| 1. |
- Grunhut, H, et al.
(författare)
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Discovery of a magnetic field in the O9 sub-giant star HD 57682 by the MiMeS Collaboration
- 2009
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 400:1, s. L94-L98
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the detection of a strong, organized magnetic field in the O9IV star HD 57682, using spectropolarimetric observations obtained with ESPaDOnS at the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope within the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) Large Programme. From the fitting of our spectra using non-local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmospheres, we determined that HD 57682 is a 17(-9)(+19)M(circle dot) star with a radius of 7.0(-1.8)(+2.4)R(circle dot) and a relatively low mass-loss rate of 1.4(-0.95)(+3.1) x 10(-9) M-circle dot yr(-1). The photospheric absorption lines are narrow, and we use the Fourier transform technique to infer v sin i = 15 +/- 3 km s(-1). This v sin i implies a maximum rotational period of 31.5 d, a value qualitatively consistent with the observed variability of the optical absorption and emission lines, as well as the Stokes V profiles and longitudinal field. Using a Bayesian analysis of the velocity-resolved Stokes V profiles to infer the magnetic field characteristics, we tentatively derive a dipole field strength of 1680(-356)(+134)G. The derived field strength and wind characteristics imply a wind that is strongly confined by the magnetic field.
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| 2. |
- Thébault, Philippe, et al.
(författare)
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Planet formation in the habitable zone of α Centauri B
- 2009
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 393:1, s. L21-L25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies have shown that α Centauri B might be, from an observational point of view, an ideal candidate for the detection of an Earth-like planet in or near its habitable zone (0.5-0.9au). We study here if such habitable planets can form, by numerically investigating the planet-formation stage which is probably the most sensitive to binarity effects: the mutual accretion of km-sized planetesimals. Using a state-of-the-art algorithm for computing the impact velocities within a test planetesimal population, we find that planetesimal growth is only possible, although marginally, in the innermost part of the habitable zone (HZ) around 0.5au. Beyond this point, the combination of secular perturbations by the binary companion and gas drag drives the mutual velocities beyond the erosion limit. Impact velocities might later decrease during the gas removal phase, but this probably happens too late for preventing most km-sized objects to be removed by inward drift, thus preventing accretion from starting anew. A more promising hypothesis is that the binary formed in a crowded cluster, where it might have been wider in its initial stages, when planetary formation was ongoing. We explore this scenario and find that a starting separation roughly 15au wider, or an eccentricity 2.5 times lower than the present ones, is required to have an accretion-friendly environment in the whole HZ.
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| 3. |
- Thoudam, Satyendra
(författare)
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Revisiting the effect of nearby supernova remnants on local cosmic rays
- 2007
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 380:1, s. L1-L5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In an earlier paper, the effect of the nearby known supernova remnants (SNRs) on the local cosmic rays (CRs) was studied, considering different possible forms of the particle injection time. The present work is a continuation of the previous work, but assumes a more realistic model of CR propagation in the Galaxy. The previous work assumed an unbounded three-dimensional diffusion region, whereas the present one considers a flat cylindrical disc bounded in both the radial and vertical directions. The study has found that the effect of the vertical halo boundary H on the local SNR contribution to the observed CR anisotropy is negligible as long as H≳ 2 kpc. Considering the values of the halo height H≳ 2 kpc obtained by different authors, the present work suggests that the study of the effect of local sources on the CR anisotropy can be carried out without having much information on H, and hence using the much simpler three-dimensional unbounded solution. Finally, the present work discusses the possibility of explaining the observed anisotropy below the knee by a single dominant source with properly chosen source parameters, and claims that the source may be an undetected old SNR with a characteristic age of ∼1.5 × 105 yr located at a distance of ∼0.57 kpc from the Sun.
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| 4. |
- Algeri, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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A method for comparing non-nested models with application to astrophysical searches for new physics
- 2016
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 458:1, s. L84-L88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Searches for unknown physics and decisions between competing astrophysical models to explain data both rely on statistical hypothesis testing. The usual approach in searches for new physical phenomena is based on the statistical likelihood ratio test and its asymptotic properties. In the common situation, when neither of the two models under comparison is a special case of the other i.e. when the hypotheses are non-nested, this test is not applicable. In astrophysics, this problem occurs when two models that reside in different parameter spaces are to be compared. An important example is the recently reported excess emission in astrophysical gamma-rays and the question whether its origin is known astrophysics or dark matter. We develop and study a new, simple, generally applicable, frequentist method and validate its statistical properties using a suite of simulations studies. We exemplify it on realistic simulated data of the Fermi-Large Area Telescope gamma-ray satellite, where non-nested hypotheses testing appears in the search for particle dark matter.
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| 5. |
- Amarsi, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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The Galactic chemical evolution of oxygen inferred from 3D non-LTE spectral-line-formation calculations
- 2015
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3933 .- 1745-3925. ; 454:1, s. L11-L15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We revisit the Galactic chemical evolution of oxygen, addressing the systematic errors inherent in classical determinations of the oxygen abundance that arise from the use of one-dimensional (1D) hydrostatic model atmospheres and from the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We perform detailed 3D non-LTE radiative-transfer calculations for atomic oxygen lines across a grid of 3D hydrodynamic STAGGER model atmospheres for dwarfs and subgiants. We apply our grid of predicted line strengths of the [O I] 630 nm and O I 777 nm lines using accurate stellar parameters from the literature. We infer a steep decay in [O/Fe] for [Fe/H] greater than or similar to -1.0, a plateau [O/Fe] approximate to 0.5 down to [Fe/H] approximate to -2.5, and an increasing trend for [Fe/H] less than or similar to -2.5. Our 3D non-LTE calculations yield overall concordant results from the two oxygen abundance diagnostics.
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| 6. |
- Arentsen, A., et al.
(författare)
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The Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS) I : tracing the kinematics of metal-poor stars in the Galactic bulge
- 2020
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 491:1, s. L11-L16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our Galaxy is known to contain a central boxy/peanut-shaped bulge, yet the importance of a classical, pressure-supported component within the central part of the Milky Way is still being debated. It should be most visible at low metallicity, a regime that has not yet been studied in detail. Using metallicity-sensitive narrow-band photometry, the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS) has collected a large sample of metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.0) stars in the inner Galaxy to address this open question. We use PIGS to trace the metal-poor inner Galaxy kinematics as function of metallicity for the first time. We find that the rotational signal decreases with decreasing [Fe/H], until it becomes negligible for the most metal-poor stars. Additionally, the velocity dispersion increases with decreasing metallicity for -3.0 < [Fe/II] < -0.5, with a gradient of -44 +/- 41un s(-1)dex(-1). These observations may signal a transition between Galactic components of different metallicities and kinematics, a different mapping on to the boxy/peanut-shaped bulge for former disc stars of different metallicities and/or the secular dynamical and gravitational influence of the bar on the pressure-supported component. Our results provide strong constraints on models that attempt to explain the properties of the inner Galaxy.
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| 7. |
- Chauvin, Maxime, et al.
(författare)
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Observation of polarized hard X-ray emission from the Crab by the PoGOLite Pathfinder
- 2016
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 456:1, s. L84-L88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have measured the linear polarization of hard X-ray emission from the Crab in a previously unexplored energy interval, 20-120 keV. The introduction of two new observational parameters, the polarization fraction and angle stands to disentangle geometrical and physical effects, thereby providing information on the pulsar wind geometry and magnetic field environment. Measurements are conducted using the PoGOLite Pathfinder - a balloon-borne polarimeter. Polarization is determined by measuring the azimuthal Compton scattering angle of incident X-rays in an array of plastic scintillators housed in an anticoincidence well. The polarimetric response has been characterized prior to flight using both polarized and unpolarized calibration sources. We address possible systematic effects through observations of a background field. The measured polarization fraction for the integrated Crab light curve is 18.4(-10.6)(+9.8) per cent, corresponding to an upper limit (99 per cent credibility) of 42.4 per cent, for a polarization angle of (149.2 +/- 16.0)degrees.
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| 8. |
- Chauvin, Maxime, et al.
(författare)
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PoGO + polarimetric constraint on the synchrotron jet emission of Cygnus X-1
- 2019
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. - : Oxford University Press. - 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933 .- 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 483:1, s. L138-L143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report a polarimetric constraint on the hard X-ray synchrotron jet emission from the Cygnus X-1 black hole binary system. The observational data were obtained using the PoGO+ hard X-ray polarimeter in 2016 July, when Cygnus X-1 was in the hard state. We have previously reported that emission from an extended corona with a low polarization fraction is dominating, and that the polarization angle is perpendicular to the disc surface. In the soft gamma-ray regime, a highly polarized synchrotron jet is reported with INTEGRAL observations. To constrain the polarization fraction and flux of such a jet component in the hard X-ray regime, we now extend analyses through vector calculations in the Stokes QU plane, where the dominant corona emission and the jet component are considered simultaneously. The presence of another emission component with different polarization angle could partly cancel out the net polarization. The 90 per cent upper limit of the polarization fraction for the additional synchrotron jet component is estimated as <10 per cent, <5 per cent, and <5 per cent for polarization angle perpendicular to the disc surface, parallel to the surface, and aligned with the emission reported by INTEGRAL data, respectively. From the 20-180 keV total flux of 2.6 × 10 -8 erg s -1 cm -2, the upper limit of the polarized flux is estimated as < 3 × 10 -9 erg s -1 cm -2.
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| 9. |
- Chauvin, Maxime, et al.
(författare)
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The PoGO plus view on Crab off-pulse hard X-ray polarization
- 2018
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 477:1, s. L45-L49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The linear polarization fraction (PF) and angle of the hard X-ray emission from the Crab provide unique insight into high-energy radiation mechanisms, complementing the usual imaging, timing, and spectroscopic approaches. Results have recently been presented by two missions operating in partially overlapping energy bands, PoGO+ (18-160 keV) and AstroSat CZTI (100-380 keV). We previously reported PoGO+ results on the polarization parameters integrated across the light curve and for the entire nebula-dominated off-pulse region. We now introduce finer phase binning, in light of the AstroSat CZTI claim that the PF varies across the off-pulse region. Since both missions are operating in a regime where errors on the reconstructed polarization parameters are non-Gaussian, we adopt a Bayesian approach to compare results from each mission. We find no statistically significant variation in off-pulse polarization parameters, neither when considering the mission data separately nor when they are combined. This supports expectations from standard high-energy emission models.
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| 10. |
- Dell'Agli, F., et al.
(författare)
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Are extreme asymptotic giant branch stars post-common envelope binaries?
- 2021
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 502:1, s. L35-L39
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modelling dust formation in single stars evolving through the carbon-star stage of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) reproduces well the mid-infrared colours and magnitudes of most of the C-rich sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), apart from a small subset of extremely red objects (EROs). An analysis of the spectral energy distributions of EROs suggests the presence of large quantities of dust, which demand gas densities in the outflow significantly higher than expected from theoretical modelling. We propose that binary interaction mechanisms that involve common envelope (CE) evolution could be a possible explanation for these peculiar stars; the CE phase is favoured by the rapid growth of the stellar radius occurring after C/O overcomes unity. Our modelling of the dust provides results consistent with the observations for mass-loss rates (M) over dot similar to 5 x 10(-4) M-circle dot yr(-1), a lower limit to the rapid loss of the envelope experienced in the CE phase. We propose that EROs could possibly hide binaries with orbital periods of about days and are likely to be responsible for a large fraction of the dust production rate in galaxies.
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