| 1. |
- Fomalont, E. B., et al.
(författare)
-
THE 2014 ALMA LONG BASELINE CAMPAIGN: AN OVERVIEW
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 808:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to similar to 15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from 2014 September to late November, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C 138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at similar to 350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy.
|
|
| 2. |
- Kirsten, Franz, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
A repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 602:7898, s. 585-589
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are flashes of unknown physical origin1. The majority of FRBs have been seen only once, although some are known to generate multiple flashes2,3. Many models invoke magnetically powered neutron stars (magnetars) as the source of the emission4,5. Recently, the discovery6 of another repeater (FRB 20200120E) was announced, in the direction of the nearby galaxy M81, with four potential counterparts at other wavelengths6. Here we report observations that localized the FRB to a globular cluster associated with M81, where it is 2 parsecs away from the optical centre of the cluster. Globular clusters host old stellar populations, challenging FRB models that invoke young magnetars formed in a core-collapse supernova. We propose instead that FRB 20200120E originates from a highly magnetized neutron star formed either through the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf, or the merger of compact stars in a binary system7. Compact binaries are efficiently formed inside globular clusters, so a model invoking them could also be responsible for the observed bursts.
|
|
| 3. |
- Nimmo, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Burst timescales and luminosities as links between young pulsars and fast radio bursts
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 6:3, s. 393-401
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extragalactic radio flashes of unknown physical origin. Their high luminosities and short durations require extreme energy densities, such as those found in the vicinity of neutron stars and black holes. Studying the burst intensities and polarimetric properties on a wide range of timescales, from milliseconds down to nanoseconds, is key to understanding the emission mechanism. However, high-time-resolution studies of FRBs are limited by their unpredictable activity levels, available instrumentation and temporal broadening in the intervening ionized medium. Here we show that the repeating FRB 20200120E can produce isolated shots of emission as short as about 60 nanoseconds in duration, with brightness temperatures as high as 3 × 1041 K (excluding relativistic effects), comparable with ‘nano-shots’ from the Crab pulsar. Comparing both the range of timescales and luminosities, we find that FRB 20200120E observationally bridges the gap between known Galactic young pulsars and magnetars and the much more distant extragalactic FRBs. This suggests a common magnetically powered emission mechanism spanning many orders of magnitude in timescale and luminosity. In this Article, we probe a relatively unexplored region of the short-duration transient phase space; we highlight that there probably exists a population of ultrafast radio transients at nanosecond to microsecond timescales, which current FRB searches are insensitive to.
|
|
| 4. |
- Vlemmings, W. H. T., et al.
(författare)
-
ALMA observations of the variable (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio around the asymptotic giant branch star R Sculptoris
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 556, s. L1-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio is often used as a measure of the C-12/C-13 ratio in the circumstellar environment, carrying important information about the stellar nucleosynthesis. External processes can change the (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 abundances, and spatially resolved studies of the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio are needed to quantify the effect of these processes on the globally determined values. Additionally, such studies provide important information on the conditions in the circumstellar environment. The detached-shell source R Scl, displaying CO emission from recent mass loss, in a binary-induced spiral structure as well as in a clumpy shell produced during a thermal pulse, provides a unique laboratory for studying the differences in CO isotope abundances throughout its recent evolution. We observed both the (CO)-C-12(J = 3 -> 2) and the (CO)-C-13(J = 3 -> 2) line using ALMA. We find significant variations in the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 intensity ratios and consequently in the abundance ratios. The average CO isotope abundance ratio is at least a factor three lower in the shell (similar to 19) than that in the present-day (less than or similar to 300 years) mass loss (>60). Additionally, variations in the ratio of more than an order of magnitude are found in the shell itself. We attribute these variations to the competition between selective dissociation and isotope fractionation in the shell, of which large parts cannot be warmer than similar to 35 K. However, we also find that the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 ratio in the present-day mass loss is significantly higher than the C-12/C-13 ratio determined in the stellar photosphere from molecular tracers (similar to 19). The origin of this discrepancy is still unclear, but we speculate that it is due to an embedded source of UV-radiation that is primarily photo-dissociating (CO)-C-13. This radiation source could be the hitherto hidden companion. Alternatively, the UV-radiation could originate from an active chromosphere of R Scl itself. Our results indicate that caution should be taken when directly relating the (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 intensity and C-12/C-13 abundance ratios for specific asymptotic giant branch stars, in particular binaries or stars that display signs of chromospheric stellar activity.
|
|
| 5. |
- Vlemmings, W. H. T., et al.
(författare)
-
Resolving the extended stellar atmospheres of asymptotic giant branch stars at (sub)millimetre wavelengths
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 626
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The initial conditions for mass loss during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase are set in their extended atmospheres, where, among others, convection and pulsation driven shocks determine the physical conditions. Aims. High resolution observations of AGB stars at (sub)millimetre wavelengths can now directly determine the morphology, activity, density, and temperature close to the stellar photosphere. Methods. We used Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) high angular resolution observations to resolve the extended atmospheres of four of the nearest AGB stars: W Hya, Mira A, R Dor, and R Leo. We interpreted the observations using a parameterised atmosphere model. Results. We resolve all four AGB stars and determine the brightness temperature structure between 1 and 2 stellar radii. For W Hya and R Dor we confirm the existence of hotspots with brightness temperatures >3000 to 10 000 K. All four stars show deviations from spherical symmetry. We find variations on a timescale of days to weeks, and for R Leo we directly measure an outward motion of the millimetre wavelength surface with a velocity of at least 10.6 +/- 1.4 km s(-1). For all objects but W Hya we find that the temperature-radius and size-frequency relations require the existence of a (likely inhomogeneous) layer of enhanced opacity. Conclusions. The ALMA observations provide a unique probe of the structure of the extended AGB atmosphere. We find highly variable structures of hotspots and likely convective cells. In the future, these observations can be directly compared to multi-dimensional chromosphere and atmosphere models that determine the temperature, density, velocity, and ionisation structure between the stellar photosphere and the dust formation region. However, our results show that for the best interpretation, both very accurate flux calibration and near-simultaneous observations are essential.
|
|
| 6. |
- Doan, Lam, et al.
(författare)
-
The extended molecular envelope of the asymptotic giant branchstar π1 Gruis as seen by ALMA : I. Large-scale kinematic structure and CO excitation properties
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 605
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The S-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star pi(1) Gru has a known companion at a separation of 2 ''.7 (approximate to 400 AU). Previous observations of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) show strong deviations from spherical symmetry. The envelope structure, including an equatorial torus and a fast bipolar outflow, is rarely seen in the AGB phase and is particularly unexpected in such a wide binary system. Therefore a second, closer companion has been suggested, but the evidence is not conclusive.Aims. The aim is to make a 3D model of the CSE and to constrain the density and temperature distribution using new spatially resolved observations of the CO rotational lines.Methods. We have observed the J = 3-2 line emission from (CO)-C-12 and (CO)-C-13 using the compact arrays of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The new ALMA data, together with previously published (CO)-C-12 J = 2-1 data from the Submillimeter Array (SMA), and the (CO)-C-12 J = 5-4 and J = 9-8 lines observed with Herschel/Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), is modeled with the 3D non-LTE radiative transfer code SHAPEMOL.Results. The data analysis clearly confirms the torus-bipolar structure. The 3D model of the CSE that satisfactorily reproduces the data consists of three kinematic components: a radially expanding torus with velocity slowly increasing from 8 to 13 km s(-1) along the equator plane; a radially expanding component at the center with a constant velocity of 14 km s(-1); and a fast, bipolar outflow with velocity proportionally increasing from 14 km s(-1) at the base up to 100 km s(-1) at the tip, following a linear radial dependence. The results are used to estimate an average mass-loss rate during the creation of the torus of 7.7 x 10(-7) M-circle dot yr(-1). The total mass and linear momentum of the fast outflow are estimated at 7.3 x 10(-4) M-circle dot and 9.6 x 10(37) g cm s(-1), respectively. The momentum of the outflow is in excess (by a factor of about 20) of what could be generated by radiation pressure alone, in agreement with recent findings for more evolved sources. The best-fit model also suggests a (CO)-C-12/(CO)-C-13 abundance ratio of 50. Possible shaping scenarios for the gas envelope are discussed.
|
|
