieved within the framework of general relativity. We have calculated the maximum mass and radius of the strange stars for the three finite values of bag constant Bg.

Multipolar universal relations between f -mode frequency and tidal deformability of compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, T. K.; Sham, Y.-H.; Leung, P. T.; Lin, L.-M.

2014-12-01

Though individual stellar parameters of compact stars usually demonstrate obvious dependence on the equation of state (EOS), EOS-insensitive universal formulas relating these parameters remarkably exist. In the present paper, we explore the interrelationship between two such formulas, namely the f -I relation connecting the f -mode quadrupole oscillation frequency ω2 and the moment of inertia I , and the I -Love-Q relations relating I , the quadrupole tidal deformability λ2, and the quadrupole moment Q , which have been proposed by Lau, Leung, and Lin [Astrophys. J. 714, 1234 (2010)] and Yagi and Yunes [Science 341, 365 (2013)], respectively. A relativistic universal relation between ωl and λl with the same angular momentum l =2 ,3 ,… , the so-called "diagonal f -Love relation" that holds for realistic compact stars and stiff polytropic stars, is unveiled here. An in-depth investigation in the Newtonian limit is further carried out to pinpoint its underlying physical mechanism and hence leads to a unified f -I -Love relation. We reach the conclusion that these EOS-insensitive formulas stem from a common physical origin—compact stars can be considered as quasiincompressible when they react to slow time variations introduced by f -mode oscillations, tidal forces and rotations.

Extreme magnification of an individual star at redshift 1.5 by a galaxy-cluster lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Patrick L.; Diego, Jose M.; Rodney, Steven; Kaiser, Nick; Broadhurst, Tom; Zitrin, Adi; Treu, Tommaso; Pérez-González, Pablo G.; Morishita, Takahiro; Jauzac, Mathilde; Selsing, Jonatan; Oguri, Masamune; Pueyo, Laurent; Ross, Timothy W.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Smith, Nathan; Hjorth, Jens; Cenko, S. Bradley; Wang, Xin; Howell, D. Andrew; Richard, Johan; Frye, Brenda L.; Jha, Saurabh W.; Foley, Ryan J.; Norman, Colin; Bradac, Marusa; Zheng, Weikang; Brammer, Gabriel; Benito, Alberto Molino; Cava, Antonio; Christensen, Lise; de Mink, Selma E.; Graur, Or; Grillo, Claudio; Kawamata, Ryota; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Matheson, Thomas; McCully, Curtis; Nonino, Mario; Pérez-Fournon, Ismael; Riess, Adam G.; Rosati, Piero; Schmidt, Kasper Borello; Sharon, Keren; Weiner, Benjamin J.

2018-04-01

Galaxy-cluster gravitational lenses can magnify background galaxies by a total factor of up to 50. Here we report an image of an individual star at redshift z = 1.49 (dubbed MACS J1149 Lensed Star 1) magnified by more than ×2,000. A separate image, detected briefly 0.26″ from Lensed Star 1, is probably a counterimage of the first star demagnified for multiple years by an object of ≳3 solar masses in the cluster. For reasonable assumptions about the lensing system, microlensing fluctuations in the stars' light curves can yield evidence about the mass function of intracluster stars and compact objects, including binary fractions and specific stellar evolution and supernova models. Dark-matter subhaloes or massive compact objects may help to account for the two images' long-term brightness ratio.

Spontaneous Scalarization of Black Holes and Compact Stars from a Gauss-Bonnet Coupling.

PubMed

Silva, Hector O; Sakstein, Jeremy; Gualtieri, Leonardo; Sotiriou, Thomas P; Berti, Emanuele

2018-03-30

We identify a class of scalar-tensor theories with coupling between the scalar and the Gauss-Bonnet invariant that exhibit spontaneous scalarization for both black holes and compact stars. In particular, these theories formally admit all of the stationary solutions of general relativity, but these are not dynamically preferred if certain conditions are satisfied. Remarkably, black holes exhibit scalarization if their mass lies within one of many narrow bands. We find evidence that scalarization can occur in neutron stars as well.

Gravitational Waves and Multi-Messenger Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Centrella, Joan M.

2010-01-01

Gravitational waves are produced by a wide variety of sources throughout the cosmos, including the mergers of black hole and neutron star binaries/compact objects spiraling into central black holes in galactic nuclei, close compact binaries/and phase transitions and quantum fluctuations in the early universe. Observing these signals can bring new, and often very precise, information about their sources across vast stretches of cosmic time. In this talk we will focus on thee opening of this gravitational-wave window on the universe, highlighting new opportunities for discovery and multi-messenger astronomy.

Far infrared supplement: Catalog of infrared observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gezari, D. Y.; Schmitz, M.; Mead, J. M.

1984-01-01

The Far Infrared Supplement: catalog of infrared observations summarizes all infrared astronomical observations at far infrared wavelengths published in the scientific literature between 1965 and 1982. The Supplement list contains 25% of the observations in the full catalog of infrared observations (C10), and essentially eliminates most visible stars from the listings. The Supplement is more compact than the main Catalog (it does not contain the bibliography and position index of the C10), and is intended for easy reference during astronomical observations.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bekki, Kenji

We propose that there is an evolutionary link between ultra-compact blue dwarf galaxies (UCBDs) with active star formation and nucleated dwarfs based on the results of numerical simulations of dwarf–dwarf merging. We consider the observational fact that low-mass dwarfs can be very gas-rich, and thereby investigate the dynamical and chemical evolution of very gas-rich, dissipative dwarf–dwarf mergers. We find that the remnants of dwarf–dwarf mergers can be dominated by new stellar populations formed from the triggered starbursts and consequently can have blue colors and higher metallicities (Z ∼ [0.2–1]Z{sub ⊙}). We also find that the remnants of these mergers canmore » have rather high mass densities (10{sup 4} M{sub ⊙} pc{sup −3}) within the central 10 pc and small half-light radii (40−100 pc). The radial stellar structures of some merger remnants are similar to those of nucleated dwarfs. Star formation can continue in nuclear gas disks (R < 100 pc) surrounding stellar galactic nuclei (SGNs) so that the SGNs can finally have multiple stellar populations with different ages and metallicities. These very compact blue remnants can be identified as UCBDs soon after merging and as nucleated dwarfs after the young stars fade. We discuss these results in the context of the origins of metal-rich ultra-compact dwarfs and SGNs.« less

3D AMR hydrosimulations of a compact source scenario for the Galactic Centre cloud G2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballone, A.; Schartmann, M.; Burkert, A.; Gillessen, S.; Plewa, P. M.; Genzel, R.; Pfuhl, O.; Eisenhauer, F.; Habibi, M.; Ott, T.; George, E. M.

2018-06-01

The nature of the gaseous and dusty cloud G2 in the Galactic Centre is still under debate. We present three-dimensional hydrodynamical adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations of G2, modeled as an outflow from a "compact source" moving on the observed orbit. The construction of mock position-velocity (PV) diagrams enables a direct comparison with observations and allow us to conclude that the observational properties of the gaseous component of G2 could be matched by a massive (\\dot{M}_w=5× 10^{-7} M_{⊙} yr^{-1}) and slow (50 km s-1) outflow, as observed for T Tauri stars. In order for this to be true, only the material at larger (>100 AU) distances from the source must be actually emitting, otherwise G2 would appear too compact compared to the observed PV diagrams. On the other hand, the presence of a central dusty source might be able to explain the compactness of G2's dust component. In the present scenario, 5-10 years after pericentre the compact source should decouple from the previously ejected material, due to the hydrodynamic interaction of the latter with the surrounding hot and dense atmosphere. In this case, a new outflow should form, ahead of the previous one, which would be the smoking gun evidence for an outflow scenario.

The AGN-Starburst connection in COLA galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurley, Rossa; Phillips, Chris; Norris, Ray; Appleton, Phil; Conway, John; Parra, Rodrigo

2007-10-01

We propose to observe the COLA-S sample of 107 galaxies to test the hypothesis that VLBI-detectable AGN cores in IR-luminous sources are accompanied by intense compact star-formation activity. To maximise our sensitivity with available resources, we propose single-baseline 1 Gbit/s VLBI observations between Narrabri and Parkes, and will correlate the data in near-real time using the CPSR-II computer at Parkes.

Radial oscillations and stability of compact stars in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sham, Y.-H.; Lin, L.-M.; Leung, P. T.

2012-09-01

We study the hydrostatic equilibrium structure of compact stars in the Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity recently proposed by Bañados and Ferreira [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 011101 (2010)]. We also develop a framework to study the radial perturbations and stability of compact stars in this theory. We find that the standard results of stellar stability still hold in this theory. The frequency square of the fundamental oscillation mode vanishes for the maximum-mass stellar configuration. The dependence of the oscillation mode frequencies on the coupling parameter κ of the theory is also investigated. We find that the fundamental mode is insensitive to the value of κ, while higher-order modes depend more strongly on κ.

The Ultraviolet and Infrared Star Formation Rates of Compact Group Galaxies: An Expanded Sample

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenkic, Laura; Tzanavaris, Panayiotis; Gallagher, Sarah C.; Desjardins, Tyler D.; Walker, Lisa May; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Fedotov, Konstantin; Charlton, Jane; Cardiff, Ann H.; Durell, Pat R.

2016-01-01

Compact groups of galaxies provide insight into the role of low-mass, dense environments in galaxy evolution because the low velocity dispersions and close proximity of galaxy members result in frequent interactions that take place over extended time-scales. We expand the census of star formation in compact group galaxies by Tzanavaris et al. (2010) and collaborators with Swift UVOT, Spitzer IRAC and MIPS 24 m photometry of a sample of 183 galaxies in 46 compact groups. After correcting luminosities for the contribution from old stellar populations, we estimate the dust-unobscured star formation rate (SFRUV) using the UVOT uvw2 photometry. Similarly, we use the MIPS 24 m photometry to estimate the component of the SFR that is obscured by dust (SFRIR). We find that galaxies which are MIR-active (MIR-red), also have bluer UV colours, higher specific SFRs, and tend to lie in Hi-rich groups, while galaxies that are MIR-inactive (MIR-blue) have redder UV colours, lower specific SFRs, and tend to lie in Hi-poor groups. We find the SFRs to be continuously distributed with a peak at about 1 M yr1, indicating this might be the most common value in compact groups. In contrast, the specific SFR distribution is bimodal, and there is a clear distinction between star-forming and quiescent galaxies. Overall, our results suggest that the specific SFR is the best tracer of gas depletion and galaxy evolution in compact groups.

ATLASGAL - towards a complete sample of massive star forming clumps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urquhart, J. S.; Moore, T. J. T.; Csengeri, T.; Wyrowski, F.; Schuller, F.; Hoare, M. G.; Lumsden, S. L.; Mottram, J. C.; Thompson, M. A.; Menten, K. M.; Walmsley, C. M.; Bronfman, L.; Pfalzner, S.; König, C.; Wienen, M.

2014-09-01

By matching infrared-selected, massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) and compact H II regions in the Red MSX Source survey to massive clumps found in the submillimetre ATLASGAL (APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy) survey, we have identified ˜1000 embedded young massive stars between 280° < ℓ < 350° and 10° < ℓ < 60° with | b | < 1.5°. Combined with an existing sample of radio-selected methanol masers and compact H II regions, the result is a catalogue of ˜1700 massive stars embedded within ˜1300 clumps located across the inner Galaxy, containing three observationally distinct subsamples, methanol-maser, MYSO and H II-region associations, covering the most important tracers of massive star formation, thought to represent key stages of evolution. We find that massive star formation is strongly correlated with the regions of highest column density in spherical, centrally condensed clumps. We find no significant differences between the three samples in clump structure or the relative location of the embedded stars, which suggests that the structure of a clump is set before the onset of star formation, and changes little as the embedded object evolves towards the main sequence. There is a strong linear correlation between clump mass and bolometric luminosity, with the most massive stars forming in the most massive clumps. We find that the MYSO and H II-region subsamples are likely to cover a similar range of evolutionary stages and that the majority are near the end of their main accretion phase. We find few infrared-bright MYSOs associated with the most massive clumps, probably due to very short pre-main-sequence lifetimes in the most luminous sources.

Jets in black-hole and neutron-star X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kylafis, Nikolaos

2016-07-01

Jets have been observed from both neutron-star and black-hole X-ray binaries. There are many similarities between the two and a few differences. I will offer a physical explanation of the formation and destruction of jets from compact objects and I will discuss the similarities and differences in the two types. The basic concept in the physical explanation is the Cosmic Battery, the mechanism that creates the required magnetic field for the jet ejection. The Cosmic Battery operates efficiently in accretion flows consisting of an inner hot flow and an outer thin accretion disk, independently of the nature of the compact object. It is therefore natural to always expect a jet in the right part of a spectral hardness - luminosity diagram and to never expect a jet in the left part. As a consequence, most of the phenomenology of an outburst can be explained with only one parameter, the mass accretion rate.

Dark Matter under the Microscope: Constraining Compact Dark Matter with Caustic Crossing Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diego, Jose M.; Kaiser, Nick; Broadhurst, Tom; Kelly, Patrick L.; Rodney, Steve; Morishita, Takahiro; Oguri, Masamune; Ross, Timothy W.; Zitrin, Adi; Jauzac, Mathilde; Richard, Johan; Williams, Liliya; Vega-Ferrero, Jesus; Frye, Brenda; Filippenko, Alexei V.

2018-04-01

A galaxy cluster acts as a cosmic telescope over background galaxies but also as a cosmic microscope magnifying the imperfections of the lens. The diverging magnification of lensing caustics enhances the microlensing effect of substructure present within the lensing mass. Fine-scale structure can be accessed as a moving background source brightens and disappears when crossing these caustics. The recent discovery of a distant lensed star near the Einstein radius of the galaxy cluster MACSJ1149.5+2223 allows a rare opportunity to reach subsolar-mass microlensing through a supercritical column of cluster matter. Here we compare these observations with high-resolution ray-tracing simulations that include stellar microlensing set by the observed intracluster starlight and also primordial black holes that may be responsible for the recently observed LIGO events. We explore different scenarios with microlenses from the intracluster medium and black holes, including primordial ones, and examine strategies to exploit these unique alignments. We find that the best constraints on the fraction of compact dark matter (DM) in the small-mass regime can be obtained in regions of the cluster where the intracluster medium plays a negligible role. This new lensing phenomenon should be widespread and can be detected within modest-redshift lensed galaxies so that the luminosity distance is not prohibitive for detecting individual magnified stars. High-cadence Hubble Space Telescope monitoring of several such optimal arcs will be rewarded by an unprecedented mass spectrum of compact objects that can contribute to uncovering the nature of DM.

The Mysterious Sickle Object in the Carina Nebula: A Stellar Wind Induced Bow Shock Grazing a Clump?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngoumou, Judith; Preibisch, Thomas; Ratzka, Thorsten; Burkert, Andreas

2013-06-01

Optical and near-infrared images of the Carina Nebula show a peculiar arc-shaped feature, which we call the "Sickle," next to the B-type star Trumpler 14 MJ 218. We use multi-wavelength observations to explore and constrain the nature and origin of the nebulosity. Using submillimeter data from APEX/LABOCA as well as Herschel far-infrared maps, we discovered a dense, compact clump with a mass of ~40 M ⊙ located close to the apex of the Sickle. We investigate how the B star MJ 218, the Sickle, and the clump are related. Our numerical simulations show that, in principle, a B-type star located near the edge of a clump can produce a crescent-shaped wind shock front, similar to the observed morphology. However, the observed proper motion of MJ 218 suggests that the star moves with high velocity (~100 km s-1) through the ambient interstellar gas. We argue that the star is just about to graze along the surface of the clump, and the Sickle is a bow shock induced by the stellar wind, as the object moves supersonically through the density gradient in the envelope of the clump.

The nebula around the post-AGB star 89 Herculis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bujarrabal, V.; van Winckel, H.; Neri, R.; Alcolea, J.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Deroo, P.

2007-06-01

Aims:We aim to study the structure of the nebula around the post-AGB, binary star 89 Her. The presence of a rotating disk around this star had been proposed but not been yet confirmed by observations. Methods: We present high-resolution PdBI maps of CO J=2-1 and 1-0. Properties of the nebula are directly derived from the data and model fitting. We also present N-band interferometric data on the extent of the hot dust emission, obtained with the VLTI. Results: Two nebular components are found: (a) an extended hour-glass-like structure, with expansion velocities of 7 km s-1 and a total mass 3× 10-3 M{⊙}, and (b) an unresolved very compact component, smaller than 0.4 arcsec and with a low total velocity dispersion of 5 km s-1. We cannot determine the velocity field in the compact component, but we argue that it can hardly be in expansion, since this would require too recent and too sudden an ejection of mass. On the other hand, assuming that this component is a Keplerian disk, we derive disk properties that are compatible with expectations for such a structure; in particular, the size of the rotating gas disk should be very similar to the extent of the hot dust component from our VLTI data. Assuming that the equator of the extended nebula coincides with the binary orbital plane, we provide new results on the companion star mass and orbit. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, as well as on observations of the Belgian Guaranteed time on VISA (ESO). IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).

Bright Compact Bulges (BCBs) at intermediate redshifts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachdeva, Sonali; Saha, Kanak

2018-04-01

Studying bright (MB < -20), intermediate-redshift (0.4 < z < 1.0), disc dominated (nB < 2.5) galaxies from HST/ACS and WFC3 in Chandra Deep Field South, in rest-frame B and I-band, we found a new class of bulges which is brighter and more compact than ellipticals. We refer to them as "Bright, Compact Bulges" (BCBs) - they resemble neither classical nor pseudo-bulges and constitute ˜12% of the total bulge population at these redshifts. Examining free-bulge + disc decomposition sample and elliptical galaxy sample from Simard et al. (2011), we find that only ˜0.2% of the bulges can be classified as BCBs in the local Universe. Bulge to total ratio (B/T) of disc galaxies with BCBs is (at ˜0.4) a factor of ˜2 and ˜4 larger than for those with classical and pseudo bulges. BCBs are ˜2.5 and ˜6 times more massive than classical and pseudo bulges. Although disc galaxies with BCBs host the most massive and dominant bulge type, their specific star formation rate is 1.5-2 times higher than other disc galaxies. This is contrary to the expectations that a massive compact bulge would lead to lower star formation rates. We speculate that our BCB host disc galaxies are descendant of massive, compact and passive elliptical galaxies observed at higher redshifts. Those high redshift ellipticals lack local counterparts and possibly evolved by acquiring a compact disc around them. The overall properties of BCBs supports a picture of galaxy assembly in which younger discs are being accreted around massive pre-existing spheroids.

NuSTAR and Suzaku X-ray Spectroscopy of NGC 4151: Evidence for Reflection from the Inner Accretion Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keck, M. L.; Brenneman, L. W.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Dauser, T.; Elvis, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Fuerst, F.; García, J.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Madejski, G.; Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Reynolds, C. S.; Stern, D.; Walton, D. J.; Zoghbi, A.

2015-06-01

We present X-ray timing and spectral analyses of simultaneous 150 ks Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and Suzaku X-ray observations of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151. We disentangle the continuum emission, absorption, and reflection properties of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) by applying inner accretion disk reflection and absorption-dominated models. With a time-averaged spectral analysis, we find strong evidence for relativistic reflection from the inner accretion disk. We find that relativistic emission arises from a highly ionized inner accretion disk with a steep emissivity profile, which suggests an intense, compact illuminating source. We find a preliminary, near-maximal black hole spin a\\gt 0.9 accounting for statistical and systematic modeling errors. We find a relatively moderate reflection fraction with respect to predictions for the lamp post geometry, in which the illuminating corona is modeled as a point source. Through a time-resolved spectral analysis, we find that modest coronal and inner disk reflection (IDR) flux variation drives the spectral variability during the observations. We discuss various physical scenarios for the IDR model and we find that a compact corona is consistent with the observed features.

High-mass X-ray binary populations. 1: Galactic modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, William W.; Sarazin, Craig L.

1995-01-01

Modern stellar evolutionary tracks are used to calculate the evolution of a very large number of massive binary star systems (M(sub tot) greater than or = 15 solar mass) which cover a wide range of total masses, mass ratios, and starting separations. Each binary is evolved accounting for mass and angular momentum loss through the supernova of the primary to the X-ray binary phase. Using the observed rate of star formation in our Galaxy and the properties of massive binaries, we calculate the expected high-mass X-ray binary (HMXRB) population in the Galaxy. We test various massive binary evolutionary scenarios by comparing the resulting HMXRB predictions with the X-ray observations. A major goal of this study is the determination of the fraction of matter lost from the system during the Roche lobe overflow phase. Curiously, we find that the total numbers of observable HMXRBs are nearly independent of this assumed mass-loss fraction, with any of the values tested here giving acceptable agreement between predicted and observed numbers. However, comparison of the period distribution of our HMXRB models with the observed period distribution does reveal a distinction among the various models. As a result of this comparison, we conclude that approximately 70% of the overflow matter is lost from a massive binary system during mass transfer in the Roche lobe overflow phase. We compare models constructed assuming that all X-ray emission is due to accretion onto the compact object from the donor star's wind with models that incorporate a simplified disk accretion scheme. By comparing the results of these models with observations, we conclude that the formation of disks in HMXRBs must be relatively common. We also calculate the rate of formation of double degenerate binaries, high velocity detached compact objects, and Thorne-Zytkow objects.

Study of stellar structures in f(R,T) gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharif, M.; Siddiqa, Aisha

This paper is devoted to study the compact objects whose pressure and density are related through polytropic equation-of-state (EoS) and MIT bag model (for quark stars) in the background of f(R,T) gravity. We solve the field equations together with the hydrostatic equilibrium equation numerically for the model f(R,T) = R + αR2 + λT and discuss physical properties of the resulting solution. It is observed that for both types of stars (polytropic and quark stars), the effects of model parameters α and λ remain the same. We also obtain that the energy conditions are satisfied and stellar configurations are stable for both EoS.

A Chandra X-ray Mosaic of the Onsala 2 Star-Forming Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, Steve L.; Sokal, Kimberly; Guedel, Manuel

2018-01-01

Multiple lines of evidence for active high-mass star-formation in the Onsala 2 (ON2) complex in Cygnus include masers, compact HII (cHII) regions, and massive outflows. ON2 is thought to be physically associated with the young stellar cluster Berkeley 87 which contains several optically-identified OB stars and the rare oxygen-type (WO) Wolf-Rayet star WR 142. WO stars are undergoing advanced nuclear core burning as they approach the end of their lives as supernovae, and only a few are known in the Galaxy. We present results of a sensitive 70 ks Chandra ACIS-I observation of the northern half of ON2 obtained in 2016. This new observation, when combined with our previous 70 ks ACIS-I observation of the southern half in 2009, provides a complete X-ray mosaic of ON2 at arcsecond spatial resolution and reveals several hundred X-ray sources. We will summarize key results emerging from our ongoing analysis including the detection of an embedded population of young stars revealed as a tight grouping of X-ray sources surrounding the cHII region G75.77+0.34, possible diffuse X-ray emission (or unresolved faint point sources) near the cHII region G75.84+0.40, and confirmation of hard heavily-absorbed X-ray emission from WR 142 that was seen in the previous 2009 Chandra observation.

A simple physical model for X-ray burst sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joss, P. C.; Rappaport, S.

1977-01-01

In connection with information considered by Illarianov and Sunyaev (1975) and van den Heuvel (1975), a simple physical model for an X-ray burst source in the galactic disk is proposed. The model includes an unevolved OB star with a relatively weak stellar wind and a compact object in a close binary system. For some reason, the stellar wind from the OB star is unable to accrete steadily on to the compact object. When the stellar wind is sufficiently weak, the compact object accretes irregularly, leading to X-ray bursts.

Probing for Pulsars: An XMM Study of the Composite SNRS G327.1-1.1 and CTA1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slane, Patrick; Mushotzky, Richard F. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

The subject grant is for analysis of XMM data from the supernova remnant CTA1. Our investigation centered on the study of the compact source Rx 50007.0+7302 that, based on our previous observations, appears to be a neutron star powering a wind nebula in the remnant interior. This compact source has also been suggested as the counterpart of the EGRET source 2EG J0008+7307. The analysis of the data from the compact source is complete. We find that the spectrum of the source is well described by a power law with the addition of a soft thermal component that may correspond to emission from hot polar cap regions or to cooling emission from a light element atmosphere over the entire star. There is evidence of extended emission on small spatial scales which may correspond to structure in the underlying synchrotron nebula. Extrapolation of the nonthermal emission component to gamma-ray energies yields a flux that is consistent with that of 2EG J0008+7307, thus strengthening the proposition that there is a gamma-ray emitting pulsar at the center of CTA 1. Our timing studies with the EPIC pn data revealed no evidence for pulsations, however; we set an upper limit of 61% on the pulsed fraction from this source. The results from this study were presented in a poster at the recent IAU Symposium in Sydney, Australia. A paper summarizing these results, entitled "Xray Observations of the Compact Source in CTA 1" (Slane et al.) has been submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

Advanced LIGO constraints on neutron star mergers and r-process sites

DOE PAGES

Côté, Benoit; Belczynski, Krzysztof; Fryer, Chris L.; ...

2017-02-20

The role of compact binary mergers as the main production site of r-process elements is investigated by combining stellar abundances of Eu observed in the Milky Way, galactic chemical evolution (GCE) simulations, and binary population synthesis models, and gravitational wave measurements from Advanced LIGO. We compiled and reviewed seven recent GCE studies to extract the frequency of neutron star–neutron star (NS–NS) mergers that is needed in order to reproduce the observed [Eu/Fe] versus [Fe/H] relationship. We used our simple chemical evolution code to explore the impact of different analytical delay-time distribution functions for NS–NS mergers. We then combined our metallicity-dependent population synthesis models with our chemical evolution code to bring their predictions, for both NS–NS mergers and black hole–neutron star mergers, into a GCE context. Finally, we convolved our results with the cosmic star formation history to provide a direct comparison with current and upcoming Advanced LIGO measurements. When assuming that NS–NS mergers are the exclusive r-process sites, and that the ejected r-process mass per merger event is 0.01 Mmore » $${}_{\\odot }$$, the number of NS–NS mergers needed in GCE studies is about 10 times larger than what is predicted by standard population synthesis models. Here, these two distinct fields can only be consistent with each other when assuming optimistic rates, massive NS–NS merger ejecta, and low Fe yields for massive stars. For now, population synthesis models and GCE simulations are in agreement with the current upper limit (O1) established by Advanced LIGO during their first run of observations. Upcoming measurements will provide an important constraint on the actual local NS–NS merger rate, will provide valuable insights on the plausibility of the GCE requirement, and will help to define whether or not compact binary mergers can be the dominant source of r-process elements in the universe.« less

THE PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS: Neutrino Oscillation Induced by Chiral Phase Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, Cheng-Fu; Sun, Gao-Feng; Zhuang, Peng-Fei

2009-03-01

Electric charge neutrality provides a relationship between chiral dynamics and neutrino propagation in compact stars. Due to the sudden drop of the electron density at thefirst-order chiral phase transition, the oscillation for low energy neutrinos is significant and can be regarded as a signature of chiral symmetry restoration in the core of compact stars.

Large-Scale Structure of the Carina Nebula.

PubMed

Smith; Egan; Carey; Price; Morse; Price

2000-04-01

Observations obtained with the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite reveal for the first time the complex mid-infrared morphology of the entire Carina Nebula (NGC 3372). On the largest size scale of approximately 100 pc, the thermal infrared emission from the giant H ii region delineates one coherent structure: a (somewhat distorted) bipolar nebula with the major axis perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The Carina Nebula is usually described as an evolved H ii region that is no longer actively forming stars, clearing away the last vestiges of its natal molecular cloud. However, the MSX observations presented here reveal numerous embedded infrared sources that are good candidates for sites of current star formation. Several compact infrared sources are located at the heads of dust pillars or in dark globules behind ionization fronts. Because their morphology suggests a strong interaction with the peculiar collection of massive stars in the nebula, we speculate that these new infrared sources may be sites of triggered star formation in NGC 3372.

The Nuclear Symmetry Energy and the Mass-Radius Relation of Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattimer, James

2017-01-01

The assumptions that i) neutron stars have hadronic crusts, ii) the equation of state is causal, iii) GR is the correct theory of gravity, and iv) their largest observed mass is 2 solar masses, when coupled with recent results from nuclear experiment and theoretical studies of neutron matter, generate powerful constraints on their structure. These include restriction of the radii of typical neutron stars to the range 11-13 km, as well as significant correlations among their masses, compactnesses, moments of inertia, binding energies, and tidal deformabilities. In addition, properties of quark matter, including the location and magnitude of the quark-hadron phase transition, can also be limited. The implications of recent and forthcoming experiments, such as those pertaining to the neutron skin thickness and astrophysical measurements of various structural properties is discussed. For the latter, emphasis is placed on pulsar timing, X-ray observations, supernova neutrino detections, and gravitational waves from mergers involving neutron stars. Supported in part by the US DOE grant DE-AC02-87ER40317.

VLBI of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartel, N.; Karimi, B.; Bietenholz, M. F.

2017-04-01

Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the brightest events in the universe. Excluding Type Ia supernovae and short GRBs, they are the result of the core collapse of a massive star with material being ejectedwith speeds of several 1000 km/s to nearly the speed of light, and with a neutron star or a black hole left over as the compact remnant of the explosion. Synchrotron radiation in the radio is generated in a shell when the ejecta interact with the surrounding medium and possibly also in the central region near the compact remnant itself. VLBI has allowed resolving some of these sources and monitoring their expansion in detail, thereby revealing characteristics of the dying star, the explosion, the expanding shock front, and the expected compact remnant. We report on updates of some of the most interesting results that have been obtained with VLBI so far. Movies of supernovae are available from our website. They show the evolution from shortly after the explosion to decades thereafter, in one case revealing an emerging compact central source, which may be associated with shock interaction near the explosion center or with the stellar corpse itself, a neutron star or a black hole.

The ATLASGAL survey: a catalog of dust condensations in the Galactic plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csengeri, T.; Urquhart, J. S.; Schuller, F.; Motte, F.; Bontemps, S.; Wyrowski, F.; Menten, K. M.; Bronfman, L.; Beuther, H.; Henning, Th.; Testi, L.; Zavagno, A.; Walmsley, M.

2014-05-01

Context. The formation processes and the evolutionary stages of high-mass stars are poorly understood compared to low-mass stars. Large-scale surveys are needed to provide an unbiased census of high column density sites that can potentially host precursors to high-mass stars. Aims: The ATLASGAL survey covers 420 sq. degree of the Galactic plane, between -80° < ℓ < +60° at 870 μm. Here we identify the population of embedded sources throughout the inner Galaxy. With this catalog we first investigate the general statistical properties of dust condensations in terms of their observed parameters, such as flux density and angular size. Then using mid-infrared surveys we aim to investigate their star formation activity and the Galactic distribution of star-forming and quiescent clumps. Our ultimate goal is to determine the statistical properties of quiescent and star-forming clumps within the Galaxy and to constrain the star formation processes. Methods: We optimized the source extraction method, referred to as MRE-GCL, for the ATLASGAL maps in order to generate a catalog of compact sources. This technique is based on multiscale filtering to remove extended emission from clouds to better determine the parameters corresponding to the embedded compact sources. In a second step we extracted the sources by fitting 2D Gaussians with the Gaussclumps algorithm. Results: We have identified in total 10861 compact submillimeter sources with fluxes above 5σ. Completeness tests show that this catalog is 97% complete above 5σ and >99% complete above 7σ. Correlating this sample of clumps with mid-infrared point source catalogs (MSX at 21.3 μm and WISE at 22 μm), we have determined a lower limit of 33% that is associated with embedded protostellar objects. We note that the proportion of clumps associated with mid-infrared sources increases with increasing flux density, achieving a rather constant fraction of ~75% of all clumps with fluxes over 5 Jy/beam being associated with star formation. Examining the source counts as a function of Galactic longitude, we are able to identify the most prominent star-forming regions in the Galaxy. Conclusions: We present here the compact source catalog of the full ATLASGAL survey and investigate their characteristic properties. From the fraction of the likely massive quiescent clumps (~25%), we estimate a formation time scale of ~ 7.5 ± 2.5 × 104 yr for the deeply embedded phase before the emergence of luminous young stellar objects. Such a short duration for the formation of high-mass stars in massive clumps clearly proves that the earliest phases have to be dynamic with supersonic motions. Full Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/565/A75

Optical analogues of the Newton-Schrödinger equation and boson star evolution.

PubMed

Roger, Thomas; Maitland, Calum; Wilson, Kali; Westerberg, Niclas; Vocke, David; Wright, Ewan M; Faccio, Daniele

2016-11-14

Many gravitational phenomena that lie at the core of our understanding of the Universe have not yet been directly observed. An example in this sense is the boson star that has been proposed as an alternative to some compact objects currently interpreted as being black holes. In the weak field limit, these stars are governed by the Newton-Schrodinger equation. Here we present an optical system that, under appropriate conditions, identically reproduces such equation in two dimensions. A rotating boson star is experimentally and numerically modelled by an optical beam propagating through a medium with a positive thermal nonlinearity and is shown to oscillate in time while also stable up to relatively high densities. For higher densities, instabilities lead to an apparent breakup of the star, yet coherence across the whole structure is maintained. These results show that optical analogues can be used to shed new light on inaccessible gravitational objects.

Optical analogues of the Newton–Schrödinger equation and boson star evolution

PubMed Central

Roger, Thomas; Maitland, Calum; Wilson, Kali; Westerberg, Niclas; Vocke, David; Wright, Ewan M.; Faccio, Daniele

2016-01-01

Many gravitational phenomena that lie at the core of our understanding of the Universe have not yet been directly observed. An example in this sense is the boson star that has been proposed as an alternative to some compact objects currently interpreted as being black holes. In the weak field limit, these stars are governed by the Newton–Schrodinger equation. Here we present an optical system that, under appropriate conditions, identically reproduces such equation in two dimensions. A rotating boson star is experimentally and numerically modelled by an optical beam propagating through a medium with a positive thermal nonlinearity and is shown to oscillate in time while also stable up to relatively high densities. For higher densities, instabilities lead to an apparent breakup of the star, yet coherence across the whole structure is maintained. These results show that optical analogues can be used to shed new light on inaccessible gravitational objects. PMID:27841261

Optical analogues of the Newton-Schrödinger equation and boson star evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roger, Thomas; Maitland, Calum; Wilson, Kali; Westerberg, Niclas; Vocke, David; Wright, Ewan M.; Faccio, Daniele

2016-11-01

Many gravitational phenomena that lie at the core of our understanding of the Universe have not yet been directly observed. An example in this sense is the boson star that has been proposed as an alternative to some compact objects currently interpreted as being black holes. In the weak field limit, these stars are governed by the Newton-Schrodinger equation. Here we present an optical system that, under appropriate conditions, identically reproduces such equation in two dimensions. A rotating boson star is experimentally and numerically modelled by an optical beam propagating through a medium with a positive thermal nonlinearity and is shown to oscillate in time while also stable up to relatively high densities. For higher densities, instabilities lead to an apparent breakup of the star, yet coherence across the whole structure is maintained. These results show that optical analogues can be used to shed new light on inaccessible gravitational objects.

Observational Implications of a Fall-back Crust around a Quark-nova Compact Remnant: Application to AXPs and SGRs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leahy, Denis A.; Ouyed, R.; Niebergal, B.

2006-12-01

Mass is ejected from a quark stars formed by the Quark-Nova process (Ouyed, Dey and Dey, 2002 A&A, 390, L39; Keranen, Ouyed and Jaikumar 2005 ApJ, 681, 485). Some fraction of this ejecta is below escape velocity and falls back toward the compact object. If the magnetic field of the compact object is high enough, the fall-back material forms a shell of iron-rich material which then evolves quasi-statically. We explore the formation and evolution of such a fall-back crust (so-called because the material originates in the crust of the neutron star progenitor to the quark-nova). We find the resulting properites have application to the observed properties of Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomolous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs). These observed features of SGRs and AXPs are: (i) the two types of bursts (giant and regular); (ii) the spin-up and spin-down episodes during and following the bursts with associated persistant increases in period derivative ; (iii) the energetics of the boxing day burst, SGR1806+20; (iv) the presence of an Iron line as observed in SGR1900+14; (v) the correlation between the far-Infrared and the X-ray fluxes during the bursting episode and the quiescent phase; (vi) the hard X-ray component observed in SGRs during the giant bursts, and (vii) the discrepancy between the ages of SGRs/AXPs and their supernova remnants. We also find a natural evolutionary relationship between SGRs and AXPs in our model which predicts that only the youngest SGRs/AXPs are most likely to exhibit strong bursting. We acknowledge funding for this research from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Compact stars in the non-minimally coupled electromagnetic fields to gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sert, Özcan

2018-03-01

We investigate the gravitational models with the non-minimal Y(R)F^2 coupled electromagnetic fields to gravity, in order to describe charged compact stars, where Y( R) denotes a function of the Ricci curvature scalar R and F^2 denotes the Maxwell invariant term. We determine two parameter family of exact spherically symmetric static solutions and the corresponding non-minimal model without assuming any relation between energy density of matter and pressure. We give the mass-radius, electric charge-radius ratios and surface gravitational redshift which are obtained by the boundary conditions. We reach a wide range of possibilities for the parameters k and α in these solutions. Lastly we show that the models can describe the compact stars even in the more simple case α =3.

Baryonic dark clusters in galactic halos and their observable consequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasserman, Ira; Salpeter, Edwin E.

1994-01-01

We consider the possibility that approximately 10% of the mass of a typical galaxy halo is in the form of massive (approximately 10(exp 7) solar masses), compact (escape speeds approximately 100 km/s) baryonic clusters made of neutron stars (approximately 10% by mass), black holes (less than or approximately equal to 1%) and brown dwarfs, asteroids, and other low-mass debris (approximately 90%). These general properties are consistent with several different observational and phenomenological constraints on cluster properties subject to the condition that neutron stars comprise approximately 1% of the total halo mass. Such compact, dark clusters could be the sites of a variety of collisional phenomena involving neutron stars. We find that integrated out to the Hubble distance approximately one neutron star-neutron star or neutron star-black hole collision occurs daily. Of order 0.1-1 asteroid-neutron star collisions may also happen daily in the halo of the Milky Way if there is roughly equal cluster mass per logarithmic particle mass interval between asteroids and brown dwarfs. These event rates are comparable to the frequency of gamma-ray burst detections by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Observatory, implying that if dark halo clusters are the sites of most gamma-ray bursts, perhaps approximately 90% of all bursts are extragalactic, but approximately 10% are galactic. It is possible that dark clusters of the kind discussed here could be detected directly by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) or Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). If the clusters considered in this paper exist, they should produce spatially correlated gravitational microlensing of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). If 10% of the halo is in the form of dark baryonic clusters, and the remaining 90% is in brown dwarfs and other dark objects which are either unclustered or collected into low-mass clusters, then we expect that two events within approximately 1 min of one another are likely to be seen after a total of order 20-30 microlenses have been detected.

Keck-I MOSFIRE spectroscopy of compact star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 2: high velocity dispersions in progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barro, Guillermo; Koo, David C.; Faber, Sandra M.

2014-11-10

We present Keck-I MOSFIRE near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 13 compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at redshift 2 ≤ z ≤ 2.5 with star formation rates of SFR ∼ 100 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and masses of log(M/M {sub ☉}) ∼10.8. Their high integrated gas velocity dispersions of σ{sub int} =230{sub −30}{sup +40} km s{sup –1}, as measured from emission lines of Hα and [O III], and the resultant M {sub *}-σ{sub int} relation and M {sub *}-M {sub dyn} all match well to those of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2, as measured from stellar absorption lines.more » Since log(M {sub *}/M {sub dyn}) =–0.06 ± 0.2 dex, these compact SFGs appear to be dynamically relaxed and evolved, i.e., depleted in gas and dark matter (<13{sub −13}{sup +17}%), and present larger σ{sub int} than their non-compact SFG counterparts at the same epoch. Without infusion of external gas, depletion timescales are short, less than ∼300 Myr. This discovery adds another link to our new dynamical chain of evidence that compact SFGs at z ≳ 2 are already losing gas to become the immediate progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies by z ∼ 2.« less

Some topics in the magnetohydrodynamics of accreting magnetic compact objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aly, J. J.

1986-01-01

Magnetic compact objects (neutron stars or white dwarfs) are currently thought to be present in many accreting systems that are releasing large amounts of energy. The magnetic field of the compact star may interact strongly with the accretion flow and play an essential role in the physics of these systems. Some magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) problems that are likely to be relevant in building up self-consistent models of the interaction between the accreting plasma and the star's magnetosphere are addressed in this series of lectures. The basic principles of MHD are first introduced and some important MHD mechanisms (Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities; reconnection) are discussed, with particular reference to their role in allowing the infalling matter to penetrate the magnetosphere and mix with the field. The structure of a force-free magnetosphere and the possibility of quasistatic momentum and energy transfer between regions linked by field-aligned currents are then studied in some detail. Finally, the structure of axisymmetric accretion flows onto magnetic compact objects is considered.

Local Swift-BAT active galactic nuclei prefer circumnuclear star formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, D.; Shimizu, T.; Davies, R. I.; Herrera-Camus, R.; Sturm, E.; Tacconi, L. J.; Veilleux, S.

2018-01-01

We use Herschel data to analyze the size of the far-infrared 70 μm emission for z < 0.06 local samples of 277 hosts of Swift-BAT selected active galactic nuclei (AGN), and 515 comparison galaxies that are not detected by BAT. For modest far-infrared luminosities 8.5 10.5 (star formation rates ≳6 M⊙ yr-1), possibly because these are typically reached in more compact regions. Full Table A.1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/609/A9

Dynamical Models for High-Energy Emission from Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owocki, Stanley %FAA(University of Delaware)

Massive stars are prominent sources of X-rays and gamma-rays detected by both targeted and survey observations from orbiting telescopes like Chandra, XMM/Newton, RXTE, and Fermi. Such high-energy emissions represent key probes of the dynamics of massive-star mass loss, and their penetration through many magnitudes of visible interstellar extinction makes them effective beacons of massive stars in distant reaches of the Galaxy, and in young, active star-forming regions. The project proposed here will develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for interpreting both surveys and targeted observations of high-energy emission from massive stars. It will build on our team's extensive experience in both theoretical models and observational analyses for three key types of emission mechanisms in the stellar wind outflows of these stars, namely: 1) Embedded Wind Shocks (EWS) arising from internal instabilities in the wind driving; 2) shocks in Colliding Wind Binary (CWB) systems; and 3) High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) systems with interaction between massive-star wind with a compact companion (neutron star or black hole). Taking advantage of commonalities in the treatment of radiative driving, hydrodynamics, shock heating and cooling, and radiation transport, we will develop radiation hydrodynamical models for the key observational signatures like energy distribution, emission line spectrum, and variability, with an emphasis on how these can be used in affiliated analyses of both surveys like the recent Chandra mapping of the Carina association, and targeted observations of galactic X-ray and gamma-ray sources associated with each of the above specific model types. The promises of new clumping-insensitive diagnostics of mass loss rates, and the connection to mass transfer and binarity, all have broad relevance for understanding the origin, evolution, and fate of massive stars, in concert with elements of NASA's Strategic Subgoal 3D. Building on our team's expertise, the project emphasizes training of a new generation of students and post-doctoral researchers to model and analyze observations by current and future NASA X-ray and gamma-ray observatories.

Jet-induced star formation in 3C 285 and Minkowski's Object

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salomé, Q.; Salomé, P.; Combes, F.

2015-02-01

How efficiently star formation proceeds in galaxies is still an open question. Recent studies suggest that active galactic nucleus (AGN) can regulate the gas accretion and thus slow down star formation (negative feedback). However, evidence of AGN positive feedback has also been observed in a few radio galaxies (e.g. Centaurus A, Minkowski's Object, 3C 285, and the higher redshift 4C 41.17). Here we present CO observations of 3C 285 and Minkowski's Object, which are examples of jet-induced star formation. A spot (named 3C 285/09.6 in the present paper) aligned with the 3C 285 radio jet at a projected distance of ~70 kpc from the galaxy centre shows star formation that is detected in optical emission. Minkowski's Object is located along the jet of NGC 541 and also shows star formation. Knowing the distribution of molecular gas along the jets is a way to study the physical processes at play in the AGN interaction with the intergalactic medium. We observed CO lines in 3C 285, NGC 541, 3C 285/09.6, and Minkowski's Object with the IRAM 30 m telescope. In the central galaxies, the spectra present a double-horn profile, typical of a rotation pattern, from which we are able to estimate the molecular gas density profile of the galaxy. The molecular gas appears to be in a compact reservoir, which could be evidence of an early phase of the gas accretion after a recent merger event in 3C 285. No kinematic signature of a molecular outflow is detected by the 30 m telescope. Interestingly, 3C 285/09.6 and Minkowski's Object are not detected in CO. The cold gas mass upper limits are consistent with a star formation induced by the compression of dense ambient material by the jet. The depletion time scales in 3C 285/09.6 and Minkowski's Object are of the order of and even shorter than what is found in 3C 285, NGC 541, and local spiral galaxies (109 yr). The upper limit of the molecular gas surface density in 3C 285/09.6 at least follows a Schmidt-Kennicutt law if the emitting region is very compact, as suggested by the Hα emission, while Minkowski's Object is found to have a much higher star formation efficiency lower limit (very short depletion time). Higher sensitivity is necessary to detect CO in the star-forming spots, and higher spatial resolution is required to map the emission in these jet-induced star-forming regions. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain).

Protoplanetary Disk Properties in the Orion Nebula Cluster: Initial Results from Deep, High-resolution ALMA Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisner, J. A.; Arce, H. G.; Ballering, N. P.; Bally, J.; Andrews, S. M.; Boyden, R. D.; Di Francesco, J.; Fang, M.; Johnstone, D.; Kim, J. S.; Mann, R. K.; Matthews, B.; Pascucci, I.; Ricci, L.; Sheehan, P. D.; Williams, J. P.

2018-06-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array 850 μm continuum observations of the Orion Nebula Cluster that provide the highest angular resolution (∼0.″1 ≈ 40 au) and deepest sensitivity (∼0.1 mJy) of the region to date. We mosaicked a field containing ∼225 optical or near-IR-identified young stars, ∼60 of which are also optically identified “proplyds.” We detect continuum emission at 850 μm toward ∼80% of the proplyd sample, and ∼50% of the larger sample of previously identified cluster members. Detected objects have fluxes of ∼0.5–80 mJy. We remove submillimeter flux due to free–free emission in some objects, leaving a sample of sources detected in dust emission. Under standard assumptions of isothermal, optically thin disks, submillimeter fluxes correspond to dust masses of ∼0.5–80 Earth masses. We measure the distribution of disk sizes, and find that disks in this region are particularly compact. Such compact disks are likely to be significantly optically thick. The distributions of submillimeter flux and inferred disk size indicate smaller, lower-flux disks than in lower-density star-forming regions of similar age. Measured disk flux is correlated weakly with stellar mass, contrary to studies in other star-forming regions that found steeper correlations. We find a correlation between disk flux and distance from the massive star θ 1 Ori C, suggesting that disk properties in this region are influenced strongly by the rich cluster environment.

Radiative transfer modelling of W33A MM1: 3-D structure and dynamics of a complex massive star forming region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izquierdo, Andrés F.; Galván-Madrid, Roberto; Maud, Luke T.; Hoare, Melvin G.; Johnston, Katharine G.; Keto, Eric R.; Zhang, Qizhou; de Wit, Willem-Jan

2018-05-01

We present a composite model and radiative transfer simulations of the massive star forming core W33A MM1. The model was tailored to reproduce the complex features observed with ALMA at ≈0.2 arcsec resolution in CH3CN and dust emission. The MM1 core is fragmented into six compact sources coexisting within ˜1000 au. In our models, three of these compact sources are better represented as disc-envelope systems around a central (proto)star, two as envelopes with a central object, and one as a pure envelope. The model of the most prominent object (Main) contains the most massive (proto)star (M⋆ ≈ 7 M⊙) and disc+envelope (Mgas ≈ 0.4 M⊙), and is the most luminous (LMain ˜ 104 L⊙). The model discs are small (a few hundred au) for all sources. The composite model shows that the elongated spiral-like feature converging to the MM1 core can be convincingly interpreted as a filamentary accretion flow that feeds the rising stellar system. The kinematics of this filament is reproduced by a parabolic trajectory with focus at the center of mass of the region. Radial collapse and fragmentation within this filament, as well as smaller filamentary flows between pairs of sources are proposed to exist. Our modelling supports an interpretation where what was once considered as a single massive star with a ˜103 au disc and envelope, is instead a forming stellar association which appears to be virialized and to form several low-mass stars per high-mass object.

Supernova kicks and dynamics of compact remnants in the Galactic Centre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bortolas, Elisa; Mapelli, Michela; Spera, Mario

2017-08-01

The Galactic Centre (GC) is a unique place to study the extreme dynamical processes occurring near a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Here, we investigate the role of supernova (SN) explosions occurring in massive binary systems lying in a disc-like structure within the innermost parsec. We use a regularized algorithm to simulate 3 × 104 isolated three-body systems composed of a stellar binary orbiting the SMBH. We start the integration when the primary member undergoes an SN explosion and analyse the impact of SN kicks on the orbits of stars and compact remnants. We find that SN explosions scatter the lighter stars in the pair on completely different orbits, with higher eccentricity and inclination. In contrast, stellar-mass black holes (BHs) and massive stars retain memory of the orbit of their progenitor star. Our results suggest that SN kicks are not sufficient to eject BHs from the GC. We thus predict that all BHs that form in situ in the central parsec of our Galaxy remain in the GC, building up a cluster of dark remnants. In addition, the change of neutron star (NS) orbits induced by SNe may partially account for the observed dearth of NSs in the GC. About 40 per cent of remnants stay bound to the stellar companion after the kick; we expect up to 70 per cent of them might become X-ray binaries through Roche lobe filling. Finally, the eccentricity of some light stars becomes >0.7 as an effect of the SN kick, producing orbits similar to those of the G1 and G2 dusty objects.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacLeod, Morgan; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; Trenti, Michele

When embedded in dense cluster cores, intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) acquire close stellar or stellar-remnant companions. These companions are not only gravitationally bound, but also tend to hierarchically isolate from other cluster stars through series of multibody encounters. In this paper we study the demographics of IMBH companions in compact star clusters through direct N-body simulations. We study clusters initially composed of 10{sup 5} or 2 × 10{sup 5} stars with IMBHs of 75 and 150 solar masses, and we follow their evolution for 6–10 Gyr. A tight, innermost binary pair of IMBH and stellar object rapidly forms. The IMBH has amore » companion with an orbital semimajor axis at least three times tighter than the second-most-bound object over 90% of the time. These companionships have typical periods on the order of years and are subject to cycles of exchange and destruction. The most frequently observed, long-lived pairings persist for ∼10{sup 7} years. The demographics of IMBH companions in clusters are diverse: they include both main-sequence, giant stars and stellar remnants. Companion objects may reveal the presence of an IMBH in a cluster in one of several ways. The most-bound companion stars routinely suffer grazing tidal interactions with the IMBH, offering a dynamical mechanism to produce repeated flaring episodes like those seen in the IMBH candidate HLX-1. The stellar winds of companion stars provide a minimum quiescent accretion rate for IMBHs, with implications for radio searches for IMBH accretion in globular clusters. Finally, gravitational wave inspirals of compact objects occur with promising frequency.« less

The Close Stellar Companions to Intermediate-mass Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLeod, Morgan; Trenti, Michele; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico

2016-03-01

When embedded in dense cluster cores, intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) acquire close stellar or stellar-remnant companions. These companions are not only gravitationally bound, but also tend to hierarchically isolate from other cluster stars through series of multibody encounters. In this paper we study the demographics of IMBH companions in compact star clusters through direct N-body simulations. We study clusters initially composed of 105 or 2 × 105 stars with IMBHs of 75 and 150 solar masses, and we follow their evolution for 6-10 Gyr. A tight, innermost binary pair of IMBH and stellar object rapidly forms. The IMBH has a companion with an orbital semimajor axis at least three times tighter than the second-most-bound object over 90% of the time. These companionships have typical periods on the order of years and are subject to cycles of exchange and destruction. The most frequently observed, long-lived pairings persist for ˜107 years. The demographics of IMBH companions in clusters are diverse: they include both main-sequence, giant stars and stellar remnants. Companion objects may reveal the presence of an IMBH in a cluster in one of several ways. The most-bound companion stars routinely suffer grazing tidal interactions with the IMBH, offering a dynamical mechanism to produce repeated flaring episodes like those seen in the IMBH candidate HLX-1. The stellar winds of companion stars provide a minimum quiescent accretion rate for IMBHs, with implications for radio searches for IMBH accretion in globular clusters. Finally, gravitational wave inspirals of compact objects occur with promising frequency.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steiner, Andrew W.; Lattimer, James M.; Brown, Edward F.

We investigate constraints on neutron star structure arising from the assumptions that neutron stars have crusts, that recent calculations of pure neutron matter limit the equation of state of neutron star matter near the nuclear saturation density, that the high-density equation of state is limited by causality and the largest high-accuracy neutron star mass measurement, and that general relativity is the correct theory of gravity. We explore the role of prior assumptions by considering two classes of equation of state models. In a first, the intermediate- and high-density behavior of the equation of state is parameterized by piecewise polytropes. Inmore » the second class, the high-density behavior of the equation of state is parameterized by piecewise continuous line segments. The smallest density at which high-density matter appears is varied in order to allow for strong phase transitions above the nuclear saturation density. We critically examine correlations among the pressure of matter, radii, maximum masses, the binding energy, the moment of inertia, and the tidal deformability, paying special attention to the sensitivity of these correlations to prior assumptions about the equation of state. It is possible to constrain the radii of 1.4 solar mass neutron stars to be larger than 10 km, even without consideration of additional astrophysical observations, for example, those from photospheric radius expansion bursts or quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries. We are able to improve the accuracy of known correlations between the moment of inertia and compactness as well as the binding energy and compactness. Furthermore, we also demonstrate the existence of a correlation between the neutron star binding energy and the moment of inertia.« less

Neutron star radii, universal relations, and the role of prior distributions

DOE PAGES

Steiner, Andrew W.; Lattimer, James M.; Brown, Edward F.

2016-02-02

We investigate constraints on neutron star structure arising from the assumptions that neutron stars have crusts, that recent calculations of pure neutron matter limit the equation of state of neutron star matter near the nuclear saturation density, that the high-density equation of state is limited by causality and the largest high-accuracy neutron star mass measurement, and that general relativity is the correct theory of gravity. We explore the role of prior assumptions by considering two classes of equation of state models. In a first, the intermediate- and high-density behavior of the equation of state is parameterized by piecewise polytropes. Inmore » the second class, the high-density behavior of the equation of state is parameterized by piecewise continuous line segments. The smallest density at which high-density matter appears is varied in order to allow for strong phase transitions above the nuclear saturation density. We critically examine correlations among the pressure of matter, radii, maximum masses, the binding energy, the moment of inertia, and the tidal deformability, paying special attention to the sensitivity of these correlations to prior assumptions about the equation of state. It is possible to constrain the radii of 1.4 solar mass neutron stars to be larger than 10 km, even without consideration of additional astrophysical observations, for example, those from photospheric radius expansion bursts or quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries. We are able to improve the accuracy of known correlations between the moment of inertia and compactness as well as the binding energy and compactness. Furthermore, we also demonstrate the existence of a correlation between the neutron star binding energy and the moment of inertia.« less

GRB 060313: A New Paradigm for Short-Hard Bursts?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roming, Peter W. A.; Vanden Berk, Daniel; Pal'shin, Valentin; Pagani, Claudio; Norris, Jay; Kumar, Pawan; Krimm, Hans; Holland, Stephen T.; Gronwall, Caryl; Blustin, Alex J.; Zhang, Bing; Schady, Patricia; Sakamoto, Takanori; Osborne, Julian P.; Nousek, John A.; Marshall, Frank E.; Mészáros, Peter; Golenetskii, Sergey V.; Gehrels, Neil; Frederiks, Dmitry D.; Campana, Sergio; Burrows, David N.; Boyd, Patricia T.; Barthelmy, Scott; Aptekar, R. L.

2006-11-01

We report the simultaneous observations of the prompt emission in the gamma-ray and hard X-ray bands by the Swift BAT and the Konus-Wind instruments of the short-hard burst, GRB 060313. The observations reveal multiple peaks in both the gamma-ray and hard X-ray bands suggesting a highly variable outflow from the central explosion. We also describe the early-time observations of the X-ray and UV/optical afterglows by the Swift XRT and UVOT instruments. The combination of the X-ray and UV/optical observations provides the most comprehensive light curves to date of a short-hard burst at such an early epoch. The afterglows exhibit complex structure with different decay indices and flaring. This behavior can be explained by the combination of a structured jet, radiative loss of energy, and decreasing microphysics parameters occurring in a circumburst medium with densities varying by a factor of approximately two on a length scale of 1017 cm. These density variations are normally associated with the environment of a massive star and inhomogeneities in its windy medium. However, the mean density of the observed medium (n~10-4 cm3) is much less than that expected for a massive star. Although the collapse of a massive star as the origin of GRB 060313 is unlikely, the merger of a compact binary also poses problems for explaining the behavior of this burst. Two possible suggestions for explaining this scenario are that some short bursts may arise from a mechanism that does not invoke the conventional compact binary model, or that soft late-time central engine activity is producing UV/optical but no X-ray flaring.

Quasiperiodic Oscillations in X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Klis, M.; Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

The term quasiperiodic oscillation (QPO) is used in high-energy astrophysics for any type of non-periodic variability that is constrained to a relatively narrow range of variability frequencies. X-RAY BINARIES are systems in which a `compact object', either a BLACK HOLE or a NEUTRON STAR, orbits a normal star and captures matter from it. The matter spirals down to the compact object and heats up ...

First spectroscopy of a short-hard GRB: the environment of a compact object merger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Ugarte Postigo, Antonio; Thöne, Christina C.; Rowllinson, Antonia; Benito, Rubén García; Levan, Andrew J.; Gorosabel, Javier; Goldoni, Paolo; Schulze, Steve

2015-03-01

Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are an extremely elusive family of cosmic explosions. They are thought to be related to the violent merger of compact objects (such as a neutron stars or black holes). Their optical counterparts were not discovered until 2005, and since then, there had been no successful spectroscopic observations. Here we present the first spectra of a short GRB, which we use to study the environment and derive implications on the progenitors of these cosmic explosions. This poster is based on the work by de Ugarte Postigo et al. (2014).

Globular cluster photometry with the Hubble Space Telescope. I - Description of the method and analysis of the core of 47 Tuc

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guhathakurta, Puragra; Yanny, Brian; Schneider, Donald P.; Bahcall, John N.

1992-01-01

Accurate photometry for individual post-main-sequence stars in the core of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tuc is presented and analyzed using an empirical point spread function model and Monte Carlo simulations. A V vs. V-I color-magnitude diagrams is constructed which shows several distinct stellar types, including RGB and HB stars. Twenty-four blue straggler stars are detected in 47 Tuc, more concentrated toward the center of the cluster than the giants. This supports the hypothesis is that the stragglers are either coalesced stars or members of binary systems that are more massive than single stars. The radial profile of the projected stellar density is flat in the central region of 47 Tuc with a core radius of 23 +/- 2 arcsec. No signature of a collapsed core is evident. The observed radial cumulative distribution of stars rules out the presence of a massive compact object in the center.

Dynamical Mass Segregation Versus Disruption of Binary Stars in Dense Stellar Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Grijs, Richard; Li, C.; Deng, L.

2013-01-01

Upon their formation, dynamically cool (collapsing) star clusters will, within only a few million years, achieve stellar mass segregation for stars down to a few solar masses due to gravitational two-body encounters. Since binary systems are, on average, more massive than single stars, one would expect them to also rapidly mass segregate dynamically. Contrary to these expectations and based on high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope observations, we show that the compact, 15-30 Myr-old Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 1818 is characterized by an increasing fraction of F-star binary systems (with combined masses of 1.3-1.6 solar masses) with increasing distance from the cluster center. This offers unprecedented support of the theoretically predicted but thus far unobserved dynamical disruption processes of the significant population of "soft" binary systems (with relatively low binding energies compared to the kinetic energy of their stellar members) in star clusters, which we could unravel by virtue of the cluster's unique combination of youth and high stellar density.

Water masers and ammonia (1, 1) and (2, 2) towards six regions in the Carina Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breen, S. L.; Green, C.-E.; Cunningham, M. R.; Voronkov, M. A.; Horiuchi, S.; Green, J. A.

2018-01-01

We present water maser and ammonia (1, 1) and (2, 2) observations, towards six regions in the Carina Nebula, conducted with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. In total five water masers were detected within two of the target fields, and we provide their accurate positions and characteristics. These five water masers constitute all of the known masers detected towards star formation regions in the Carina Nebula and we argue, that given the evidence for active star formation, and the presence of many high-mass stars, the Carina Nebula is uncharacteristically devoid of masers. Our results are consistent with the Carina Nebula having a lack of young high-mass stars, despite the presence of older high-mass stars. Ammonia (1, 1) and (2, 2) emission was detected towards all but one of the target fields and we find that their linewidths and derived temperatures are consistent with the presence of young star formation regions.

Constraints on interquark interaction parameters with GW170817 in a binary strange star scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, En-Ping; Zhou, Xia; Li, Ang

2018-04-01

The LIGO/VIRGO detection of the gravitational waves from a binary merger system, GW170817, has put a clean and strong constraint on the tidal deformability of the merging objects. From this constraint, deep insights can be obtained in compact star equation of states, which has been one of the most puzzling problems for nuclear physicists and astrophysicists. Employing one of the most widely used quark star EOS models, we characterize the star properties by the strange quark mass (ms ), an effective bag constant (Beff), the perturbative QCD correction (a4), as well as the gap parameter (Δ ) when considering quark pairing, and investigate the dependences of the tidal deformablity on them. We find that the tidal deformability is dominated by Beff and insensitive to ms, a4. We discuss the correlation between the tidal deformability and the maximum mass (MTOV) of a static quark star, which allows the model possibility to rule out the existence of quark stars with future gravitational wave observations and mass measurements. The current tidal deformability measurement implies MTOV≤2.18 M⊙ (2.32 M⊙ when pairing is considered) for quark stars. Combining with two-solar-mass pulsar observations, we also make constraints on the poorly known gap parameter Δ for color-flavor-locked quark matter.

Wet disc contraction to galactic blue nuggets and quenching to red nuggets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dekel, A.; Burkert, A.

2014-02-01

We study the origin of high-redshift, compact, quenched spheroids (red nuggets) through the dissipative shrinkage of gaseous discs into compact star-forming systems (blue nuggets). The discs, fed by cold streams, undergo violent disc instability that drives gas into the centre (along with mergers). The inflow is dissipative when its time-scale is shorter than the star formation time-scale. This implies a threshold of ˜0.28 in the cold-to-total mass ratio within the disc radius. For the typical gas fraction ˜0.5 at z ˜ 2, this threshold is traced back to a maximum spin parameter of ˜0.05, implying that ˜half the star-forming galaxies contract to blue nuggets, while the rest form extended stellar discs. Thus, the surface density of blue galaxies is expected to be bimodal about ˜109 M⊙ kpc-2, slightly increasing with mass. The blue nuggets are expected to be rare at low z when the gas fraction is low. The blue nuggets quench to red nuggets by complementary internal and external mechanisms. Internal quenching by a compact bulge, in a fast mode and especially at high z, may involve starbursts, stellar and active galactic nucleus feedback, or Q-quenching. Quenching due to hot-medium haloes above 1012 M⊙ provides maintenance and a slower mode at low redshift. These predictions are confirmed in simulations and are consistent with observations at z = 0-3.

Iron Kα line of Proca stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Tianling; Zhou, Menglei; Bambi, Cosimo; Herdeiro, Carlos A. R.; Radu, Eugen

2017-08-01

X-ray reflection spectroscopy can be a powerful tool to test the nature of astrophysical black holes. Extending previous work on Kerr black holes with scalar hair [1] and on boson stars [2], here we study whether astrophysical black hole candidates may be horizonless, self-gravitating, vector Bose-Einstein condensates, known as Proca stars [3]. We find that observations with current X-ray missions can only provide weak constraints and rule out solely Proca stars with low compactness. There are two reasons. First, at the moment we do not know the geometry of the corona, and therefore the uncertainty in the emissivity profile limits the ability to constrain the background metric. Second, the photon number count is low even in the case of a bright black hole binary, and we cannot have a precise measurement of the spectrum.

Iron Kα line of Proca stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen, Tianling; Zhou, Menglei; Bambi, Cosimo

X-ray reflection spectroscopy can be a powerful tool to test the nature of astrophysical black holes. Extending previous work on Kerr black holes with scalar hair [1] and on boson stars [2], here we study whether astrophysical black hole candidates may be horizonless, self-gravitating, vector Bose-Einstein condensates, known as Proca stars [3]. We find that observations with current X-ray missions can only provide weak constraints and rule out solely Proca stars with low compactness. There are two reasons. First, at the moment we do not know the geometry of the corona, and therefore the uncertainty in the emissivity profile limitsmore » the ability to constrain the background metric. Second, the photon number count is low even in the case of a bright black hole binary, and we cannot have a precise measurement of the spectrum.« less

Compact objects in relativistic theories of gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada da Silva, Hector

2017-05-01

In this dissertation we discuss several aspects of compact objects, i.e. neutron stars and black holes, in relativistic theories of gravity. We start by studying the role of nuclear physics (encoded in the so-called equation of state) in determining the properties of neutron stars in general relativity. We show that low-mass neutron stars are potentially useful astrophysical laboratories that can be used to constrain the properties of the equation of state. More specifically, we show that various bulk properties of these objects, such as their quadrupole moment and tidal deformability, are tightly correlated. Next, we develop a formalism that aims to capture how generic modifications from general relativity affect the structure of neutron stars, as predicted by a broad class of gravity theories, in the spirit of the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism (PPN). Our "post-Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff" formalism provides a toolbox to study both stellar structure and the interior/exterior geometries of static, spherically symmetric relativistic stars. We also apply the formalism to parametrize deviations from general relativity in various astrophysical observables related with neutron stars, including surface redshift, apparent radius, Eddington luminosity. We then turn our attention to what is arguably the most well-motivated and well-investigated generalization of general relativity: scalar-tensor theory. We start by considering theories where gravity is mediated by a single extra scalar degree of freedom (in addition to the metric tensor). An interesting class of scalar-tensor theories passes all experimental tests in the weak-field regime of gravity, yet considerably deviates from general relativity in the strong-field regime in the presence of matter. A common assumption in modeling neutron stars is that the pressure within these object is spatially isotropic. We relax this assumption and examine how pressure anisotropy affects the mass, radius and moment of inertia of slowly rotating neutron stars, both in general relativity and in scalar-tensor gravity. We show that a sufficient amount of pressure anisotropy results in neutron star models whose properties in scalar-tensor theory deviate significantly from their general relativistic counterparts. Moreover, the presence of anisotropy allows these deviations to be considerable even for values of the theory's coupling parameter for which neutron stars in scalar-tensor theory would be otherwise indistinguishable from those in general relativity. Within scalar-tensor theory we also investigate the effects of the scalar field on the crustal torsional oscillations of neutron stars, which have been associated to quasi-periodic oscillations in the X-ray spectra in the aftermath of giant flares. We show that the presence of the scalar field has an influence on the thickness of the stellar crust, and investigate how it affects the oscillation frequencies. Deviations from the predictions of general relativity can be large for certain values of the theory's coupling parameter. However, the influence of the scalar field is degenerate with uncertainties in the equation of state of the star's crust and microphysics effects (electron screening) for values of the coupling allowed by binary pulsar observations. We also derive the stellar structure equations for slowly-rotating neutron stars in a broader class of scalar-tensor theories in which matter and scalar field are coupled through the so-called disformal coupling. We study in great detail how the disformal coupling affects the structure of neutron stars, and we investigate the existence of universal (equation of state-independent) relations connecting the stellar compactness and moment of inertia. In particular, we find that these universal relations can deviate considerably from the predictions of general relativity. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Tidal deformability and I-Love-Q relations for gravastars with polytropic thin shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchikata, Nami; Yoshida, Shijun; Pani, Paolo

2016-09-01

The moment of inertia, the spin-induced quadrupole moment, and the tidal Love number of neutron-star and quark-star models are related through some relations which depend only mildly on the stellar equation of state. These "I-Love-Q" relations have important implications for astrophysics and gravitational-wave astronomy. An interesting problem is whether similar relations hold for other compact objects and how they approach the black hole limit. To answer these questions, here we investigate the deformation properties of a large class of thin-shell gravastars, which are exotic compact objects that do not possess an event horizon nor a spacetime singularity. Working in a small-spin and small-tidal field expansion, we calculate the moment of inertia, the quadrupole moment, and the (quadrupolar electric) tidal Love number of gravastars with a polytropic thin shell. The I-Love-Q relations of a thin-shell gravastar are drastically different from those of an ordinary neutron star. The Love number and quadrupole moment for less compact models have the opposite sign relative to those of ordinary neutron stars, and the I-Love-Q relations continuously approach the black hole limit. We consider a variety of polytropic equations of state for the matter shell and find no universality in the I-Love-Q relations. However, we cannot deny the possibility that, similarly to the neutron-star case, an approximate universality might emerge for a limited class of equations of state. Finally, we discuss how a measurement of the tidal deformability from the gravitational-wave detection of a compact-binary inspiral can be used to constrain exotic compact objects like gravastars.

Central Compact Objects in Kes 79 and RCW 103 as `Hidden' Magnetars with Crustal Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, S. B.; Kaurov, A. A.; Kaminker, A. D.

2015-05-01

We propose that observations of `hidden' magnetars in central compact objects can be used to probe crustal activity of neutron stars with large internal magnetic fields. Estimates based on calculations by Perna & Pons, Pons & Rea and Kaminker et al. suggest that central compact objects, which are proposed to be `hidden' magnetars, must demonstrate flux variations on the time scale of months-years. However, the most prominent candidate for the `hidden' magnetars - CXO J1852.6+0040 in Kes 79 - shows constant (within error bars) flux. This can be interpreted by lower variable crustal activity than in typical magnetars. Alternatively, CXO J1852.6+0040 can be in a high state of variable activity during the whole period of observations. Then we consider the source 1E161348 - 5055 in RCW103 as another candidate. Employing a simple 2D-modelling we argue that properties of the source can be explained by the crustal activity of the magnetar type. Thus, this object may be supplemented for the three known candidates for the `hidden' magnetars among central compact objects discussed in literature.

Model predictions of the results of interferometric observations for stars under conditions of strong gravitational scattering by black holes and wormholes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shatskiy, A. A., E-mail: shatskiy@asc.rssi.ru; Kovalev, Yu. Yu.; Novikov, I. D.

2015-05-15

The characteristic and distinctive features of the visibility amplitude of interferometric observations for compact objects like stars in the immediate vicinity of the central black hole in our Galaxy are considered. These features are associated with the specifics of strong gravitational scattering of point sources by black holes, wormholes, or black-white holes. The revealed features will help to determine the most important topological characteristics of the central object in our Galaxy: whether this object possesses the properties of only a black hole or also has characteristics unique to wormholes or black-white holes. These studies can be used to interpret themore » results of optical, infrared, and radio interferometric observations.« less

Bright compact bulges at intermediate redshifts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachdeva, Sonali; Saha, Kanak

2018-07-01

Studying bright (MB < -20), intermediate-redshift (0.4 < z< 1.0), disc-dominated (nB < 2.5) galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 in Chandra Deep Field-South, in rest-frame B and I band, we found a new class of bulges that is brighter and more compact than ellipticals. We refer to them as `bright, compact bulges' (BCBs) - they resemble neither classical nor pseudo-bulges and constitute ˜12 per cent of the total bulge population at these redshifts. Examining free-bulge + disc decomposition sample and elliptical galaxy sample from Simard et al., we find that only ˜0.2 per cent of the bulges can be classified as BCBs in the local Universe. Bulge to total light ratio of disc galaxies with BCBs is (at ˜0.4) a factor of ˜2 and ˜4 larger than for those with classical and pseudo-bulges. BCBs are ˜2.5 and ˜6 times more massive than classical and pseudo-bulges. Although disc galaxies with BCBs host the most massive and dominant bulge type, their specific star formation rate is 1.5-2 times higher than other disc galaxies. This is contrary to the expectations that a massive compact bulge would lead to lower star formation rates. We speculate that our BCB host disc galaxies are descendant of massive, compact, and passive elliptical galaxies observed at higher redshifts. Those high-redshift ellipticals lack local counterparts and possibly evolved by acquiring a compact disc around them. The overall properties of BCBs support a picture of galaxy assembly in which younger discs are being accreted around massive pre-existing spheroids.

HI properties and star formation history of a fly-by pair of blue compact dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jinhyub; Chung, Aeree; Wong, O. Ivy; Lee, Bumhyun; Sung, Eon-Chang; Staveley-Smith, Lister

2017-09-01

A fly-by interaction has been suggested to be one of the major explanations for enhanced star formation in blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies, yet no direct evidence for this scenario has been found to date. In the Hi Parkes all-sky survey (HIPASS), ESO 435-IG 020 and ESO 435-G 016, a BCD pair were found in a common, extended gas envelope of atomic hydrogen, providing an ideal case to test the hypothesis that the starburst in BCDs can be indeed triggered by a fly-by interaction. Using high-resolution data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we investigated Hi properties and the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the BCD pair to study their interaction and star formation histories. The high-resolution Hi data of both BCDs reveal a number of peculiarities, which are suggestive of tidal perturbation. Meanwhile, 40% of the HIPASS flux is not accounted for in the ATCA observations with no Hi gas bridge found between the two BCDs. Intriguingly, in the residual of the HIPASS and the ATCA data, 10% of the missing flux appears to be located between the two BCDs. While the SED-based age of the most dominant young stellar population is old enough to have originated from the interaction with any neighbors (including the other of the two BCDs), the most recent star formation activity traced by strong Hα emission in ESO 435-IG 020 and the shear motion of gas in ESO 435-G 016, suggest a more recent or current tidal interaction. Based on these and the residual emission between the HIPASS and the ATCA data, we propose an interaction between the two BCDs as the origin of their recently enhanced star formation activity. The shear motion on the gas disk, potentially with re-accretion of the stripped gas, could be responsible for the active star formation in this BCD pair. The reduced datacube (FITS file) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/605/A54

High-mass Star Formation and Its Initial Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C. P.

2017-11-01

In this thesis, we present four works on the infrared dark clouds, fragmentation and deuteration of compact and cold cores, hyper-compact (HC) HII regions, and infrared dust bubbles, respectively. They are not only the products of early high-mass star formation, but reflect different evolutionary sequences of high-mass star formation. (1) Using the IRAM (Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique) 30 m telescope, we obtained HCO^+, HNC, N_2^+, and C^{18}O emission in six IRDCs (infrared dark clouds), and study their dynamics, stability, temperature, and density. (2) Fragmentation at the earliest phases is an important process of massive star formation. Eight massive precluster clumps (G18.17, G18.21, G23.97N, G23.98, G23.44, G23.97S, G25.38, and G25.71) were selected from the SCUBA (submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array) 850 μm and 450 μm data. The VLA (Very Large Array) at 1.3 cm, PbBI at 3.5 mm and 1.3 mm, APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope) at 870 μm observations were followed up, and archival infrared data at 4.5 μm, 8.0 μm, 24 μm, and 70 μm were combined to study the fragmentation and evolution of these clumps. We explored the habitats of the massive clumps at large scale, cores/condensations at small scale, and the fragmentation process at different wavelengths. Star formation in these eight clumps may have been triggered by the UC (ultra-compact) HII regions nearby. (3) The formation of hyper-compact (HC) HII regions is an important stage in massive star formation. We present high angular resolution observations carried out with the SMA (Submillimeter Array) and the VLA (Very Large Array) toward the HC HII region G35.58-0.03. With the 1.3 mm SMA and 1.3 cm VLA, we detected a total of about 25 transitions of 8 different species and their isotopologues (CO, CH_3CN, SO_2, CH_3CCH, OCS, CS, H30α/38β, and NH_{3}). G35.58-0.03 consists of an HC HII core with electron temperature Te* ≥ 5500 K, emission measure EM ≈ 1.9×10^{9} pc\\cdotcm^{-6}, local volume electron density ne= 3.3×10^{5} cm^{-3}, FWHM ≈ 43.2 km\\cdots^{-1} for radio recombination lines from both H30α and H38β at its intrinsic core size 3714 au. The H30α line shows evidence of an ionized outflow driving a molecular outflow. The molecular envelope shows evidence of infall and outflow with an infall rate of 0.033 M_{⊙}\\cdotyr^{-1} and a mass loss rate 0.052 M_{⊙}\\cdotyr^{-1}. The derived momenta (˜0.05 M_{⊙}\\cdot{km}\\cdot{s}^{-1}) are comparable for both the infalling and outflowing gas per year. It is suggested that the infall is predominant and the envelope mass of the dense core is increasing rapidly, but accretion in the inner part might have already been halted. (4) OB type stars have strong free-free radiation. The ultraviolet radiation from ionizing stars may heat the dust and ionize the gas to sweep up an expanding bubble, probably accompanied by formation of next generation of stars. The position-velocity diagram clearly shows that N68 may be expanding outward. The structure of bubble S51, carried with shell and front side, is exhibited with ^{13}CO and C^{18}O emission. Both outflow and inflow may exist in the shell of the bubble S51. They may represent the next generation of stars whose formation was triggered by the bubble expanding into the molecular gas. For the bubble N131, we aim to further explore the molecular clumps and star formation at a higher spatial resolution compared with previous CO observations, and try to speculate its origin. The bubble N131 is likely originated in a filamentary nebula, within which the strong stellar wind from a group of massive stars broke up a pre-existing filamentary nebula into the clumps AD and BC, and sweeped up the surrounded material onto the ringlike shell of the bubble N131.

Merging black holes in non-spherical nuclear star clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrovich, Cristobal

2018-04-01

The Milky Way and a significant fraction of galaxies are observed to host a central Massive Black Hole (MBH) embedded in a non-spherical nuclear star cluster. I will discuss the orbital evolution of stellar binaries in these environments and argue that their merger rates are expected to be greatly enhanced when the effect from cluster potential is taken into account in the binary-MBH triple system. I will apply our results to compact-object binary mergers mediated by gravitational wave radiation and show that this merger channel can contribute significantly to the LIGO/Virgo detections.

ALMA reveals starburst-like interstellar medium conditions in a compact star-forming galaxy at z 2 using [CI] and CO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popping, Gergö; Decarli, Roberto; Man, Allison W. S.; Nelson, Erica J.; Béthermin, Matthieu; De Breuck, Carlos; Mainieri, Vincenzo; van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Gullberg, Bitten; van Kampen, Eelco; Spaans, Marco; Trager, Scott C.

2017-06-01

We present ALMA detections of the [CI] 1-0, CO J = 3-2, and CO J = 4-3 emission lines, as well as the ALMA band 4 continuum for a compact star-forming galaxy (cSFG) at z = 2.225, 3D-HST GS30274. As is typical for cSFGs, this galaxy has a stellar mass of 1.89 ± 0.47 × 1011M⊙, with a star formation rate (SFR) of 214 ± 44 M⊙ yr-1 putting it on the star-forming "main-sequence", but with an H-band effective radius of 2.5 kpc, making it much smaller than the bulk of "main-sequence" star-forming galaxies. The intensity ratio of the line detections yield an ISM density ( 6 × 104 cm-3) and a UV-radiation field ( 2 × 104G0), similar to the values in local starburst and ultra-luminous infrared galaxy environments. A starburst phase is consistent with the short depletion times (tH2,dep ≤ 140 Myr) we find in 3D-HST GS30274 using three different proxies for the H2 mass ([CI], CO, dust mass). This depletion time is significantly shorter than in more extended SFGs with similar stellar masses and SFRs. Moreover, the gas fraction of 3D-HST GS30274 is smaller than typically found in extended galaxies. We measure the CO and [CI] kinematics and find a FWHM line width of 750 ± 41 km s-1. The CO and [CI] FWHM are consistent with a previously measured Hα FWHM for this source. The line widths are consistent with gravitational motions, suggesting we are seeing a compact molecular gas reservoir. A previous merger event, as suggested by the asymmetric light profile, may be responsible for the compact distribution of gas and has triggered a central starburst event. This event gives rise to the starburst-like ISM properties and short depletion times in 3D-HST GS30274. The centrally located and efficient star formation is quickly building up a dense core of stars, responsible for the compact distribution of stellar light in 3D-HST GS30274.

POSSIBLE CHANGES OF STATE AND RELEVANT TIMESCALES FOR A NEUTRON STAR IN LS I +61 Degree-Sign 303

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Papitto, A.; Torres, D. F.; Rea, N.

2012-09-10

The properties of the short, energetic bursts recently observed from the {gamma}-ray binary LS I +61 Degree-Sign 303 are typical of those showed by high magnetic field neutron stars (NSs) and thus provide a strong indication in favor of a NS being the compact object in the system. Here, we discuss the transitions among the states accessible to a NS in a system like LS I +61 Degree-Sign 303, such as the ejector, propeller, and accretor phases, depending on the NS spin period, magnetic field, and rate of mass captured. We show how the observed bolometric luminosity ({approx}> few Multiplication-Signmore » 10{sup 35} erg s{sup -1}) and its broadband spectral distribution indicate that the compact object is most probably close to the transition between working as an ejector all along its orbit and being powered by the propeller effect when it is close to the orbit periastron, in a so-called flip-flop state. By assessing the torques acting onto the compact object in the various states, we follow the spin evolution of the system, evaluating the time spent by the system in each of them. Even taking into account the constraint set by the observed {gamma}-ray luminosity, we found that the total age of the system is compatible with being Almost-Equal-To 5-10 kyr, comparable to the typical spin-down ages of high-field NSs. The results obtained are discussed in the context of the various evolutionary stages expected for a NS with a high-mass companion.« less

Compact Binary Mergers and the Event Rate of Fast Radio Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Xiao-Feng; Yu, Yun-Wei; Zhou, Xia

2018-05-01

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are usually suggested to be associated with mergers of compact binaries consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), or black holes (BHs). We test these models by fitting the observational distributions in both redshift and isotropic energy of 22 Parkes FRBs, where, as usual, the rates of compact binary mergers (CBMs) are connected with cosmic star formation rates by a power-law distributed time delay. It is found that the observational distributions can well be produced by the CBM model with a characteristic delay time from several tens to several hundreds of megayears and an energy function index 1.2 ≲ γ ≲ 1.7, where a tentative fixed spectral index β = 0.8 is adopted for all FRBs. Correspondingly, the local event rate of FRBs is constrained to {(3{--}6)× {10}4{f}{{b}}-1({ \\mathcal T }/270{{s}})}-1{({ \\mathcal A }/2π )}-1 {Gpc}}-3 {yr}}-1 for an adopted minimum FRB energy of E min = 3 × 1039 erg, where f b is the beaming factor of the radiation, { \\mathcal T } is the duration of each pointing observation, and { \\mathcal A } is the sky area of the survey. This event rate, about an order of magnitude higher than the rates of NS–NS/NS–BH mergers, indicates that the most promising origin of FRBs in the CBM scenario could be mergers of WD–WD binaries. Here a massive WD could be produced since no FRB was found to be associated with an SN Ia. Alternatively, if all FRBs can repeat on a timescale much longer than the period of current observations, then they could also originate from a young active NS that forms from relatively rare NS–NS mergers and accretion-induced collapses of WD–WD binaries.

Radio Interferometry with the SMA: Uncovering Hidden Star Formation in Our Extreme Galactic Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutierrez, Elizabeth; Battersby, Cara; MacGregor, Meredith Ann

2018-01-01

Radio interferometry provides the best tool to identify embedded star-forming cores in cold, dense, molecular clouds of gas and dust. Observations at long, submillimeter wavelengths can be used to investigate the physical properties in the youngest stages of star formation. Interferometers provide the resolution necessary to resolve small scale structures like dense cores where star formation is expected to occur. CMZoom is the first large area survey of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) at high resolution in the submillimeter, allowing us to identify early sites of star formation. The survey uses both the subcompact and compact configurations of the Submillimeter Array (SMA) interferometric radio telescope. The CMZ, or the inner 500 pc of the Milky Way Galaxy, is a high extinction region comprised of hot, dense, and turbulent molecular gas. This region is forming about an order of magnitude fewer stars than predicted based on simple star formation prescriptions. Here, we present new high resolution images of G0.068-0.075, a region from the CMZoom survey, obtained using CASA. We highlight the importance of interferometric observations of different baseline lengths by comparing the spatial information obtained through different configurations. We will use these new images, in conjunction with the rest of the CMZoom survey, to reveal the mechanisms driving star formation at the center of the galaxy.

THE MYSTERIOUS SICKLE OBJECT IN THE CARINA NEBULA: A STELLAR WIND INDUCED BOW SHOCK GRAZING A CLUMP?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ngoumou, Judith; Preibisch, Thomas; Ratzka, Thorsten

2013-06-01

Optical and near-infrared images of the Carina Nebula show a peculiar arc-shaped feature, which we call the ''Sickle'', next to the B-type star Trumpler 14 MJ 218. We use multi-wavelength observations to explore and constrain the nature and origin of the nebulosity. Using submillimeter data from APEX/LABOCA as well as Herschel far-infrared maps, we discovered a dense, compact clump with a mass of {approx}40 M{sub Sun} located close to the apex of the Sickle. We investigate how the B star MJ 218, the Sickle, and the clump are related. Our numerical simulations show that, in principle, a B-type star locatedmore » near the edge of a clump can produce a crescent-shaped wind shock front, similar to the observed morphology. However, the observed proper motion of MJ 218 suggests that the star moves with high velocity ({approx}100 km s{sup -1}) through the ambient interstellar gas. We argue that the star is just about to graze along the surface of the clump, and the Sickle is a bow shock induced by the stellar wind, as the object moves supersonically through the density gradient in the envelope of the clump.« less

First NICER Observations of the Enigmatic Be Star, Gamma Cassiopeiae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamaguchi, Kenji; Drake, Stephen; Corcoran, Michael; Gendreau, Keith C.; Steiner, Jack; NICER team

2018-01-01

Gamma Cassiopeiae is an enigmatic Be star with unusually hard, strong X-ray emission compared with normal main-sequence B stars (but a much lower X-ray luminosity than the classic X-ray binaries). The X-ray characteristics - hot (kT ~12 keV), thermal plasma spectrum and rapid time variations on timescales of 10-1000 sec - is reminiscent of accreting compact objects. Alternatively, its shot-like rapid variations somewhat resemble solar-type magnetic reconnection flares, so that plasma heating by the star-disk magnetic dynamo of the Be star has been proposed. A recent discovery of rapid X-ray color variations with the Suzaku X-ray observatory revealed the presence of rapidly moving absorbers in the X-ray line of sight, giving a strong constraint on the geometry of the X-ray emitting regions and absorbers.The X-ray observatory onboard ISS, NICER, has observed Gamma Cas multiple times. The large collecting area in the 0.3-10 keV band, tolerance to photon pile-ups, and decent energy resolution in particular below 1 keV, should provide excellent pieces of information on how the X-ray emission and/or absorbing column change on short timescales. We will present the first result of the gamma Cas observations made by the NICER observatory.

Weak and Compact Radio Emission in Early High-Mass Star Forming Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosero, Viviana; P. Hofner, M. Claussen, S. Kurtz, R. Cesaroni, E. D. Araya, C. Carrasco-González, L. F. Rodríguez, K. M. Menten, F. Wyrowski, L. Loinard, S. P. Ellingsen

2018-01-01

High-mass protostars are difficult to detect: they have short evolutionary timescales, they tend to be located at large distances, and they are usually embedded within complicated cluster environments. In this work, we aimed to identify and analyze candidates at the earliest stages of high-mass star formation, where only low-level (< 1 mJy) radio emission is expected. We used the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to achieve one of the most sensitive (image RMS < 3 -- 10 μJy/beam) centimeter continuum surveys towards high-mass star forming regions to date, with observations at 1.3 and 6 cm and an angular resolution < 0.5". The sample is composed of cold molecular clumps with and without infrared sources (CMC--IRs and CMCs, respectively) and hot molecular cores (HMCs), covering a wide range of parameters such as bolometric luminosity and distance. We detected 70 radio continuum sources that are associated with dust clumps, most of which are weak and compact. We detected centimeter wavelength sources in 100% of our HMCs, which is a higher fraction than previously expected and suggests that radio continuum may be detectable at weak levels in all HMCs. The lack of radio detections for some objects in the sample (including most CMCs) contributes strong evidence that these are prestellar clumps, providing interesting constraints and ideal follow up candidates for studies of the earliest stages of high-mass stars. Our results show further evidence for an evolutionary sequence in the formation of high-mass stars, from starless cores (i.e., CMCs) to relatively more evolved ones (i.e., HMCs). Many of our detections have morphologies and other observational parameters that resemble collimated ionized jets, which is highly relevant for recent theoretical models based on core accretion that predict that the first stages of ionization from high-mass stars are in the form of jets. Additionally, we found that properties of ionized jets from low and high-mass stars are extremely well correlated; our data improves upon previous studies of this nature and provides further evidence of a common origin for jets of any luminosity.

The stellar content of LH 9 and 10 (N11) in the LMC - A case for sequential star formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Joel WM.; Garmany, Catharine D.; Massey, Philip; Walborn, Nolan R.

1992-01-01

The young OB associations Lucke-Hodge 9 and 10 are studied with UBV photometry that is independent of reddening to determine the IMF directly from star counts. The temperature and reddening of the stars are determined which, in conjunction with the spectroscopic classification of the earliest stars, is employed to place the stellar groups on the theoretical H-R diagram. Observations are also presented of the highly compact H II region/knot N11A and the multiple system HD 32228, and LH 9 and 10 are compared. The Lyman ionizing flux calculated at 4.9-7.2 x 10 exp 50/s agrees well with flux required to generate the H-alpha luminosity of the H II region. LH 10 has a much flatter slope, a higher ratio of higher-mass to lower-mass stars, and greater reddening than LH 9, and LH 10 contains all of the O stars earlier than O6. It is concluded that LH 9 is older than LH 10 and probably contributed to the initiation of star formation in LH 10.

Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Y.

2017-07-01

X-ray binaries are a class of binary systems, in which the accretor is a compact star (i.e., black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf). They are one of the most important objects in the universe, which can be used to study not only binary evolution but also accretion disks and compact stars. Statistical investigations of these binaries help to understand the formation and evolution of galaxies, and sometimes provide useful constraints on the cosmological models. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the formation and evolution processes of X-ray binaries including Be/X-ray binaries, low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), and cataclysmic variables. In Chapter 1 we give a brief review on the basic knowledge of the binary evolution. In Chapter 2 we discuss the formation of Be stars through binary interaction. In this chapter we investigate the formation of Be stars resulting from mass transfer in binaries in the Galaxy. Using binary evolution and population synthesis calculations, we find that in Be/neutron star binaries the Be stars have a lower limit of mass ˜ 8 M⊙ if they are formed by a stable (i.e., without the occurrence of common envelope evolution) and nonconservative mass transfer. We demonstrate that the isolated Be stars may originate from both mergers of two main-sequence stars and disrupted Be binaries during the supernova explosions of the primary stars, but mergers seem to play a much more important role. Finally the fraction of Be stars produced by binary interactions in all B type stars can be as high as ˜ 13%-30% , implying that most of Be stars may result from binary interaction. In Chapter 3 we show the evolution of intermediate- and low-mass X-ray binaries (I/LMXBs) and the formation of millisecond pulsars. Comparing the calculated results with the observations of binary radio pulsars, we report the following results: (1) The allowed parameter space for forming binary pulsars in the initial orbital period-donor mass plane increases with the increasing neutron star mass. This may help to explain why some millisecond pulsars with orbital periods longer than ˜ 60 d seem to have less massive white dwarfs than expected. Alternatively, some of these wide binary pulsars may be formed through mass transfer driven by planet/brown dwarf-involved common envelope evolution; (2) Some of the pulsars in compact binaries might have evolved from intermediate-mass X-ray binaries with an anomalous magnetic braking; (3) The equilibrium spin periods of neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries are in general shorter than the observed spin periods of binary pulsars by more than one order of magnitude, suggesting that either the simple equilibrium spin model does not apply, or there are other mechanisms/processes spinning down the neutron stars. In Chapter 4, angular momentum loss mechanisms in the cataclysmic variables below the period gap are presented. By considering several kinds of consequential angular momentum loss mechanisms, we find that neither isotropic wind from the white dwarf nor outflow from the L1 point can explain the extra angular momentum loss rate, while an ouflow from the L2 point or a circumbinary disk can effectively extract the angular momentum provided that ˜ 15%-45% of the transferred mass is lost from the binary. A more promising mechanism is a circumbinary disk exerting a gravitational torque on the binary. In this case the mass loss fraction can be as low as ≲ 10-3. In Chapter 5 we present a study on the population of ultraluminous X-ray sources with an accreting neutron star. Most ULXs are believed to be X-ray binary systems, but previous observational and theoretical studies tend to prefer a black hole rather than a neutron star accretor. The recent discovery of 1.37 s pulsations from the ULX M82 X-2 has established its nature as a magnetized neutron star. In this chapter we model the formation history of neutron star ULXs in an M82- or Milky Way-like galaxy, by use of both binary population synthesis and detailed binary evolution calculations. We find that the birthrate is around 10-4 yr-1 for the incipient X-ray binaries in both cases. We demonstrate the distribution of the ULX population in the donor mass - orbital period plane. Our results suggest that, compared with black hole X-ray binaries, neutron star X-ray binaries may significantly contribute to the ULX population, and high/intermediate-mass X-ray binaries dominate the neutron star ULX population in M82/Milky Way-like galaxies, respectively. In Chapter 6, the population of intermediate- and low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy is explored. We investigate the formation and evolutionary sequences of Galactic intermediate- and low-mass X-ray binaries by combining binary population synthesis (BPS) and detailed stellar evolutionary calculations. Using an updated BPS code we compute the evolution of massive binaries that leads to the formation of incipient I/LMXBs, and present their distribution in the initial donor mass vs. initial orbital period diagram. We then follow the evolution of I/LMXBs until the formation of binary millisecond pulsars (BMSPs). We show that during the evolution of I/LMXBs they are likely to be observed as relatively compact binaries. The resultant BMSPs have orbital periods ranging from about 1 day to a few hundred days. These features are consistent with observations of LMXBs and BMSPs. We also confirm the discrepancies between theoretical predictions and observations mentioned in the literature, that is, the theoretical average mass transfer rates of LMXBs are considerably lower than observed, and the number of BMSPs with orbital periods ˜ 0.1-1 \\unit{d} is severely underestimated. Both imply that something is missing in the modeling of LMXBs, which is likely to be related to the mechanisms of the orbital angular momentum loss. Finally in Chapter 7 we summarize our results and give the prospects for the future work.

A Herschel and CARMA view of CO and [C ii] in Hickson Compact groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alatalo, Katherine; Appleton, Philip N.; Lisenfeld, Ute

2015-02-01

Understanding the evolution of galaxies from the starforming blue cloud to the quiescent red sequence has been revolutionized by observations taken with Herschel Space Observatory, and the onset of the era of sensitive millimeter interferometers, allowing astronomers to probe both cold dust as well as the cool interstellar medium in a large set of galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity. Recent Herschel observations of of H2-bright Hickson Compact Groups of galaxies (HCGs) has shown that [C ii] may be boosted in diffuse shocked gas. CARMA CO(1-0) observations of these [C ii]-bright HCGs has shown that these turbulent systems also can show suppression of SF. Here we present preliminary results from observations of HCGs with Herschel and CARMA, and their [C ii] and CO(1-0) properties to discuss how shocks influence galaxy transitions and star formation.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Gravitational microlensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharov, Aleksandr F.; Sazhin, Mikhail V.

1998-10-01

The foundations of standard microlensing theory are discussed as applied to stars in the Galactic bulge, Magellanic Clouds or other nearby galaxies and gravitational microlenses assumed to lie in-between these stars and the terrestrial observer. In contrast to the review article by Gurevich et al. [48], microlensing by compact objects is mainly considered. Criteria for the identification of microlensing events are discussed as also are microlensing events not satisfying these criteria, such as non-symmetrical light curves and chromatic and polarization effects. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Galactic bulge microlensing data of the MACHO group are discussed in detail and also the LMC data of EROS and the Galactic bulge data of OGLE are presented. A detailed comparison of theoretical predictions and observations is given.

The origin of the scatter of the star forming main sequence at z=0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shanahan, Clare; Somerville, Rachel S.; Saintonge, Amelie; Huang, Mei-Ling

2016-01-01

We investigate the origin of the dispersion in the relationship between star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass, known as the star forming main sequence (SFMS). Our study includes predictions from a state-of-the-art semi-analytic model (SAM) as well as observations from the COLDGASS, Bluedisk, and GAMA surveys. Using a simple toy model we demonstrate that, in the absence of a correlation between gas fraction and galaxy size, we would expect more compact disks to live 'high' on the SFMS, and vice versa, due to the observational Kennicutt relation. We demonstrate that this correlation is not seen in the observations, nor is it predicted by the SAM. We find in both the model and the observations that extended disks have a higher fraction of their baryonic mass in total cold gas and in HI and $H_{2}$ gas separately, offsetting the dependence of SFR on disk size. We investigate the origin of the gas fraction-size correlation in the SAMs, and find that it is connected with the rate of cosmological accretion of gas from the intergalactic medium.

Investigating the Lyman photon escape in local starburst galaxies with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, Svea; Leitherer, Claus; Boquien, Médéric; Buat, Véronique; Burgarella, Denis; Calzetti, Daniela; Noll, Stefan

2018-07-01

We present a study of seven star-forming galaxies from the Cosmic Evolution Survey observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The galaxies are located at relatively low redshifts, z ˜ 0.3, with morphologies ranging from extended and disturbed to compact and smooth. To complement the HST observations, we also analyse observations taken with the Visible Multi-object Spectrograph (VIMOS) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). In our galaxy sample, we identify three objects with double peak Lyman-α profiles similar to those seen in Green Pea compact galaxies and measure peak separations of 655, 374, and 275 km s-1. We measure Lyman-α escape fractions with values ranging between 5 per cent and 13 per cent. Given the low flux levels in the individual COS exposures, we apply a weighted stacking approach to obtain a single spectrum. From this COS combined spectrum, we infer upper limits for the absolute and relative Lyman continuum escape fractions of f_abs(LyC) = 0.4^{+10.1}_{-0.4} per cent and f_res(LyC) = 1.7^{+15.2}_{-1.7}per cent, respectively. Finally, we find that most of these galaxies have moderate ultraviolet and optical star formation rates (SFRs) (SFRs ≲10 M⊙ yr-1).

A dearth of OH/IR stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, Steven R.; van Loon, Jacco Th.; Gómez, José F.; Green, James A.; Zijlstra, Albert A.; Nanni, Ambra; Imai, Hiroshi; Whitelock, Patricia A.; Groenewegen, Martin A. T.; Oliveira, Joana M.

2018-01-01

We present the results of targeted observations and a survey of 1612-, 1665- and 1667-MHz circumstellar OH maser emission from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and red supergiants (RSGs) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), using the Parkes and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio telescopes. No clear OH maser emission has been detected in any of our observations targeting luminous, long-period, large-amplitude variable stars, which have been confirmed spectroscopically and photometrically to be mid- to late-M spectral type. These observations have probed 3-4 times deeper than any OH maser survey in the SMC. Using a bootstrapping method with Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Galactic OH/IR star samples and our SMC observation upper limits, we have calculated the likelihood of not detecting maser emission in any of the two sources considered to be the top maser candidates to be less than 0.05 per cent, assuming a similar pumping mechanism as the LMC and Galactic OH/IR sources. We have performed a population comparison of the Magellanic Clouds and used Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry to confirm that we have observed all high luminosity SMC sources that are expected to exhibit maser emission. We suspect that, compared to the OH/IR stars in the Galaxy and LMC, the reduction in metallicity may curtail the dusty wind phase at the end of the evolution of the most massive cool stars. We also suspect that the conditions in the circumstellar envelope change beyond a simple scaling of abundances and wind speed with metallicity.

The Origin of the Relation between Metallicity and Size in Star-forming Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, J.; Dalla Vecchia, C.

2018-06-01

For the same stellar mass, physically smaller star-forming galaxies are also metal richer. What causes the relation remains unclear. The central star-forming galaxies in the EAGLE cosmological numerical simulation reproduce the observed trend. We use them to explore the origin of the relation assuming that the physical mechanism responsible for the anticorrelation between size and gas-phase metallicity is the same in the simulated and the observed galaxies. We consider the three most likely causes: (1) metal-poor gas inflows feeding the star formation (SF) process, (2) metal-rich gas outflows particularly efficient in shallow gravitational potentials, and (3) enhanced efficiency of the SF process in compact galaxies. Outflows (cause 2) and enhanced SF efficiency (cause 3) can be discarded. Metal-poor gas inflows (cause 1) produce the correlation in the simulated galaxies. Galaxies grow in size with time, so those that receive gas later are both metal poorer and larger, giving rise to the observed anticorrelation. As expected within this explanation, larger galaxies have younger stellar populations. We explore the variation with redshift of the relation, which is maintained up to, at least, redshift 8.

MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF THE RUNAWAY BINARY HD 15137

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McSwain, M. Virginia; Aragona, Christina; Marsh, Amber N.

2010-03-15

HD 15137 is an intriguing runaway O-type binary system that offers a rare opportunity to explore the mechanism by which it was ejected from the open cluster of its birth. Here, we present recent blue optical spectra of HD 15137 and derive a new orbital solution for the spectroscopic binary and physical parameters of the O star primary. We also present the first XMM-Newton observations of the system. Fits of the EPIC spectra indicate soft, thermal X-ray emission consistent with an isolated O star. Upper limits on the undetected hard X-ray emission place limits on the emission from a proposedmore » compact companion in the system, and we rule out a quiescent neutron star (NS) in the propeller regime or a weakly accreting NS. An unevolved secondary companion is also not detected in our optical spectra of the binary, and it is difficult to conclude that a gravitational interaction could have ejected this runaway binary with a low mass optical star. HD 15137 may contain an elusive NS in the ejector regime or a quiescent black hole with conditions unfavorable for accretion at the time of our observations.« less

Gemini/GNIRS infrared spectroscopy of the Wolf-Rayet stellar wind in Cygnus X-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koljonen, K. I. I.; Maccarone, T. J.

2017-12-01

The microquasar Cygnus X-3 was observed several times with the Gemini North Infrared Spectrograph while the source was in the hard X-ray state. We describe the observed 1.0-2.4 μm spectra as arising from the stellar wind of the companion star and suggest its classification as a WN 4-6 Wolf-Rayet star. We attribute the orbital variations of the emission line profiles to the variations in the ionization structure of the stellar wind caused by the intense X-ray emission from the compact object. The strong variability observed in the line profiles will affect the mass function determination. We are unable to reproduce earlier results, from which the mass function for the Wolf-Rayet star was derived. Instead, we suggest that the system parameters are difficult to obtain from the infrared spectra. We find that the near-infrared continuum and the line spectra can be represented with non-LTE Wolf-Rayet atmosphere models if taking into account the effects arising from the peculiar ionization structure of the stellar wind in an approximative manner. From the representative models we infer the properties of the Wolf-Rayet star and discuss possible mass ranges for the binary components.

Compact radio sources in luminous infrared galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parra, Rodrigo

2007-08-01

Radio interferometry is an observational technique of high sensitivity and incomparably high spatial resolution. Moreover, because radio waves can freely propagate through interstellar dust and gas, it allows the study of regions of the universe completely obscured at other wavelengths. This thesis reports the observational and theoretical results of my research during the past four years which are mostly based on interferometric radio data. The COLA sample is an infrared selected sample of active star forming galaxies. We conducted 6 cm VLA and VLBI snapshot observations of the northern half of this sample. The radio emission seen at VLA scales is consistent with being powered by star formation activity because it follows the far infrared to radio correlation. We detect 22% of the sample sources in our VLBI snapshots. Based on luminosity arguments, we argue that these sub-parsec VLBI sources are powered by AGN activity. Furthermore, we find that VLBI detections are preferentially found in sources whose VLA scale structures have the highest peak brightnesses suggesting a strong correlation between compact starburst and AGN activity. This observational result is consistent with the theoretical picture of an Eddington-limited nuclear starburst acting as the last valve in the pipeline transporting the gas from kiloparsec scales onto the accretion disc of a buried AGN. Arp 220 is the archetypical ultra luminous infrared galaxy. For many years this source has been known to harbour a compact (~100 pc) cluster of unresolved 18 cm bright sources believed to be bright core collapse supernovae. Using multiwavelength VLBI observations, we obtained for the first time radio spectra for 18 of these sources. We find that over a half of them have spectra consistent with young supernovae. The rest can be better explained as older supernova remnants interacting with the high density starburst ISM. This finding allowed us to constrain the number of possible scenarios for the Arp 220 starburst. A subset of luminous infrared galaxies contain non-thermal spectral line emission from the OH radical. These OH megamasers often show diffuse extended (~100 pc) low gain emission surrounding compact ([Special characters omitted. 1 pc) high gain maser spots. These observational features have been explained in terms of unsaturated and saturated masers. Using numerical simulations we have shown how both the diffuse and compact components of the OH megamaser observed towards the luminous infrared galaxy IIIZw35 can be explained by a single phase of unsaturated maser clouds in which the compact bright masers are caused by the random line-of-sight overlap of several such clouds and the diffuse component by the beam spatial average of many low gain clouds too weak to be seen independently. The theoretical tools developed to analyse this particular case have been extended to the general problem of propagation of radiation in clumpy media.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the ultraviolet spectra of star-forming galaxies but were afraid to ask

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinney, A. L.; Bohlin, R.; Calzetti, D.; Panagia, N.; Wyse, R.

1993-01-01

We present ultraviolet spectra of 143 star-forming galaxies of different morphological types and activity classes including S0, Sa, Sb, Sc, Sd, irregular, starburst, blue compact, blue compact dwarf, Liner, and Seyfert 2 galaxies. These IUE spectra cover the wavelength range from 1200 to 3200 A and are taken in a large aperture (10 x 20 inch). The ultraviolet spectral energy distributions are shown for a subset of the galaxies, ordered by spectral index, and separated by type for normal galaxies, Liners, starburst galaxies, blue compact (BCG) and blue compact dwarf (BCDG) galaxies, and Seyfert 2 galaxies. The ultraviolet spectra of Liners are, for the most part, indistinguishable from the spectra of normal galaxies. Starburst galaxies have a large range of ultraviolet slope, from blue to red. The star-forming galaxies which are the bluest in the optical (BCG and BCDG), also have the 'bluest' average ultraviolet slope of beta = -1.75 +/- 0.63. Seyfert 2 galaxies are the only galaxies in the sample that consistently have detectable UV emission lines.

Far-infrared observations of a star-forming region in the Corona Australis dark cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz-Gonzalez, I.; Mcbreen, B.; Fazio, G. G.

1984-01-01

A high-resolution far-IR (40-250-micron) survey of a 0.9-sq-deg section of the core region of the Corona Australis dark cloud (containing very young stellar objects such as T Tauri stars, Herbig Ae and Be stars, Herbig-Haro objects, and compact H II regions) is presented. Two extended far-IR sources were found, one associated with the Herbig emission-line star R CrA and the other with the irregular emission-line variable star TY CrA. The two sources have substantially more far-IR radiation than could be expected from a blackbody extrapolation of their near-IR fluxes. The total luminosities of these sources are 145 and 58 solar luminosity, respectively, implying that the embedded objects are of intermediate or low mass. The infrared observations of the sources associated with R CrA and TY CrA are consistent with models of the evolution of protostellar envelopes of intermediate mass. However, the TY CrA source appears to have passed the evolutionary stage of expelling most of the hot dust near the central source, yielding an age of about 1 Myr.

On the radiation beaming of bright X-ray pulsars and constraints on neutron star mass-radius relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushtukov, Alexander A.; Verhagen, Patrick A.; Tsygankov, Sergey S.; van der Klis, Michiel; Lutovinov, Alexander A.; Larchenkova, Tatiana I.

2018-03-01

The luminosity of accreting magnetized neutron stars can largely exceed the Eddington value due to appearance of accretion columns. The height of the columns can be comparable to the neutron star radius. The columns produce the X-rays detected by the observer directly and illuminate the stellar surface, which reprocesses the X-rays and causes additional component of the observed flux. The geometry of the column and the illuminated part of the surface determine the radiation beaming. Curved space-time affects the angular flux distribution. We construct a simple model of the beam patterns formed by direct and reflected flux from the column. We take into account the possibility of appearance of accretion columns, whose height is comparable to the neutron star radius. We argue that depending on the compactness of the star, the flux from the column can be either strongly amplified due to gravitational lensing, or significantly reduced due to column eclipse by the star. The eclipses of high accretion columns result in specific features in pulse profiles. Their detection can put constraints on the neutron star radius. We speculate that column eclipses are observed in X-ray pulsar V 0332+53, leading us to the conclusion of large neutron star radius in this system (˜15 km if M ˜ 1.4 M⊙). We point out that the beam pattern can be strongly affected by scattering in the accretion channel at high luminosity, which has to be taken into account in the models reproducing the pulse profiles.

Project Status Update and SIM Science Breadth Discussion for the Origins Subcommittee (OS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marr, James C., IV; Shao, Mike

2003-01-01

This viewgraph presentation is composed of two sections The first reviews the features and the science goals of the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). The goals are: (1) Perform a search for other planetary systems by surveying 2000 nearby stars for astrometric signatures of planetary companion, (2) Survey a sample of 200 nearby stars for orbiting planets down to terrestrial-type masses (3) Improve best current catalog of star positions by >lOOx and extend to fainter stars to allow extension of stellar knowledge to include our entire galaxy (4) Study dynamics and evolution of stars and star clusters in our galaxy to understand how our galaxy was formed and how it will evolve. (5) Calibrate luminosities of important stars and cosmological distance indicators to improve our understanding of stellar processes and to measure precise distance in the distant universe. The presentation also reviews the accomplishments since 2002, the plans for the subsequent 6 months. The second entitled "The Breadth of SIM Science," reviews SIM science goals in a larger context. SIM will serve to complement and pave the way for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). SIM observations of the motions of stars will tell us about the distribution of all gravitating mass (light plus dark matter) in the Galaxy. SIM observations of the motions of dwarf galaxies around our own will determine the mass distribution (light plus dark matter in the Halo. SIM will greatly extend these observations to test the theories of accretion disks around super massive black holes. SIM has advantages for studying AGN and other very compact objects.

Anisotropic strange star with Tolman V potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shee, Dibyendu; Deb, Debabrata; Ghosh, Shounak; Ray, Saibal; Guha, B. K.

In this paper, we present a strange stellar model using Tolman V-type metric potential employing simplest form of the MIT bag equation of state (EOS) for the quark matter. We consider that the stellar system is spherically symmetric, compact and made of an anisotropic fluid. Choosing different values of n we obtain exact solutions of the Einstein field equations and finally conclude that for a specific value of the parameter n = 1/2, we find physically acceptable features of the stellar object. Further, we conduct different physical tests, viz., the energy condition, generalized Tolman-Oppeheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation, Herrera’s cracking concept, etc., to confirm the physical validity of the presented model. Matching conditions provide expressions for different constants whereas maximization of the anisotropy parameter provides bag constant. By using the observed data of several compact stars, we derive exact values of some of the physical parameters and exhibit their features in tabular form. It is to note that our predicted value of the bag constant satisfies the report of CERN-SPS and RHIC.

Properties of AGN coronae in the NuSTAR era - II. Hybrid plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabian, A. C.; Lohfink, A.; Belmont, R.; Malzac, J.; Coppi, P.

2017-05-01

The corona, a hot cloud of electrons close to the centre of the accretion disc, produces the hard X-ray power-law continuum commonly seen in luminous active galactic nuclei. The continuum has a high-energy turnover, typically in the range of one to several 100 keV and is suggestive of Comptonization by thermal electrons. We are studying hard X-ray spectra of AGN obtained with NuSTAR after correction for X-ray reflection and under the assumption that coronae are compact, being only a few gravitational radii in size as indicated by reflection and reverberation modelling. Compact coronae raise the possibility that the temperature is limited and indeed controlled by electron-positron pair production, as explored earlier (Paper I). Here, we examine hybrid plasmas in which a mixture of thermal and non-thermal particles is present. Pair production from the non-thermal component reduces the temperature leading to a wider temperature range more consistent with observations.

IRAS observations of binaries with compact objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaefer, B. E.

1986-01-01

The infrared emission data, obtained on 260 binary systems by the all-sky IRAS survey in wavelengths between 12 and 100 microns, are reported. Of all the 260 sources, which contained compact objects including white dwarfs, neutron stars, or possibly black holes, only 32 contained detectable IR radiation. The X-ray emitting Be-type stars (gamma-Cas and X Per) were found to have their energy flux proportional to frequency in the range of the log nu values of 12.7-14.7. However, the GS304-1 flux distribution is unique, in that its flux rises by several orders of magnitude as the wavelength changes from 4000 A to 60 microns. A static dust cloud was detected, with a radius of about 1 AU, which has formed around the classical nova RR Pic since its 1925 eruption. The post-eruption far-IR light curve of a classical nova provides strong evidence for IR emissions from both dust grains formed during the eruption and dust grains existing from previous eruptions.

Some Like it Hot: Linking Diffuse X-Ray Luminosity, Baryonic Mass, and Star Formation Rate in Compact Groups of Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desjardins, Tyler D.; Gallagher, Sarah C.; Hornschemeier, Ann E.; Mulchaey, John S.; Walker, Lisa May; Brandt, Willian N.; Charlton, Jane C.; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Tzanavaris, Panayiotis

2014-01-01

We present an analysis of the diffuse X-ray emission in 19 compact groups (CGs) of galaxies observed with Chandra. The hottest, most X-ray luminous CGs agree well with the galaxy cluster X-ray scaling relations in L(x-T) and (L(x-sigma), even in CGs where the hot gas is associated with only the brightest galaxy. Using Spitzer photometry, we compute stellar masses and classify Hickson CGs 19, 22, 40, and 42, and RSCGs 32, 44, and 86 as fossil groups using a new definition for fossil systems that includes a broader range of masses. We find that CGs with total stellar and Hi masses are great than or equal to 10(sup (11.3) solar mass are often X-ray luminous, while lower-mass CGs only sometimes exhibit faint, localized X-ray emission. Additionally, we compare the diffuse X-ray luminosity against both the total UV and 24 micron star formation rates of each CG and optical colors of the most massive galaxy in each of the CGs. The most X-ray luminous CGs have the lowest star formation rates, likely because there is no cold gas available for star formation, either because the majority of the baryons in these CGs are in stars or the X-ray halo, or due togas stripping from the galaxies in CGs with hot halos. Finally, the optical colors that trace recent star formation histories of the most massive group galaxies do not correlate with the X-ray luminosities of the CGs, indicating that perhaps the current state of the X-ray halos is independent of the recent history of stellar mass assembly in the most massive galaxies.

Clumpy wind accretion in supergiant neutron star high mass X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozzo, E.; Oskinova, L.; Feldmeier, A.; Falanga, M.

2016-05-01

The accretion of the stellar wind material by a compact object represents the main mechanism powering the X-ray emission in classical supergiant high mass X-ray binaries and supergiant fast X-ray transients. In this work we present the first attempt to simulate the accretion process of a fast and dense massive star wind onto a neutron star, taking into account the effects of the centrifugal and magnetic inhibition of accretion ("gating") due to the spin and magnetic field of the compact object. We made use of a radiative hydrodynamical code to model the nonstationary radiatively driven wind of an O-B supergiant star and then place a neutron star characterized by a fixed magnetic field and spin period at a certain distance from the massive companion. Our calculations follow, as a function of time (on a total timescale of several hours), the transitions of the system through all different accretion regimes that are triggered by the intrinsic variations in the density and velocity of the nonstationary wind. The X-ray luminosity released by the system is computed at each time step by taking into account the relevant physical processes occurring in the different accretion regimes. Synthetic lightcurves are derived and qualitatively compared with those observed from classical supergiant high mass X-ray binaries and supergiant fast X-ray transients. Although a number of simplifications are assumed in these calculations, we show that taking into account the effects of the centrifugal and magnetic inhibition of accretion significantly reduces the average X-ray luminosity expected for any neutron star wind-fed binary. The present model calculations suggest that long spin periods and stronger magnetic fields are favored in order to reproduce the peculiar behavior of supergiant fast X-ray transients in the X-ray domain.

The Star Formation History of the Very Metal-poor Blue Compact Dwarf I Zw 18 from HST/ACS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annibali, F.; Cignoni, M.; Tosi, M.; van der Marel, R. P.; Aloisi, A.; Clementini, G.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Fiorentino, G.; Marconi, M.; Musella, I.

2013-12-01

We have derived the star formation history (SFH) of the blue compact dwarf galaxy I Zw 18 through comparison of deep HST/ACS data with synthetic color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). A statistical analysis was implemented for the identification of the best-fit SFH and relative uncertainties. We confirm that I Zw 18 is not a truly young galaxy, having started forming stars earlier than ~1 Gyr ago, and possibly at epochs as old as a Hubble time. In I Zw 18's main body we infer a lower limit of ≈2 × 106 M ⊙ for the mass locked up in old stars. I Zw 18's main body has been forming stars very actively during the last ~10 Myr, with an average star formation rate (SFR) as high as ≈1 M ⊙ yr-1 (or ≈2 × 10-5 M ⊙ yr-1 pc-2). On the other hand, the secondary body was much less active at these epochs, in agreement with the absence of significant nebular emission. The high current SFR can explain the very blue colors and the high ionized gas content in I Zw 18, resembling primeval galaxies in the early universe. Detailed chemical evolution models are required to quantitatively check whether the SFH from the synthetic CMDs can explain the low measured element abundances, or if galactic winds with loss of metals are needed. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., for NASA under contract NAS5-26555.

TOPICAL REVIEW: Predictions for the rates of compact binary coalescences observable by ground-based gravitational-wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abernathy, M.; Accadia, T.; Acernese, F.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Amador Ceron, E.; Amin, R. S.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Antonucci, F.; Aoudia, S.; Arain, M. A.; Araya, M.; Aronsson, M.; Arun, K. G.; Aso, Y.; Aston, S.; Astone, P.; Atkinson, D. E.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Baker, P.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S.; Barker, D.; Barnum, S.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barriga, P.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barton, M. A.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Bastarrika, M.; Bauchrowitz, J.; Bauer, Th S.; Behnke, B.; Beker, M. G.; Belczynski, K.; Benacquista, M.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Beveridge, N.; Beyersdorf, P. T.; Bigotta, S.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Birindelli, S.; Biswas, R.; Bitossi, M.; Bizouard, M. A.; Black, E.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackburn, L.; Blair, D.; Bland, B.; Blom, M.; Blomberg, A.; Boccara, C.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Bondarescu, R.; Bondu, F.; Bonelli, L.; Bork, R.; Born, M.; Bose, S.; Bosi, L.; Boyle, M.; Braccini, S.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Brau, J. E.; Breyer, J.; Bridges, D. O.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Britzger, M.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Budzyński, R.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Burguet-Castell, J.; Burmeister, O.; Buskulic, D.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Campagna, E.; Campsie, P.; Cannizzo, J.; Cannon, K. C.; Canuel, B.; Cao, J.; Capano, C.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C.; Cesarini, E.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chalkley, E.; Charlton, P.; Chassande Mottin, E.; Chelkowski, S.; Chen, Y.; Chincarini, A.; Christensen, N.; Chua, S. S. Y.; Chung, C. T. Y.; Clark, D.; Clark, J.; Clayton, J. H.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Colacino, C. N.; Colas, J.; Colla, A.; Colombini, M.; Conte, R.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Corda, C.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Costa, C. A.; Coulon, J. P.; Coward, D.; Coyne, D. C.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cruise, A. M.; Culter, R. M.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dahl, K.; Danilishin, S. L.; Dannenberg, R.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dari, A.; Das, K.; Dattilo, V.; Daudert, B.; Davier, M.; Davies, G.; Davis, A.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Dayanga, T.; De Rosa, R.; DeBra, D.; Degallaix, J.; del Prete, M.; Dergachev, V.; DeRosa, R.; DeSalvo, R.; Devanka, P.; Dhurandhar, S.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Palma, I.; Emilio, M. Di Paolo; Di Virgilio, A.; Díaz, M.; Dietz, A.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doomes, E. E.; Dorsher, S.; Douglas, E. S. D.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Dueck, J.; Dumas, J. C.; Eberle, T.; Edgar, M.; Edwards, M.; Effler, A.; Ehrens, P.; Engel, R.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T.; Fafone, V.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, Y.; Farr, B. F.; Fazi, D.; Fehrmann, H.; Feldbaum, D.; Ferrante, I.; Fidecaro, F.; Finn, L. S.; Fiori, I.; Flaminio, R.; Flanigan, M.; Flasch, K.; Foley, S.; Forrest, C.; Forsi, E.; Fotopoulos, N.; Fournier, J. D.; Franc, J.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frede, M.; Frei, M.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Fricke, T. T.; Friedrich, D.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gammaitoni, L.; Garofoli, J. A.; Garufi, F.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; Gholami, I.; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giampanis, S.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, C.; Goetz, E.; Goggin, L. M.; González, G.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Goßler, S.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greenhalgh, R. J. S.; Gretarsson, A. M.; Greverie, C.; Grosso, R.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hage, B.; Hall, P.; Hallam, J. M.; Hammer, D.; Hammond, G.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hanson, J.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Harstad, E. D.; Haughian, K.; Hayama, K.; Heefner, J.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Heng, I. S.; Heptonstall, A.; Hewitson, M.; Hild, S.; Hirose, E.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Holt, K.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Howell, E.; Hoyland, D.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isogai, T.; Ivanov, A.; Jaranowski, P.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, G.; Jones, R.; Ju, L.; Kalmus, P.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kanner, J.; Katsavounidis, E.; Kawabe, K.; Kawamura, S.; Kawazoe, F.; Kells, W.; Keppel, D. G.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kim, C.; Kim, H.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Klimenko, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kopparapu, R.; Koranda, S.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D.; Krause, T.; Kringel, V.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kullman, J.; Kumar, R.; Kwee, P.; Landry, M.; Lang, M.; Lantz, B.; Lastzka, N.; Lazzarini, A.; Leaci, P.; Leong, J.; Leonor, I.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Li, J.; Li, T. G. F.; Lin, H.; Lindquist, P. E.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Lodhia, D.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lu, P.; Luan, J.; Lubiński, M.; Lucianetti, A.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Mackowski, J. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Mailand, K.; Majorana, E.; Mak, C.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Maros, E.; Marque, J.; Martelli, F.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Matzner, R. A.; Mavalvala, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIvor, G.; McKechan, D. J. A.; Meadors, G.; Mehmet, M.; Meier, T.; Melatos, A.; Melissinos, A. C.; Mendell, G.; Menéndez, D. F.; Mercer, R. A.; Merill, L.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Meyer, M. S.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Minenkov, Y.; Mino, Y.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moe, B.; Mohan, M.; Mohanty, S. D.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Moraru, D.; Moreau, J.; Moreno, G.; Morgado, N.; Morgia, A.; Morioka, T.; Mors, K.; Mosca, S.; Moscatelli, V.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; MowLowry, C.; Mueller, G.; Mukherjee, S.; Mullavey, A.; Müller-Ebhardt, H.; Munch, J.; Murray, P. G.; Nash, T.; Nawrodt, R.; Nelson, J.; Neri, I.; Newton, G.; Nishizawa, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Ogin, G. H.; Oldenburg, R. G.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Osthelder, C.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Page, A.; Pagliaroli, G.; Palladino, L.; Palomba, C.; Pan, Y.; Pankow, C.; Paoletti, F.; Papa, M. A.; Pardi, S.; Pareja, M.; Parisi, M.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patel, P.; Pedraza, M.; Pekowsky, L.; Penn, S.; Peralta, C.; Perreca, A.; Persichetti, G.; Pichot, M.; Pickenpack, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pietka, M.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Pletsch, H. J.; Plissi, M. V.; Poggiani, R.; Postiglione, F.; Prato, M.; Predoi, V.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Quetschke, V.; Raab, F. J.; Rabaste, O.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radke, T.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rankins, B.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Re, V.; Reed, C. M.; Reed, T.; Regimbau, T.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Ricci, F.; Riesen, R.; Riles, K.; Roberts, P.; Robertson, N. A.; Robinet, F.; Robinson, C.; Robinson, E. L.; Rocchi, A.; Roddy, S.; Röver, C.; Rogstad, S.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Sakata, S.; Sakosky, M.; Salemi, F.; Sammut, L.; Sancho de la Jordana, L.; Sandberg, V.; Sannibale, V.; Santamaría, L.; Santostasi, G.; Saraf, S.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Sato, S.; Satterthwaite, M.; Saulson, P. R.; Savage, R.; Schilling, R.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R.; Schulz, B.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwinberg, P.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Searle, A. C.; Seifert, F.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Sibley, A.; Siemens, X.; Sigg, D.; Singer, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Skelton, G.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Slutsky, J.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, M. R.; Smith, N. D.; Somiya, K.; Sorazu, B.; Speirits, F. C.; Stein, A. J.; Stein, L. C.; Steinlechner, S.; Steplewski, S.; Stochino, A.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Strigin, S.; Stroeer, A.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sung, M.; Susmithan, S.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taylor, J. R.; Taylor, R.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Thüring, A.; Titsler, C.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toncelli, A.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C.; Torrie, C. I.; Tournefier, E.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trias, M.; Trummer, J.; Tseng, K.; Ugolini, D.; Urbanek, K.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vaishnav, B.; Vajente, G.; Vallisneri, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; van der Putten, S.; van der Sluys, M. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vass, S.; Vaulin, R.; Vavoulidis, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Veltkamp, C.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Villar, A.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vyachanin, S. P.; Waldman, S. J.; Wallace, L.; Wanner, A.; Ward, R. L.; Was, M.; Wei, P.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wen, S.; Wessels, P.; West, M.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whitcomb, S. E.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Wilkinson, C.; Willems, P. A.; Williams, L.; Willke, B.; Winkelmann, L.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wiseman, A. G.; Woan, G.; Wooley, R.; Worden, J.; Yakushin, I.; Yamamoto, H.; Yamamoto, K.; Yeaton-Massey, D.; Yoshida, S.; Yu, P. P.; Yvert, M.; Zanolin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, C.; Zotov, N.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2010-09-01

We present an up-to-date, comprehensive summary of the rates for all types of compact binary coalescence sources detectable by the initial and advanced versions of the ground-based gravitational-wave detectors LIGO and Virgo. Astrophysical estimates for compact-binary coalescence rates depend on a number of assumptions and unknown model parameters and are still uncertain. The most confident among these estimates are the rate predictions for coalescing binary neutron stars which are based on extrapolations from observed binary pulsars in our galaxy. These yield a likely coalescence rate of 100 Myr-1 per Milky Way Equivalent Galaxy (MWEG), although the rate could plausibly range from 1 Myr-1 MWEG-1 to 1000 Myr-1 MWEG-1 (Kalogera et al 2004 Astrophys. J. 601 L179; Kalogera et al 2004 Astrophys. J. 614 L137 (erratum)). We convert coalescence rates into detection rates based on data from the LIGO S5 and Virgo VSR2 science runs and projected sensitivities for our advanced detectors. Using the detector sensitivities derived from these data, we find a likely detection rate of 0.02 per year for Initial LIGO-Virgo interferometers, with a plausible range between 2 × 10-4 and 0.2 per year. The likely binary neutron-star detection rate for the Advanced LIGO-Virgo network increases to 40 events per year, with a range between 0.4 and 400 per year.

Stellar equilibrium configurations of compact stars in f ( R , T ) theory of gravity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moraes, P.H.R.S.; Arbañil, José D.V.; Malheiro, M., E-mail: moraes.phrs@gmail.com, E-mail: arbanil@ita.br, E-mail: malheiro@ita.br

In this article we study the hydrostatic equilibrium configuration of neutron stars and strange stars, whose fluid pressure is computed from the equations of state p =ωρ{sup 5/3} and p =0.28(ρ−4B), respectively, with ω and B being constants and ρ the energy density of the fluid. We start by deriving the hydrostatic equilibrium equation for the f ( R , T ) theory of gravity, with R and T standing for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Such an equation is a generalization of the one obtained from general relativity, and the latter can be retrievedmore » for a certain limit of the theory. For the f ( R , T )= R +2λ T functional form, with λ being a constant, we find that some physical properties of the stars, such as pressure, energy density, mass and radius, are affected when λ is changed. We show that for a fixed central star energy density, the mass of neutron and strange stars can increase with λ. Concerning the star radius, it increases for neutron stars and it decreases for strange stars with the increment of λ. Thus, in f ( R , T ) theory of gravity we can push the maximum mass above the observational limits. This implies that the equation of state cannot be eliminated if the maximum mass within General Relativity lies below the limit given by observed pulsars.« less

Stellar equilibrium configurations of compact stars in f(R,T) theory of gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moraes, P. H. R. S.; Arbañil, José D. V.; Malheiro, M.

2016-06-01

In this article we study the hydrostatic equilibrium configuration of neutron stars and strange stars, whose fluid pressure is computed from the equations of state p=ωρ5/3 and p=0.28(ρ-4Script B), respectively, with ω and Script B being constants and ρ the energy density of the fluid. We start by deriving the hydrostatic equilibrium equation for the f(R,T) theory of gravity, with R and T standing for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Such an equation is a generalization of the one obtained from general relativity, and the latter can be retrieved for a certain limit of the theory. For the f(R,T)=R+2λ T functional form, with λ being a constant, we find that some physical properties of the stars, such as pressure, energy density, mass and radius, are affected when λ is changed. We show that for a fixed central star energy density, the mass of neutron and strange stars can increase with λ. Concerning the star radius, it increases for neutron stars and it decreases for strange stars with the increment of λ. Thus, in f(R,T) theory of gravity we can push the maximum mass above the observational limits. This implies that the equation of state cannot be eliminated if the maximum mass within General Relativity lies below the limit given by observed pulsars.

The origin of interstellar asteroidal objects like 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwart, S. Portegies; Torres, S.; Pelupessy, I.; Bédorf, J.; Cai, Maxwell X.

2018-05-01

We study the origin of the interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua by juxtaposing estimates based on the observations with simulations. We speculate that objects like 'Oumuamua are formed in the debris disc as left over from the star and planet formation process, and subsequently liberated. The liberation process is mediated either by interaction with other stars in the parental star-cluster, by resonant interactions within the planetesimal disc or by the relatively sudden mass loss when the host star becomes a compact object. Integrating 'Oumuamua backward in time in the Galactic potential together with stars from the Gaia-TGAS catalogue we find that about 1.3 Myr ago 'Oumuamua passed the nearby star HIP 17288 within a mean distance of 1.3 pc. By comparing nearby observed L-dwarfs with simulations of the Galaxy we conclude that the kinematics of 'Oumuamua is consistent with relatively young objects of 1.1-1.7 Gyr. We just met 'Oumuamua by chance, and with a derived mean Galactic density of ˜3 × 105 similarly sized objects within 100 au from the Sun or ˜1014 per cubic parsec we expect about 2 to 12 such visitors per year within 1 au from the Sun.

Detection of a compact companion of the mild barium star Xi-1 Ceti

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohm-Vitense, E.; Johnson, H. R.

1985-01-01

In the present paper, the observation of a white dwarf companion of the mild Ba star Xi-1 Ceti (= 65 Ceti = HR 649 = HD 13611) is reported, taking into account also the properties of the mild Ba star and of its companion. The UV spectrum of Xi-1 Ceti is discussed along with an interpretation of this spectrum. Attention is given to the effective temperature of the companion, the absorption bands in the spectrum, the radius and mass of the Xi-1 Ceti companion, and questions regarding the obscuration of the companion by the atmosphere of the Ba star. It is found that the overall energy distribution of the Xi-1 Ceti companion can best be matched with a 14,000 K DA white dwarf of log g = 8 or less. However, the absolute intensity is too small and would require a radius too small and a mass too large for such a gravity.

Searching for axion stars and Q-balls with a terrestrial magnetometer network

DOE PAGES

Jackson Kimball, D. F.; Budker, D.; Eby, J.; ...

2018-02-08

Light (pseudo-)scalar fields are promising candidates to be the dark matter in the Universe. Under certain initial conditions in the early Universe and/or with certain types of self-interactions, they can form compact dark-matter objects such as axion stars or Q-balls. Direct encounters with such objects can be searched for by using a global network of atomic magnetometers. It is shown that for a range of masses and radii not ruled out by existing observations, the terrestrial encounter rate with axion stars or Q-balls can be sufficiently high (at least once per year) for a detection. Furthermore, it is shown thatmore » a global network of atomic magnetometers is sufficiently sensitive to pseudoscalar couplings to atomic spins so that a transit through an axion star or Q-ball could be detected over a broad range of unexplored parameter space.« less

Searching for axion stars and Q -balls with a terrestrial magnetometer network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson Kimball, D. F.; Budker, D.; Eby, J.; Pospelov, M.; Pustelny, S.; Scholtes, T.; Stadnik, Y. V.; Weis, A.; Wickenbrock, A.

2018-02-01

Light (pseudo-)scalar fields are promising candidates to be the dark matter in the Universe. Under certain initial conditions in the early Universe and/or with certain types of self-interactions, they can form compact dark-matter objects such as axion stars or Q -balls. Direct encounters with such objects can be searched for by using a global network of atomic magnetometers. It is shown that for a range of masses and radii not ruled out by existing observations, the terrestrial encounter rate with axion stars or Q -balls can be sufficiently high (at least once per year) for a detection. Furthermore, it is shown that a global network of atomic magnetometers is sufficiently sensitive to pseudoscalar couplings to atomic spins so that a transit through an axion star or Q -ball could be detected over a broad range of unexplored parameter space.

Searching for axion stars and Q-balls with a terrestrial magnetometer network

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jackson Kimball, D. F.; Budker, D.; Eby, J.

Light (pseudo-)scalar fields are promising candidates to be the dark matter in the Universe. Under certain initial conditions in the early Universe and/or with certain types of self-interactions, they can form compact dark-matter objects such as axion stars or Q-balls. Direct encounters with such objects can be searched for by using a global network of atomic magnetometers. It is shown that for a range of masses and radii not ruled out by existing observations, the terrestrial encounter rate with axion stars or Q-balls can be sufficiently high (at least once per year) for a detection. Furthermore, it is shown thatmore » a global network of atomic magnetometers is sufficiently sensitive to pseudoscalar couplings to atomic spins so that a transit through an axion star or Q-ball could be detected over a broad range of unexplored parameter space.« less

Magnetic Fields in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, Elizabeth A.

2009-01-01

Interstellar magnetic fields are believed to play a crucial role in the star-formation process, therefore a comprehensive study of magnetic fields is necessary in understanding the origins of stars. These projects use observational data obtained from the Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, NM. The data reveal interstellar magnetic field strengths via the Zeeman effect in radio frequency spectral lines. This information provides an estimate of the magnetic energy in star-forming interstellar clouds in the Galaxy, and comparisons can be made with these energies and the energies of self-gravitation and internal motions. From these comparisons, a better understanding of the role of magnetic fields in the origins of stars will emerge. NGC 6334 A is a compact HII region at the center of what is believed to be a large, rotating molecular torus (Kramer et al. (1997)). This is a continuing study based on initial measurements of the HI and OH Zeeman effect (Sarma et al. (2000)). The current study includes OH observations performed by the VLA at a higher spatial resolution than previously published data, and allows for a better analysis of the spatial variations of the magnetic field. A new model of the region is also developed based on OH opacity studies, dust continuum maps, radio spectral lines, and infrared (IR) maps. The VLA has been used to study the Zeeman effect in the 21cm HI line seen in absorption against radio sources in the Cygnus-X region. These sources are mostly galactic nebulae or HII regions, and are bright and compact in this region of the spectrum. HI absorption lines are strong against these regions and the VLA is capable of detecting the weak Zeeman effect within them. Support for this work was provided by the NSF PAARE program to South Carolina State University under award AST-0750814.

The Rates of Type I X-ray Bursts from Transients Observed with RXTE: Evidence for Black Hole Event Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remillard, R. A.; Lin, D.; Cooper, R. L.; Narayan, R.

2005-12-01

We measure the rates of type I X-ray bursts from a likely complete sample of 37 non-pulsing Galactic X-ray transients observed with the RXTE ASM during 1996-2004. Our strategy is to test the prevailing paradigms for these sources, which are well-categorized in the literature as either neutron-star systems or black hole candidates. Burst rates are measured as a function of the bolometric luminosity, and the results are compared with burst models for neutron stars and for heavy compact objects with a solid surface. We use augmented versions of the models developed by Narayan & Heyl (2002; 2003). For a given mass, we consider a range of conditions in both the radius and the temperature at the boundary below the accretion layer. We find 135 type I bursts in 3.7 Ms of PCA light curves for the neutron-star group, and the burst rate function is generally consistent with the model predictions for bursts from accreting neutron stars. On the other hand, none of the (20) bursts candidates passed spectral criteria for type I bursts in 6.5 Ms of PCA light curves for black-hole binaries and candidates. The burst function upper limits are inconsistent with the predictions of the burst model for heavy compact objects with a solid surface. The consistency probability is found to be below 10-7 for dynamical black-hole binaries, falling to below 10-13 for the additional exposures of black-hole candidates. These results provide indirect evidence that black holes do have event horizons. This research was supported, in part, by NASA science programs.

Water masers in NGC7538 region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kameya, Osamu

We observed H2O masers towards NGC7538 molecular-cloud core using VERA (VLBI Experiment of Radio Astrometry). This region is in the Perseus arm at a distance of about 2.7 kpc and is famous for its multiple, massive star formation. There are three areas there, N(IRS1-3), E(IRS9), and S(IRS11), each having a strong IR source(s), ultra-compact HII region(s), bipolar outflow, high-density core, and OH/H2O/CH3OH masers. We made differential VLBI observations towards the NGC7538 H2O maser sources at N and S and a reference source, Cepheus A H2O maser, simultaneously. The Cepheus A region is separated by 2 degrees from the NGC7538 region. The positions of H2O masers in N and S regions, distributed around the ultra-compact HII regions, are basically consistent with those found by means of interferometric observations of past 29 years. The masers may come from interface regions between the ultra-compact HII regions and the environments of dense molecular gas.

Mapping the QCD Phase Transition with Accreting Compact Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blaschke, D.; Bogoliubov Laboratory for Theoretical Physics, JINR Dubna, Joliot-Curie str. 6, 141980 Dubna; Poghosyan, G.

2008-10-29

We discuss an idea for how accreting millisecond pulsars could contribute to the understanding of the QCD phase transition in the high-density nuclear matter equation of state (EoS). It is based on two ingredients, the first one being a ''phase diagram'' of rapidly rotating compact star configurations in the plane of spin frequency and mass, determined with state-of-the-art hybrid equations of state, allowing for a transition to color superconducting quark matter. The second is the study of spin-up and accretion evolution in this phase diagram. We show that the quark matter phase transition leads to a characteristic line in themore » {omega}-M plane, the phase border between neutron stars and hybrid stars with a quark matter core. Along this line a drop in the pulsar's moment of inertia entails a waiting point phenomenon in the accreting millisecond pulsar (AMXP) evolution: most of these objects should therefore be found along the phase border in the {omega}-M plane, which may be viewed as the AMXP analog of the main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for normal stars. In order to prove the existence of a high-density phase transition in the cores of compact stars we need population statistics for AMXPs with sufficiently accurate determination of their masses, spin frequencies and magnetic fields.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choquet, Élodie; Perrin, Marshall D.; Chen, Christine H.

We present the first images of four debris disks observed in scattered light around the young (4–250 Myr old) M dwarfs TWA 7 and TWA 25, the K6 star HD 35650, and the G2 star HD 377. We obtained these images by reprocessing archival Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS coronagraph data with modern post-processing techniques as part of the Archival Legacy Investigation of Circumstellar Environments program. All four disks appear faint and compact compared with other debris disks resolved in scattered light. The disks around TWA 25, HD 35650, and HD 377 appear very inclined, while TWA 7's disk is viewed nearly face-on. The surface brightness of HD 35650's diskmore » is strongly asymmetric. These new detections raise the number of disks resolved in scattered light around M and late-K stars from one (the AU Mic system) to four. This new sample of resolved disks enables comparative studies of heretofore scarce debris disks around low-mass stars relative to solar-type stars.« less

MONET, HET and SALT and asteroseismological observations and theory in Göttingen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuh, S.; Hessman, F. V.; Dreizler, S.; Kollatschny, W.; Glatzel, W.

2007-06-01

The Göttingen stellar astrophysics group, headed by Stefan Dreizler, conducts research on extrasolar planets and their host stars, on lower-main sequence stars, and on evolved compact objects, in particular hot white dwarfs (including PG 1159 objects, magnetic WDs and cataclysmic variables), and subdwarf B stars. In addition to sophisticated NLTE spectral analyses of these stars, which draw on the extensive stellar atmosphere modelling experience of the group, we actively develop and apply a variety of photometric monitoring and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to address time-dependent phenomena. With the new instrumentational developments described below, we plan to continue the study of variable white dwarfs (GW Vir, DB and ZZ Ceti variables) and in particular sdB EC 14026 and PG 1617 pulsators which already constitute a main focus, partly within the Whole Earth Telescope (WET/DARC), http://www.physics.udel.edu/~jlp/darc/) collaboration, on a new level. Additional interest is directed towards strange mode instabilities in Wolf Rayet stars.

Constraining parameters of the neutron star in the supernova remnant HESS J1731-347

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klochkov, D.; Suleimanov, V.; Puehlhofer, G.; Werner, K.; Santangelo, A.

2014-07-01

The Central Compact Object (CCO) in HESS J1731-347, presumably a neutron star, is one of the brightest sources in this class. Like other CCOs, it potentially provides an "undisturbed" view of thermal radiation generated at the neutron star surface. The shape and normalization of the corresponding X-ray spectrum depends on the emitting area, surface redshift, and gravity acceleration. Thus, its modeling under certain assumptions allows the mass and radius of the neutron star to be constrained. In our analysis, we model the spectrum of the CCO accumulated with XMM-Newton over ˜100 ksec exposure time in three observations. The exposure time has increased by a factor of five since our previous analysis of the source. For the spectral fitting, we use our hydrogen and carbon atmosphere models calculated assuming hydrostatic and radiative equilibria and taking into account pressure ionization and the presence of spectral lines (in case of carbon). We present the resulting constraints on the mass, radius, distance, and temperature of the neutron star.

The Influence of Stellar Spin on Ignition of Thermonuclear Runaways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Duncan K.; in ’t Zand, Jean J. M.; Chenevez, Jérôme; Keek, Laurens; Sanchez-Fernandez, Celia; Worpel, Hauke; Lampe, Nathanael; Kuulkers, Erik; Watts, Anna; Ootes, Laura; The MINBAR collaboration

2018-04-01

Runaway thermonuclear burning of a layer of accumulated fuel on the surface of a compact star provides a brief but intense display of stellar nuclear processes. For neutron stars accreting from a binary companion, these events manifest as thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts, and recur on typical timescales of hours to days. We measured the burst rate as a function of accretion rate, from seven neutron stars with known spin rates, using a burst sample accumulated over several decades. At the highest accretion rates, the burst rate is lower for faster spinning stars. The observations imply that fast (>400 Hz) rotation encourages stabilization of nuclear burning, suggesting a dynamical dependence of nuclear ignition on the spin rate. This dependence is unexpected, because faster rotation entails less shear between the surrounding accretion disk and the star. Large-scale circulation in the fuel layer, leading to enhanced mixing of the burst ashes into the fuel layer, may explain this behavior; further numerical simulations are required to confirm this.

Collisions in Compact Star Clusters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portegies Zwart, S. F.

The high stellar densities in young compact star clusters, such as the star cluster R136 in the 30 Doradus region, may lead to a large number of stellar collisions. Such collisions were recently found to be much more frequent than previous estimates. The number of collisions scales with the number of stars for clusters with the same initial relaxation time. These collisions take place in a few million years. The collision products may finally collapse into massive black holes. The fraction of the total mass in the star cluster which ends up in a single massive object scales with the total mass of the cluster and its relaxation time. This mass fraction is rather constant, within a factor two or so. Wild extrapolation from the relatively small masses of the studied systems to the cores of galactic nuclei may indicate that the massive black holes in these systems have formed in a similar way.

Unbound Young Stellar Systems: Star Formation on the Loose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouliermis, Dimitrios A.

2018-07-01

Unbound young stellar systems, the loose ensembles of physically related young bright stars, trace the typical regions of recent star formation in galaxies. Their morphologies vary from small few pc-size associations of newly formed stars to enormous few kpc-size complexes composed of stars few 100 Myr old. These stellar conglomerations are located within the disks and along the spiral arms and rings of star-forming disk galaxies, and they are the active star-forming centers of dwarf and starburst galaxies. Being associated with star-forming regions of various sizes, these stellar structures trace the regions where stars form at various length- and timescales, from compact clusters to whole galactic disks. Stellar associations, the prototypical unbound young systems, and their larger counterparts, stellar aggregates, and stellar complexes, have been the focus of several studies for quite a few decades, with special interest on their demographics, classification, and structural morphology. The compiled surveys of these loose young stellar systems demonstrate that the clear distinction of these systems into well-defined classes is not as straightforward as for stellar clusters, due to their low densities, asymmetric shapes and variety in structural parameters. These surveys also illustrate that unbound stellar structures follow a clear hierarchical pattern in the clustering of their stars across various scales. Stellar associations are characterized by significant sub-structure with bound stellar clusters being their most compact parts, while associations themselves are the brighter denser parts of larger stellar aggregates and stellar complexes, which are members of larger super-structures up to the scale of a whole star-forming galaxy. This structural pattern, which is usually characterized as self-similar or fractal, appears to be identical to that of star-forming giant molecular clouds and interstellar gas, driven mainly by turbulence cascade. In this short review, I make a concise compilation of our understanding of unbound young stellar systems across various environments in the local universe, as it is developed during the last 60 years. I present a factual assessment of the clustering behavior of star formation, as revealed from the assembling pattern of stars across loose stellar structures and its relation to the interstellar medium and the environmental conditions. I also provide a consistent account of the processes that possibly play important role in the formation of unbound stellar systems, compiled from both theoretical and observational investigations on the field.

X-Ray Polarization from High Mass X-Ray Binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kallman, T.; Dorodnitsyn, A.; Blondin, J.

2015-01-01

X-ray astronomy allows study of objects which may be associated with compact objects, i.e. neutron stars or black holes, and also may contain strong magnetic fields. Such objects are categorically non-spherical, and likely non-circular when projected on the sky. Polarization allows study of such geometric effects, and X-ray polarimetry is likely to become feasible for a significant number of sources in the future. A class of potential targets for future X-ray polarization observations is the high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), which consist of a compact object in orbit with an early type star. In this paper we show that X-ray polarization from HMXBs has a distinct signature which depends on the source inclination and orbital phase. The presence of the X-ray source displaced from the star creates linear polarization even if the primary wind is spherically symmetric whenever the system is viewed away from conjunction. Direct X-rays dilute this polarization whenever the X-ray source is not eclipsed; at mid-eclipse the net polarization is expected to be small or zero if the wind is circularly symmetric around the line of centers. Resonance line scattering increases the scattering fraction, often by large factors, over the energy band spanned by resonance lines. Real winds are not expected to be spherically symmetric, or circularly symmetric around the line of centers, owing to the combined effects of the compact object gravity and ionization on the wind hydrodynamics. A sample calculation shows that this creates polarization fractions ranging up to tens of percent at mid-eclipse.

Evidence of Pulsars Metamorphism and Their Connection to Stellar Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hujeirat, A. A.

2018-03-01

It is agreed that the progenitors of neutron stars (-NSs) and black holes (-BHs) should be massive stars with M > 9 M_{Sun}. Yet none of these objects have ever been found with [2 M_{Sun}< M < 5 M_{Sun}]. Moreover, numerical modelings show that NSs of reasonable masses can be obtained only if the corresponding central density is beyond the nuclear one: an unverifiable density-regime with unknown physics. Here I intend to clarify the reasons underlying the existence of this mass-gap and propose a new class of invisible ultra-compact objects: the end-stage in the cosmological evolution of pulsars and neutron stars in an ever expanding universe. The present study relies on theoretical and experimental considerations as well as on solution of the non-linear TOV equation modified to include a universal scalar field -φ at the background of supranuclear densities. The computer-code is based on finite volume method using both the first-order Euler and fourth-order Rugge-Kutta integration methods. The inclusion of φ at zero-temperature is motivated by recent observations of the short-living pentaquarks at the LHC. Based on these studies, I argue that pulsars must be born with embryonic super-baryons (SBs) that form through merger of individual neutrons at their centers. The cores of SBs are made of purely incompressible superconducting gluon-quark superfluids (henceforth SuSu-fluids). Such quantum fluids have a uniform supranuclear density and governed by the critical EOSs P = E for baryonic matter and for φ-induced dark energy P_{φ}= -E_{φ}. The incompressibility here ensures that particles communicate at the shortest possible time scale, superfluidity and superconductivity enforce SBs to spin-down promptly as dictated by the Onsager-Feynman equation and to expel vortices and magnetic flux tubes, whereas their lowest energy state grants SBs lifetimes that are comparable to those of protons. These extra-ordinary long lifetimes suggest that conglomeration of SuSu-objects would evolve over several big bang events to possibly form dark matter halos that embed the galaxies in the observable universe. Pulsars and young neutron stars should metamorphose into SuSu-objects: a procedure which is predicted to last for one Gyr or even shorter, depending on their initial compactness. Once the process is completed, then they become extraordinary compact and turn invisible. It turns out that recent observations of particle collisions at the LHC and RHIC, observations of glitching pulsars and primordial galaxies remarkably support the present scenario.

Panel 1: A pulsating red giant star and a compact, hot white dwarf star orbit each other.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Panel 1: A pulsating red giant star and a compact, hot white dwarf star orbit each other. Panel 2: The red giant sheds much of its outer layers in a stellar wind. The white dwarf helps concentrate the wind along a thin equatorial plane. The white dwarf accretes some of this escaping gas forming a disk around the itself. Panel 3: When enough gas accumulates on the white dwarf's surface it explodes as a nova outburst. Most of the hot gas forms a pair of expanding bubbles above and below the equatorial disk. Panel 4: A few thousand years after the bubbles expand into space, the white dwarf goes through another nova outburst and makes another pair of bubbles, which form a distinctive hourglass shape.

On the nature of the symbiotic star BF Cygni

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikolajewska, J.; Mikolajewski, M.; Kenyon, S. J.

1989-01-01

Optical and ultraviolet spectroscopy of the symbiotic binary BF Cyg obtained during 1979-1988 is discussed. This system consists of a low-mass M5 giant filling about 50 percent of its tidal volume and a hot, luminous compact object similar to the central star of a planetary nebula. The binary is embedded in an asymmetric nebula which includes a small, high-density region and an extended region of lower density. The larger nebula is formed by a slow wind ejected by the cool component and ionized by the hot star, while the more compact nebula is material expelled by the hot component in the form of a bipolar wind. The analysis indicates that disk accretion is essential to maintain the nuclear burning shell of the hot star.

Trapping of Neutrinos in Extremely Compact Stars and the Influence of Brane Tension on This Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuchlík, Zdenäěk; Hladík, Jan; Urbanec, Martin

We present estimates on the efficiency of neutrino trapping in brany extremely compact stars, using the simplest model with uniform distribution of energy density, assuming massless neutrinos and uniform distribution of neutrino emissivity. Computation have been done for two different uniform-density stellar solution in the Randall-Sundrum II type braneworld, namely with the Reissner-Nordström-type of geometry and the second one, derived by Germani and Maartens.1

Ultraviolet to optical spectral distributions of northern star-forming galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcquade, Kerry; Calzetti, Daniela; Kinney, Anne L.

1995-01-01

We report spectral energy distribution from the UV to the optical for a sample of 31 northern star-forming galaxies. We also present measurements for emission-line fluxes, continuum levels, and equivalent widths of absorption features for each individual spectrum as well as averages for the eight galactic activity classes, including normal, starburst, Seyfert 2, blue compact dwarf, blue compact, Low-Inonization Nuclear Emission Regions (LINER), H II, and combination LINER-H II galaxies.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Côté, Benoit; Belczynski, Krzysztof; Fryer, Chris L.

The role of compact binary mergers as the main production site of r-process elements is investigated by combining stellar abundances of Eu observed in the Milky Way, galactic chemical evolution (GCE) simulations, and binary population synthesis models, and gravitational wave measurements from Advanced LIGO. We compiled and reviewed seven recent GCE studies to extract the frequency of neutron star–neutron star (NS–NS) mergers that is needed in order to reproduce the observed [Eu/Fe] versus [Fe/H] relationship. We used our simple chemical evolution code to explore the impact of different analytical delay-time distribution functions for NS–NS mergers. We then combined our metallicity-dependent population synthesis models with our chemical evolution code to bring their predictions, for both NS–NS mergers and black hole–neutron star mergers, into a GCE context. Finally, we convolved our results with the cosmic star formation history to provide a direct comparison with current and upcoming Advanced LIGO measurements. When assuming that NS–NS mergers are the exclusive r-process sites, and that the ejected r-process mass per merger event is 0.01 Mmore » $${}_{\\odot }$$, the number of NS–NS mergers needed in GCE studies is about 10 times larger than what is predicted by standard population synthesis models. Here, these two distinct fields can only be consistent with each other when assuming optimistic rates, massive NS–NS merger ejecta, and low Fe yields for massive stars. For now, population synthesis models and GCE simulations are in agreement with the current upper limit (O1) established by Advanced LIGO during their first run of observations. Upcoming measurements will provide an important constraint on the actual local NS–NS merger rate, will provide valuable insights on the plausibility of the GCE requirement, and will help to define whether or not compact binary mergers can be the dominant source of r-process elements in the universe.« less

The Chandra planetary nebula survey (CHANPLANS). II. X-ray emission from compact planetary nebulae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Freeman, M.; Kastner, J. H.; Montez, R. Jr.

2014-10-20

We present results from the most recent set of observations obtained as part of the Chandra X-ray observatory Planetary Nebula Survey (CHANPLANS), the first comprehensive X-ray survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the solar neighborhood (i.e., within ∼1.5 kpc of the Sun). The survey is designed to place constraints on the frequency of appearance and range of X-ray spectral characteristics of X-ray-emitting PN central stars and the evolutionary timescales of wind-shock-heated bubbles within PNe. CHANPLANS began with a combined Cycle 12 and archive Chandra survey of 35 PNe. CHANPLANS continued via a Chandra Cycle 14 Large Program which targeted allmore » (24) remaining known compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.4 pc), young PNe that lie within ∼1.5 kpc. Results from these Cycle 14 observations include first-time X-ray detections of hot bubbles within NGC 1501, 3918, 6153, and 6369, and point sources in HbDs 1, NGC 6337, and Sp 1. The addition of the Cycle 14 results brings the overall CHANPLANS diffuse X-ray detection rate to ∼27% and the point source detection rate to ∼36%. It has become clearer that diffuse X-ray emission is associated with young (≲ 5 × 10{sup 3} yr), and likewise compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.15 pc), PNe with closed structures and high central electron densities (n{sub e} ≳ 1000 cm{sup –3}), and is rarely associated with PNe that show H{sub 2} emission and/or pronounced butterfly structures. Hb 5 is one such exception of a PN with a butterfly structure that hosts diffuse X-ray emission. Additionally, two of the five new diffuse X-ray detections (NGC 1501 and NGC 6369) host [WR]-type central stars, supporting the hypothesis that PNe with central stars of [WR]-type are likely to display diffuse X-ray emission.« less

COALESCENCE OF STRANGE-QUARK PLANETS WITH STRANGE STARS: A NEW KIND OF SOURCE FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE BURSTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geng, J. J.; Huang, Y. F.; Lu, T., E-mail: hyf@nju.edu.cn

2015-05-01

Strange-quark matter (SQM) may be the true ground state of hadronic matter, indicating that the observed pulsars may actually be strange stars (SSs), but not neutron stars. According to the SQM hypothesis, the existence of a hydrostatically stable sequence of SQM stars has been predicted, ranging from 1 to 2 solar mass SSs, to smaller strange dwarfs and even strange planets. While gravitational wave (GW) astronomy is expected to open a new window to the universe, it will shed light on the search for SQM stars. Here we show that due to their extreme compactness, strange planets can spiral verymore » close to their host SSs without being tidally disrupted. Like inspiraling neutron stars or black holes, these systems would serve as new sources of GW bursts, producing strong GWs at the final stage. The events occurring in our local universe can be detected by upcoming GW detectors, such as Advanced LIGO and the Einstein Telescope. This effect provides a unique probe to SQM objects and is hopefully a powerful tool for testing the SQM hypothesis.« less

Hard X-ray spectra of neutron stars and black hole candidates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durouchoux, P.; Mahoney, W.; Clenet, Y.; Ling, J.; Wallyn, P.; Wheaton, W.; Corbet, S.; Chapuis, C.

1997-01-01

The hard X-ray behavior of several X-ray binary systems containing a neutron star or a black hole candidate is analyzed in an attempt to determine the specific signature of these categories of compact objects. Limiting the consideration to two subclasses of neutron stars, Atoll sources and non-pulsating Z sources, it appears that only the Atoll sources have a spectral behavior similar to black holes. It is proposed that Atoll sources are weakly magnetized neutron stars, whereas Z sources are small radius moderate magnetized neutron stars. Large magnetic fields funnel the accreting matter, thus preventing spherical accretion and free fall if the neutron star radius is smaller than the last stable accreting orbit. Weak magnetic fields do not have this effect, and blackbody soft photons from the stellar surface are upscattered on the relativistic infalling matter, leading to excess hard X-rays. This excess is visible in two of the observed Atoll sources and in the spectrum of a black hole candidate. In the case of a Z source, a lack of photons was remarked, providing a possible signature to distinguish between these classes of objects.

The INTEGRAL long monitoring of persistent ultra compact X-ray bursters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiocchi, M.; Bazzano, A.; Ubertini, P.; Bird, A. J.; Natalucci, L.; Sguera, V.

2008-12-01

Context: The combination of compact objects, short period variability and peculiar chemical composition of the ultra compact X-ray binaries make up a very interesting laboratory to study accretion processes and thermonuclear burning on the neutron star surface. Improved large optical telescopes and more sensitive X-ray satellites have increased the number of known ultra compact X-ray binaries allowing their study with unprecedented detail. Aims: We analyze the average properties common to all ultra compact bursters observed by INTEGRAL from 0.2 keV to 150 keV. Methods: We have performed a systematic analysis of the INTEGRAL public data and Key-Program proprietary observations of a sample of the ultra compact X-ray binaries. In order to study their average properties in a very broad energy band, we combined INTEGRAL with BeppoSAX and SWIFT data whenever possible. For sources not showing any significant flux variations along the INTEGRAL monitoring, we build the average spectrum by combining all available data; in the case of variable fluxes, we use simultaneous INTEGRAL and SWIFT observations when available. Otherwise we compared IBIS and PDS data to check the variability and combine BeppoSAX with INTEGRAL /IBIS data. Results: All spectra are well represented by a two component model consisting of a disk-blackbody and Comptonised emission. The majority of these compact sources spend most of the time in a canonical low/hard state, with a dominating Comptonised component and accretion rate dot {M} lower than 10-9 {M⊙}/yr, not depending on the model used to fit the data. INTEGRAL is an ESA project with instruments and Science Data Center funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain), Czech Republic and Poland, and with the participation of Russia and the USA.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Jingzhe; Gonzalez, Anthony H.; Vieira, J. D.

We present Chandra ACIS-S and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio continuum observations of the strongly lensed dusty, star-forming galaxy SPT-S J034640-5204.9 (hereafter SPT0346-52) at z = 5.656. This galaxy has also been observed with ALMA, HST , Spitzer , Herschel , Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Very Large Telescope. Previous observations indicate that if the infrared (IR) emission is driven by star formation, then the inferred lensing-corrected star formation rate (SFR) (∼4500 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1}) and SFR surface density Σ{sub SFR} (∼2000 M {sub ☉} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}) are both exceptionally high. It remained unclear frommore » the previous data, however, whether a central active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributes appreciably to the IR luminosity. The Chandra upper limit shows that SPT0346-52 is consistent with being star formation dominated in the X-ray, and any AGN contribution to the IR emission is negligible. The ATCA radio continuum upper limits are also consistent with the FIR-to-radio correlation for star-forming galaxies with no indication of an additional AGN contribution. The observed prodigious intrinsic IR luminosity of (3.6 ± 0.3) × 10{sup 13} L {sub ☉} originates almost solely from vigorous star formation activity. With an intrinsic source size of 0.61 ± 0.03 kpc, SPT0346-52 is confirmed to have one of the highest Σ{sub SFR} of any known galaxy. This high Σ{sub SFR}, which approaches the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure supported starburst, may be explained by a combination of very high star formation efficiency and gas fraction.« less

The initial mass function and star formation law in the outer disc of NGC 2915

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruzzese, S. M.; Meurer, G. R.; Lagos, C. D. P.; Elson, E. C.; Werk, J. K.; Blakeslee, John P.; Ford, H.

2015-02-01

Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys/Wide Field Camera data we present the photometry and spatial distribution of resolved stellar populations in the outskirts of NGC 2915, a blue compact dwarf with an extended H I disc. These observations reveal an elliptical distribution of red giant branch stars, and a clumpy distribution of main-sequence stars that correlate with the H I gas distribution. We constrain the upper-end initial mass function (IMF) and determine the star formation law (SFL) in this field, using the observed main-sequence stars and an assumed constant star formation rate. Previously published Hα observations of the field, which show one faint H II region, are used to provide further constraints on the IMF. We find that the main-sequence luminosity function analysis alone results in a best-fitting IMF with a power-law slope α = -2.85 and upper-mass limit M_u = 60 M_{⊙}. However, if we assume that all Hα emission is confined to H II regions then the upper-mass limit is restricted to M_u ≲ 20 M_{⊙}. For the luminosity function fit to be correct, we have to discount the Hα observations implying significant diffuse ionized gas or escaping ionizing photons. Combining the HST photometry with H I imaging, we find the SFL has a power-law index N = 1.53 ± 0.21. Applying these results to the entire outer H I disc indicates that it contributes 11-28 per cent of the total recent star formation in NGC 2915, depending on whether the IMF is constant within the disc or varies from the centre to the outer region.

The distribution of stars around the Milky Way's central black hole. III. Comparison with simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgardt, H.; Amaro-Seoane, P.; Schödel, R.

2018-01-01

Context. The distribution of stars around a massive black hole (MBH) has been addressed in stellar dynamics for the last four decades by a number of authors. Because of its proximity, the centre of the Milky Way is the only observational test case where the stellar distribution can be accurately tested. Past observational work indicated that the brightest giants in the Galactic centre (GC) may show a density deficit around the central black hole, not a cusp-like distribution, while we theoretically expect the presence of a stellar cusp. Aims: We here present a solution to this long-standing problem. Methods: We performed direct-summation N-body simulations of star clusters around massive black holes and compared the results of our simulations with new observational data of the GC's nuclear cluster. Results: We find that after a Hubble time, the distribution of bright stars as well as the diffuse light follow power-law distributions in projection with slopes of Γ ≈ 0.3 in our simulations. This is in excellent agreement with what is seen in star counts and in the distribution of the diffuse stellar light extracted from adaptive-optics (AO) assisted near-infrared observations of the GC. Conclusions: Our simulations also confirm that there exists a missing giant star population within a projected radius of a few arcsec around Sgr A*. Such a depletion of giant stars in the innermost 0.1 pc could be explained by a previously present gaseous disc and collisions, which means that a stellar cusp would also be present at the innermost radii, but in the form of degenerate compact cores.

A systematic search for dwarf counterparts to ultra compact high velocity clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennet, Paul; Sand, David J.; Crnojevic, Denija; Strader, Jay

2015-01-01

Observations of the Universe on scales smaller than typical, massive galaxies challenge the standard Lambda Cold Dark Matter paradigm for structure formation. It is thus imperative to discover and characterize the faintest dwarf galaxy systems, not just within the Local Group, but in relatively isolated environments as well in order to properly connect them with models of structure formation. Here we report on a systematic search of public ultraviolet and optical archives for dwarf galaxy counterparts to so-called Ultra Compact High Velocity Clouds (UCHVCs), which are compact, isolated HI sources recently found in the Galactic Arecibo L-band Feed Array-HI (GALFA-HI) and Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA-HI) surveys. Our search has uncovered at least three strong dwarf galaxy candidates, and we present their inferred star formation rate and structural properties here.

Late-time X-ray signatures of compact binary mergers: potential counterparts of gravitational wave events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanvir, Nial

2017-09-01

Merging compact binaries (NS-NS or NS-BH) offer the best prospects for detection of EM signals accompanying gravitational wave (GW) events. They may be seen as bright short-GRBs (SGRBs), but this is likely to be rare due to beaming. Alternatively, more isotropic near-IR emission is predicted to result from the 'kilonova' produced by radioactive decay of neutron star ejecta. However, recent XMM observations have shown unexplained excess X-ray emission several days post-burst in two low-z SGRBs. This may indicate ongoing engine activity which both enhances the nIR emission, and crucially provides a potential new isotropic X-ray signature of compact binary mergers. We propose a detailed study of a further z<0.35 SGRB, to explore this phenomenon and inform future searches for GW counterparts.

Soft gamma rays from black holes versus neutron stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liang, Edison P.

1992-01-01

The recent launches of GRANAT and GRO provide unprecedented opportunities to study compact collapsed objects from their hard x ray and gamma ray emissions. The spectral range above 100 keV can now be explored with much higher sensitivity and time resolution than before. The soft gamma ray spectral data is reviewed of black holes and neutron stars, radiation, and particle energization mechanisms and potentially distinguishing gamma ray signatures. These may include soft x ray excesses versus deficiencies, thermal versus nonthermal processes, transient gamma ray bumps versus power law tails, lines, and periodicities. Some of the highest priority future observations are outlines which will shed much light on such systems.

Gravitational-wave signatures of exotic compact objects and of quantum corrections at the horizon scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, Vitor; Hopper, Seth; Macedo, Caio F. B.; Palenzuela, Carlos; Pani, Paolo

2016-10-01

Gravitational waves from binary coalescences provide one of the cleanest signatures of the nature of compact objects. It has been recently argued that the postmerger ringdown waveform of exotic ultracompact objects is initially identical to that of a black hole, and that putative corrections at the horizon scale will appear as secondary pulses after the main burst of radiation. Here we extend this analysis in three important directions: (i) we show that this result applies to a large class of exotic compact objects with a photon sphere for generic orbits in the test-particle limit; (ii) we investigate the late-time ringdown in more detail, showing that it is universally characterized by a modulated and distorted train of "echoes"of the modes of vibration associated with the photon sphere; (iii) we study for the first time equal-mass, head-on collisions of two ultracompact boson stars and compare their gravitational-wave signal to that produced by a pair of black holes. If the initial objects are compact enough as to mimic a binary black-hole collision up to the merger, the final object exceeds the maximum mass for boson stars and collapses to a black hole. This suggests that—in some configurations—the coalescence of compact boson stars might be almost indistinguishable from that of black holes. On the other hand, generic configurations display peculiar signatures that can be searched for in gravitational-wave data as smoking guns of exotic compact objects.

Towards a coherent view of mass loss in Betelgeuse from the photosphere to the interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montarges, Miguel; Kervella, Pierre; Perrin, Guy

2013-06-01

Massive evolved stars contribute to the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM), the Galaxy and ultimately the Universe through their mass loss. From the photosphere to the ISM, large convective motions, low surface gravity and high brightness combine to trigger an intense stellar wind. The released material evolves chemically as the distance from the star increases, and eventually forms dust particles. The involved physical and chemical processes are central to apprehend the cosmic impact of massive evolved stars, but they are poorly understood: the surface convection remains essentially uncharacterized, as the composition of the wind, and the role of the magnetic field is unknown. Betelgeuse is the closest red supergiant and therefore it stands out as the best candidate to obtain detailed observations of the close circumstellar environment of a massive evolved star. We are currently running a high angular resolution observations program to obtain a multi-wavelength and multi-epoch characterisation of this star. Using the IOTA interferometer, Haubois et al. reconstructed an image of the photosphere of the star. Within 1 to 100 stellar radii, the VLT and VLTI allowed us to probe the compact molecular envelope of Betelgeuse (the MOLsphere) in the near-infrared, and the extended dusty envelope in the thermal infrared domain. They were recently completed with HST/STIS observations of the chromosphere in the UV, whose location is surprisingly coincident with the MOLsphere. We will present a brief review of our recent results and of our ongoing work on Betelgeuse.

ALMA reveals a warm and compact starburst around a heavily obscured supermassive black hole at z = 4.75

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilli, R.; Norman, C.; Vignali, C.; Vanzella, E.; Calura, F.; Pozzi, F.; Massardi, M.; Mignano, A.; Casasola, V.; Daddi, E.; Elbaz, D.; Dickinson, M.; Iwasawa, K.; Maiolino, R.; Brusa, M.; Vito, F.; Fritz, J.; Feltre, A.; Cresci, G.; Mignoli, M.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.

2014-02-01

We report ALMA Cycle 0 observations at 1.3 mm of LESS J033229.4-275619 (XID403), an ultraluminous infrared galaxy at z = 4.75 in the Chandra Deep Field South hosting a Compton-thick QSO. The source is not resolved in our data at a resolution of ~0.75 arcsec, placing an upper-limit of 2.5 kpc to the half-light radius of the continuum emission from heated-dust. After deconvolving for the beam size, however, we found a ~3σ indication of an intrinsic source size of 0.27 ± 0.08 arcsec (Gaussian FWHM), which would correspond to rhalf ~ 0.9 ± 0.3 kpc. We build the far-infrared SED of XID403 by combining datapoints from both ALMA and Herschel and fit it with a modified blackbody spectrum. For the first time, we measure the dust temperature Td = 58.5 ± 5.3 K in this system, which is comparable to what has been observed in other high-z submillimeter galaxies. The measured star formation rate is SFR = 1020 ± 150 M⊙ yr-1, in agreement with previous estimates at lower S/N. Based on the measured SFR and source size, we constrain the SFR surface density to be ΣSFR > 26M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2 (~200M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2 for rhalf ~ 0.9 kpc). The compactness of this starburst is comparable to what has been observed in other local and high-z starburst galaxies. If the gas mass measured from previous [CII] and CO(2-1) observations at low resolution is confined within the same dust region, assuming rhalf ~ 0.9 ± 0.3 kpc, this would produce a column density of NH ~ 0.3-1.1 × 1024 cm-2 towards the central SMBH, similar to the column density of ≈1.4 × 1024 cm-2 measured from the X-rays. Then, in principle, if both gas and dust were confined on sub-kpc scales, this would be sufficient to produce the observed X-ray column density without any need of a pc-scale absorber (e.g. the torus postulated by Unified Models). We speculate that the high compactness of star formation, together with the presence of a powerful AGN, likely produce an outflowing wind. This would be consistent with the ~350 km s-1 velocity shift observed between the Lyα emission and the submm lines ([CII], CO(2-1), [NII]) and with the highly-ionized Fe emission line at ~6.9 keV rest-frame tentatively observed in the X-ray spectrum. Finally, our observations show that, besides the mass, star formation rate and gas depletion timescale, XID403 has also the right size to be one of the progenitors of the compact quiescent massive galaxies seen at z ~ 3.

A DWARF TRANSITIONAL PROTOPLANETARY DISK AROUND XZ TAU B

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osorio, Mayra; Macías, Enrique; Anglada, Guillem

We report the discovery of a dwarf protoplanetary disk around the star XZ Tau B that shows all the features of a classical transitional disk but on a much smaller scale. The disk has been imaged with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), revealing that its dust emission has a quite small radius of ∼3.4 au and presents a central cavity of ∼1.3 au in radius that we attribute to clearing by a compact system of orbiting (proto)planets. Given the very small radii involved, evolution is expected to be much faster in this disk (observable changes in a few months)more » than in classical disks (observable changes requiring decades) and easy to monitor with observations in the near future. From our modeling we estimate that the mass of the disk is large enough to form a compact planetary system.« less

Study of the molecular and ionized gas in a possible precursor of an ultra-compact H II region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, M. E.; Paron, S.; Giacani, E.; Celis Peña, M.; Rubio, M.; Petriella, A.

2017-10-01

Aims: We aim to study the molecular and the ionized gas in a possible precursor of an ultra-compact H II region to contribute to the understanding of how high-mass stars build-up their masses once they have reached the zero-age main sequence. Methods: We carried out molecular observations toward the position of the Red MSX source G052.9221-00.4892, using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE; Chile) in the 12CO J = 3-2, 13CO J = 3-2, C18O J = 3-2, and HCO+J = 4-3 lines with an angular resolution of about 22''. We also present radio continuum observations at 6 GHz carried out with the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA; USA) interferometer with a synthesized beam of 4.8 arcsec × 4.1 arcsec. The molecular data were used to study the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas, while the radio continuum data were used to characterize the ionized gas in the region. Combining these observations with public infrared data allowed us to inquire about the nature of the source. Results: The analysis of the molecular observations reveals the presence of a kinetic temperature and H2 column density gradients across the molecular clump in which the Red MSX source G052.9221-00.4892 is embedded, with the hotter and less dense gas in the inner region. The 12CO J = 3-2 emission shows evidence of misaligned massive molecular outflows, with the blue lobe in positional coincidence with a jet-like feature seen at 8 μm. The radio continuum emission shows a slightly elongated compact radio source, with a flux density of about 0.9 mJy, in positional coincidence with the Red MSX source. The polar-like morphology of this compact radio source perfectly matches the hourglass-like morphology exhibited by the source in the Ks band. Moreover, the axes of symmetry of the radio source and the near-infrared nebula are perfectly aligned. Thus, based on the presence of molecular outflows, the slightly elongated morphology of the compact radio source matching the hourglass-like morphology of the source at the Ks band, and the lack of evidence of collimated jets in the near-infrared spectrum, one interpretation for the nature of the source, is that the Red MSX source G052.9221-00.4892 could be transiting a hyper-compact H II region phase, in which the young central star emits winds and ionizing radiation through the poles. On the other hand, according to a comparison between the Brγ intensity and the radio flux density at 6 GHz, the source would be in a more evolved evolutionary stage of an optically thin UC H II region in photoionization equilibrium. If this is the case, from the radio continuum emission, we can conjecture upon the spectral type of its exciting star which would be a B0.5V.

A massive, dead disk galaxy in the early Universe.

PubMed

Toft, Sune; Zabl, Johannes; Richard, Johan; Gallazzi, Anna; Zibetti, Stefano; Prescott, Moire; Grillo, Claudio; Man, Allison W S; Lee, Nicholas Y; Gómez-Guijarro, Carlos; Stockmann, Mikkel; Magdis, Georgios; Steinhardt, Charles L

2017-06-21

At redshift z = 2, when the Universe was just three billion years old, half of the most massive galaxies were extremely compact and had already exhausted their fuel for star formation. It is believed that they were formed in intense nuclear starbursts and that they ultimately grew into the most massive local elliptical galaxies seen today, through mergers with minor companions, but validating this picture requires higher-resolution observations of their centres than is currently possible. Magnification from gravitational lensing offers an opportunity to resolve the inner regions of galaxies. Here we report an analysis of the stellar populations and kinematics of a lensed z = 2.1478 compact galaxy, which-surprisingly-turns out to be a fast-spinning, rotationally supported disk galaxy. Its stars must have formed in a disk, rather than in a merger-driven nuclear starburst. The galaxy was probably fed by streams of cold gas, which were able to penetrate the hot halo gas until they were cut off by shock heating from the dark matter halo. This result confirms previous indirect indications that the first galaxies to cease star formation must have gone through major changes not just in their structure, but also in their kinematics, to evolve into present-day elliptical galaxies.

Packing extra mass in compact stellar structures: an interplay between Kalb-Ramond field and extra dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Sumanta; SenGupta, Soumitra

2018-05-01

We have derived the Buchdahl's limit for a relativistic star in presence of the Kalb-Ramond field in four as well as in higher dimensions. It turns out that the Buchdahl's limit gets severely affected by the inclusion of the Kalb-Ramond field. In particular, the Kalb-Ramond field in four spacetime dimensions enables one to pack extra mass in any compact stellar structure of a given radius. On the other hand, a completely opposite picture emerges if the Kalb-Ramond field exists in higher dimensions, where the mass content of a compact star is smaller compared to that in general relativity. Implications are discussed.

On the ambiguity in relativistic tidal deformability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gralla, Samuel E.

2018-04-01

The LIGO collaboration recently reported the first gravitational-wave constraints on the tidal deformability of neutron stars. I discuss an inherent ambiguity in the notion of relativistic tidal deformability that, while too small to affect the present measurement, may become important in the future. I propose a new way to understand the ambiguity and discuss future prospects for reliably linking observed gravitational waveforms to compact object microphysics.

Fast cadence planet-searches with the all-sky, gigapixel-scale Evryscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratzloff, Jeff; Law, Nicholas

2018-01-01

The Evryscope is a 24-camera robotic telescope that continuously images 8,000 square degrees in 2-minute exposures, that has been collecting data continuously since deployment to CTIO in mid-2015. The telescope provides the fast cadence observations necessary for detecting minute to tens-of-minute time-scale exoplanet transits, which would occur around small, compact host stars including White Dwarfs and Hot Subdwarfs. We are conducting target surveys for each of these types of stars searching for potential planet transit signals. Our surveys will be the largest performed to date with several thousand targets in each group and years of observations, and the only surveys with minute-scale cadence. We present the status of the surveys, our estimated detection ability, interesting candidates, and preliminary results.

Resolving the circumstellar environment of the B[e] star V921 Scorpii in the near-infrared with VLTI/AMBER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreplin, A.; Kraus, S.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Schertl, D.; Weigelt, G.; Driebe, T.

2012-01-01

Aims: We study the AU-scale circumstellar environment of the unclassified B[e] star V921 Sco in the near-infrared. For interpreting the observations, we employ temperature-gradient disk models. Methods: Using the near-infrared beam combiner instrument AMBER, we recorded spectrally dispersed (spectral resolution R = 35) interferograms in the H and K bands. To obtain an improved calibration of the visibilities, we developed a method that is able to equalize the histograms of the optical path difference of target and calibrator. We fit temperature-gradient disk models to the visibilities and spectral energy distribution (SED) to analyze the circumstellar dust geometry. Results: We derived a geometric ring-fit radius of 2.10 ± 0.16 mas in the K band. If we adopt the distance of 1150 ± 150 pc reported elsewhere, we obtain a ring-fit radius of 2.4 AU, which is slightly smaller than the 3.5 AU dust sublimation radius predicted by the size-luminosity relation. The fitted H-band radius of 1.61 ± 0.23 mas (1.85 AU) is found to be more compact than the K-band radius. The best-fit temperature-gradient disk model has an inner disk radius of ~1.45 AU, an inner-edge disk temperature T0 = 1533 K, and a temperature-gradient exponent q = 0.46 suggesting a flared disk geometry. Conclusions: The distance and luminosity of V921 Sco are not well known. If we assume a distance of 1150 ± 150 pc, we derive a ring-fit radius of ~2.4 AU, which is approximately consistent with the computed temperature-gradient disk model with inner and outer ring radii of 1.45 and 8.5 AU, respectively. If the inner radius of V921 Sco is more compact than the sublimation radius, this compact observed size can be explained by emitting material (e.g., a gaseous disk) inside the dust sublimation radius, as suggested for several other B[e] stars. Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at Paranal Observatory under program ID (MPG-VISA GTO): 079.C-0212(A).

Research at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Université Libre de Bruxelles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karinkuzhi, Drisya; Chamel, Nicolas; Goriely, Stéphane; Jorissen, Alain; Pourbaix, Dimitri; Siess, Lionel; Van Eck, Sophie

2018-04-01

Over the years, a coherent research strategy has developed in the field of stellar physics at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IAA). It involves observational studies (chemical composition of giant stars, binary properties, tomography of stellar atmospheres) that make use of the large ESO telescopes as well as of other major instruments. The presence of a high-resolution spectrograph on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) would therefore be highly beneficial to IAA research. These observations are complemented and supported by theoretical studies of mass transfer in binary systems, of standard and non-standard stellar evolution (including the modelling of stellar hydrodynamical nuclear burning for application to certain thermonuclear supernovae) and of nuclear astrophysics (a field in which IAA has been recognized for a long time as an international centre of excellence), including the theory of nucleosynthesis. IAA also addresses the end-points of stellar evolution as it is carrying out research on the compact remnants of stellar evolution of massive stars: neutron stars.

CAN STELLAR MIXING EXPLAIN THE LACK OF TYPE Ib SUPERNOVAE IN LONG-DURATION GAMMA-RAY BURSTS?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frey, Lucille H.; Fryer, Chris L.; Young, Patrick A.

2013-08-10

The discovery of supernovae associated with long-duration gamma-ray burst observations is primary evidence that the progenitors of these outbursts are massive stars. One of the principle mysteries in understanding these progenitors has been the fact that all of these gamma-ray-burst-associated supernovae are Type Ic supernovae with no evidence of helium in the stellar atmosphere. Many studies have focused on whether or not this helium is simply hidden from spectral analyses. In this Letter, we show results from recent stellar models using new convection algorithms based on our current understanding of stellar mixing. We demonstrate that enhanced convection may lead tomore » severe depletion of stellar helium layers, suggesting that the helium is not observed simply because it is not in the star. We also present light curves and spectra of these compact helium-depleted stars compared to models with more conventional helium layers.« less

Short gamma-ray bursts and gravitational-wave observations from eccentric compact binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Wei-Wei; Fan, Xi-Long; Wang, F. Y.

2018-03-01

Mergers of compact binaries, such as binary neutron stars (BNSs), neutron star-black hole binaries (NSBHs) and binary black holes (BBHs), are expected to be the best candidates for sources of gravitational waves (GWs) and the leading theoretical models for short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Based on observations of SGRBs, we can derive the merger rates of these compact binaries and study stochastic GW backgrounds (SGWBs) or the co-detection rates of GWs associated with SGRBs (GW-SGRBs). Before that, however, the most important thing is to derive the GW spectrum from a single GW source. Usually, a GW spectrum from a circular-orbit binary is assumed. However, observations of the large spatial offsets of SGRBs from their host galaxies imply that SGRB progenitors may be formed by dynamical processes and will merge with residual eccentricities (er). The orbital eccentricity has an important effect on GW spectra and therefore on the SGWB and GW-SGRB co-detection rate. Our results show that the power spectra of SGWBs from eccentric compact binaries are greatly suppressed at low frequencies (e.g. f ≲ 1 Hz). In particular, SGWBs from binaries with high residual eccentricities (e.g. er ≳ 0.1 for BNSs) will be hard to detect (above the detection frequency of ˜ 100 Hz). Regarding the co-detection rates of GW-SGRB events, they could be ˜1.4 times higher than the circular case within some particular ranges of er (e.g. 0.01 ≲ er ≲ 0.1 for BBHs), but greatly reduced for high residual eccentricities (e.g. er > 0.1 for BNSs). In general, BBH progenitors produce 200 and 10 times higher GW-SGRB events than BNS and NSBH progenitors, respectively. Therefore, binaries with low residual eccentricities (e.g. 0.001 ≲ er ≲ 0.1) and high total masses will be easier to detect by Advanced LIGO (aLIGO). However, only a small fraction of BBHs can be SGRB progenitors (if they can produce SGRBs), because the predicted GW-SGRB event rate (60˜100 per year) is too high compared with recent observations, unless they merge with high residual eccentricities (e.g. er > 0.7).

Starquakes, Heating Anomalies, and Nuclear Reactions in the Neutron Star Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deibel, Alex Thomas

When the most massive stars perish, their cores may remain intact in the form of extremely dense and compact stars. These stellar remnants, called neutron stars, are on the cusp of becoming black holes and reach mass densities greater than an atomic nucleus in their centers. Although the interiors of neutron stars were difficult to investigate at the time of their discovery, the advent of modern space-based telescopes (e.g., Chandra X-ray Observatory) has pushed our understanding of the neutron star interior into exciting new realms. It has been shown that the neutron star interior spans an enormous range of densities and contains many phases of matter, and further theoretical progress must rely on numerical calculations of neutron star phenomena built with detailed nuclear physics input. To further investigate the properties of the neutron star interior, this dissertation constructs numerical models of neutron stars, applies models to various observations of neutron star high-energy phenomena, and draws new conclusions about the neutron star interior from these analyses. In particular, we model the neutron star's outermost ? 1 km that encompasses the neutron star's envelope, ocean, and crust. The model must implement detailed nuclear physics to properly simulate the hydrostatic and thermal structure of the neutron star. We then apply our model to phenomena that occur in these layers, such as: thermonuclear bursts in the envelope, g-modes in the ocean, torsional oscillations of the crust, and crust cooling of neutron star transients. A comparison of models to observations provides new insights on the properties of dense matter that are often difficult to probe through terrestrial experiments. For example, models of the quiescent cooling of neutron stars, such as the accreting transient MAXI J0556-332, at late times into quiescence probe the thermal transport properties of the deep neutron star crust. This modeling provides independent data from astronomical observations on the nature of neutron superfluidity and the thermal conductivity of nuclear pasta. Our neutron star modeling efforts also pose new questions. For instance, reaction networks find that neutrino emission from cycling nuclear reactions is present in the neutron star ocean and crust, and potentially cools an accreting neutron star. This is a theory we attempt to verify using observations of neutron star transients and thermonuclear bursts, although it remains unclear if this cooling occurs. Furthermore, on some accreting neutron stars, more heat than supplied by nuclear reactions is needed to explain their high temperatures at the outset of quiescence. Although the presence of heating anomalies seems common, the source of extra heating is difficult to determine.

Star counts and visual extinctions in dark nebulae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickman, R. L.

1978-01-01

Application of star count techniques to the determination of visual extinctions in compact, fairly high-extinction dark nebulae is discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the determination of visual extinctions for a cloud having a possibly anomalous ratio of total to selective extinction. The techniques discussed are illustrated in application at two colors to four well-known compact dust clouds or Bok globules: Barnard 92, B 133, B 134, and B 335. Minimum masses and lower limits to the central extinction of these objects are presented.

Some new results on charged compact boson stars

DOE PAGES

Kumar, Sanjeev; Kulshreshtha, Usha; Kulshreshtha, Daya Shankar; ...

2017-07-21

In this work we present some new results obtained in a study of the phase diagram of charged compact boson stars in a theory involving a complex scalar field with a conical potential coupled to a U(1) gauge field and gravity. We here obtain new bifurcation points in this model. We present a detailed discussion of the various regions of the phase diagram with respect to the bifurcation points. The theory is seen to contain rich physics in a particular domain of the phase diagram.

Kinematic Dynamo In Turbulent Circumstellar Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stepinski, T.

1993-01-01

Many circumstellar disks associated with objects ranging from protoplanetary nebulae, to accretion disks around compact stars allow for the generation of magnetic fields by an (alpha)omega dynamo. We have applied kinematic dynamo formalism to geometrically thin accretion disks. We calculate, in the framework of an adiabatic approximation, the normal mode solutions for dynamos operating in disks around compact stars. We then describe the criteria for a viable dynamo in protoplanetary nebulae, and discuss the particular features that make accretion disk dynamos different from planetary, stellar, and galactic dynamos.

A Complete Census of the ~7000 Milky Way HII Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armentrout, William Paul; Anderson, Loren Dean; Wenger, Trey; Bania, Thomas; Balser, Dana; Dame, Thomas; Dickey, John M.; Dawson, Joanne; Jordan, Christopher H.; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi M.; Andersen, Morten

2018-01-01

HII regions are the archetypical tracers of high-mass star formation. Because of their high luminosities, they can be seen across the entire Galactic disk from mid-infrared to radio wavelengths. A uniformly sensitive survey of Galactic HII regions would allow us to constrain the properties of Galactic structure and star formation. We have cataloged over 8000 HII regions and candidates in the WISE Catalog of Galactic HII Regions (astro.phys.wvu.edu/wise), but only 2000 of these are confirmed HII regions to date.To bring us closer to a complete census of high-mass star formation regions in the Milky Way, we have several ongoing observational campaigns. These efforts include (1) Green Bank Telescope radio recombination line (RRL) observations as part of the HII Region Discovery Survey (HRDS); (2) Australia Telescope Compact Array observations of southern HII region candidates in the Southern HII Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS); (3) Green Bank and Gemini North Telescope observations of star formation regions thought to reside at the edge of the star forming disk in the Outer Scutum-Centaurus Arm (OSC); and (4) Very Large Array continuum observations of the faintest HII region candidates in the second and third Galactic quadrants.Together, these observations will detect the RRL emission from all Galactic HII regions with peak cm-wavelength flux densities > 60mJy, establish the outer edge of Galactic high-mass star formation, and determine the number of HII regions in the Galaxy. The HRDS and SHRDS surveys have more than doubled the known population of Galactic HII regions. We use the OSC observations to determine the properties of high-mass star formation in the extreme outer Galaxy and our VLA observations to determine how many of our faint candidates are indeed HII regions. We combine the completeness limits we obtain through these HII region surveys with an HII region population synthesis model to estimate the total number of Galactic HII regions. From this, we predict nearly 7000 HII regions in the Milky Way created by a central star of type B2 or earlier.

Massive Star Formation of the SGR a East H (sub II) Regions Near the Galactic Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yusef-Zadeh, F.; Lacy, J. H.; Wardle, M.; Whitney, B.; Bushouse, H.; Roberts, D. A.; Arendt, R. G.

2010-01-01

A group of four compact H II regions associated with the well-known 50 km/s molecular cloud is the closest site of on-going star formation to the dynamical center of the Galaxy, at a projected distance of approximately 6 pc. We present a study of ionized gas based on the [Ne II] (12.8 micron) line, as well as multi-frequency radio continuum, Hubble Space Telescope Pa alpha, and Spitzer Infrared Array Camera observations of the most compact member of the H II group, Sgr A East H II D. The radio continuum image at 6 cm shows that this source breaks up into two equally bright ionized features, D1 and D2. The spectral energy distribution of the D source is consistent with it being due to a 25 =/- 3 solar mass star with a luminosity of 8 +/- 3 x 10(exp 4) Solar luminosity . The inferred mass, effective temperature of the UV source, and the ionization rate are compatible with a young O9-B0 star. The ionized features D1 and D2 are considered to be ionized by UV radiation collimated by an accretion disk. We consider that the central massive star photoevaporates its circumstellar disk on a timescale of 3x (exp 4) years giving a mass flux approximately 3 x 10(exp -5) Solar Mass / year and producing the ionized material in D1 and D2 expanding in an inhomogeneous medium. The ionized gas kinematics, as traced by the [Ne II] emission, is difficult to interpret, but it could be explained by the interaction of a bipolar jet with surrounding gas along with what appears to be a conical wall of lower velocity gas. The other H II regions, Sgr A East A-C, have morphologies and kinematics that more closely resemble cometary flows seen in other compact H II regions, where gas moves along a paraboloidal surface formed by the interaction of a stellar wind with a molecular cloud.

Colloquium: Astromaterial science and nuclear pasta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caplan, M. E.; Horowitz, C. J.

2017-10-01

"Astromaterial science" is defined as the study of materials in astronomical objects that are qualitatively denser than materials on Earth. Astromaterials can have unique properties related to their large density, although they may be organized in ways similar to more conventional materials. By analogy to terrestrial materials, this study of astromaterials is divided into hard and soft and one example of each is discussed. The hard astromaterial discussed here is a crystalline lattice, such as the Coulomb crystals in the interior of cold white dwarfs and in the crust of neutron stars, while the soft astromaterial is nuclear pasta found in the inner crusts of neutron stars. In particular, how molecular dynamics simulations have been used to calculate the properties of astromaterials to interpret observations of white dwarfs and neutron stars is discussed. Coulomb crystals are studied to understand how compact stars freeze. Their incredible strength may make crust "mountains" on rotating neutron stars a source for gravitational waves that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) may detect. Nuclear pasta is expected near the base of the neutron star crust at densities of 1014 g /cm3 . Competition between nuclear attraction and Coulomb repulsion rearranges neutrons and protons into complex nonspherical shapes such as sheets (lasagna) or tubes (spaghetti). Semiclassical molecular dynamics simulations of nuclear pasta have been used to study these phases and calculate their transport properties such as neutrino opacity, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity. Observations of neutron stars may be sensitive to these properties and can be used to interpret observations of supernova neutrinos, magnetic field decay, and crust cooling of accreting neutron stars. This Colloquium concludes by comparing nuclear pasta shapes with some similar shapes seen in biological systems.

A Christmas comet falling onto a neutron star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campana, S.

The Sun and the planets are the main, but not the only, bodies of the Solar System. There are thousands of asteroids and several tens of comets, many of which are still unknown. They are the remnants of the planetesimals that formed at the origin of our Solar System, and they are rocky objects of different dimensions and irregular shape. Sometimes these minor bodies fall onto the Sun or onto planets, like Jupiter. Less dramatic events occur when the infalling bodies do not directly impact onto the target but are tidally disrupted. The tidal disruption of solar mass stars around supermassive black holes has been extensively studied analytically and numerically. In these events the star, as it approaches the black hole, develops into an elongated banana-shaped structure, the most tightly bound debris being at the closer end to the compact object. After completing an (few) eccentric orbit(s), these bound debris fall onto the black hole, emitting energy. Orbital precession may lead to the crossing of the debris orbits producing an accretion disk. Observationally, these events will give rise to luminous events with different temporal decays in different energy bands. Tidal break-up events occur also in planetary systems around normal stars but these events are too faint to be detected. Things change when the star is a compact object. Indeed planets have been discovered around radio pulsars, making likely the existence also of orbiting minor bodies. The direct impact of minor bodies onto neutron stars has been studied in the past and it has been envisaged as a possible (local) explanation for Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), producing short-duration (˜ seconds) events. To explain the peculiarities of GRB 101225A (Christmas burst) we propose that it resulted from the tidal disruption event of a minor body around a neutron star in our Galaxy.

The Epoch of the First Star Formation in the Closest Metal-Poor Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy UGC 4483

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aloisi, Alessandra

2017-08-01

Metal-poor Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies have been interpreted as nearby galaxies in formation. This view has been challenged by HST detection of Red Giant Branch (RGB) stars in all metal-poor BCDs where an RGB tip (TRGB, brightest RGB phase) has been searched for, impling the presence of stars at least 1 Gyr old. Due to the age-metallicity degeneracy, the RGB color provides little insight into the exact star formation history (SFH) beyond 1 Gyr. So, the first SF epoch may have occurred anywhere between 13 and 1 Gyr ago. To resolve this, it is necessary to reach features in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) that are much fainter than the TRGB. Here we propose new WFC3/UVIS observations (with ACS/WFC in parallel) of the closest metal-poor BCD, UGC 4483. These data will yield an I vs. V-I CMD that goes 4 mag deeper than the TRGB allowing to detect red clump (RC) and horizontal branch (HB) stars. Variable stars of RR Lyrae type will also be detected. With their mere presence, these variables will indisputably prove the existence of a population at least 10 Gyr old. Apparent mag and width of RC, HB and RGB will independently constrain age and metallicity of the old/evolved stars, the presence of multiple SF episodes, their duration and metallicity spread. This deep crowded-field photometric project is only possible with HST. Due to UGC 4483 location in CVZ, it can be done in half the number of orbits that it would otherwise take. Since UGC 4483 is so close, it may be the only BCD for which these questions can be answered in the near future. It provides our best chance for learning about the true cosmological age and evolutionary state of these enigmatic galaxies.

Double Neutron Star Mergers and Short Gamma-ray Bursts: Long-lasting High-energy Signatures and Remnant Dichotomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murase, Kohta; Toomey, Michael W.; Fang, Ke; Oikonomou, Foteini; Kimura, Shigeo S.; Hotokezaka, Kenta; Kashiyama, Kazumi; Ioka, Kunihito; Mészáros, Peter

2018-02-01

The recent detection of gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts from the double neutron star merger event GW+EM170817 supports the standard paradigm of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and kilonovae/macronovae. It is important to reveal the nature of the compact remnant left after the merger, either a black hole or neutron star, and their physical link to the origin of the long-lasting emission observed in SGRBs. The diversity of the merger remnants may also lead to different kinds of transients that can be detected in future. Here we study the high-energy emission from the long-lasting central engine left after the coalescence, under certain assumptions. In particular, we consider the X-ray emission from a remnant disk and the nonthermal nebular emission from disk-driven outflows or pulsar winds. We demonstrate that late-time X-ray and high-frequency radio emission can provide useful constraints on properties of the hidden compact remnants and their connections to long-lasting SGRB emission, and we discuss the detectability of nearby merger events through late-time observations at ∼30–100 days after the coalescence. We also investigate the GeV–TeV gamma-ray emission that occurs in the presence of long-lasting central engines and show the importance of external inverse Compton radiation due to upscattering of X-ray photons by relativistic electrons in the jet. We also search for high-energy gamma rays from GW170817 in the Fermi-LAT data and report upper limits on such long-lasting emission. Finally, we consider the implications of GW+EM170817 and discuss the constraints placed by X-ray and high-frequency radio observations.

DOUBLE COMPACT OBJECTS. I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMMON ENVELOPE ON MERGER RATES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dominik, Michal; Belczynski, Krzysztof; Bulik, Tomasz

2012-11-01

The last decade of observational and theoretical developments in stellar and binary evolution provides an opportunity to incorporate major improvements to the predictions from population synthesis models. We compute the Galactic merger rates for NS-NS, BH-NS, and BH-BH mergers with the StarTrack code. The most important revisions include updated wind mass-loss rates (allowing for stellar-mass black holes up to 80 M {sub Sun }), a realistic treatment of the common envelope phase (a process that can affect merger rates by 2-3 orders of magnitude), and a qualitatively new neutron star/black hole mass distribution (consistent with the observed {sup m}ass gap{supmore » )}. Our findings include the following. (1) The binding energy of the envelope plays a pivotal role in determining whether a binary merges within a Hubble time. (2) Our description of natal kicks from supernovae plays an important role, especially for the formation of BH-BH systems. (3) The masses of BH-BH systems can be substantially increased in the case of low metallicities or weak winds. (4) Certain combinations of parameters underpredict the Galactic NS-NS merger rate and can be ruled out. (5) Models incorporating delayed supernovae do not agree with the observed NS/BH 'mass gap', in accordance with our previous work. This is the first in a series of three papers. The second paper will study the merger rates of double compact objects as a function of redshift, star formation rate, and metallicity. In the third paper, we will present the detection rates for gravitational-wave observatories, using up-to-date signal waveforms and sensitivity curves.« less

Low-mass neutron stars: universal relations, the nuclear symmetry energy and gravitational radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O. Silva, Hector; Berti, Emanuele; Sotani, Hajime

2016-03-01

Compact objects such as neutron stars are ideal astrophysical laboratories to test our understanding of the fundamental interactions in the regime of supranuclear densities, unachievable by terrestrial experiments. Despite recent progress, the description of matter (i.e., the equation of state) at such densities is still debatable. This translates into uncertainties in the bulk properties of neutron stars, masses and radii for instance. Here we will consider low-mass neutron stars. Such stars are expected to carry important information on nuclear matter near the nuclear saturation point. It has recently been shown that the masses and surface redshifts of low-mass neutron stars smoothly depend on simple functions of the central density and of a characteristic parameter η associated with the choice of equation of state. Here we extend these results to slowly-rotating and tidally deformed stars and obtain empirical relations for various quantities, such as the moment of inertia, quadrupole moment and ellipticity, tidal and rotational Love numbers, and rotational apsidal constants. We discuss how these relations might be used to constrain the equation of state by future observations in the electromagnetic and gravitational-wave spectra.

HUBBLE PROBES THE VIOLENT BIRTH OF STARS IN GALAXY NGC 253 [Left

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

An image of the spiral galaxy NGC 253, taken with a ground-based telescope. The galaxy is located about 8 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. Credit: Jay Gallagher (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Alan Watson (Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ), and NASA [Right] This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the core of the nearest starburst spiral galaxy, NGC 253, reveals violent star formation within a region 1,000 light-years across. A starburst galaxy has an exceptionally high rate of star birth, first identified by its excess of infrared radiation from warm dust. Hubble's high resolution allows astronomers to quantify complex structures in the starburst core of the galaxy for the first time, including luminous star clusters, dust lanes which trace regions of dense gas and filaments of glowing gas. Hubble identifies several regions of intense star formation, which include a bright, super-compact star cluster. These observations confirm that stars are often born in dense clusters within starbursts, and that dense gas coexists with and obscures the starburst core. This image was taken with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (in PC mode). Credit: Carnegie Institution of Washington

Far infrared supplement: Catalog of infrared observations, second edition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gezari, Daniel Y.; Schmitz, Marion; Mead, Jaylee M.

1988-01-01

The Far Infrared Supplement: Catalog of Infrared Observations summarizes all infrared astronomical observations at far infrared wavelengths (5 to 1000 microns) published in the scientific literature from 1965 through 1986. The Supplement list contain 25 percent of the observations in the full Catalog of Infrared Observations (CIO), and essentially eliminates most visible stars from the listings. The Supplement is thus more compact than the main catalog, and is intended for easy reference during astronomical observations. The Far Infrared Supplement (2nd Edition) includes the Index of Infrared Source Positions and the Bibliography of Infrared Astronomy for the subset of far infrared observations listed.

The KMOS3D Survey: Rotating Compact Star-forming Galaxies and the Decomposition of Integrated Line Widths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisnioski, E.; Mendel, J. T.; Förster Schreiber, N. M.; Genzel, R.; Wilman, D.; Wuyts, S.; Belli, S.; Beifiori, A.; Bender, R.; Brammer, G.; Chan, J.; Davies, R. I.; Davies, R. L.; Fabricius, M.; Fossati, M.; Galametz, A.; Lang, P.; Lutz, D.; Nelson, E. J.; Momcheva, I.; Rosario, D.; Saglia, R.; Tacconi, L. J.; Tadaki, K.; Übler, H.; van Dokkum, P. G.

2018-03-01

Using integral field spectroscopy, we investigate the kinematic properties of 35 massive centrally dense and compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs; {log}{\\overline{M}}* [{M}ȯ ]=11.1, {log}({{{Σ }}}1{kpc}[{M}ȯ {kpc}}-2])> 9.5, {log}({M}* /{r}e1.5[{M}ȯ {kpc}}-1.5])> 10.3) at z ∼ 0.7–3.7 within the KMOS3D survey. We spatially resolve 23 compact SFGs and find that the majority are dominated by rotational motions with velocities ranging from 95 to 500 km s‑1. The range of rotation velocities is reflected in a similar range of integrated Hα line widths, 75–400 km s‑1, consistent with the kinematic properties of mass-matched extended galaxies from the full KMOS3D sample. The fraction of compact SFGs that are classified as “rotation-dominated” or “disklike” also mirrors the fractions of the full KMOS3D sample. We show that integrated line-of-sight gas velocity dispersions from KMOS3D are best approximated by a linear combination of their rotation and turbulent velocities with a lesser but still significant contribution from galactic-scale winds. The Hα exponential disk sizes of compact SFGs are, on average, 2.5 ± 0.2 kpc, 1–2× the continuum sizes, in agreement with previous work. The compact SFGs have a 1.4× higher active galactic nucleus (AGN) incidence than the full KMOS3D sample at fixed stellar mass with an average AGN fraction of 76%. Given their high and centrally concentrated stellar masses, as well as stellar-to-dynamical mass ratios close to unity, the compact SFGs are likely to have low molecular gas fractions and to quench on a short timescale unless replenished with inflowing gas. The rotation in these compact systems suggests that their direct descendants are rotating passive galaxies. Based on observations obtained at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), Paranal, Chile (ESO program IDs 092A-0091, 093.A-0079, 094.A-0217, 095.A-0047, 096.A-0025, 097.A-0028, and 098.A-0045).

Hubble Sweeps a Messy Star Factory

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This sprinkle of cosmic glitter is a blue compact dwarf galaxy known as Markarian 209. Galaxies of this type are blue-hued, compact in size, gas-rich, and low in heavy elements. They are often used by astronomers to study star formation, as their conditions are similar to those thought to exist in the early Universe. Markarian 209 in particular has been studied extensively. It is filled with diffuse gas and peppered with star-forming regions towards its core. This image captures it undergoing a particularly dramatic burst of star formation, visible as the lighter blue cloudy region towards the top right of the galaxy. This clump is filled with very young and hot newborn stars. This galaxy was initially thought to be a young galaxy undergoing its very first episode of star formation, but later research showed that Markarian 209 is actually very old, with an almost continuous history of forming new stars. It is thought to have never had a dormant period — a period during which no stars were formed — lasting longer than 100 million years. The dominant population of stars in Markarian 209 is still quite young, in stellar terms, with ages of under 3 million years. For comparison, the sun is some 4.6 billion years old, and is roughly halfway through its expected lifespan. The observations used to make this image were taken using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys, and span the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared parts of the spectrum. A scattering of other bright galaxies can be seen across the frame, including the bright golden oval that could, due to a trick of perspective, be mistaken as part of Markarian 209 but is in fact a background galaxy. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Acknowledgement: Nick Rose NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Nature of the Galactic centre NIR-excess sources. I. What can we learn from the continuum observations of the DSO/G2 source?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajaček, Michal; Britzen, Silke; Eckart, Andreas; Shahzamanian, Banafsheh; Busch, Gerold; Karas, Vladimír; Parsa, Marzieh; Peissker, Florian; Dovčiak, Michal; Subroweit, Matthias; Dinnbier, František; Zensus, J. Anton

2017-06-01

Context. The Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO/G2) orbiting the supermassive black hole (Sgr A*) in the Galactic centre has been monitored in both near-infrared continuum and line emission. There has been a dispute about the character and the compactness of the object: it being interpreted as either a gas cloud or a dust-enshrouded star. A recent analysis of polarimetry data in Ks-band (2.2 μm) allows us to put further constraints on the geometry of the DSO. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to constrain the nature and the geometry of the DSO. Methods: We compared 3D radiative transfer models of the DSO with the near-infrared (NIR) continuum data including polarimetry. In the analysis, we used basic dust continuum radiative transfer theory implemented in the 3D Monte Carlo code Hyperion. Moreover, we implemented analytical results of the two-body problem mechanics and the theory of non-thermal processes. Results: We present a composite model of the DSO - a dust-enshrouded star that consists of a stellar source, dusty, optically thick envelope, bipolar cavities, and a bow shock. This scheme can match the NIR total as well as polarized properties of the observed spectral energy distribution (SED). The SED may be also explained in theory by a young pulsar wind nebula that typically exhibits a large linear polarization degree due to magnetospheric synchrotron emission. Conclusions: The analysis of NIR polarimetry data combined with the radiative transfer modelling shows that the DSO is a peculiar source of compact nature in the S cluster (r ≲ 0.04 pc). It is most probably a young stellar object embedded in a non-spherical dusty envelope, whose components include optically thick dusty envelope, bipolar cavities, and a bow shock. Alternatively, the continuum emission could be of a non-thermal origin due to the presence of a young neutron star and its wind nebula. Although there has been so far no detection of X-ray and radio counterparts of the DSO, the analysis of the neutron star model shows that young, energetic neutron stars similar to the Crab pulsar could in principle be detected in the S cluster with current NIR facilities and they appear as apparent reddened, near-infrared-excess sources. The searches for pulsars in the NIR bands can thus complement standard radio searches, which can put further constraints on the unexplored pulsar population in the Galactic centre. Both thermal and non-thermal models are in accordance with the observed compactness, total as well polarized continuum emission of the DSO.

Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: Detection of a blue kilonova.

PubMed

Evans, P A; Cenko, S B; Kennea, J A; Emery, S W K; Kuin, N P M; Korobkin, O; Wollaeger, R T; Fryer, C L; Madsen, K K; Harrison, F A; Xu, Y; Nakar, E; Hotokezaka, K; Lien, A; Campana, S; Oates, S R; Troja, E; Breeveld, A A; Marshall, F E; Barthelmy, S D; Beardmore, A P; Burrows, D N; Cusumano, G; D'Aì, A; D'Avanzo, P; D'Elia, V; de Pasquale, M; Even, W P; Fontes, C J; Forster, K; Garcia, J; Giommi, P; Grefenstette, B; Gronwall, C; Hartmann, D H; Heida, M; Hungerford, A L; Kasliwal, M M; Krimm, H A; Levan, A J; Malesani, D; Melandri, A; Miyasaka, H; Nousek, J A; O'Brien, P T; Osborne, J P; Pagani, C; Page, K L; Palmer, D M; Perri, M; Pike, S; Racusin, J L; Rosswog, S; Siegel, M H; Sakamoto, T; Sbarufatti, B; Tagliaferri, G; Tanvir, N R; Tohuvavohu, A

2017-12-22

With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. A complete picture of compact object mergers, however, requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. We report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of the EM counterpart of the binary neutron star merger GW170817. The bright, rapidly fading UV emission indicates a high mass (≈0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction ( Y e ≈ 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of ≈30° away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultrarelativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a γ-ray burst afterglow). Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

GW170817 Most Likely Made a Black Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pooley, David; Kumar, Pawan; Wheeler, J. Craig; Grossan, Bruce

2018-06-01

There are two outstanding issues regarding the neutron-star merger event GW170817: the nature of the compact remnant and the interstellar shock. The mass of the remnant of GW170817, ∼2.7 {M}ȯ , implies that the remnant could be either a massive rotating neutron star, or a black hole. We report Chandra Director’s Discretionary Time observations made in 2017 December and 2018 January, and we reanalyze earlier observations from 2017 August and 2017 September, in order to address these unresolved issues. We estimate the X-ray flux from a neutron star remnant and compare that to the measured X-ray flux. If we assume that the spin-down luminosity of any putative neutron star is converted to pulsar wind nebula X-ray emission in the 0.5–8 keV band with an efficiency of 10‑3, for a dipole magnetic field with 3 × 1011 G < B < 1014 G, a rising X-ray signal would result and would be brighter than that observed by day 107; we therefore conclude that the remnant of GW170817 is most likely a black hole. Independent of any assumptions of X-ray efficiency, however, if the remnant is a rapidly rotating magnetized neutron star, the total energy in the external shock should rise by a factor ∼102 (to ∼1052 erg) after a few years; therefore, Chandra observations over the next year or two that do not show substantial brightening will rule out such a remnant. The same observations can distinguish between two different models for the relativistic outflow, either an angular or radially varying structure.

An atlas of H-alpha-emitting regions in M33: A systematic search for SS433 star candidates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calzetti, Daniela; Kinney, Anne L.; Ford, Holland; Doggett, Jesse; Long, Knox S.

1995-01-01

We report finding charts and accurate positions for 432 compact H-alpha emitting regions in the Local Group galaxy M 33 (NGC 598), in an effort to isolate candidates for an SS433-like stellar system. The objects were extracted from narrow band images, centered in the rest-frame H-alpha (lambda 6563 A) and in the red continuum at 6100 A. The atlas is complete down to V approximately equal to 20 and includes 279 compact HII regions and 153 line emitting point-like sources. The point-like sources undoubtedly include a variety of objects: very small HII regions, early type stars with intense stellar winds, and Wolf-Rayet stars, but should also contain objects with the characteristics of SS433. This extensive survey of compact H-alpha regions in M 33 is a first step towards the identification of peculiar stellar systems like SS433 in external galaxies.

Relativistic jets: An astrophysical laboratory for the Doppler effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakamska, Nadia L.

2018-05-01

Special Relativity is one of the most abstract courses in the standard curriculum for physics majors, and therefore practical applications or laboratory exercises are particularly valuable for providing real-world experiences with this subject. This course poses a challenge for lab development because relativistic effects manifest themselves only at speeds close to the speed of light. The laboratory described in this paper constitutes a low-cost, low-barrier exercise suitable for students whose only background is the standard mechanics-plus-electromagnetism sequence. The activity uses research-quality astronomical data on SS433—a fascinating Galactic X-ray binary consisting of a compact object (a neutron star or a black hole) and a normal star. A pair of moderately relativistic jets moving with v ˜ 0.3 c in opposite directions emanate from the vicinity of the compact object and are clearly detected in optical and radio observations. Following step-by-step instructions, students develop a full kinematic model of a complex real-world source, use the model to fit the observational data, obtain best-fit parameters, and understand the limitations of the model. The observations are in exquisite agreement with the Doppler effect equations of Special Relativity. The complete lab manual, the dataset and the solutions are available in online supplemental materials; this paper presents the scientific and pedagogical background for the exercise.

THE MERGER HISTORY, ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS, AND DWARF GALAXIES OF HICKSON COMPACT GROUP 59

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Charlton, J. C.; Brandt, W. N.

2012-01-20

Compact group galaxies often appear unaffected by their unusually dense environment. Closer examination can, however, reveal the subtle, cumulative effects of multiple galaxy interactions. Hickson Compact Group (HCG) 59 is an excellent example of this situation. We present a photometric study of this group in the optical (Hubble Space Telescope), infrared (Spitzer), and X-ray (Chandra) regimes aimed at characterizing the star formation and nuclear activity in its constituent galaxies and intra-group medium. We associate five dwarf galaxies with the group and update the velocity dispersion, leading to an increase in the dynamical mass of the group of up to amore » factor of 10 (to 2.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13} M{sub Sun }), and a subsequent revision of its evolutionary stage. Star formation is proceeding at a level consistent with the morphological types of the four main galaxies, of which two are star-forming and the other are two quiescent. Unlike in some other compact groups, star-forming complexes across HCG 59 closely follow mass-radius scaling relations typical of nearby galaxies. In contrast, the ancient globular cluster populations in galaxies HCG 59A and B show intriguing irregularities, and two extragalactic H II regions are found just west of B. We age-date a faint stellar stream in the intra-group medium at {approx}1 Gyr to examine recent interactions. We detect a likely low-luminosity active galactic nucleus in HCG 59A by its {approx}10{sup 40} erg s{sup -1} X-ray emission; the active nucleus rather than star formation can account for the UV+IR spectral energy distribution. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of galaxy evolution in dense environments.« less

HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE FORMATION AND MODES OF STAR FORMATION IN HICKSON COMPACT GROUP 31

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallagher, S. C.; Durrell, P. R.; Elmegreen, D. M.

2010-02-15

The handful of low-mass, late-type galaxies that comprise Hickson Compact Group 31 (HCG 31) is in the midst of complex, ongoing gravitational interactions, evocative of the process of hierarchical structure formation at higher redshifts. With sensitive, multicolor Hubble Space Telescope imaging, we characterize the large population of < 10 Myr old star clusters (SCs) that suffuse the system. From the colors and luminosities of the young SCs, we find that the galaxies in HCG 31 follow the same universal scaling relations as actively star-forming galaxies in the local universe despite the unusual compact group environment. Furthermore, the specific frequency ofmore » the globular cluster system is consistent with the low end of galaxies of comparable masses locally. This, combined with the large mass of neutral hydrogen and tight constraints on the amount of intragroup light, indicate that the group is undergoing its first epoch of interaction-induced star formation. In both the main galaxies and the tidal-dwarf candidate, F, stellar complexes, which are sensitive to the magnitude of disk turbulence, have both sizes and masses more characteristic of z = 1-2 galaxies. After subtracting the light from compact sources, we find no evidence for an underlying old stellar population in F-it appears to be a truly new structure. The low-velocity dispersion of the system components, available reservoir of H I, and current star formation rate of {approx}10 M {sub sun} yr{sup -1} indicate that HCG 31 is likely to both exhaust its cold gas supply and merge within {approx}1 Gyr. We conclude that the end product will be an isolated, X-ray-faint, low-mass elliptical.« less

The Merger History, AGN and Dwarf Galaxies of Hickson Compact Group 59

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Gallagher, S. C.; Fedotov, K.; Durrell, P. R.; Tzanavaris, P.; Hill, A. R.; Zabludoff, A. I.; Maier, M. L.; Elmegreen, D. M.; Charlton, J. C.;

A PROFILE ANALYSIS OF RAMAN-SCATTERED O VI BANDS AT 6825 Å AND 7082 Å IN SANDULEAK’S STAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heo, Jeong-Eun; Lee, Hee-Won; Angeloni, Rodolfo

2016-12-20

We present a detailed modeling of the two broad bands observed at 6825 and 7082 Å in Sanduleak’s star, a controversial object in the Large Magellanic Cloud. These bands are known to originate from Raman scattering of O vi  λ λ 1032 and 1038 photons with atomic hydrogen and are only observed in bona fide symbiotic stars. Our high-resolution spectrum obtained with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph at the Magellan-Clay Telescope reveals, quite surprisingly, that the profiles of the two bands look very different: while the Raman 6825 Å band shows a single broad profile with a redward extendedmore » bump, the Raman 7082 Å band exhibits a distinct triple-peak profile. Our model suggests that the O vi emission nebula can be decomposed into a red, blue, and central emission region from an accretion disk, a bipolar outflow, and a further compact, optically thick region. We also perform Monte Carlo simulations with the aim of fitting the observed flux ratio F (6825)/ F (7082) ∼ 4.5, which indicates that the neutral region in Sanduleak’s star is characterized by the column density N{sub Hi} ∼ 1 × 10{sup 23} cm{sup −2}.« less

The Gould's Belt Very Large Array Survey. I. The Ophiuchus Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzib, Sergio A.; Loinard, Laurent; Mioduszewski, Amy J.; Rodríguez, Luis F.; Ortiz-León, Gisela N.; Pech, Gerardo; Rivera, Juana L.; Torres, Rosa M.; Boden, Andrew F.; Hartmann, Lee; Evans, Neal J., II; Briceño, Cesar; Tobin, John

2013-09-01

We present large-scale (~2000 arcmin2), deep (~20 μJy), high-resolution (~1'') radio observations of the Ophiuchus star-forming complex obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at λ = 4 and 6 cm. In total, 189 sources were detected, 56 of them associated with known young stellar sources, and 4 with known extragalactic objects; the other 129 remain unclassified, but most of them are most probably background quasars. The vast majority of the young stars detected at radio wavelengths have spectral types K or M, although we also detect four objects of A/F/B types and two brown dwarf candidates. At least half of these young stars are non-thermal (gyrosynchrotron) sources, with active coronas characterized by high levels of variability, negative spectral indices, and (in some cases) significant circular polarization. As expected, there is a clear tendency for the fraction of non-thermal sources to increase from the younger (Class 0/I or flat spectrum) to the more evolved (Class III or weak line T Tauri) stars. The young stars detected both in X-rays and at radio wavelengths broadly follow a Güdel-Benz relation, but with a different normalization than the most radioactive types of stars. Finally, we detect a ~70 mJy compact extragalactic source near the center of the Ophiuchus core, which should be used as gain calibrator for any future radio observations of this region.

Massive star formation at high spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascucci, Ilaria

2004-05-01

This thesis studies the early phases of massive stars and their impact on the surrounding. The capabilities of continuum radiative transfer (RT) codes to interpret the observations are also investigated. The main results of this work are: 1) Two massive star-forming regions are observed in the infrared. The thermal emission from the ultra-compact H II regions is resolved and the spectral type of the ionizing stars is estimated. The hot cores are not detected thus implying line-of-sight extinction larger than 200 visual magnitude. 2) The first mid-infrared interferometric measurements towards a young massive star resolve thermal emission on scales of 30-50 AU probing the size of the predicted disk. The visibility curve differs from those of intermediate-mass stars. 3) The close vicinity of Θ1C Ori are imaged using the NACO adaptive optics system. The binary proplyd Orion 168-326 and its interaction with the wind from Θ1C Ori are resolved. A proplyd uniquely seen face-on is also identified. 4) Five RT codes are compared in a disk configuration. The solutions provide the first 2D benchmark and serve to test the reliability of other RT codes. The images/visibilities from two RT codes are compared for a distorted disk. The parameter range in which such a distortion is detectable with MIDI is explored.

SMA Spectral Line Survey of the Proto-Planetary Nebula CRL 618

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Nimesh A.; Gottlieb, Carl; Young, Ken; Kaminski, Tomasz Tomek; McCarthy, Michael; Menten, Karl; Primiani, Rurik; Lee, Chin-Fei; Gupta, Harshal

2018-01-01

Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are major sources of gas and dust in the interstellar medium. AGB stars remain in their evolutionary stage for 1 to 10 Myrs, during which they have very high mass loss rates that increase at the end. During the brief (~1000 yr) period in the evolution from the AGB to the Planetary Nebula (PN) stage there are dramatic changes in the morphology from nearly spherical symmetry, to bipolar, quadrupolar and more complex structures, with the development of both slow and fast (100 km/s) outflows. The molecular composition of these objects' cirumstellar envelopes also evolves from being similar to that of parent AGB star (mainly diatomic and small polyatomic species), to more complex molecules (including ions).We have started an observational study of a sample of Proto-Planetary nebulae (PPN) with the Submillimeter Array to carry out spectral-line surveys of ~60 GHz frequency coverage in the 345 GHz band (similar to our published IRC+10216 line survey of 2011). Here we present preliminary results from the line survey of the carbon-rich PPN CRL 618, covering a frequency range of 281.9 to 359.4 GHz. Observations were carried out in January 2016 and September 2017, with the SMA in compact (3" angular resolution) and very extended (0.5") configurations, respectively.More than 1100 lines were detected in CRL 618. The majority of them can be attributed to HC3N and c-C3H2, and their isotopologues. About 350 lines are as yet unassigned. The continuum emission is unresolved even at 0.5" resolution. Several hydrogen recombination lines are detected from the central HII region. Lines of CO, HCO+, CS show the fast outflow wings, while the majority of molecular emission arises from a compact region of about 1" diameter. We present LTEmodeling and rotation temperature diagram analysis of HC3N, c-C3H2, CH3CN, and their isotopologues. We plan to observe another PPN, CRL 2688 with the SMA in 2018. Together, these imaging line surveys will provide observational constraints on models of the chemical evolution from AGB stars to Planetary Nebulae.

Extended mid-infrared emission from VV 114: Probing the birth of a ULIRG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Floc'h, E.; Charmandaris, V.; Laurent, O.; Mirabel, I. F.; Gallais, P.; Sauvage, M.; Vigroux, L.; Cesarsky, C.

2002-08-01

We present our 5-16 mu m spectro-imaging observations of VV 114, an infrared luminous early-stage merger of two galaxies VV 114E and VV 114W, taken with the ISOCAM camera on-board the Infrared Space Observatory. We find that only 40% of the mid-infrared (MIR) flux is associated with a compact nuclear region of VV 114E, while the rest of the emission originates from a rather diffuse component extended over several kpc in the regions between VV 114E and VV 114W. This is in stark contrast with the very compact MIR starbursts usually seen in luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. A secondary peak of MIR emission is associated with an extra-nuclear star forming region of VV 114W which displays the largest Hα equivalent width in the whole system. Comparing our data with the distribution of the molecular gas and cold dust, as well as with radio observations, it becomes evident that the conversion of molecular gas into stars can be triggered over large areas at the very first stages of an interaction. This extended star formation along with the extreme nuclear starburst observed in VV 114E can easily lead to the heating of dust grains found in the tidally disturbed disks of the progenitor galaxies and subsequently traced via their MIR emission. The presence of a very strong continuum at the 5-6.5 mu m range in the spectrum of VV 114E indicates that an enshrouded active galactic nucleus (AGN) may contribute to ~ 40% of its MIR flux. We finally note that the relative variations in the UV to radio spectral properties between VV 114E and VV 114W provide evidence that the extinction-corrected star formation rate of similar objects at high z, such as those detected in optical deep surveys, cannot be accurately derived from their rest-frame UV properties. Based on observations with the ISO satellite, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.

The science case for simultaneous mm-wavelength receivers in radio astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodson, Richard; Rioja, María J.; Jung, Taehyun; Goméz, José L.; Bujarrabal, Valentin; Moscadelli, Luca; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Tetarenko, Alexandra J.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.

2017-11-01

This review arose from the European Radio Astronomy Technical Forum (ERATec) meeting held in Firenze, October 2015, and aims to highlight the breadth and depth of the high-impact science that will be aided and assisted by the use of simultaneous mm-wavelength receivers. Recent results and opportunities are presented and discussed from the fields of: continuum VLBI (observations of weak sources, astrometry, observations of AGN cores in spectral index and Faraday rotation), spectral line VLBI (observations of evolved stars and massive star-forming regions) and time domain observations of the flux variations arising in the compact jets of X-ray binaries. Our survey brings together a large range of important science applications, which will greatly benefit from simultaneous observing at mm-wavelengths. Such facilities are essential to allow these applications to become more efficient, more sensitive and more scientifically robust. In some cases without simultaneous receivers the science goals are simply unachievable. Similar benefits would exist in many other high frequency astronomical fields of research.

Completion of the universal I-Love-Q relations in compact stars including the mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reina, Borja; Sanchis-Gual, Nicolas; Vera, Raül; Font, José A.

2017-09-01

In a recent paper, we applied a rigorous perturbed matching framework to show the amendment of the mass of rotating stars in Hartle's model. Here, we apply this framework to the tidal problem in binary systems. Our approach fully accounts for the correction to the Love numbers needed to obtain the universal I-Love-Q relations. We compute the corrected mass versus radius configurations of rotating quark stars, revisiting a classical paper on the subject. These corrections allow us to find a universal relation involving the second-order contribution to the mass δM. We thus complete the set of universal relations for the tidal problem in binary systems, involving four perturbation parameters, namely I, Love, Q and δM. These relations can be used to obtain the perturbation parameters directly from observational data.

The C IV doublet ratio intensity effect in symbiotic stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalitsianos, A. G.; Fahey, M.; Kafatos, M.; Viotti, R.; Cassatella, A.

1988-01-01

High-resolution UV spectra in the 1200-2000 wavelength range of the symbiotic variable R Aqr and its nebular jet were obtained in July 1987 with the IUE. The line profile structure of the C IV 1548, 1550 doublet in the jet indicates multicomponent velocity structure from an optically thin emitting gas. The C IV doublet profiles in the compact H II region engulfing the Mira and hot companion binary also suggest multicomponent structure with radial velocities up to about -100 km/s. The value of the doublet intensity ratio in the R Aqr H II region has been observed in other similar symbiotic stars, such as RX Pup. It is suggested that the anomalous behavior of the C IV doublet intensities may be useful for studying the spatial structure and temporal nature of winds in symbiotic stars.

Physical plausibility of cold star models satisfying Karmarkar conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuloria, Pratibha; Pant, Neeraj

2017-11-01

In the present article, we have obtained a new well behaved solution to Einstein's field equations in the background of Karmarkar spacetime. The solution has been used for stellar modelling within the demand of current observational evidences. All the physical parameters are well behaved inside the stellar interior and our model satisfies all the required conditions to be physically realizable. The obtained compactness parameter is within the Buchdahl limit, i.e. 2M/R ≤ 8/9 . The TOV equation is well maintained inside the fluid spheres. The stability of the models has been further confirmed by using Herrera's cracking method. The models proposed in the present work are compatible with observational data of compact objects 4U1608-52 and PSRJ1903+327. The necessary graphs have been shown to authenticate the physical viability of our models.

Submillimeter Galaxies as Progenitors of Compact Quiescent Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toft, S.; Smolcic, V.; Magnelli, B.; Karim, A.; Zirm, A.; Michalowski, M.; Capak, P.; Sheth, K.; Schawinski, K.; Krogager, J.-K.;

Submillimeter Galaxies as Progenitors of Compact Quiescent Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, S.; Smolčić, V.; Magnelli, B.; Karim, A.; Zirm, A.; Michalowski, M.; Capak, P.; Sheth, K.; Schawinski, K.; Krogager, J.-K.; Wuyts, S.; Sanders, D.; Man, A. W. S.; Lutz, D.; Staguhn, J.; Berta, S.; Mccracken, H.; Krpan, J.; Riechers, D.

2014-02-01

Three billion years after the big bang (at redshift z = 2), half of the most massive galaxies were already old, quiescent systems with little to no residual star formation and extremely compact with stellar mass densities at least an order of magnitude larger than in low-redshift ellipticals, their descendants. Little is known about how they formed, but their evolved, dense stellar populations suggest formation within intense, compact starbursts 1-2 Gyr earlier (at 3 < z < 6). Simulations show that gas-rich major mergers can give rise to such starbursts, which produce dense remnants. Submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) are prime examples of intense, gas-rich starbursts. With a new, representative spectroscopic sample of compact, quiescent galaxies at z = 2 and a statistically well-understood sample of SMGs, we show that z = 3-6 SMGs are consistent with being the progenitors of z = 2 quiescent galaxies, matching their formation redshifts and their distributions of sizes, stellar masses, and internal velocities. Assuming an evolutionary connection, their space densities also match if the mean duty cycle of SMG starbursts is 42^{+40}_{-29} Myr (consistent with independent estimates), which indicates that the bulk of stars in these massive galaxies were formed in a major, early surge of star formation. These results suggest a coherent picture of the formation history of the most massive galaxies in the universe, from their initial burst of violent star formation through their appearance as high stellar-density galaxy cores and to their ultimate fate as giant ellipticals.

Merger of Two Neutron Stars: Predictions from the Two-families Scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drago, Alessandro; Pagliara, Giuseppe

2018-01-01

If only one family of “neutron stars” exists, their maximum mass must be equal to or larger than 2{M}ȯ and then, only in less than about 18% of cases, the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a prompt collapse to a black hole, since the newly formed system can avoid the collapse at least until differential rotation is present. In the so-called two-families scenario, stars made of hadrons are stable only up to about (1.5{--}1.6){M}ȯ , while the most massive compact stars are entirely made of strange quark matter. We show that in this scenario the outcome of the merger of two compact stars, entirely composed by hadrons, is a prompt collapse in at least 34% of the cases. It will therefore be easy to discriminate between the two scenarios once the gravitational waves emitted at the moment of the merger are detected. Finally, we shortly discuss the implications of GW170817‑GRB 170817A.

New inclination changing eclipsing binaries in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juryšek, J.; Zasche, P.; Wolf, M.; Vraštil, J.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Skarka, M.; Liška, J.; Janík, J.; Zejda, M.; Kurfürst, P.; Paunzen, E.

2018-01-01

Context. Multiple stellar systems are unique laboratories for astrophysics. Analysis of their orbital dynamics, if well characterized from their observations, may reveal invaluable information about the physical properties of the participating stars. Unfortunately, there are only a few known and well described multiple systems, this is even more so for systems located outside the Milky Way galaxy. A particularly interesting situation occurs when the inner binary in a compact triple system is eclipsing. This is because the stellar interaction, typically resulting in precession of orbital planes, may be observable as a variation of depth of the eclipses on a long timescale. Aims: We aim to present a novel method to determine compact triples using publicly available photometric data from large surveys. Here we apply it to eclipsing binaries (EBs) in Magellanic Clouds from OGLE III database. Our tool consists of identifying the cases where the orbital plane of EB evolves in accord with expectations from the interaction with a third star. Methods: We analyzed light curves (LCs) of 26121 LMC and 6138 SMC EBs with the goal to identify those for which the orbital inclination varies in time. Archival LCs of the selected systems, when complemented by our own observations with Danish 1.54-m telescope, were thoroughly analyzed using the PHOEBE program. This provided physical parameters of components of each system. Time dependence of the EB's inclination was described using the theory of orbital-plane precession. By observing the parameter-dependence of the precession rate, we were able to constrain the third companion mass and its orbital period around EB. Results: We identified 58 candidates of new compact triples in Magellanic Clouds. This is the largest published sample of such systems so far. Eight of them were analyzed thoroughly and physical parameters of inner binary were determined together with an estimation of basic characteristics of the third star. Prior to our work, only one such system was well characterized outside the Milky Way galaxy. Therefore, we increased this sample in a significant way. These data may provide important clues about stellar formation mechanisms for objects with different metalicity than found in our galactic neighborhood. Full Table 4 and the light curves are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/609/A46

A Chandra X-Ray Study of NGC 1068 IL the Luminous X-Ray Source Population

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David A.; Wilson, Andrew S.

2003-01-01

We present an analysis of the compact X-ray source population in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, imaged with a approx. 50 ks Chandra observation. We find a total of 84 compact sources on the S3 chip, of which 66 are located within the 25.0 B-mag/arcsec isophote of the galactic disk of NGC 1068. Spectra have been obtained for the 21 sources with at least 50 counts and modeled with both multicolor disk blackbody and power-law models. The power-law model provides the better description of the spectrum for 18 of these sources. For fainter sources, the spectral index has been estimated from the hardness ratio. Five sources have 0.4 - 8 keV intrinsic luminosities greater than 10(exp 39)ergs/ s, assuming that their emission is isotropic and that they are associated with NGC 1068. We refer to these sources as intermediate-luminosity X-ray objects (ISOs). If these five sources are X-ray binaries accreting with luminosities that are both sub-Eddington and isotropic, then the implied source masses are approx greater than 7 solar mass, and so they are inferred to be black holes. Most of the spectrally modeled sources have spectral shapes similar to Galactic black hole candidates. However, the brightest compact source in NGC 1068 has a spectrum that is much harder than that found in Galactic black hole candidates and other ISOs. The brightest source also shows large amplitude variability on both short-term and long-term timescales, with the count rate possibly decreasing by a factor of 2 in approx. 2 ks during our Chundra observation, and the source flux decreasing by a factor of 5 between our observation and the grating observations taken just over 9 months later. The ratio of the number of sources with luminosities greater than 2.1 x 10(exp 38) ergs/s in the 0.4 - 8 keV band to the rate of massive (greater than 5 solar mass) star formation is the same, to within a factor of 2, for NGC 1068, the Antennae, NGC 5194 (the main galaxy in M51), and the Circinus galaxy. This suggests that the rate of production of X-ray binaries per massive star is approximately the same for galaxies with currently active star formation, including "starbursts."

Can mixed star-plus-wormhole systems mimic black holes?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dzhunushaliev, Vladimir; Folomeev, Vladimir; Kleihaus, Burkhard

We consider mixed strongly gravitating configurations consisting of a wormhole threaded by two types of ordinary matter. For such systems, the possibility of obtaining static spherically symmetric solutions describing compact massive central objects enclosed by high-redshift surfaces (black-hole-like configurations) is studied. Using the standard thin accretion disk model, we exhibit potentially observable differences allowing to distinguish the mixed systems from ordinary black holes with the same masses.

PROVIDING STRINGENT STAR FORMATION RATE LIMITS OF z ∼ 2 QSO HOST GALAXIES AT HIGH ANGULAR RESOLUTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vayner, Andrey; Wright, Shelley A.; Do, Tuan

2016-04-10

We present integral field spectrograph (IFS) with laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS-AO) observations of z ∼ 2 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) designed to resolve extended nebular line emission from the host galaxy. Our data was obtained with W. M. Keck and Gemini North Observatories, using OSIRIS and NIFS coupled with the LGS-AO systems, respectively. We have conducted a pilot survey of five QSOs, three observed with NIFS+AO and two observed with OSIRIS+AO at an average redshift of z = 2.2. We demonstrate that the combination of AO and IFSs provides the necessary spatial and spectral resolutions required to separate QSO emission from its host.more » We present our technique for generating a point-spread function (PSF) from the broad-line region of the QSO and performing PSF subtraction of the QSO emission to detect the host galaxy emission at a separation of ∼0.″2 (∼1.4 kpc). We detect Hα narrow-line emission for two sources, SDSS J1029+6510 (z{sub Hα} = 2.182) and SDSS J0925+0655 (z{sub Hα} = 2.197), that have evidence for both star formation and extended narrow-line emission. Assuming that the majority of narrow-line Hα emission is from star formation, we infer a star formation rate (SFR) for SDSS J1029+6510 of 78.4 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} originating from a compact region that is kinematically offset by 290–350 km s{sup −1}. For SDSS J0925+0655 we infer a SFR of 29 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} distributed over three clumps that are spatially offset by ∼7 kpc. The null detections on three of the QSOs are used to infer surface brightness limits and we find that at 1.4 kpc from the QSO the un-reddened star formation limit is ≲0.3 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}. If we assume typical extinction values for z = 2 type-1 QSOs, the dereddened SFR for our null detections would be ≲0.6 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}. These IFS observations indicate that while the central black hole is accreting mass at 10%–40% of the Eddington rate, if star formation is present in the host (1.4–20 kpc) it would have to occur diffusely with significant extinction and not in compact, clumpy regions.« less

ALMA Reveals a Compact Starburst Around a Hidden QSO at z˜5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilli, R.; Norman, C. A.; Vignali, C.

2015-12-01

We present ALMA 1.3mm observations of XID403, an SMG at z=4.75 in the Chandra Deep Field South hosting a heavily obscured, Compton-thick QSO. The ALMA data show that the dust heated by star formation is distributed within ˜0.9 kpc from the nucleus (effective radius). The SFR and dust temperature obtained from the Herschel+ALMA far-IR SED, reveal a warm and compact starburst with surface density of 200 M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2. Our analysis suggest that, besides the mass, SFR and gas consumption timescale, objects like XID403 have also the right size to be the progenitors of the compact quiescent massive galaxies seen at z˜3. It is finally shown that the density of the gas co-spatial with the dust provides a substantial contribution to the absorbing column density towards the QSO as measured from the X-rays.

WEAK AND COMPACT RADIO EMISSION IN EARLY HIGH-MASS STAR-FORMING REGIONS. I. VLA OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosero, V.; Hofner, P.; Claussen, M.

2016-12-01

We present a high-sensitivity radio continuum survey at 6 and 1.3 cm using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array toward a sample of 58 high-mass star-forming regions. Our sample was chosen from dust clumps within infrared dark clouds with and without IR sources (CMC–IRs and CMCs, respectively), and hot molecular cores (HMCs), with no previous, or relatively weak radio continuum detection at the 1 mJy level. Due to the improvement in the continuum sensitivity of the Very Large Array, this survey achieved map rms levels of ∼3–10  μ Jy beam{sup −1} at sub-arcsecond angular resolution. We extracted 70 continuum sourcesmore » associated with 1.2 mm dust clumps. Most sources are weak, compact, and prime candidates for high-mass protostars. Detection rates of radio sources associated with the millimeter dust clumps for CMCs, CMC–IRs, and HMCs are 6%, 53%, and 100%, respectively. This result is consistent with increasing high-mass star formation activity from CMCs to HMCs. The radio sources located within HMCs and CMC–IRs occur close to the dust clump centers, with a median offset from it of 12,000 au and 4000 au, respectively. We calculated 5–25 GHz spectral indices using power-law fits and obtained a median value of 0.5 (i.e., flux increasing with frequency), suggestive of thermal emission from ionized jets. In this paper we describe the sample, observations, and detections. The analysis and discussion will be presented in Paper II.« less

A Sleeping Giant Awakened: Reignition of AGN Activity, Reborn Star Formation, and a Multiphase Outflow in one of the Largest Radio Galaxies Known

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblay, Grant; O'Dea, Christopher; Labiano, Alvaro; Baum, Stefi; McDermid, Richard; Combes, Francoise; Garcia-Burillo, Santiago; Davis, Timothy

2014-08-01

3C 236 is the second largest known radio galaxy and one of the largest objects in the known Universe. Its central AGN has recently reignited after a 10 Myr dormancy period, giving rise to a very young and compact radio source and a 1000 km/sec outflow of warm ionized and atomic HI gas. We propose GMOS-N IFU observations to resolve this outflow, determine its driver, and estimate the relative coupling efficiencies between the warm ionized, atomic, and cold molecular gas phases. We will assemble a much-needed spatially resolved Balmer decrement (extinction map) across the dramatic double dust lanes of this source, enabling high spatial resolution star formation rate, efficiency, and gas excitation and velocity maps. These will address several mysteries related to the very high star formation efficiency and the unique nature of the multiphase outflow in this source. 3C 236 is such a remarkable galaxy that whatever the results of the proposed observations, they will have wide-ranging implications for the triggering of star formation and AGN activity, their possibly coupled co-evolution, and the feedback effects of the latter on the former.

Order parameters for the high-energy spectra of pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Diego F.

2018-03-01

Neutron stars are a common compact endpoint of the life of stars. Magnetized and rotating neutron stars emit beams of radiation, which can only be seen when the observer and the beam stand aligned. Periodic recurrence of such alignment gives rise to pulsations and to the name `pulsar' for the star itself. We present a physical model for the non-thermal emission of pulsars. With just four physical parameters, we fit the spectra of the γ- and X-ray pulsars across seven orders of magnitude in energy. We find that all detections can be encompassed in a continuous variation of the model parameters. The model explains the appearance of sub-exponential cutoffs at high energies as a natural consequence of synchro-curvature-dominated losses, unveiling that curvature-only emission plays a less significant role—if any—in the spectrum of most pulsars. The model also explains the flattening of the X-ray spectra at soft energies as a result of propagating particles being subject to synchrotron losses all along their trajectories. Using this model, we analyse how observations in γ-rays can predict the detectability of the pulsar in X-rays, and vice versa.

Effects of axions on Population III stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choplin, Arthur; Coc, Alain; Meynet, Georges; Olive, Keith A.; Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Vangioni, Elisabeth

2017-09-01

Aims: Following the renewed interest in axions as a dark matter component, we revisit the effects of energy loss by axion emission on the evolution of the first generation of stars. These stars with zero metallicity are assumed to be massive, more compact, and hotter than subsequent generations. It is hence important to extend previous studies, which were restricted to solar metallicity stars. Methods: Our analysis first compares the evolution of solar metallicity 8, 10, and 12 M⊙ stars to previous work. We then calculate the evolution of 8 zero-metallicity stars with and without axion losses and with masses ranging from 20 to 150 M⊙. Results: For the solar metallicity models, we confirm the disappearance of the blue-loop phase for a value of the axion-photon coupling of gaγ = 10-10 GeV-1. We show that for gaγ = 10-10 GeV-1, the evolution of Population III stars is not much affected by axion losses, except within the range of masses 80-130 M⊙. Such stars show significant differences in both their tracks within the Tc-ρc diagram and their central composition (in particular 20Ne and 24Mg). We discuss the origin of these modifications from the stellar physics point of view, and also their potential observational signatures.

Massive open star clusters using the VVV survey. II. Discovery of six clusters with Wolf-Rayet stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chené, A.-N.; Borissova, J.; Bonatto, C.; Majaess, D. J.; Baume, G.; Clarke, J. R. A.; Kurtev, R.; Schnurr, O.; Bouret, J.-C.; Catelan, M.; Emerson, J. P.; Feinstein, C.; Geisler, D.; de Grijs, R.; Hervé, A.; Ivanov, V. D.; Kumar, M. S. N.; Lucas, P.; Mahy, L.; Martins, F.; Mauro, F.; Minniti, D.; Moni Bidin, C.

2013-01-01

Context. The ESO Public Survey "VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea" (VVV) provides deep multi-epoch infrared observations for an unprecedented 562 sq. degrees of the Galactic bulge, and adjacent regions of the disk. Nearly 150 new open clusters and cluster candidates have been discovered in this survey. Aims: This is the second in a series of papers about young, massive open clusters observed using the VVV survey. We present the first study of six recently discovered clusters. These clusters contain at least one newly discovered Wolf-Rayet (WR) star. Methods: Following the methodology presented in the first paper of the series, wide-field, deep JHKs VVV observations, combined with new infrared spectroscopy, are employed to constrain fundamental parameters for a subset of clusters. Results: We find that the six studied stellar groups are real young (2-7 Myr) and massive (between 0.8 and 2.2 × 103 M⊙) clusters. They are highly obscured (AV ~ 5-24 mag) and compact (1-2 pc). In addition to WR stars, two of the six clusters also contain at least one red supergiant star, and one of these two clusters also contains a blue supergiant. We claim the discovery of 8 new WR stars, and 3 stars showing WR-like emission lines which could be classified WR or OIf. Preliminary analysis provides initial masses of ~30-50 M⊙ for the WR stars. Finally, we discuss the spiral structure of the Galaxy using the six new clusters as tracers, together with the previously studied VVV clusters. Based on observations with ISAAC, VLT, ESO (programme 087.D-0341A), New Technology Telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory (programme 087.D-0490A) and with the Clay telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory (programme CN2011A-086). Also based on data from the VVV survey (programme 172.B-2002).

Massive star formation by accretion. I. Disc accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haemmerlé, L.; Eggenberger, P.; Meynet, G.; Maeder, A.; Charbonnel, C.

2016-01-01

Context. Massive stars likely form by accretion and the evolutionary track of an accreting forming star corresponds to what is called the birthline in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram. The shape of this birthline is quite sensitive to the evolution of the entropy in the accreting star. Aims: We first study the reasons why some birthlines published in past years present different behaviours for a given accretion rate. We then revisit the question of the accretion rate, which allows us to understand the distribution of the observed pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars in the HR diagram. Finally, we identify the conditions needed to obtain a large inflation of the star along its pre-MS evolution that may push the birthline towards the Hayashi line in the upper part of the HR diagram. Methods: We present new pre-MS models including accretion at various rates and for different initial structures of the accreting core. We compare them with previously published equivalent models. From the observed upper envelope of pre-MS stars in the HR diagram, we deduce the accretion law that best matches the accretion history of most of the intermediate-mass stars. Results: In the numerical computation of the time derivative of the entropy, some treatment leads to an artificial loss of entropy and thus reduces the inflation that the accreting star undergoes along the birthline. In the case of cold disc accretion, the existence of a significant swelling during the accretion phase, which leads to radii ≳ 100 R⊙ and brings the star back to the red part of the HR diagram, depends sensitively on the initial conditions. For an accretion rate of 10-3M⊙ yr-1, only models starting from a core with a significant radiative region evolve back to the red part of the HR diagram. We also obtain that, in order to reproduce the observed upper envelope of pre-MS stars in the HR diagram with an accretion law deduced from the observed mass outflows in ultra-compact HII regions, the fraction of the mass that is accreted onto the star should represent a decreasing fraction of the mass outflows when the mass of the accreting object increases. In other words, the accretion efficiency (mass effectively accreted onto the star with respect to the total in falling matter) decreases when the mass of the star increases.

Hyperon threshold and stellar radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Luiz; Menezes, Debora

2018-05-01

We study how the Λ hyperon threshold influences the radius of the canonical 1.4 Msolar neutron star in the light of the measurements found in the recent literature. We show that the onset of a new degree of freedom not only causes the well known reduction of the maximum mass, but also compacts the neutron stars with high central density. With the help of the strange mesons phi and σ*, we show that it is possible to simulate very compact neutron stars keeping realistic hyperon potentials, UΛ(n0)= ‑28 MeV and UΛΛ(n0/5) in agreement with recents measurements. In the end we generalize these results showing that the onset of a yet not known dark matter particle with mass of 1.04 GeV is able to produce simultaneously a 2 Msolar neutron star and a canonical one with a radius of only 11.62 km.

Richness of compact radio sources in NGC 6334D to F

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medina, S.-N. X.; Dzib, S. A.; Tapia, M.; Rodríguez, L. F.; Loinard, L.

2018-02-01

Context. The presence and properties of compact radio sources embedded in massive star forming regions can reveal important physical properties about these regions and the processes occurring within them. The NGC 6334 complex, a massive star forming region, has been studied extensively. Nevertheless, none of these studies has focused in its content in compact radio sources. Aims: Our goal here is to report on a systematic census of the compact radio sources toward NGC 6334, and their characteristics. This will be used to attempt to define their very nature. Methods: We used the VLA C band (4-8 GHz) archive data with 0.̋36 (500 AU) of spatial resolution and noise level of 50 μJy bm‑1 to carry out a systematic search for compact radio sources within NGC 6334. We also searched for infrared counterparts to provide some constraints on the nature of the detected radio sources. Results: A total of 83 compact sources and three slightly resolved sources were detected. Most of them are here reported for the first time. We found that 29 of these 86 sources have infrared counterparts and three are highly variable. Region D contains 18 of these sources. The compact source toward the center, in projection, of region E is also detected. Conclusions: From statistical analyses, we suggest that the 83 reported compact sources are real and most of them are related to NGC 6334 itself. A stellar nature for 27 of them is confirmed by their IR emission. Compared with Orion, region D suffers a deficit of compact radio sources. The infrared nebulosities around two of the slightly resolved sources are suggested to be warm dust, and we argue that the associated radio sources trace free-free emission from ionized material. We confirm the thermal radio emission of the compact source in region E. However, its detection at infrared wavelengths implies that it is located in the foreground of the molecular cloud. Finally, three strongly variable sources are suggested to be magnetically active young stars.

Perspectives: Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolan, Joseph F.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When asked to discuss Cyg XR-1, E. E. Salpeter once concluded, 'A black hole in Cyg X(R)-1 is the most conservative hypothesis.' Recent observations now make it likely that a black hole in Cyg XR-1 is the only hypothesis tenable. Chandrasekhar first showed that compact stars - those with the inward force of gravity on their outer layers balanced by the pressure generated by the Pauli exclusion principle acting on its electrons (in white dwarfs) or nucleons (in neutron stars) - have a maximum mass. Equilibrium is achieved at a minimum of the total energy of the star, which is the sum of the positive Fermi energy and the negative gravitational energy. The maximum mass attainable in equilibrium is found by setting E = 0: M(max) = 1.5 M(Sun). If the mass of the star is larger than this, then E can be decreased without bound by decreasing the star's radius and increasing its (negative) gravitational energy. No equilibrium value of the radius exist, and general relativity predicts that gravitational collapse to a point occurs. This point singularity is a black hole.

Laboratory simulation of photoionized plasma among astronomical compact objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujioka, Shinsuke; Yamamoto, Norimasa; Wang, Feilu; Salzmann, David; Li, Yutong; Rhee, Yong-Joo; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Takabe, Hideaki; Mima, Kunioki

2008-11-01

X-ray line emission with several-keV of photon energy was observed from photoionized accreting clouds, for example CYGNUS X-3 and VELA X-1, those are exposed by hard x-ray continuum from the compact objects, such as neutron stars, black holes, or white dwarfs, although accreting clouds are thermally cold. The x-ray continuum-induced line emission gives a good insight to the accreting clouds. We will present a novel laboratory simulation of the photoionized plasma under well-characterized conditions by using high-power laser facility. Blackbody radiator with 500-eV of temperature, as a miniature of a hot compact object, was created.Silicon (Si) plasma with 30-eV of electron temperature was produced in the vicinity of the 0.5-keV blackbody radiator. Line emissions of lithium- and helium-like Si ions was clearly observed around 2-keV of photon-energy from the thermally cold Si plasma, this result is hardly interpreted without consideration of the photoionization. Atomic kinetics code reveals importance of inner-shell ionization directly caused by incoming hard x-rays.

Not all stars form in clusters - measuring the kinematics of OB associations with Gaia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Jacob L.; Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik

2018-04-01

It is often stated that star clusters are the fundamental units of star formation and that most (if not all) stars form in dense stellar clusters. In this monolithic formation scenario, low-density OB associations are formed from the expansion of gravitationally bound clusters following gas expulsion due to stellar feedback. N-body simulations of this process show that OB associations formed this way retain signs of expansion and elevated radial anisotropy over tens of Myr. However, recent theoretical and observational studies suggest that star formation is a hierarchical process, following the fractal nature of natal molecular clouds and allowing the formation of large-scale associations in situ. We distinguish between these two scenarios by characterizing the kinematics of OB associations using the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution catalogue. To this end, we quantify four key kinematic diagnostics: the number ratio of stars with positive radial velocities to those with negative radial velocities, the median radial velocity, the median radial velocity normalized by the tangential velocity, and the radial anisotropy parameter. Each quantity presents a useful diagnostic of whether the association was more compact in the past. We compare these diagnostics to models representing random motion and the expanding products of monolithic cluster formation. None of these diagnostics show evidence of expansion, either from a single cluster or multiple clusters, and the observed kinematics are better represented by a random velocity distribution. This result favours the hierarchical star formation model in which a minority of stars forms in bound clusters and large-scale, hierarchically structured associations are formed in situ.

A disc inside the bipolar planetary nebula M2-9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lykou, F.; Chesneau, O.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Lagadec, E.; Balick, B.; Smith, N.

2011-03-01

Aims: Bipolarity in proto-planetary and planetary nebulae is associated with events occurring in or around their cores. Past infrared observations have revealed the presence of dusty structures around the cores, many in the form of discs. Characterising those dusty discs provides invaluable constraints on the physical processes that govern the final mass expulsion of intermediate mass stars. We focus this study on the famous M2-9 bipolar nebula, where the moving lighthouse beam pattern indicates the presence of a wide binary. The compact and dense dusty core in the centre of the nebula can be studied by means of optical interferometry. Methods: M2-9 was observed with VLTI/MIDI at 39-47 m baselines with the UT2-UT3 and UT3-UT4 baseline configurations. These observations are interpreted using a dust radiative transfer Monte Carlo code. Results: A disc-like structure is detected perpendicular to the lobes, and a good fit is found with a stratified disc model composed of amorphous silicates. The disc is compact, 25 × 35 mas at 8 μm and 37 × 46 mas at 13 μm. For the adopted distance of 1.2 kpc, the inner rim of the disc is ~15 AU. The mass represents a few percent of the mass found in the lobes. The compactness of the disc puts strong constraints on the binary content of the system, given an estimated orbital period 90-120 yr. We derive masses of the binary components between 0.6-1.0 M⊙ for a white dwarf and 0.6-1.4 M⊙ for an evolved star. We present different scenarios on the geometric structure of the disc accounting for the interactions of the binary system, which includes an accretion disc as well. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, ESO N: 079.D-146.

Multi-wavelength Observations of Accreting Compact Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez Santisteban, Juan Venancio

2016-11-01

The study of compact binaries invokes core astrophysical concepts ranging from stellar and sub-stellar atmospheres and interiors, stellar and binary evolution to physics of accretion. All of these systems are hosts to a compact object a white dwarf, neutron star or black hole ???? which produces a wide variety of exotic and energetic phenomena across the full electromagnetic spectrum. In this thesis, I will make use of multi-wavelength observations ranging from far-ultraviolet to nearinfrared in order to investigate two main topics: a) the late evolution of cataclysmic variables, and b) the accreting state of transitional millisecond pulsars. Firstly, I analyse the Very Large Telescope X-Shooter time-resolved spectroscopy of the short orbital period cataclysmic variable, SDSS J1433+1011, in Chapter 2. The wide wavelength coverage allowed me to perform a detailed characterisation of the system, as well as a direct mass measurement of the brown dwarf companion. I show that the donor in SDSS J1433+1011 successfully transitioned from the stellar to sub-stellar regime, as predicted by evolutionary models. Further light-curve modelling allowed me to show that a low albedo as well as a low heat circulation efficiency is present in the atmosphere of the sub-stellar donor. In Chapter 3, I analyse data from large synoptic surveys, such as SDSS and PTF, to search for the predicted population of dead cataclysmic variables. Following the non-detection of dead CVs, I was able to estimate the space density (?0 < 2?10????5 pc????3) of this hidden population via a Monte Carlo simulation of the Galactic CV population. In Chapter 4, I present Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038, during its latest accretion state. In combination with optical and near-infrared data, I show that a standard accretion disc does not reach the magnetosphere of the neutron star. Instead, the overall spectrum is consistent with a truncated disc at ? 2:3 ? 109 cm away from the compact object. Furthermore, the ultraviolet data shares remarkable similarities with the only accreting white dwarf in a propeller regime, AE Aqr. Finally, I summarise my results in Chapter 5 and provide future lines of research in accreting compact binaries based on this work.

The donor star of the X-ray pulsar X1908+075

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Núñez, S.; Sander, A.; Gímenez-García, A.; Gónzalez-Galán, A.; Torrejón, J. M.; Gónzalez-Fernández, C.; Hamann, W.-R.

2015-06-01

High-mass X-ray binaries consist of a massive donor star and a compact object. While several of those systems have been well studied in X-rays, little is known for most of the donor stars as they are often heavily obscured in the optical and ultraviolet regime. There is an opportunity to observe them at infrared wavelengths, however. The goal of this study is to obtain the stellar and wind parameters of the donor star in the X1908+075 high-mass X-ray binary system with a stellar atmosphere model to check whether previous studies from X-ray observations and spectral morphology lead to a sufficient description of the donor star. We obtained H- and K-band spectra of X1908+075 and analysed them with the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmosphere code. For the first time, we calculated a stellar atmosphere model for the donor star, whose main parameters are: Mspec = 15 ± 6 M⊙, T∗ = 23-3+6 kK, log geff = 3.0 ± 0.2 and log L/L⊙ = 4.81 ± 0.25. The obtained parameters point towards an early B-type (B0-B3) star, probably in a supergiant phase. Moreover we determined a more accurate distance to the system of 4.85 ± 0.50 kpc than the previously reported value. Based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

The emerging planetary nebula CRL 618 and its unsettled central star(s)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balick, B.; Riera, A.; Raga, A.

We report deep long-slit emission-line spectra, the line flux ratios, and Doppler profile shapes of various bright optical lines. The low-ionization lines (primarily [N I], [O I], [S II], and [N II]) originate in shocked knots, as reported by many previous observers. Dust-scattered lines of higher ionization are seen throughout the lobes but do not peak in the knots. Our analysis of these line profiles and the readily discernible stellar continuum shows that (1) the central star is an active symbiotic (whose spectrum resembles the central stars of highly bipolar and young planetary nebulae such as M2-9 and Hen2-437) whosemore » compact companion shows a WC8-type spectrum, (2) extended nebular lines of [O III] and He I originate in the heavily obscured nuclear H II region, and (3) the Balmer lines observed throughout the lobes are dominated by reflected Hα emission from the symbiotic star. Comparing our line ratios with those observed historically shows that (1) the [O III]/Hβ and He I/Hβ ratios have been steadily rising by large amounts throughout the nebula, (2) the Hα/Hβ ratio is steadily decreasing while Hγ/Hβ remains nearly constant, and (3) the low-ionization line ratios formed in the shocked knots have been in decline in different ways at various locations. We show that the first two of these results might be expected if the symbiotic central star has been active and if its bright Hα line has faded significantly in the past 20 years.« less

Charged Compact Boson Stars in a Theory of Massless Scalar Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjeev

2018-05-01

In this work we present some new results obtained in a study of the phase diagram of charged compact boson stars in a theory involving a complex scalar field with a conical potential coupled to a U(1) gauge field and gravity. We obtain new bifurcation points in this model. We present a detailed discussion of the various regions of the phase diagram with respect to the bifurcation points. The theory is seen to contain rich physics in a particular domain of the phase diagram.

Photometry of compact galaxies.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, B. S. P.; Usher, P. D.; Barrett, J. W.

1972-01-01

Photometric histories of the N galaxies 3C 390.3 and PKS 0521-36. Four other compact galaxies, Markarian 9, I Zw 92, 2 Zw 136, and III Zw 77 showed no evidence of variability. The photometric histories were obtained from an exhaustive study of those plates of the Harvard collection taken with large aperture cameras. The images of all galaxies reported were indistinguishable from stars due to the camera f-ratios and low surface brightness of the outlying nebulosities of the galaxies. Standard techniques for the study of variable stars are therefore applicable.

Merging strangeon stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Xiao-Yu; Yu, Yun-Wei; Zhou, En-Ping; Li, Yun-Yang; Xu, Ren-Xin

2018-02-01

The state of supranuclear matter in compact stars remains puzzling, and it is argued that pulsars could be strangeon stars. What would happen if binary strangeon stars merge? This kind of merger could result in the formation of a hyper-massive strangeon star, accompanied by bursts of gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation (and even a strangeon kilonova explained in the paper). The tidal polarizability of binary strangeon stars is different from that of binary neutron stars, because a strangeon star is self-bound on the surface by the fundamental strong force while a neutron star by the gravity, and their equations of state are different. Our calculation shows that the tidal polarizability of merging binary strangeon stars is favored by GW170817. Three kinds of kilonovae (i.e., of neutron, quark and strangeon) are discussed, and the light curve of the kilonova AT 2017 gfo following GW170817 could be explained by considering the decaying strangeon nuggets and remnant star spin-down. Additionally, the energy ejected to the fireball around the nascent remnant strangeon star, being manifested as a gamma-ray burst, is calculated. It is found that, after a prompt burst, an X-ray plateau could follow in a timescale of 102 ‑ 103 s. Certainly, the results could be tested also by further observational synergies between gravitational wave detectors (e.g., Advanced LIGO) and X-ray telescopes (e.g., the Chinese HXMT satellite and eXTP mission), and especially if the detected gravitational wave form is checked by peculiar equations of state provided by the numerical relativistical simulation.

Identification of the central compact object in the young supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Frédéric P. A.; Bartlett, Elizabeth S.; Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Dopita, Michael A.; Ghavamian, Parviz; Ruiter, Ashley J.; Terry, Jason P.

2018-04-01

Oxygen-rich young supernova remnants1 are valuable objects for probing the outcome of nucleosynthetic processes in massive stars, as well as the physics of supernova explosions. Observed within a few thousand years after the supernova explosion2, these systems contain fast-moving oxygen-rich and hydrogen-poor filaments visible at optical wavelengths: fragments of the progenitor's interior expelled at a few thousand kilometres per second during the supernova explosion. Here we report the identification of the compact object in the supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 in reprocessed Chandra X-ray Observatory data, enabled by the discovery of a ring-shaped structure visible primarily in optical recombination lines of Ne i and O i. The optical ring has a radius of (2.10 ± 0.35)″ ≡ (0.63 ± 0.11) pc, and is expanding at a velocity of 90 .5-30+40 km s-1. It surrounds an X-ray point source with an intrinsic X-ray luminosity Li (1.2-2.0 keV) = (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1033 erg s-1. The energy distribution of the source indicates that this object is an isolated neutron star: a central compact object akin to those present in the Cas A3-5 and Pup A6 supernova remnants, and the first of its kind to be identified outside of our Galaxy.

Identification of the central compact object in the young supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Frédéric P. A.; Bartlett, Elizabeth S.; Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Dopita, Michael A.; Ghavamian, Parviz; Ruiter, Ashley J.; Terry, Jason P.

2018-06-01

Oxygen-rich young supernova remnants1 are valuable objects for probing the outcome of nucleosynthetic processes in massive stars, as well as the physics of supernova explosions. Observed within a few thousand years after the supernova explosion2, these systems contain fast-moving oxygen-rich and hydrogen-poor filaments visible at optical wavelengths: fragments of the progenitor's interior expelled at a few thousand kilometres per second during the supernova explosion. Here we report the identification of the compact object in the supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 in reprocessed Chandra X-ray Observatory data, enabled by the discovery of a ring-shaped structure visible primarily in optical recombination lines of Ne i and O i. The optical ring has a radius of (2.10 ± 0.35)″ ≡ (0.63 ± 0.11) pc, and is expanding at a velocity of 90 .5-30+40 km s-1. It surrounds an X-ray point source with an intrinsic X-ray luminosity Li (1.2-2.0 keV) = (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1033 erg s-1. The energy distribution of the source indicates that this object is an isolated neutron star: a central compact object akin to those present in the Cas A3-5 and Pup A6 supernova remnants, and the first of its kind to be identified outside of our Galaxy.

Symbiotic stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kafatos, M.; Michalitsianos, A. G.

1984-01-01

The physical characteristics of symbiotic star systems are discussed, based on a review of recent observational data. A model of a symbiotic star system is presented which illustrates how a cool red-giant star is embedded in a nebula whose atoms are ionized by the energetic radiation from its hot compact companion. UV outbursts from symbiotic systems are explained by two principal models: an accretion-disk-outburst model which describes how material expelled from the tenuous envelope of the red giant forms an inwardly-spiralling disk around the hot companion, and a thermonuclear-outburst model in which the companion is specifically a white dwarf which superheats the material expelled from the red giant to the point where thermonuclear reactions occur and radiation is emitted. It is suspected that the evolutionary course of binary systems is predetermined by the initial mass and angular momentum of the gas cloud within which binary stars are born. Since red giants and Mira variables are thought to be stars with a mass of one or two solar mass, it is believed that the original cloud from which a symbiotic system is formed can consist of no more than a few solar masses of gas.

THE FIRST Hi-GAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE OUTER GALAXY: A LOOK AT STAR FORMATION IN THE THIRD GALACTIC QUADRANT IN THE LONGITUDE RANGE 216. Degree-Sign 5 {approx}< l {approx}< 225. Degree-Sign 5

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elia, D.; Molinari, S.; Schisano, E.

2013-07-20

We present the first Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometric observations in a portion of the outer Galaxy (216. Degree-Sign 5 {approx}< l {approx}< 225. Degree-Sign 5 and -2 Degree-Sign {approx}< b {approx}< 0 Degree-Sign ) as a part of the Hi-GAL survey. The maps between 70 and 500 {mu}m, the derived column density and temperature maps, and the compact source catalog are presented. NANTEN CO(1-0) line observations are used to derive cloud kinematics and distances so that we can estimate distance-dependent physical parameters of the compact sources (cores and clumps) having a reliable spectral energy distribution that we separate intomore » 255 proto-stellar and 688 starless sources. Both typologies are found in association with all the distance components observed in the field, up to {approx}5.8 kpc, testifying to the presence of star formation beyond the Perseus arm at these longitudes. Selecting the starless gravitationally bound sources, we identify 590 pre-stellar candidates. Several sources of both proto- and pre-stellar nature are found to exceed the minimum requirement for being compatible with massive star formation based on the mass-radius relation. For the pre-stellar sources belonging to the Local arm (d {approx}< 1.5 kpc) we study the mass function whose high-mass end shows a power law N(log M){proportional_to}M {sup -1.0{+-}0.2}. Finally, we use a luminosity versus mass diagram to infer the evolutionary status of the sources, finding that most of the proto-stellar sources are in the early accretion phase (with some cases compatible with a Class I stage), while for pre-stellar sources, in general, accretion has not yet started.« less

Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capelato, Hugo Vicente

1999-01-01

We will begin our study with a more or less superficial inspection of the "forest" of stars that we see in the skies. The first thing we notice is that, as sources of light, they are much weaker than the Sun. Second, their apparent colors vary; from a bluish-white in most of them to a reddish-yellow, which is rarer. There is also a third aspect, though it is not very obvious to the naked eye: most of the stars group themselves in small families of two, three or more members. A good example is the Alpha Centauri, the closest star to us, which, in fact, is a triple system of stars. Another is the group of 7 stars that make up the Pleiades, which will be discussed later on. In fact, almost half of the stars are double systems with only two members, called binary stars. Most of these double stars, though together, are separated by several astronomical units (one astronomical unit, AU, is the distance from Earth to the sun: see Chapter 1), and revolve around each other over periods of several years. And yet the revolutions of some binary stars, separated by much smaller distances, occur in only a few hours! These stars are so close to each other that they can share enveloping material. Often this exchange occurs in a somewhat violent manner. Local explosions may occur, expelling matter away from the system. In other binary systems, where one of the components is a very compact, dense star, companion material flows more calmly, making up a light disk around the compact star.

VLT/X-shooter observations of the low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxy PHL 293B including a luminous blue variable star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotov, Y. I.; Guseva, N. G.; Fricke, K. J.; Henkel, C.

2011-09-01

Context. We present VLT/X-shooter spectroscopic observations in the wavelength range λλ3000-23 000 Å of the extremely metal-deficient blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy PHL 293B containing a luminous blue variable (LBV) star and compare them with previous data. Aims: This BCD is one of the two lowest-metallicity galaxies where LBV stars were detected, allowing us to study the LBV phenomenon in the extremely low metallicity regime. Methods: We determine abundances of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulfur, argon, and iron by analyzing the fluxes of narrow components of the emission lines using empirical methods and study the properties of the LBV from the fluxes and widths of broad emission lines. Results: We derive an interstellar oxygen abundance of 12+log O/H = 7.71 ± 0.02, which is in agreement with previous determinations. The observed fluxes of narrow Balmer, Paschen and Brackett hydrogen lines correspond to the theoretical recombination values after correction for extinction with a single value C(Hβ) = 0.225. This implies that the star-forming region observed in the optical range is the only source of ionisation and there is no additional source of ionisation that is seen in the NIR range but is hidden in the optical range. We detect three v = 1-0 vibrational lines of molecular hydrogen. Their flux ratios and non-detection of v = 2-1 and 3-1 emission lines suggest that collisional excitation is the main source producing H2 lines. For the LBV star in PHL 293B we find broad emission with P Cygni profiles in several Balmer hydrogen emission lines and for the first time in several Paschen hydrogen lines and in several He i emission lines, implying temporal evolution of the LBV on a time scale of 8 years. The Hα luminosity of the LBV star is by one order of magnitude higher than the one obtained for the LBV star in NGC 2363 ≡ Mrk 71 which has a slightly higher metallicity 12+logO/H = 7.87. The terminal velocity of the stellar wind in the low-metallicity LBV of PHL293B is high, ~800 km s-1, and is comparable to that seen in spectra of some extragalactic LBVs during outbursts. We find that the averaged terminal velocities derived from the Paschen and He i emission lines are by some ~40-60 km s-1 lower than those derived from the Balmer emission lines. This probably indicates the presence of the wind accelerating outward. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile, ESO program 60.A-9442(A).The reduced data in Figures 1 and 2 are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/533/A25

Predicting gravitational lensing by stellar remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Alexander J.; Stefano, R. Di; Lépine, S.; Urama, J.; Pham, D.; Baker, C.

2018-03-01

Gravitational lensing provides a means to measure mass that does not rely on detecting and analysing light from the lens itself. Compact objects are ideal gravitational lenses, because they have relatively large masses and are dim. In this paper, we describe the prospects for predicting lensing events generated by the local population of compact objects, consisting of 250 neutron stars, five black holes, and ≈35 000 white dwarfs. By focusing on a population of nearby compact objects with measured proper motions and known distances from us, we can measure their masses by studying the characteristics of any lensing event they generate. Here, we concentrate on shifts in the position of a background source due to lensing by a foreground compact object. With Hubble Space Telescope, JWST, and Gaia, measurable centroid shifts caused by lensing are relatively frequent occurrences. We find that 30-50 detectable events per decade are expected for white dwarfs. Because relatively few neutron stars and black holes have measured distances and proper motions, it is more difficult to compute realistic rates for them. However, we show that at least one isolated neutron star has likely produced detectable events during the past several decades. This work is particularly relevant to the upcoming data releases by the Gaia mission and also to data that will be collected by JWST. Monitoring predicted microlensing events will not only help to determine the masses of compact objects, but will also potentially discover dim companions to these stellar remnants, including orbiting exoplanets.

Stellar Wind Retention and Expulsion in Massive Star Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naiman, J. P.; Ramirez-Ruiz, E.; Lin, D. N. C.

2018-05-01

Mass and energy injection throughout the lifetime of a star cluster contributes to the gas reservoir available for subsequent episodes of star formation and the feedback energy budget responsible for ejecting material from the cluster. In addition, mass processed in stellar interiors and ejected as winds has the potential to augment the abundance ratios of currently forming stars, or stars which form at a later time from a retained gas reservoir. Here we present hydrodynamical simulations that explore a wide range of cluster masses, compactnesses, metallicities and stellar population age combinations in order to determine the range of parameter space conducive to stellar wind retention or wind powered gas expulsion in star clusters. We discuss the effects of the stellar wind prescription on retention and expulsion effectiveness, using MESA stellar evolutionary models as a test bed for exploring how the amounts of wind retention/expulsion depend upon the amount of mixing between the winds from stars of different masses and ages. We conclude by summarizing some implications for gas retention and expulsion in a variety of compact (σv ≳ 20 kms-1) star clusters including young massive star clusters (105 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 107, age ≲ 500 Myrs), intermediate age clusters (105 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 107, age ≈ 1 - 4 Gyrs), and globular clusters (105 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 107, age ≳ 10 Gyrs).

The MACHO Project Sample of Galactic Bulge High-Amplitude δ Scuti Stars: Pulsation Behavior and Stellar Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D. R.; Axelrod, T. S.; Becker, A. C.; Bennett, D. P.; Cook, K. H.; Freeman, K. C.; Geha, M.; Griest, K.; Lehner, M. J.; Marshall, S. L.; McNamara, B. J.; Minniti, D.; Nelson, C.; Peterson, B. A.; Popowski, P.; Pratt, M. R.; Quinn, P. J.; Rodgers, A. W.; Sutherland, W.; Templeton, M. R.; Vandehei, T.; Welch, D. L.

2000-06-01

We have detected 90 objects with periods and light-curve structures similar to those of field δ Scuti stars using the Massive Compact Halo Object (MACHO) Project database of Galactic bulge photometry. If we assume similar extinction values for all candidates and absolute magnitudes similar to those of other field high-amplitude δ Scuti stars (HADS), the majority of these objects lie in or near the Galactic bulge. At least two of these objects are likely foreground δ Scuti stars, one of which may be an evolved nonradial pulsator, similar to other evolved, disk-population δ Scuti stars. We have analyzed the light curves of these objects and find that they are similar to the light curves of field δ Scuti stars and the δ Scuti stars found by the Optical Gravitational Lens Experiment (OGLE). However, the amplitude distribution of these sources lies between those of low- and high-amplitude δ Scuti stars, which suggests that they may be an intermediate population. We have found nine double-mode HADS with frequency ratios ranging from 0.75 to 0.79, four probable double- and multiple-mode objects, and another four objects with marginal detections of secondary modes. The low frequencies (5-14 cycles day-1) and the observed period ratios of ~0.77 suggest that the majority of these objects are evolved stars pulsating in fundamental or first overtone radial modes.

THE MAGNETOSPHERE OF THE ULTRACOOL DWARF DENIS 1048-3956

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ravi, V.; Hallinan, G.; Hobbs, G.

2011-07-01

Ultracool dwarfs, the least-massive contributors to the stellar mass function, exhibit striking magnetic properties that are inconsistent with trends for more massive stars. Here, we present the widest-band radio observations to date of an ultracool dwarf, DENIS-P J104814.9-395604, in four 2 GHz bandwidths between wavelengths of 1 cm and 10 cm. These data were obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array using the new Compact Array Broadband Backend instrument. We detected a stable negatively sloped power-law spectrum in total intensity, with spectral index {alpha} = 1.71 {+-} 0.09. Circular polarization fractions between 0.25 and 0.4 were found at the low-frequencymore » end of our detection band. We interpret these results as indicative of gyrosynchrotron emission. We suggest that the radio emission originates from beyond the corotation radius, R{sub C} , of the star. Adopting this model, we find R{sub C} between 1.2 R{sub *} and 2.9 R{sub *}, and a non-thermal electron density and magnetic field strength between 10{sup 5} and 10{sup 7.2} cm{sup -3} and between 70 and 260 G, respectively, at R{sub C} . The model accounts for the violation of the Guedel-Benz relation between X-ray and radio luminosities of low-mass stars by DENIS-P J104814.9-395604.« less

Anatomy of a cosmic-ray neutrino source and the Cygnus X-3 system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Harding, A. K.; Barnard, J. J.

1985-01-01

The effects of an intense beam of ultra-high energy cosmic rays from a compact object in the Cygnus X-3 binary system hitting the companion star, and of the subsequent production of secondary neutrinos, are examined. A maximum allowable beam luminosity of about 10 to the 42nd erg/s is found for a system containing a 1-10 solar mass main sequence target star. The proton beam must heat a relatively small area of the target star to satisfy observational constraints on the resulting stellar wind. With such a model, the neutrino to gamma-ray flux ratio of about 1000 can result from a combination of gamma-ray absorption and a large neutrino to gamma-ray duty cycle ratio. It is found that the high density of the atmosphere resulting from compression by the beam leads to pion cascading and a neutrino spectrum peaking at 1-10 GeV energies.

SDSS IV MaNGA - Properties of AGN Host Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, S. F.; Avila-Reese, V.; Hernandez-Toledo, H.; Cortes-Suárez, E.; Rodríguez-Puebla, A.; Ibarra-Medel, H.; Cano-Díaz, M.; Barrera-Ballesteros, J. K.; Negrete, C. A.; Calette, A. R.; de Lorenzo-Cáceres, A.; Ortega-Minakata, R. A.; Aquino, E.; Valenzuela, O.; Clemente, J. C.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.; Riffel, R.; Schimoia, J.; Riffel, R. A.; Rembold, S. B.; Brownstein, J. R.; Pan, K.; Yates, R.; Mallmann, N.; Bitsakis, T.

2018-04-01

We present the characterization of the main properties of a sample of 98 AGN host galaxies, both type-II and type-I, in comparison with those of ≍2700 non-active galaxies observed by the MaNGA survey. We found that AGN hosts are morphologically early-type or early-spirals. AGN hosts are, on average, more massive, more compact, more centrally peaked and more pressure-supported systems. They are located in the intermediate/transition region between starforming and non-star-forming galaxies (i.e., the so-called green valley). We consider that they are in the process of halting/quenching the star formation. The analysis of the radial distributions of different properties shows that the quenching happens from inside-out involving both a decrease of the effciency of the star formation and a deficit of molecular gas. The data-products of the current analysis are distributed as a Value Added Catalog within the SDSS-DR14.

Searching for the pulsar in SN1987A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staveley-Smith, Lister; Manchester, Dick; Zanardo, Giovanna

2013-10-01

We propose to search for a pulsar in the remnant of SN1987A. The existence of a neutron star formed after the explosion of the progenitor, Sk -69-202, is predicted by stellar evolution theory. Early neutrino detection by three separate ground-based detectors appears to confirm the formation of neutrons. Moreover, recent Compact Array observations hint at the presence of a flat-spectrum component near the centre of the remnant, possibly the result of synchrotron emission from a pulsar-powered nebula. However, the initial mass of the SN1987A progenitor is close to the limit where collapse into a black hole is predicted. It is therefore possible that fallback of matter onto the neutron star resulted in later formation of a black hole, or even a quark star. Detection or otherwise of the SN1987A pulsar would make a powerful contribution to stellar evolution theory.

A multifrequency study of star formation in the blue compact dwarf galaxy IZw 36

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viallefond, F.; Thuan, T. X.

1983-01-01

Radio, near IR, optical, and UV observations of I Zw 36 = Mrk 209 = Haro 29 are reported. The H I distribution shows a core-halo structure, the core containing half of the mass and showing systematic motions; the halo is diffuse and contains several H I clumps. The visible star formation region is associated with the core but is shifted slightly with respect to the H I peak column density; and the virial mass is 5 to 7 times the H I mass. Star formation models with an initial mass function of slope 1.5 (the Salpeter value being 1.35) and a burst age or duration of a few million years fit well the optical spectrophotometric measurements. The data also suggest that the column density of molecular hydrogen in I Zw 36 is 6 + or - 3 times that of the neutral hydrogen, about the right amount to account for the virial mass.

Measuring neutron star tidal deformability with Advanced LIGO: A Bayesian analysis of neutron star-black hole binary observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Prayush; Pürrer, Michael; Pfeiffer, Harald P.

2017-02-01

The pioneering discovery of gravitational waves (GWs) by Advanced LIGO has ushered us into an era of observational GW astrophysics. Compact binaries remain the primary target sources for GW observation, of which neutron star-black hole (NSBH) binaries form an important subset. GWs from NSBH sources carry signatures of (a) the tidal distortion of the neutron star by its companion black hole during inspiral, and (b) its potential tidal disruption near merger. In this paper, we present a Bayesian study of the measurability of neutron star tidal deformability ΛNS∝(R /M )NS5 using observation(s) of inspiral-merger GW signals from disruptive NSBH coalescences, taking into account the crucial effect of black hole spins. First, we find that if nontidal templates are used to estimate source parameters for an NSBH signal, the bias introduced in the estimation of nontidal physical parameters will only be significant for loud signals with signal-to-noise ratios greater than ≃30 . For similarly loud signals, we also find that we can begin to put interesting constraints on ΛNS (factor of 1-2) with individual observations. Next, we study how a population of realistic NSBH detections will improve our measurement of neutron star tidal deformability. For an astrophysically likely population of disruptive NSBH coalescences, we find that 20-35 events are sufficient to constrain ΛNS within ±25 %- 50 % , depending on the neutron star equation of state. For these calculations we assume that LIGO will detect black holes with masses within the astrophysical mass gap. In case the mass gap remains preserved in NSBHs detected by LIGO, we estimate that approximately 25% additional detections will furnish comparable ΛNS measurement accuracy. In both cases, we find that it is the loudest 5-10 events that provide most of the tidal information, and not the combination of tens of low-SNR events, thereby facilitating targeted numerical-GR follow-ups of NSBHs. We find these results encouraging, and recommend that an effort to measure ΛNS be planned for upcoming NSBH observations with the LIGO-Virgo instruments.

Compact Starburst Galaxies with Fast Outflows: Spatially Resolved Stellar Mass Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gottlieb, Sophia; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar; Lipscomb, Charles; Ohene, Senyo; Rines, Josh; Moustakas, John; Sell, Paul; Tremonti, Christy; Coil, Alison; Rudnick, Gregory; Hickox, Ryan C.; Geach, James; Kepley, Amanda

2018-01-01

Powerful galactic winds driven by stellar feedback and black hole accretion are thought to play an important role in regulating star formation in galaxies. In particular, strong stellar feedback from supernovae, stellar winds, radiation pressure, and cosmic rays is required by simulations of star-forming galaxies to prevent the vast majority of baryons from cooling and collapsing to form stars. However, it remains unclear whether these stellar processes play a significant role in expelling gas and shutting down star formation in massive progenitors of quiescent galaxies. What are the limits of stellar feedback? We present multi-band photometry with HST/WFC3 (F475W, F814W, F160W) for a dozen compact starburst galaxies at z~0.6 with half-light radii that suggest incredibly large central escape velocities. These massive galaxies are driving fast (>1000 km/s) outflows that have been previously attributed to stellar feedback associated with the compact (r~100 pc) starburst. But how compact is the stellar mass? In the context of the stellar feedback hypothesis, it is unclear whether these fast outflows are being driven at velocities comparable to the escape velocity of an incredibly dense stellar system (as predicted by some models of radiation-pressure winds) or at velocities that exceed the central escape velocity by large factor. Our spatially resolved measurements with HST show that the stellar mass is more extended than the light, and this requires that the physical mechanism responsible for driving the winds must be able to launch gas at velocities that are factors of 5-10 beyond the central escape velocity.

X-Ray Emission from Compact Sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cominsky, L

2004-03-23

This paper presents a review of the physical parameters of neutron stars and black holes that have been derived from X-ray observations. I then explain how these physical parameters can be used to learn about the extreme conditions occurring in regions of strong gravity, and present some recent evidence for relativistic effects seen in these systems. A glossary of commonly used terms and a short tutorial on the names of X-ray sources are also included.

The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes.

PubMed

Miller, Jon M; Raymond, John; Fabian, Andy; Steeghs, Danny; Homan, Jeroen; Reynolds, Chris; van der Klis, Michiel; Wijnands, Rudy

2006-06-22

Although disk accretion onto compact objects-white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes-is central to much of high-energy astrophysics, the mechanisms that enable this process have remained observationally difficult to determine. Accretion disks must transfer angular momentum in order for matter to travel radially inward onto the compact object. Internal viscosity from magnetic processes and disk winds can both in principle transfer angular momentum, but hitherto we lacked evidence that either occurs. Here we report that an X-ray-absorbing wind discovered in an observation of the stellar-mass black hole binary GRO J1655 - 40 (ref. 6) must be powered by a magnetic process that can also drive accretion through the disk. Detailed spectral analysis and modelling of the wind shows that it can only be powered by pressure generated by magnetic viscosity internal to the disk or magnetocentrifugal forces. This result demonstrates that disk accretion onto black holes is a fundamentally magnetic process.

IGR J16318-4848: 7 Years of INTEGRAL Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barragan, Laura; Wilms, Joern; kreykenbohm, Ingo; Hanke, manfred; Fuerst, Felix; Pottschmidt, Katja; Rothschild, Richard

2011-01-01

Since the discovery of IGR 116318-4848 in 2003 January, INTEGRAL has accumulated more than 5.8 Ms in IBIS/ISGRI. We present the first extensive analysis of the archival INTEGRAL data (IBIS/ISGRI, and JEM-X when available) for this source, together with the observations carried out by XMM-Newton (twice in 2003, and twice in 2004) and Suzaku (2006). The source is very variable in the long-term, with periods of low activity, where the source is almost not detected, and flares with a luminosity approximately 10 times greater than its average value (5.4 cts/s). IGR 116318-4848 is a HMXB containing a sgB[e] star and a compact object (most probably a neutron star) deeply embedded in the stellar wind of the mass donor. The variability of the source (also in the short-term) can be ascribed to the wind of the optical star being very clumpy. We study the variation of the spectral parameters in time scales of INTEGRAL revolutions. The photoelectric absorption is, with NH around 10(exp 24)/ square cm, unusually high. During brighter phases the strong K-alpha iron line known from XMM-Newton and Suzaku observations is also detectable with the JEM-X instrument.

Eight per cent leakage of Lyman continuum photons from a compact, star-forming dwarf galaxy.

PubMed

Izotov, Y I; Orlitová, I; Schaerer, D; Thuan, T X; Verhamme, A; Guseva, N G; Worseck, G

2016-01-14

One of the key questions in observational cosmology is the identification of the sources responsible for ionization of the Universe after the cosmic 'Dark Ages', when the baryonic matter was neutral. The currently identified distant galaxies are insufficient to fully reionize the Universe by redshift z ≈ 6 (refs 1-3), but low-mass, star-forming galaxies are thought to be responsible for the bulk of the ionizing radiation. As direct observations at high redshift are difficult for a variety of reasons, one solution is to identify local proxies of this galaxy population. Starburst galaxies at low redshifts, however, generally are opaque to Lyman continuum photons. Small escape fractions of about 1 to 3 per cent, insufficient to ionize much surrounding gas, have been detected only in three low-redshift galaxies. Here we report far-ultraviolet observations of the nearby low-mass star-forming galaxy J0925+1403. The galaxy is leaking ionizing radiation with an escape fraction of about 8 per cent. The total number of photons emitted during the starburst phase is sufficient to ionize intergalactic medium material that is about 40 times as massive as the stellar mass of the galaxy.

Recycling Matter in the Universe. X-Ray observations of SBS1150+599A (PN 6135.9+55.9)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tovmassian, Gagik; Tomsick, John; Napiwotzki, Ralf; Yungelson, Lev; Stasinska, Grazyna; Pena, Miriam; Richer, Michael

2008-01-01

We present X-ray observations of the close binary nucleus of the planetary nebula SBS 1150+599A obtained with the XMM-Newton satellite. Only one component of the binary can be observed in optical-UV. New X-ray observations show that the previously invisible component is a very hot compact star. This finding allows us to deduce rough values for the basic parameters of the binary. With a high probability the total mass of the system exceeds Chandrasekhar limit and makes the SBS1150+599A one of the best candidate for a supernova type Ia progenitor.

J1154+2443: a low-redshift compact star-forming galaxy with a 46 per cent leakage of Lyman continuum photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izotov, Y. I.; Schaerer, D.; Worseck, G.; Guseva, N. G.; Thuan, T. X.; Verhamme, A.; Orlitová, I.; Fricke, K. J.

2018-03-01

We report the detection of the Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation of the compact star-forming galaxy (SFG) J1154+2443 observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy, at a redshift of z = 0.3690, is characterized by a high emission-line flux ratio O32 = [O III] λ5007/[O II] λ3727 = 11.5. The escape fraction of the LyC radiation fesc(LyC) in this galaxy is 46 per cent, the highest value found so far in low-redshift SFGs and one of the highest values found in galaxies at any redshift. The narrow double-peaked Ly α emission line is detected in the spectrum of J1154+2443 with a separation between the peaks Vsep of 199 km s-1, one of the lowest known for Ly α-emitting galaxies, implying a high fesc(Ly α). Comparing the extinction-corrected Ly α/H β flux ratio with the case B value, we find fesc(Ly α) = 98 per cent. Our observations, combined with previous detections in the literature, reveal an increase of O32 with increasing fesc(LyC). We also find a tight anticorrelation between fesc(LyC) and Vsep. The surface brightness profile derived from the COS acquisition image reveals a bright star-forming region in the centre and an exponential disc in the outskirts with a disc scale length α = 1.09 kpc. J1154+2443, compared to other known low-redshift LyC leakers, is characterized by the lowest metallicity, 12+log O/H = 7.65 ± 0.01, the lowest stellar mass M⋆ = 108.20 M⊙, a similar star formation rate SFR = 18.9 M⊙ yr-1, and a high specific SFR of 1.2 × 10-7 yr-1.

The OmegaWhite Survey for Short-period Variable Stars. V. Discovery of an Ultracompact Hot Subdwarf Binary with a Compact Companion in a 44-minute Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kupfer, T.; Ramsay, G.; van Roestel, J.; Brooks, J.; MacFarlane, S. A.; Toma, R.; Groot, P. J.; Woudt, P. A.; Bildsten, L.; Marsh, T. R.; Green, M. J.; Breedt, E.; Kilkenny, D.; Freudenthal, J.; Geier, S.; Heber, U.; Bagnulo, S.; Blagorodnova, N.; Buckley, D. A. H.; Dhillon, V. S.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Lunnan, R.; Prince, T. A.

2017-12-01

We report the discovery of the ultracompact hot subdwarf (sdOB) binary OW J074106.0-294811.0 with an orbital period of {P}{orb}=44.66279+/- 1.16× {10}-4 minutes, making it the most compact hot subdwarf binary known. Spectroscopic observations using the VLT, Gemini and Keck telescopes revealed a He-sdOB primary with an intermediate helium abundance, {T}{eff} = 39 400+/- 500 K and {log}g = 5.74 ± 0.09. High signal-to-noise ratio light curves show strong ellipsoidal modulation resulting in a derived sdOB mass {M}{sdOB}=0.23+/- 0.12 {M}⊙ with a WD companion ({M}{WD}=0.72+/- 0.17 {M}⊙ ). The mass ratio was found to be q={M}{sdOB}/{M}{WD}=0.32+/- 0.10. The derived mass for the He-sdOB is inconsistent with the canonical mass for hot subdwarfs of ≈ 0.47 {M}⊙ . To put constraints on the structure and evolutionary history of the sdOB star we compared the derived {T}{eff}, {log}g, and sdOB mass to evolutionary tracks of helium stars and helium white dwarfs calculated with Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). We find that the best-fitting model is a helium white dwarf with a mass of 0.320 {M}⊙ , which left the common envelope ≈ 1.1 {Myr} ago, which is consistent with the observations. As a helium white dwarf with a massive white dwarf companion, the object will reach contact in 17.6 Myr at an orbital period of 5 minutes. Depending on the spin-orbit synchronization timescale the object will either merge to form an R CrB star or end up as a stably accreting AM CVn-type system with a helium white dwarf donor.

Irradiation-driven Mass Transfer Cycles in Compact Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büning, A.; Ritter, H.

2005-08-01

We elaborate on the analytical model of Ritter, Zhang, & Kolb (2000) which describes the basic physics of irradiation-driven mass transfer cycles in semi-detached compact binary systems. In particular, we take into account a contribution to the thermal relaxation of the donor star which is unrelated to irradiation and which was neglected in previous studies. We present results of simulations of the evolution of compact binaries undergoing mass transfer cycles, in particular also of systems with a nuclear evolved donor star. These computations have been carried out with a stellar evolution code which computes mass transfer implicitly and models irradiation of the donor star in a point source approximation, thereby allowing for much more realistic simulations than were hitherto possible. We find that low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and cataclysmic variables (CVs) with orbital periods ⪉ 6hr can undergo mass transfer cycles only for low angular momentum loss rates. CVs containing a giant donor or one near the terminal age main sequence are more stable than previously thought, but can possibly also undergo mass transfer cycles.

The Optical Green Valley Versus Mid-infrared Canyon in Compact Groups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Lisa May; Butterfield, Natalie; Johnson, Kelsey; Zucker, Catherine; Gallagher, Sarah; Konstantopoulos, Iraklis; Zabludoff, Ann; Hornschemeier, Ann E.; Tzanavaris, Panayiotis; Charlton, Jane C.

2013-01-01

Compact groups of galaxies provide conditions similar to those experienced by galaxies in the earlier universe. Recent work on compact groups has led to the discovery of a dearth of mid-infrared transition galaxies (MIRTGs) in Infrared Array Camera (3.6-8.0 micrometers) color space as well as at intermediate specific star formation rates. However, we find that in compact groups these MIRTGs have already transitioned to the optical ([g-r]) red sequence. We investigate the optical color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of 99 compact groups containing 348 galaxies and compare the optical CMD with mid-infrared (mid-IR) color space for compact group galaxies. Utilizing redshifts available from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we identified new galaxy members for four groups. By combining optical and mid-IR data, we obtain information on both the dust and the stellar populations in compact group galaxies. We also compare with more isolated galaxies and galaxies in the Coma Cluster, which reveals that, similar to clusters, compact groups are dominated by optically red galaxies. While we find that compact group transition galaxies lie on the optical red sequence, LVL (Local Volume Legacy) + (plus) SINGS (Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey) mid-IR (infrared) transition galaxies span the range of optical colors. The dearth of mid-IR transition galaxies in compact groups may be due to a lack of moderately star-forming low mass galaxies; the relative lack of these galaxies could be due to their relatively small gravitational potential wells. This makes them more susceptible to this dynamic environment, thus causing them to more easily lose gas or be accreted by larger members.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Small-scale structure of dark matter and microlensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurevich, Aleksandr V.; Zybin, Kirill P.; Sirota, V. A.

1997-09-01

It has been revealed using microlensing that a considerable part, possibly more than half, of the dark matter in the halo of our Galaxy consists of objects with a mass spectrum ranging from 0.05 to 0.8 of the solar mass. What is the nature of these objects? There exist two hypotheses. According to one, these are Jupiter type planets or small stars (brown and white dwarfs) consisting of normal baryonic matter. According to the other, these are non-compact objects, i.e., small-scale formations in non-baryonic dark matter. Here, a theory is proposed describing the possibility of the existence of non-compact objects in the halo of our Galaxy, their structure and formation from non-baryonic matter. The theory of microlensing on compact and non-compact objects is considered in detail. The results of microlensing observations are described and compared with theory. Possible astrophysical manifestations of the presence of small-scale structure are pointed out. The field is being extensively studied and is of fundamental interest for cosmology and astrophysics.

Discovery of Coherent Pulsations from the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source NGC 7793 P13

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furst, F.; Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Stern, D.; Barret, D.; Brightman, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Grefenstette, B.; Madsen, K. K.; Middleton, M. J.;

Localization of binary neutron star mergers with second and third generation gravitational-wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Cameron; Tiwari, Vaibhav; Fairhurst, Stephen

2018-05-01

The observation of gravitational wave signals from binary black hole and binary neutron star mergers has established the field of gravitational wave astronomy. It is expected that future networks of gravitational wave detectors will possess great potential in probing various aspects of astronomy. An important consideration for successive improvement of current detectors or establishment on new sites is knowledge of the minimum number of detectors required to perform precision astronomy. We attempt to answer this question by assessing the ability of future detector networks to detect and localize binary neutron stars mergers on the sky. Good localization ability is crucial for many of the scientific goals of gravitational wave astronomy, such as electromagnetic follow-up, measuring the properties of compact binaries throughout cosmic history, and cosmology. We find that although two detectors at improved sensitivity are sufficient to get a substantial increase in the number of observed signals, at least three detectors of comparable sensitivity are required to localize majority of the signals, typically to within around 10 deg2 —adequate for follow-up with most wide field of view optical telescopes.

The Evolution of the Accretion Disk Around 4U 1820-30 During a Superburst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballantyne, D. R.; Strohmayer, T. E.

2004-01-01

Accretion from a disk onto a collapsed, relativistic star - a neutron star or black hole - is the mechanism widely believed to be responsible for the emission from compact X-ray binaries. Because of the extreme spatial resolution required, it is not yet possible to directly observe the evolution or dynamics of the inner parts of the accretion disk where general relativistic effects are dominant. Here, we use the bright X-ray emission from a superburst on the surface of the neutron star 4U 1820-30 as a spotlight to illuminate the disk surface. The X-rays cause iron atoms in the disk t o fluoresce, allowing a determination of the ionization state, covering factor and inner radius of the disk over the course of the burst. The time-resolved spectral fitting shows that the inner region of the disk is disrupted by the burst, possibly being heated into a thicker, more tenuous flow, before recovering its previous form in approximately 1000 s. This marks the first instance that the evolution of the inner regions of an accretion disk has been observed in real-time.

Class I methanol masers in NGC 253: Alcohol at the end of the bar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellingsen, S. P.; Chen, X.; Breen, S. L.; Qiao, H.-H.

2017-11-01

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array to observe the 36.2-GHz class I methanol maser emission towards NGC 253 and find that it is located at the interface between the nuclear ring and both ends of the galactic bar. This is thought to be the location of the inner Linblad resonance and we suggest that the maser emission in this region is likely due to large-scale cloud-cloud collisions. We have detected the first extragalactic 44.1-GHz class I methanol maser and find that it is associated with the 36.2-GHz maser emission. In contrast to the class I methanol masers found in Galactic star formation regions, the 44.1-GHz emission in NGC 253 is two orders of magnitude weaker than the 36.2-GHz masers. Both the 36.2- and 44.1-GHz emission is orders of magnitude stronger than expected from typical high-mass star formation regions. This demonstrates that the luminous class I methanol masers observed in NGC 253 are significantly different from those associated with Galactic star formation.

10 CFR Appendix V to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Ceiling Fan Light Kits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... for Testing” of DOE's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for [Compact Fluorescent Lamps] CFLs,” Version... Specifications for Qualifying Products” of the EPA's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Light... requirements specified in section 4, “CFL Requirements for Testing,” of the “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements...

10 CFR Appendix V to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Ceiling Fan Light Kits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... for Testing” of DOE's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for [Compact Fluorescent Lamps] CFLs,” Version... Specifications for Qualifying Products” of the EPA's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Light... requirements specified in section 4, “CFL Requirements for Testing,” of the “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements...

10 CFR Appendix V to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Ceiling Fan Light Kits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... for Testing” of DOE's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for [Compact Fluorescent Lamps] CFLs,” Version... Specifications for Qualifying Products” of the EPA's “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Light... requirements specified in section 4, “CFL Requirements for Testing,” of the “ENERGY STAR Program Requirements...

Mimetic compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momeni, D.; Moraes, P. H. R. S.; Gholizade, H.; Myrzakulov, R.

Modified gravity models have been constantly proposed with the purpose of evading some standard gravity shortcomings. Recently proposed by Chamseddine and Mukhanov, the Mimetic Gravity arises as an optimistic alternative. Our purpose in this work is to derive Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations and solutions for such a gravity theory. We solve them numerically for quark star and neutron star cases. The results are carefully discussed.

Uncovering the identities of compact objects in high-mass X-ray binaries and gamma-ray binaries by astrometric measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, M. S.; Yano, T.; Gouda, N.

2018-03-01

We develop a method for identifying a compact object in binary systems with astrometric measurements and apply it to some binaries. Compact objects in some high-mass X-ray binaries and gamma-ray binaries are unknown, which is responsible for the fact that emission mechanisms in such systems have not yet confirmed. The accurate estimate of the mass of the compact object allows us to identify the compact object in such systems. Astrometric measurements are expected to enable us to estimate the masses of the compact objects in the binary systems via a determination of a binary orbit. We aim to evaluate the possibility of the identification of the compact objects for some binary systems. We then calculate probabilities that the compact object is correctly identified with astrometric observation (= confidence level) by taking into account a dependence of the orbital shape on orbital parameters and distributions of masses of white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. We find that the astrometric measurements with the precision of 70 μas for γ Cas allow us to identify the compact object at 99 per cent confidence level if the compact object is a white dwarf with 0.6 M⊙. In addition, we can identify the compact object with the precision of 10 μas at 97 per cent or larger confidence level for LS I +61° 303 and 99 per cent or larger for HESS J0632+057. These results imply that the astrometric measurements with the 10 μas precision level can realize the identification of compact objects for γ Cas, LS I +61° 303, and HESS J0632+057.

Neutron stars in Horndeski gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maselli, Andrea; Silva, Hector O.; Minamitsuji, Masato; Berti, Emanuele

2016-06-01

Horndeski's theory of gravity is the most general scalar-tensor theory with a single scalar whose equations of motion contain at most second-order derivatives. A subsector of Horndeski's theory known as "Fab Four" gravity allows for dynamical self-tuning of the quantum vacuum energy, and therefore it has received particular attention in cosmology as a possible alternative to the Λ CDM model. Here we study compact stars in Fab Four gravity, which includes as special cases general relativity ("George"), Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity ("Ringo"), theories with a nonminimal coupling with the Einstein tensor ("John"), and theories involving the double-dual of the Riemann tensor ("Paul"). We generalize and extend previous results in theories of the John class and were not able to find realistic compact stars in theories involving the Paul class.

Unveiling the Universality of I-Love-Q Relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sham, Y.-H.; Chan, T. K.; Lin, L.-M.; Leung, P. T.

2015-01-01

The recent discovery of the universal I-Love-Q relations connecting the moment of inertia, tidal deformability, and the spin-induced quadrupole moment of compact stars is intriguing and totally unexpected. In this paper, we provide numerical evidence showing that the universality can be attributed to the incompressible limit of the I-Love-Q relations. The fact that modern equations of state are stiff, with an effective adiabatic index larger than about two, above the nuclear density range is the key to establishing the universality for neutron stars and quark stars with typical compactness from about 0.1 to 0.3. On the other hand, the I-Love-Q relations of low-mass neutron stars near the minimum mass limit depend more sensitively on the underlying equation of state because these stars are composed mainly of softer matter at low densities. However, the I-Love-Q relations for low-mass quark stars can still be represented accurately by the incompressible limit. We also study the I-Love relation connecting the moment of inertia and tidal deformability analytically in Newtonian gravity and show why the I-Love-Q relation is weakly dependent on the underlying equation of state and can be attributed to its incompressible limit.

Cooling of hypernuclear compact stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raduta, Adriana R.; Sedrakian, Armen; Weber, Fridolin

2018-04-01

We study the thermal evolution of hypernuclear compact stars constructed from covariant density functional theory of hypernuclear matter and parametrizations which produce sequences of stars containing two-solar-mass objects. For the input in the simulations, we solve the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer gap equations in the hyperonic sector and obtain the gaps in the spectra of Λ, Ξ0, and Ξ- hyperons. For the models with masses M/M⊙ ≥ 1.5 the neutrino cooling is dominated by hyperonic direct Urca processes in general. In the low-mass stars the (Λp) plus leptons channel is the dominant direct Urca process, whereas for more massive stars the purely hyperonic channels (Σ-Λ) and (Ξ-Λ) are dominant. Hyperonic pairing strongly suppresses the processes on Ξ-s and to a lesser degree on Λs. We find that intermediate-mass 1.5 ≤ M/M⊙ ≤ 1.8 models have surface temperatures which lie within the range inferred from thermally emitting neutron stars, if the hyperonic pairing is taken into account. Most massive models with M/M⊙ ≃ 2 may cool very fast via the direct Urca process through the (Λp) channel because they develop inner cores where the S-wave pairing of Λs and proton is absent.

Light-curve and spectral properties of ultrastripped core-collapse supernovae leading to binary neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriya, Takashi J.; Mazzali, Paolo A.; Tominaga, Nozomu; Hachinger, Stephan; Blinnikov, Sergei I.; Tauris, Thomas M.; Takahashi, Koh; Tanaka, Masaomi; Langer, Norbert; Podsiadlowski, Philipp

2017-04-01

We investigate light-curve and spectral properties of ultrastripped core-collapse supernovae. Ultrastripped supernovae are the explosions of heavily stripped massive stars that lost their envelopes via binary interactions with a compact companion star. They eject only ˜0.1 M⊙ and may be the main way to form double neutron-star systems that eventually merge emitting strong gravitational waves. We follow the evolution of an ultrastripped supernova progenitor until iron core collapse and perform explosive nucleosynthesis calculations. We then synthesize light curves and spectra of ultrastripped supernovae using the nucleosynthesis results and present their expected properties. Ultrastripped supernovae synthesize ˜0.01 M⊙ of radioactive 56Ni, and their typical peak luminosity is around 1042 erg s-1 or -16 mag. Their typical rise time is 5-10 d. Comparing synthesized and observed spectra, we find that SN 2005ek, some of the so-called calcium-rich gap transients, and SN 2010X may be related to ultrastripped supernovae. If these supernovae are actually ultrastripped supernovae, their event rate is expected to be about 1 per cent of core-collapse supernovae. Comparing the double neutron-star merger rate obtained by future gravitational-wave observations and the ultrastripped supernova rate obtained by optical transient surveys identified with our synthesized light-curve and spectral models, we will be able to judge whether ultrastripped supernovae are actually a major contributor to the binary neutron-star population and provide constraints on binary stellar evolution.

Current Sheets in Pulsar Magnetospheres and Winds: Particle Acceleration and Pulsed Gamma Ray Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arons, Jonathan

The research proposed addresses understanding of the origin of non-thermal energy in the Universe, a subject beginning with the discovery of Cosmic Rays and continues, including the study of relativistic compact objects - neutron stars and black holes. Observed Rotation Powered Pulsars (RPPs) have rotational energy loss implying they have TeraGauss magnetic fields and electric potentials as large as 40 PetaVolts. The rotational energy lost is reprocessed into particles which manifest themselves in high energy gamma ray photon emission (GeV to TeV). Observations of pulsars from the FERMI Gamma Ray Observatory, launched into orbit in 2008, have revealed 130 of these stars (and still counting), thus demonstrating the presence of efficient cosmic accelerators within the strongly magnetized regions surrounding the rotating neutron stars. Understanding the physics of these and other Cosmic Accelerators is a major goal of astrophysical research. A new model for particle acceleration in the current sheets separating the closed and open field line regions of pulsars' magnetospheres, and separating regions of opposite magnetization in the relativistic winds emerging from those magnetopsheres, will be developed. The currents established in recent global models of the magnetosphere will be used as input to a magnetic field aligned acceleration model that takes account of the current carrying particles' inertia, generalizing models of the terrestrial aurora to the relativistic regime. The results will be applied to the spectacular new results from the FERMI gamma ray observatory on gamma ray pulsars, to probe the physics of the generation of the relativistic wind that carries rotational energy away from the compact stars, illuminating the whole problem of how compact objects can energize their surroundings. The work to be performed if this proposal is funded involves extending and developing concepts from plasma physics on dissipation of magnetic energy in thin sheets of electric current that separate regions of differing magnetization into the domain of highly relativistic magnetic fields - those with energy density large compared to the rest mass energy of the charged particles - the plasma - caught in that field. The investigators will create theoretical and computational models of the magnetic dissipation - a form of viscous flow in the thin sheets of electric current that form in the magnetized regions around the rotating stars - using Particle in-Cell plasma simulations. These simulations use a large computer to solve the equations of motion of many charged particles - millions to billions in the research that will be pursued - to unravel the dissipation of those fields and the acceleration of beams of particles in the thin sheets. The results will be incorporated into macroscopic MHD models of the magnetic structures around the stars which determine the location and strength of the current sheets, so as to model and analyze the pulsed gamma ray emission seen from hundreds of Rotation Powered Pulsars. The computational models will be assisted by ``pencil and paper'' theoretical modeling designed to motivate and interpret the computer simulations, and connect them to the observations.

Digging for red nuggets: discovery of hot halos surrounding massive, compact, relic galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, N.; Lakhchaura, K.; Canning, R. E. A.; Gaspari, M.; Simionescu, A.

2018-04-01

We present the results of Chandra X-ray observations of the isolated, massive, compact, relic galaxies MRK 1216 and PGC 032873. Compact massive galaxies observed at z > 2, also called red nuggets, formed in quick dissipative events and later grew by dry mergers into the local giant ellipticals. Due to the stochastic nature of mergers, a few of the primordial massive galaxies avoided the mergers and remained untouched over cosmic time. We find that the hot atmosphere surrounding MRK 1216 extends far beyond the stellar population and has an 0.5-7 keV X-ray luminosity of LX = (7.0 ± 0.2) × 1041 erg s-1, which is similar to the nearby X-ray bright giant ellipticals. The hot gas has a short central cooling time of ˜50 Myr and the galaxy has a ˜13 Gyr old stellar population. The presence of an X-ray atmosphere with a short nominal cooling time and the lack of young stars indicate the presence of a sustained heating source, which prevented star formation since the dissipative origin of the galaxy 13 Gyrs ago. The central temperature peak and the presence of radio emission in the core of the galaxy indicate that the heating source is radio-mechanical AGN feedback. Given that both MRK 1216 and PGC 032873 appear to have evolved in isolation, the order of magnitude difference in their current X-ray luminosity could be traced back to a difference in the ferocity of the AGN outbursts in these systems. Finally, we discuss the potential connection between the presence of hot halos around such massive galaxies and the growth of super/over-massive black holes via chaotic cold accretion.

Sh2-138: physical environment around a small cluster of massive stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baug, T.; Ojha, D. K.; Dewangan, L. K.; Ninan, J. P.; Bhatt, B. C.; Ghosh, S. K.; Mallick, K. K.

2015-12-01

We present a multiwavelength study of the Sh2-138, a Galactic compact H II region. The data comprise of optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometric and spectroscopic observations from the 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope, radio observations from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), and archival data covering radio through NIR wavelengths. A total of 10 Class I and 54 Class II young stellar objects (YSOs) are identified in a 4.6 arcmin×4.6 arcmin area of the Sh2-138 region. Five compact ionized clumps, with four lacking of any optical or NIR counterparts, are identified using the 1280 MHz radio map, and correspond to sources with spectral type earlier than B0.5. Free-free emission spectral energy distribution fitting of the central compact H II region yields an electron density of ˜2250 ± 400 cm-3. With the aid of a wide range of spectra, from 0.5-15 μm, the central brightest source - previously hypothesized to be the main ionizing source - is characterized as a Herbig Be type star. At large scale (15 arcmin ×15 arcmin), the Herschel images (70-500 μm) and the nearest neighbour analysis of YSOs suggest the formation of an isolated cluster at the junction of filaments. Furthermore, using a greybody fit to the dust spectrum, the cluster is found to be associated with the highest column density (˜3 × 1022 cm-2) and high temperature (˜35 K) regime, as well as with the radio continuum emission. The mass of the central clump seen in the column density map is estimated to be ˜3770 M⊙.

Digging for red nuggets: discovery of hot haloes surrounding massive, compact, relic galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, N.; Lakhchaura, K.; Canning, R. E. A.; Gaspari, M.; Simionescu, A.

2018-07-01

We present the results of Chandra X-ray observations of the isolated, massive, compact, relic galaxies MRK 1216 and PGC 032873. Compact massive galaxies observed at z > 2, also called red nuggets, formed in quick dissipative events and later grew by dry mergers into the local giant ellipticals. Due to the stochastic nature of mergers, a few of the primordial massive galaxies avoided the mergers and remained untouched over cosmic time. We find that the hot atmosphere surrounding MRK 1216 extends far beyond the stellar population and has a 0.5-7 keV X-ray luminosity of LX = (7.0 ± 0.2) × 1041 erg s-1, which is similar to the nearby X-ray bright giant ellipticals. The hot gas has a short central cooling time of ˜50 Myr and the galaxy has an ˜13-Gyr-old stellar population. The presence of an X-ray atmosphere with a short nominal cooling time and the lack of young stars indicate the presence of a sustained heating source, which prevented star formation since the dissipative origin of the galaxy 13 Gyr ago. The central temperature peak and the presence of radio emission in the core of the galaxy indicate that the heating source is radio-mechanical active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. Given that both MRK 1216 and PGC 032873 appear to have evolved in isolation, the order of magnitude difference in their current X-ray luminosity could be traced back to a difference in the ferocity of the AGN outbursts in these systems. Finally, we discuss the potential connection between the presence of hot haloes around such massive galaxies and the growth of super-/overmassive black holes via chaotic cold accretion.

Optical Multi-Channel Intensity Interferometry - Or: How to Resolve O-Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trippe, Sascha; Kim, Jae-Young; Lee, Bangwon; Choi, Changsu; Oh, Junghwan; Lee, Taeseok; Yoon, Sung-Chul; Im, Myungshin; Park, Yong-Sun

2014-12-01

Intensity interferometry, based on the Hanbury Brown--Twiss effect, is a simple and inexpensive method for optical interferometry at microarcsecond angular resolutions; its use in astronomy was abandoned in the 1970s because of low sensitivity. Motivated by recent technical developments, we argue that the sensitivity of large modern intensity interferometers can be improved by factors up to approximately 25,000, corresponding to 11 photometric magnitudes, compared to the pioneering Narrabri Stellar Interferometer. This is made possible by (i) using avalanche photodiodes (APD) as light detectors, (ii) distributing the light received from the source over multiple independent spectral channels, and (iii) use of arrays composed of multiple large light collectors. Our approach permits the construction of large (with baselines ranging from few kilometers to intercontinental distances) optical interferometers at the cost of (very) long-baseline radio interferometers. Realistic intensity interferometer designs are able to achieve limiting R-band magnitudes as good as m_R≈14, sufficient for spatially resolved observations of main-sequence O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Multi-channel intensity interferometers can address a wide variety of science cases: (i) linear radii, effective temperatures, and luminosities of stars, via direct measurements of stellar angular sizes; (ii) mass--radius relationships of compact stellar remnants, via direct measurements of the angular sizes of white dwarfs; (iii) stellar rotation, via observations of rotation flattening and surface gravity darkening; (iv) stellar convection and the interaction of stellar photospheres and magnetic fields, via observations of dark and bright starspots; (v) the structure and evolution of multiple stars, via mapping of the companion stars and of accretion flows in interacting binaries; (vi) direct measurements of interstellar distances, derived from angular diameters of stars or via the interferometric Baade--Wesselink method; (vii) the physics of gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, via resolved observations of the central engines of luminous active galactic nuclei; and (viii) calibration of amplitude interferometers by providing a sample of calibrator stars.