| 1. |
- Kann, D. A., et al.
(författare)
-
THE AFTERGLOWS OF SWIFT-ERA GAMMA-RAY BURSTS. I. COMPARING PRE-SWIFT AND SWIFT-ERA LONG/SOFT (TYPE II) GRB OPTICAL AFTERGLOWS
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 720:2, s. 1513-1558
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have gathered optical photometry data from the literature on a large sample of Swift-era gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows including GRBs up to 2009 September, for a total of 76 GRBs, and present an additional three pre-Swift GRBs not included in an earlier sample. Furthermore, we publish 840 additional new photometry data points on a total of 42 GRB afterglows, including large data sets for GRBs 050319, 050408, 050802, 050820A, 050922C, 060418, 080413A, and 080810. We analyzed the light curves of all GRBs in the sample and derived spectral energy distributions for the sample with the best data quality, allowing us to estimate the host-galaxy extinction. We transformed the afterglow light curves into an extinction-corrected z = 1 system and compared their luminosities with a sample of pre-Swift afterglows. The results of a former study, which showed that GRB afterglows clustered and exhibited a bimodal distribution in luminosity space, are weakened by the larger sample. We found that the luminosity distribution of the two afterglow samples (Swift-era and pre-Swift) is very similar, and that a subsample for which we were not able to estimate the extinction, which is fainter than the main sample, can be explained by assuming a moderate amount of line-of-sight host extinction. We derived bolometric isotropic energies for all GRBs in our sample, and found only a tentative correlation between the prompt energy release and the optical afterglow luminosity at 1 day after the GRB in the z = 1 system. A comparative study of the optical luminosities of GRB afterglows with echelle spectra (which show a high number of foreground absorbing systems) and those without, reveals no indication that the former are statistically significantly more luminous. Furthermore, we propose the existence of an upper ceiling on afterglow luminosities and study the luminosity distribution at early times, which was not accessible before the advent of the Swift satellite. Most GRBs feature afterglows that are dominated by the forward shock from early times on. Finally, we present the first indications of a class of long GRBs, which form a bridge between the typical high-luminosity, high-redshift events and nearby low-luminosity events (which are also associated with spectroscopic supernovae) in terms of energetics and observed redshift distribution, indicating a continuous distribution overall.
|
|
| 2. |
- Fedriani, R., et al.
(författare)
-
Measuring the ionisation fraction in a jet from a massive protostar
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 10:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is important to determine if massive stars form via disc accretion, like their low-mass counterparts. Theory and observation indicate that protostellar jets are a natural consequence of accretion discs and are likely to be crucial for removing angular momentum during the collapse. However, massive protostars are typically rarer, more distant and more dust enshrouded, making observational studies of their jets more challenging. A fundamental question is whether the degree of ionisation in jets is similar across the mass spectrum. Here we determine an ionisation fraction of ~5–12% in the jet from the massive protostar G35.20-0.74N, based on spatially coincident infrared and radio emission. This is similar to the values found in jets from lower-mass young stars, implying a unified mechanism of shock ionisation applies in jets across most of the protostellar mass spectrum, up to at least ~10 solar masses.
|
|
| 3. |
- Fedriani, Rubén, 1991, et al.
(författare)
-
The sharpest view on the high-mass star-forming region S255IR: Near infrared adaptive optics imaging of the outbursting source NIRS3
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 676
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Massive stars have an impact on their surroundings from early in their formation until the end of their lives. However, very little is known about their formation. Episodic accretion may play a crucial role in the process, but only a handful of observations have reported such events occurring in massive protostars. Aims. We aim to investigate the outburst event from the high-mass star-forming region S255IR where the protostar NIRS3 recently underwent an accretion outburst. We follow the evolution of this source both in photometry and morphology of its surroundings. Methods. We performed near infrared adaptive optics observations on the S255IR central region using the Large Binocular Telescope in the Ks broadband as well as the H2 and Brγ narrow-band filters with an angular resolution of 07.06, close to the diffraction limit. Results. We discovered a new near infrared knot north-east of NIRS3 that we interpret as a jet knot that was ejected during the last accretion outburst and observed in the radio regime as part of a follow-up after the outburst. We measured a mean tangential velocity for this knot of 450 ± 50 km s1. We analysed the continuum-subtracted images from H2, which traces jet-shocked emission, and Brγ, which traces scattered light from a combination of accretion activity and UV radiation from the central massive protostar. We observed a significant decrease in flux at the location of NIRS3, with K = 13.48 mag being the absolute minimum in the historic series. Conclusions. Our observations strongly suggest a scenario where the episodic accretion is followed by an episodic ejection response in the near infrared, as was seen in the earlier radio follow-up. The ~2 μm photometry from the past 30 yr suggests that NIRS3 might have undergone another outburst in the late 1980s, making it the first massive protostar with such evidence observed in the near infrared.
|
|
