| 1. |
- Amiri, M., et al.
(författare)
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Periodic activity from a fast radio burst source
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 582:7812, s. 351-355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, millisecond-duration radio transients originating from sources at extragalactic distances1, the origin of which is unknown. Some FRB sources emit repeat bursts, ruling out cataclysmic origins for those events2–4. Despite searches for periodicity in repeat burst arrival times on timescales from milliseconds to many days2,5–7, these bursts have hitherto been observed to appear sporadically and—although clustered8—without a regular pattern. Here we report observations of a 16.35 ± 0.15 day periodicity (or possibly a higher-frequency alias of that periodicity) from the repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65 detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project4,9. In 38 bursts recorded from 16 September 2018 to 4 February 2020 utc, we find that all bursts arrive in a five-day phase window, and 50 per cent of the bursts arrive in a 0.6-day phase window. Our results suggest a mechanism for periodic modulation either of the burst emission itself or through external amplification or absorption, and disfavour models invoking purely sporadic processes.
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| 2. |
- Marcote, B., et al.
(författare)
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A repeating fast radio burst source localized to a nearby spiral galaxy
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 577:7789, s. 190-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, bright, extragalactic radio flashes1,2. Their physical origin remains unknown, but dozens of possible models have been postulated3. Some FRB sources exhibit repeat bursts4–7. Although over a hundred FRB sources have been discovered8, only four have been localized and associated with a host galaxy9–12, and just one of these four is known to emit repeating FRBs9. The properties of the host galaxies, and the local environments of FRBs, could provide important clues about their physical origins. The first known repeating FRB, however, was localized to a low-metallicity, irregular dwarf galaxy, and the apparently non-repeating sources were localized to higher-metallicity, massive elliptical or star-forming galaxies, suggesting that perhaps the repeating and apparently non-repeating sources could have distinct physical origins. Here we report the precise localization of a second repeating FRB source6, FRB 180916.J0158+65, to a star-forming region in a nearby (redshift 0.0337 ± 0.0002) massive spiral galaxy, whose properties and proximity distinguish it from all known hosts. The lack of both a comparably luminous persistent radio counterpart and a high Faraday rotation measure6 further distinguish the local environment of FRB 180916.J0158+65 from that of the single previously localized repeating FRB source, FRB 121102. This suggests that repeating FRBs may have a wide range of luminosities, and originate from diverse host galaxies and local environments.
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| 3. |
- Pleunis, Z., et al.
(författare)
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LOFAR Detection of 110-188MHz emission and frequency-dependent activity from FRB20180916B
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 911:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The object FRB 20180916B is a well-studied repeating fast radio burst source. Its proximity (∼150 Mpc), along with detailed studies of the bursts, has revealed many clues about its nature, including a 16.3 day periodicity in its activity. Here we report on the detection of 18 bursts using LOFAR at 110-188 MHz, by far the lowest-frequency detections of any FRB to date. Some bursts are seen down to the lowest observed frequency of 110 MHz, suggesting that their spectra extend even lower. These observations provide an order-of-magnitude stronger constraint on the optical depth due to freëCfree absorption in the source's local environment. The absence of circular polarization and nearly flat polarization angle curves are consistent with burst properties seen at 300-1700 MHz. Compared with higher frequencies, the larger burst widths (∼40-160 ms at 150 MHz) and lower linear polarization fractions are likely due to scattering. We find ∼2-3 rad m variations in the Faraday rotation measure that may be correlated with the activity cycle of the source. We compare the LOFAR burst arrival times to those of 38 previously published and 22 newly detected bursts from the uGMRT (200-450 MHz) and CHIME/FRB (400-800 MHz). Simultaneous observations show five CHIME/FRB bursts when no emission is detected by LOFAR. We find that the burst activity is systematically delayed toward lower frequencies by about 3 days from 600 to 150 MHz. We discuss these results in the context of a model in which FRB 20180916B is an interacting binary system featuring a neutron star and high-mass stellar companion.
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| 4. |
- Agudo, I., et al.
(författare)
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Panning for gold, but finding helium: Discovery of the ultra-stripped supernova SN 2019wxt from gravitational-wave follow-up observations
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 675
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results from multi-wavelength observations of a transient discovered during an intensive follow-up campaign of S191213g, a gravitational wave (GW) event reported by the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration as a possible binary neutron star merger in a low latency search. This search yielded SN 2019wxt, a young transient in a galaxy whose sky position (in the 80% GW contour) and distance (∼150 Mpc) were plausibly compatible with the localisation uncertainty of the GW event. Initially, the transienta's tightly constrained age, its relatively faint peak magnitude (Mi ∼ -16.7 mag), and the r-band decline rate of ∼1 mag per 5 days appeared suggestive of a compact binary merger. However, SN 2019wxt spectroscopically resembled a type Ib supernova, and analysis of the optical-near-infrared evolution rapidly led to the conclusion that while it could not be associated with S191213g, it nevertheless represented an extreme outcome of stellar evolution. By modelling the light curve, we estimated an ejecta mass of only ∼0.1 M·, with 56Ni comprising ∼20% of this. We were broadly able to reproduce its spectral evolution with a composition dominated by helium and oxygen, with trace amounts of calcium. We considered various progenitor channels that could give rise to the observed properties of SN 2019wxt and concluded that an ultra-stripped origin in a binary system is the most likely explanation. Disentangling genuine electromagnetic counterparts to GW events from transients such as SN 2019wxt soon after discovery is challenging: in a bid to characterise this level of contamination, we estimated the rate of events with a volumetric rate density comparable to that of SN 2019wxt and found that around one such event per week can occur within the typical GW localisation area of O4 alerts out to a luminosity distance of 500 Mpc, beyond which it would become fainter than the typical depth of current electromagnetic follow-up campaigns.
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| 5. |
- Kirsten, Franz, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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A repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 602:7898, s. 585-589
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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.
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| 6. |
- Nimmo, K., et al.
(författare)
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Highly polarized microstructure from the repeating FRB 20180916B
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 5:6, s. 594-603
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, coherent, short-duration radio transients of as-yet unknown extragalactic origin. FRBs exhibit a variety of spectral, temporal and polarimetric properties that can unveil clues into their emission physics and propagation effects in the local medium. Here, we present the high-time-resolution (down to 1 mu s) polarimetric properties of four 1.7 GHz bursts from the repeating FRB 20180916B, which were detected in voltage data during observations with the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network. We observe a range of emission timescales that spans three orders of magnitude, with the shortest component width reaching 3-4 mu s (below which we are limited by scattering). We demonstrate that all four bursts are highly linearly polarized (greater than or similar to 80%), show no evidence of significant circular polarization (less than or similar to 15%), and exhibit a constant polarization position angle (PPA) during and between bursts. On short timescales (less than or similar to 100 mu s), however, there appear to be subtle PPA variations (of a few degrees) across the burst profiles. These observational results are most naturally explained in an FRB model in which the emission is magnetospheric in origin, in contrast to models in which the emission originates at larger distances in a relativistic shock. High-time-resolution observations of the repeating fast radio burst source FRB 20180916B reveal changes to the polarization properties of the emission on timescales of a few microseconds, indicating an origin in the source magnetosphere.
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| 7. |
- Yang, Jun, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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A radio structure resolved at the deca-parsec scale in the radio-quiet quasar PDS 456 with an extremely powerful X-ray outflow
- 2019
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 482:2, s. 1701-1705
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) accreting at rates close to the Eddington limit can host radiatively driven mildly relativistic outflows. Some of these X-ray absorbing but powerful outflows can produce strong shocks, resulting in a significant non-thermal emission. This outflow-driven radio emission might be detectable in the radio-quiet quasar PDS 456, as it has a bolometric luminosity that reaches the Eddington limit and a relativistic wide-aperture X-ray outflow with a kinetic power high enough to quench the star formation in its host galaxy. To investigate this possibility, we performed very-long-baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations of the quasar with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 5 GHz. The full-resolution EVN image reveals two faint and diffuse radio components with a projected separation of about 20 pc and an average brightness temperature of around two million Kelvin. In relation to the optical submas-accuracy position measured by the Gaia mission, the two components are very likely on opposite sides of an undetected radio core. Thus, the VLBI structure at the deca-pc scale could be either a young jet or a bidirectional radio-emitting outflow, launched in the vicinity of a strongly accreting central engine. Two diffuse components at the hecto-pc scale, likely the relic radio emission from past AGN activity, are tentatively detected on each side in the low-resolution EVN image.
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| 8. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Multiwavelength Monitoring of the Enigmatic Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 PMN J0948+0022 in 2009 March-July
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 707:1, s. 727-737
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Following the recent discovery of γ rays from the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846), we started a multiwavelength campaign from radio to γ rays, which was carried out between the end of 2009 March and the beginning of July. The source displayed activity at all the observed wavelengths: a general decreasing trend from optical to γ-ray frequencies was followed by an increase of radio emission after less than two months from the peak of the γ-ray emission. The largest flux change, about a factor of about 4, occurred in the X-ray band. The smallest was at ultraviolet and near-infrared frequencies, where the rate of the detected photons dropped by a factor 1.6-1.9. At optical wavelengths, where the sampling rate was the highest, it was possible to observe day scale variability, with flux variations up to a factor of about 3. The behavior of PMN J0948+0022 observed in this campaign and the calculated power carried out by its jet in the form of protons, electrons, radiation, and magnetic field are quite similar to that of blazars, specifically of flat-spectrum radio quasars. These results confirm the idea that radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies host relativistic jets with power similar to that of average blazars.
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| 9. |
- An, T., et al.
(författare)
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Evolving parsec-scale radio structure in the most distant blazar known
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Blazars are a sub-class of quasars with Doppler boosted jets oriented close to the line of sight, and thus efficient probes of supermassive black hole growth and their environment, especially at high redshifts. Here we report on Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations of a blazar J0906 + 6930 at z = 5.47, which enabled the detection of polarised emission and measurement of jet proper motion at parsec scales. The observations suggest a less powerful jet compared with the general blazar population, including lower proper motion and bulk Lorentz factor. This coupled with a previously inferred high accretion rate indicate a transition from an accretion radiative power to a jet mechanical power based transfer of energy and momentum to the surrounding gas. While alternative scenarios could not be fully ruled out, our results indicate a possibly nascent jet embedded in and interacting with a dense medium resulting in a jet bending.
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| 10. |
- Cao, H.M., et al.
(författare)
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VLBI observations of four radio quasars at z > 4: blazars or not?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 467:1, s. 950-960
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Blazars are active galactic nuclei (AGN) whose relativistic jets point nearly to the line of sight. Their compact radio structure can be imaged with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) on parsec scales. Blazars at extremely high redshifts provide a unique insight into the AGN phenomena in the early Universe. We observed four radio sources at redshift z > 4 with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.7 and 5 GHz. These objects were previously classified as blazar candidates based on X-ray observations. One of them, J2134–0419 is firmly confirmed as a blazar with our VLBI observations, due to its relativistically beamed radio emission. Its radio jet extended to ∼10 milli-arcsec scale makes this source a promising target for follow-up VLBI observations to reveal any apparent proper motion. Another target, J0839+5112 shows a compact radio structure typical of quasars. There is evidence for flux density variability and its radio “core” has a flat spectrum. However, the EVN data suggest that its emission is not Doppler-boosted. The remaining two blazar candidates (J1420+1205 and J2220+0025) show radio properties totally unexpected from radio AGN with small-inclination jet. Their emission extends to arcsec scales and the Doppler factors of the central components are well below 1. Their structures resemble that of double-lobed radio AGN with large inclination to the line of sight. This is in contrast with the blazar-type modeling of their multi-band spectral energy distributions. Our work underlines the importance of high-resolution VLBI imaging in confirming the blazar nature of high-redshift radio sources.
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| 11. |
- Chomiuk, L., et al.
(författare)
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Binary orbits as the driver of gamma-ray emission and mass ejection in classical novae
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 514:7522, s. 339-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Classical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems(1). Novae typically expel about 10(-4) solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 kilometres per second. However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of thermonuclear energy(2), prolonged optically thick winds(3) or binary interaction with the nova envelope(4). Classical novae are now routinely detected at gigaelectronvolt gamma-ray wavelengths(5), suggesting that relativistic particles are accelerated by strong shocks in the ejecta. Here we report high-resolution radio imaging of the gamma-ray-emitting nova V959 Mon. We find that its ejecta were shaped by the motion of the binary system: some gas was expelled rapidly along the poles as a wind from the white dwarf, while denser material drifted out along the equatorial plane, propelled by orbital motion(6,7). At the interface between the equatorial and polar regions, we observe synchrotron emission indicative of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration, thereby pinpointing the location of gamma-ray production. Binary shaping of the nova ejecta and associated internal shocks are expected to be widespread among novae(8), explaining why many novae are gamma-ray emitters(5).
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| 12. |
- Ciroletti, M., et al.
(författare)
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FRB 150418: clues to its nature from European VLBI Network and e-MERLIN observations
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 593, s. L16-L19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: We investigate the nature of the compact and possibly variable nuclear radio source in the centre of WISE J0716-19, the proposed host galaxy of the fast radio burst FRB 150418. Methods: We observed WISE J0716-19 at 5.0 GHz with the European VLBI Network (EVN) four times between 2016 March 16 and June 2. At three epochs, we simultaneously observed the source with e-MERLIN at the same frequency. Results: We detected a compact source in the EVN data in each epoch with a significance of up to ~8σ. The four epochs yielded consistent results within their uncertainties for the peak surface intensity and positions. The mean values for these quantities are Ipeak = (115 ± 9)μJy beam-1 and RA = 07h16m34.55496(7)s, Dec = -19°00'39.4754(8)''. The e-MERLIN data provided ~3-5σ detections at a position consistent with those of the EVN data. The emission on angular scales intermediate between the EVN and e-MERLIN is consistent with being null. The brightness temperature of the EVN core is Tb ≳ 108.5 K, close to the value previously required to explain the short-term radio variability properties of WISE J0716-19 in terms of interstellar scintillation. Conclusions: Our observations provide direct and independent evidence of a nuclear compact source in WISE J0716-19, a physical scenario without evident connection with FRB 150418. However, the EVN data do not indicate the variability observed with the VLA.
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| 13. |
- Deane, R. P., et al.
(författare)
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The VLBA CANDELS GOODS-North Survey -I. survey design, processing, data products, and source counts
- 2024
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 529:3, s. 2428-2442
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The past decade has seen significant advances in wide-field cm-wave very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), which is timely given the wide-area, synoptic survey-driven strategy of major facilities across the electromagnetic spectrum. While wide-field VLBI poses significant post-processing challenges that can severely curtail its potential scientific yield, man y dev elopments in the km-scale connected-element interferometer sphere are directly applicable to addressing these. Here we present the design, processing, data products, and source counts from a deep (11 μJy beam -1 ), quasi-uniform sensitivity, contiguous wide-field (160 arcmin 2 ) 1.6 GHz VLBI surv e y of the CANDELS GOODS-North field. This is one of the best-studied extragalactic fields at milli-arcsecond resolution and, therefore, is well-suited as a comparative study for our Tera-pixel VLBI image. The derived VLBI source counts show consistency with those measured in the COSMOS field, which broadly traces the AGN population detected in arcsecond-scale radio surv e ys. Ho we ver, there is a distinctive flattening in the S 1.4GHz ∼100-500 μJy flux density range, which suggests a transition in the population of compact faint radio sources, qualitatively consistent with the excess source counts at 15 GHz that is argued to be an unmodelled population of radio cores. This surv e y approach will assist in deriving robust VLBI source counts and broadening the disco v ery space for future wide-field VLBI surv e ys, including VLBI with the Square Kilometre Array, which will include new large field-of-view antennas on the African continent at ≲1000 km baselines. In addition, it may be useful in the design of both monitoring and/or rapidly triggered VLBI transient programmes.
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| 14. |
- Frey, S., et al.
(författare)
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J1026+2542: Proper motion in a blazar jet at z=5.27
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - 1824-8039.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The radio-loud AGN J1026+2542 has recently been classified as the second most distant blazar, based on its broad-band spectral energy distribution and X-ray spectrum. The source with a prominent one-sided jet extending to at least ∼20 mas was earlier observed with the VLBA at 5 GHz in January 2006. With our new EVN observation (May 2013), we detected the displacement and directly measured the apparent proper motion of the jet components, for the first time at such a high redshift. The 1.6-GHz EVN observation provided additional information on the extent and the spectral properties of the jet. The VLBI results are consistent with the picture in which J1026+2542 has its jet oriented close to the line of sight, with significant Doppler boosting and a large bulk Lorentz factor. © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence.
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| 15. |
- Frey, S., et al.
(författare)
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The first estimate of radio jet proper motion at z > 5
- 2015
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 446:3, s. 2921-2928
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The extremely high-redshift (z = 5.3) radio source SDSS J102623.61+254259.5 (J1026+2542) is among the most distant and most luminous radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) known to date. Its one-sided radio jet structure on milliarcsecond (mas) and similar to 10-mas scales typical for blazars was first imaged at 5 GHz with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) in 2006. Here we report on our dual-frequency (1.7 and 5 GHz) imaging observations performed with the European VLBI Network (EVN) in 2013. The prominent jet structure allows us to identify individual components whose apparent displacement can be detected over the time span of 7.33 yr. This is the first time when jet proper motions are directly derived in a blazar at z > 5. The small values of up to similar to 0.1 mas yr(-1) are consistent with what is expected in a relativistic cosmological model if redshift is a measure of distance. The apparent superluminal jet speeds, considered tentative because derived from two epochs only, exceed 10 c for three different components along the jet. Based on modelling its spectral energy distribution, J1026+2542 is known to have its X-ray jet oriented close to the line of sight, with significant Doppler boosting and a large bulk Lorentz factor (Gamma approximate to 13). The new VLBI observations, indicating similar to 2.3 x 10(12) K lower limit to the core brightness temperature, are consistent with this picture. The spectral index in the core region is -0.35.
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| 16. |
- Ghirlanda, G., et al.
(författare)
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Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 363:6430, s. 968-971
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.
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| 17. |
- Gurvits, L. I., et al.
(författare)
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The science case and challenges of spaceborne sub-millimeter interferometry: the study case of TeraHertz Exploration and Zooming-in for Astrophysics (THEZA)
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC. - 0074-1795. ; A7
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ultra-high angular resolution in astronomy has always been an important vehicle for making fundamental discoveries. Recent results in direct imaging of the vicinity of the super-massive black hole in the nucleus of the radio galaxy M87 by the millimeter VLBI system Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and various pioneering results of the Space VLBI mission RadioAstron provided new momentum in high angular resolution astrophysics. In both mentioned cases, the angular resolution reached the values of about 10−20 microrcseconds (0.05−0.1 nanoradian). Angular resolution is proportional to the observing wavelength and inversely proportional to the interferometer baseline length. In the case of Earth-based EHT, the highest angular resolution was achieved by combining the shortest possible wavelength of 1.3 mm with the longest possible baselines, comparable to the Earth’s diameter. For RadioAstron, operational wavelengths were in the range from 92 cm down to 1.3 cm, but the baselines were as long as ∼350,000 km. However, these two highlights of radio astronomy, EHT and RadioAstron do not”saturate” the interest to further increase in angular resolution. Quite opposite: the science case for further increase in angular resolution of astrophysical studies becomes even stronger. A natural and, in fact, the only possible way of moving forward is to enhance mm/sub-mm VLBI by extending baselines to extraterrestrial dimensions, i.e. creating a mm/sub-mm Space VLBI system. The inevitable move toward space-borne mm/sub-mm VLBI is a subject of several concept studies. In this presentation we will focus on one of them called TeraHertz Exploration and Zooming-in for Astrophysics (THEZA), prepared in response to the ESA’s call for its next major science program Voyage 2050 (Gurvits et al. 2021). The THEZA rationale is focused at the physics of spacetime in the vicinity of super-massive black holes as the leading science drive. However, it will also open up a sizable new range of hitherto unreachable parameters of observational radio astrophysics and create a multi-disciplinary scientific facility and offer a high degree of synergy with prospective “single dish” space-borne sub-mm astronomy (e.g., Wiedner et al. 2021) and infrared interferometry (e.g., Linz et al. 2021). As an amalgam of several major trends of modern observational astrophysics, THEZA aims at facilitating a breakthrough in high-resolution high image quality astronomical studies.
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| 18. |
- Hewitt, Dante M., et al.
(författare)
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Milliarcsecond localization of the hyperactive repeating FRB 20220912A
- 2024
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 529:2, s. 1814-1826
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present very long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the hyperactive repeating FRB 20220912A using the European VLBI Network (EVN) outside of regular observing sessions (EVN-Lite). We detected 150 bursts from FRB 20220912A over two observing epochs in 2022 October. Combining the burst data allows us to localize FRB 20220912A to a precision of a few milliarcseconds, corresponding to a transverse scale of less than 10 pc at the distance of the source. This precise localization shows that FRB 20220912A lies closer to the centre of its host galaxy than previously found, although still significantly offset from the host galaxy's nucleus. On arcsecond scales, FRB 20220912A is coincident with a persistent continuum radio source known from archival observations; however, we find no compact persistent emission on milliarcsecond scales. The 5σ upper limit on the presence of such a compact persistent radio source is 120 μJy, corresponding to a luminosity limit of (D/362.4 Mpc)erg s-1 Hz-1. The persistent radio emission is thus likely to be from star formation in the host galaxy. This is in contrast to some other active FRBs, such as FRB 20121102A and FRB 20190520B.
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| 19. |
- Keimpema, A., et al.
(författare)
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The SFXC software correlator for very long baseline interferometry: algorithms and implementation
- 2015
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Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 39:2, s. 259-279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper a description is given of the SFXC software correlator, developed and maintained at the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE). The software is designed to run on generic Linux-based computing clusters. The correlation algorithm is explained in detail, as are some of the novel modes that software correlation has enabled, such as wide-field VLBI imaging through the use of multiple phase centres and pulsar gating and binning. This is followed by an overview of the software architecture. Finally, the performance of the correlator as a function of number of CPU cores, telescopes and spectral channels is shown.
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| 20. |
- Marcote, B., et al.
(författare)
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The origin of Fast Radio Bursts, still an open question
- 2016
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 12th Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society - Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics IX, SEA 2016.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- FRB 150418 is the first Fast Radio Burst (FRB) with a proposed counterpart. Keane et al. (2016) claimed that the galaxy WISE J0716-19 is the host of this event. Such association would provide extremely important clues about the possible extragalactic origin of the FRBs. It is still a mystery what kind of events produces the FRBs. We observed the proposed host galaxy with the European VLBI Network (EVN) during four epochs at 5 GHz, revealing a compact and persistent radio source located in the center of the galaxy. These data, together with contemporaneous observations, strongly support the presence of an active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the galaxy with variability on short timescales due to refractive scintillation. Therefore, WISE J0716-19 would not be related with FRB 150418.
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| 21. |
- Michalowski, M. J., et al.
(författare)
-
The second-closest gamma-ray burst: Sub-luminous GRB 111005A with no supernova in a super-solar metallicity environment
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 616
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the detection of the radio afterglow of a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) 111005A at 5-345 GHz, including very long baseline interferometry observations with a positional error of 0.2 mas. The afterglow position is coincident with the disc of a galaxy ESO 58049 at z = 0.01326 (∼1″ from its centre), which makes GRB 111005A the second-closest GRB known to date, after GRB 980425. The radio afterglow of GRB 111005A was an order of magnitude less luminous than those of local low-luminosity GRBs, and obviously less luminous than those of cosmological GRBs. The radio flux was approximately constant and then experienced an unusually rapid decay a month after the GRB explosion. Similarly to only two other GRBs, we did not find the associated supernovae (SNe), despite deep near- and mid-infrared observations 1-9 days after the GRB explosion, reaching ∼20 times fainter than other SNe associated with GRBs. Moreover, we measured a twice-solar metallicity for the GRB location. The low y-ray and radio luminosities, rapid decay, lack of a SN, and super-solar metallicity suggest that GRB 111005A represents a rare class of GRB that is different from typical core-collapse events. We modelled the spectral energy distribution of the GRB 111005A host finding that it is a moderately star-forming dwarf galaxy, similar to the host of GRB 980425. The existence of two local GRBs in such galaxies is still consistent with the hypothesis that the GRB rate is proportional to the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) density, but suggests that the GRB rate is biased towards low SFRs. Using the far-infrared detection of ESO 580-49, we conclude that the hosts of both GRBs 111005A and 980425 exhibit lower dust content than what would be expected from their stellar masses and optical colors.
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| 22. |
- 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.
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| 23. |
- Nimmo, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Milliarcsecond Localization of the Repeating FRB 20201124A
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 927:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) localizations of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) have demonstrated a diversity of local environments: from nearby star-forming regions to globular clusters. Here we report the VLBI localization of FRB 20201124A using an ad hoc array of dishes that also participate in the European VLBI Network (EVN). In our campaign, we detected 18 bursts from FRB 20201124A at two separate epochs. By combining the visibilities from both epochs, we were able to localize FRB 20201124A with a 1 sigma uncertainty of 2.7 mas. We use the relatively large burst sample to investigate astrometric accuracy and find that for greater than or similar to 20 baselines (greater than or similar to 7 dishes) we can robustly reach milliarcsecond precision even using single-burst data sets. Subarcsecond precision is still possible for single bursts, even when only similar to 6 baselines (four dishes) are available. In such cases, the limited uv coverage for individual bursts results in very high side-lobe levels. Thus, in addition to the peak position from the dirty map, we also explore smoothing the structure in the dirty map by fitting Gaussian functions to the fringe pattern in order to constrain individual burst positions, which we find to be more reliable. Our VLBI work places FRB 20201124A 710 +/- 30 mas (1 sigma uncertainty) from the optical center of the host galaxy, consistent with originating from within the recently discovered extended radio structure associated with star formation in the host galaxy. Future high-resolution optical observations, e.g., with Hubble Space Telescope, can determine the proximity of FRB 20201124A's position to nearby knots of star formation.
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| 24. |
- Paragi, Z., et al.
(författare)
-
Radio and X-Ray Monitoring of SS433
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica. ; 27, s. 222-224
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 25. |
- Paragi, Z., et al.
(författare)
-
Swift J1644+5734: the EVN view
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. - 1743-9213 .- 1743-9221. ; 12:S324, s. 119-122
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A small fraction of Tidal Disruption Events (TDE) produce relativistic jets, evidenced by their non-thermal X-ray spectra and transient radio emission. Here we present milliarcsecond-resolution imaging results on TDE J1644+5734 with the European VLBI Network (EVN). These provide a strong astrometric constraint on the average apparent jet velocityβapp
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| 26. |
- Park, Songyoun, et al.
(författare)
-
Discovery of five low-luminosity active galactic nuclei at the centre of the Perseus cluster
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 465:4, s. 3943-3948
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- According to optical stellar kinematics observations, an overmassive black hole candidate has been reported by van den Bosch et al. in the normal early-type galaxy NGC 1277. This galaxy is located in the central region of the Perseus cluster. Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope observations have shown that NGC 1277 and other early-type galaxies in the neighbourhood have radio counterparts. These nuclear radio sources have stable flux densities on a time-scale of years. In order to investigate the origin of the radio emission from these normal galaxies, we selected five sources (NGC 1270, NGC 1272, NGC 1277, NGC 1278 and VZw 339) residing in the central 10-arcmin region of the Perseus cluster and requested to re-correlate the data of an existing very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment at these new positions. With the re-correlation data provided by the European VLBI Network (EVN), we imaged the five sources with a resolution of about 8 mas and detected all of them with a confidence level above 5σ at 1.4 GHz. They show compact structure and brightness temperatures above 107 K, which implies that the radio emission is non-thermal. We rule out ongoing nuclear star formation and conclude that these VLBI-detected radio sources are parsec-scale jet activity associated with the supermassive black holes in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, although there are no clear signs of nuclear activity observed in the optical and infrared bands. Using the Fundamental Plane relation in black holes, we find no significant evidence for or against an extremely massive black hole hiding in NGC 1277.
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| 27. |
- Perez-Torres, Miguel Angel, et al.
(författare)
-
Constraining the progenitor of the type Ia SN 2014J with the EVN and eMERLIN
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - 1824-8039.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the deepest radio interferometric observations of the closest Type Ia supernova in decades, SN 2014J, which exploded in the nearby galaxy M 82. These observations represent, together with radio observations of SNe 2011fe, the most sensitive radio studies of a Type Ia SN ever. We constrain the mass-loss rate from the progenitor system of SN 2014J to M ≲ 7.0 × 10-10 M⊙yr-1 (for a wind speed of 100 km s-1). Most single-degenerate scenarios, i.e., the wide family of progenitor systems where a red giant, main-sequence, or sub-giant star donates mass to a exploding white dwarf, are ruled out by our observations. On the contrary, our stringent upper limits to the radio emission from SN 2014 favor a double-degenerate scenario-involving two WD stars-for the progenitor system of SN 2014J, as such systems have less circumstellar gas than our upper limits. Thus, the evidence from SNe 2011fe and 2014J points in the direction of a double-degenerate scenario for both. Looking into the future, we note that the huge improvement in sensitivity of the SKA with respect to its predecessors will allow us to determine which progenitor scenario (single-degenerate vs. double-degenerate) applies to a large sample of nearby Type Ia SNe, thus unambiguously solving this issue. © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence.
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| 28. |
- Perez-Torres, M. A., et al.
(författare)
-
CONSTRAINTS ON THE PROGENITOR SYSTEM AND THE ENVIRONS OF SN 2014J FROM DEEP RADIO OBSERVATIONS
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 792:1, s. 38-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report deep EVN and eMERLIN observations of the Type Ia SN 2014J in the nearby galaxy M82. Our observations represent, together with JVLA observations of SNe 2011fe and 2014J, the most sensitive radio studies of Type Ia SNe ever. By combining data and a proper modeling of the radio emission, we constrain the mass-loss rate from the progenitor system of SN 2014J to (M) over dot less than or similar to 7.0 x 10(-10) M yr(-1) (for a wind speed of 100 km s(-1)). If the medium around the supernova is uniform, then n(ISM) less than or similar to 1.3 cm(-3), which is the most stringent limit for the (uniform) density around a Type Ia SN. Our deep upper limits favor a double-degenerate (DD) scenario-involving two WD stars-for the progenitor system of SN 2014J, as such systems have less circumstellar gas than our upper limits. By contrast, most single-degenerate (SD) scenarios, i.e., the wide family of progenitor systems where a red giant, main-sequence, or sub-giant star donates mass to an exploding WD, are ruled out by our observations. (While completing our work, we noticed that a paper by Margutti et al. was submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. From a non-detection of X-ray emission from SN 2014J, the authors obtain limits of (M) over dot less than or similar to 1.2 x 10(-9) M-circle dot yr(-1) (for a wind speed of 100 km s(-1)) and n(ISM) less than or similar to 3.5 cm(-3), for the rho proportional to r(-2) wind and constant density cases, respectively. As these limits are less constraining than ours, the findings by Margutti et al. do not alter our conclusions. The X-ray results are, however, important to rule out free-free and synchrotron self-absorption as a reason for the radio non-detections.) Our estimates on the limits on the gas density surrounding SN2011fe, using the flux density limits from Chomiuk et al., agree well with their results. Although we discuss the possibilities of an SD scenario passing observational tests, as well as uncertainties in the modeling of the radio emission, the evidence from SNe 2011fe and 2014J points in the direction of a DD scenario for both.
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| 29. |
- Perez-Torres, Miguel Angel, et al.
(författare)
-
Constraints on the Progenitor System and the Environs of SN 2014J from Deep Radio Observations
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 792:1, s. Art. no. 38-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report deep EVN and eMERLIN observations of the Type Ia SN 2014J in the nearby galaxy M82. Our observations represent, together with JVLA observations of SNe 2011fe and 2014J, the most sensitive radio studies of Type Ia SNe ever. By combining data and a proper modeling of the radio emission, we constrain the mass-loss rate from the progenitor system of SN 2014J to (M) over dot less than or similar to 7.0 x 10(-10) M yr(-1) (for a wind speed of 100 km s(-1)). If the medium around the supernova is uniform, then n(ISM) less than or similar to 1.3 cm(-3), which is the most stringent limit for the (uniform) density around a Type Ia SN. Our deep upper limits favor a double-degenerate (DD) scenario-involving two WD stars-for the progenitor system of SN 2014J, as such systems have less circumstellar gas than our upper limits. By contrast, most single-degenerate (SD) scenarios, i.e., the wide family of progenitor systems where a red giant, main-sequence, or sub-giant star donates mass to an exploding WD, are ruled out by our observations. (While completing our work, we noticed that a paper by Margutti et al. was submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. From a non-detection of X-ray emission from SN 2014J, the authors obtain limits of (M) over dot less than or similar to 1.2 x 10(-9) M-circle dot yr(-1) (for a wind speed of 100 km s(-1)) and n(ISM) less than or similar to 3.5 cm(-3), for the rho proportional to r(-2) wind and constant density cases, respectively. As these limits are less constraining than ours, the findings by Margutti et al. do not alter our conclusions. The X-ray results are, however, important to rule out free-free and synchrotron self-absorption as a reason for the radio non-detections.) Our estimates on the limits on the gas density surrounding SN2011fe, using the flux density limits from Chomiuk et al., agree well with their results. Although we discuss the possibilities of an SD scenario passing observational tests, as well as uncertainties in the modeling of the radio emission, the evidence from SNe 2011fe and 2014J points in the direction of a DD scenario for both.
|
|
| 30. |
- Perez-Torres, Miguel Angel, et al.
(författare)
-
What is the progenitor of the Type Ia SN 2014J?
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 11th Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society - Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII, SEA 2014. ; , s. 540-546
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the deepest radio interferometric observations of the closest Type Ia supernova in decades, SN 2014J, which exploded in the nearby galaxy M 82. These observations represent, together with radio observations of SNe 2011fe, the most sensitive radio studies of a Type Ia SN ever. We constrain the mass-loss rate from the progenitor system of SN 2014J lower than 7.0 × 10^(−10) M yr^(−1) (for a wind speed of 100 km s^(−1) ). Our deep upper limits favor a double-degenerate scenario–involving two WD stars–for the progenitor system of SN 2014J, as such systems have less circumstellar gas than our upper limits. By contrast, most single-degenerate scenarios, i.e., the wide family of progenitor systems where a red giant, main-sequence, or sub-giant star donates mass to a exploding white dwarf, are ruled out by our observations. The evidence from SNe 2011fe and 2014J points in the direction of a double-degenerate scenario for both.
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| 31. |
|
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| 32. |
- Rushton, Anthony, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
A weak compact jet in a soft state of Cygnus X-1
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 419:4, s. 3194-3199
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present evidence for the presence of a weak compact jet during a soft X-ray state of Cygnus X-1. Very-high-resolution radio observations were taken with the VLBA, EVN and MERLIN during a hard-to-soft spectral state change, showing the hard state jet to be suppressed by a factor of about 35 in radio flux and unresolved to direct imaging observations (i.e. ?1 mas at 4 cm). High time-resolution X-ray observations with the RXTE-PCA were also taken during the radio monitoring period, showing the source to make the transition from the hard state to a softer state (via an intermediate state), although the source may never have reached the canonical soft state. Using astrometric very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) analysis and removing proper motion, parallax and orbital motion signatures, the residual positions show a scatter of similar to 0.2 mas (at 4 cm) and similar to 3 mas (at 13 cm) along the position angle of the known jet axis; these residuals suggest that there is a weak unresolved outflow, with varying size or opacity, during intermediate and soft X-ray states. Furthermore, no evidence was found for extended knots or shocks forming within the jet during the state transition, suggesting that the change in outflow rate may not be sufficiently high to produce superluminal knots.
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| 33. |
- Rushton, A. P., et al.
(författare)
-
Resolved, expanding jets in the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1908+094
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 468:3, s. 2788-2802
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Black hole X-ray binaries undergo occasional outbursts caused by changing inner accretion flows. Here we report high angular resolution radio observations of the 2013 outburst of the black hole candidate X-ray binary system XTE J1908+094, using data from the Very Long Baseline Array and European VLBI Network. We show that following a hard-to-soft state transition, we detect moving jet knots that appear asymmetric in morphology and brightness, and expand to become laterally resolved as they move away from the core, along an axis aligned approximately -11. east of north. We initially see only the southern component, whose evolution gives rise to a 15-mJy radio flare and generates the observed radio polarization. This fades and becomes resolved out after 4 days, after which a second component appears to the north, moving in the opposite direction. From the timing of the appearance of the knots relative to the X-ray state transition, a 90. swing of the inferred magnetic field orientation, the asymmetric appearance of the knots, their complex and evolving morphology, and their low speeds, we interpret the knots as working surfaces where the jets impact the surrounding medium. This would imply a substantially denser environment surrounding XTE J1908+094 than has been inferred to exist around the microquasar sources GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655-40.
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| 34. |
- Rushton, Anthony, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
VLBI constraints on the “Jet-line” of Cygnus X-1
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - 1824-8039. ; 125
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Results are presented from recent VLBI observations of Cygnus X-1 during X-ray spectral state changes. Using the EVN in e-VLBI mode and the VLBA with disk recording, we observed the X-ray binary at very high angular resolution and studied changes in the compact jets as the source made transitions from hard X-ray states to softer states. The radio light curves show that these transitions were accompanied by radio flaring events followed by a quenching of the radio emission, as expected from the current paradigm for disc-jet coupling in X-ray binaries. While we see structural changes in the compact jets during these transitions, there was no evidence for the expected ejection of bright, relativistically-moving jet knots. However, we find strong evidence that the jet does not switch off completely in the soft X-ray state of Cygnus X-1, such that a weak, compact jet persists during this phase of radio quenching.
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| 35. |
|
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| 36. |
- van Cappellen, W., et al.
(författare)
-
Apertif: Phased array feeds for the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope: System overview and performance characteristics
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 658
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe the APERture Tile In Focus (Apertif) system, a phased array feed (PAF) upgrade of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope that transforms this telescope into a high-sensitivity, wide-field-of-view L-band imaging and transient survey instrument. Using novel PAF technology, up to 40 partially overlapping beams are formed on the sky simultaneously, significantly increasing the survey speed of the telescope. With this upgraded instrument, an imaging survey covering an area of 2300 deg2 is being performed that will deliver both continuum and spectral line datasets, of which the first data have been publicly released. In addition, a time domain transient and pulsar survey covering 15 000 deg2 is in progress. An overview of the Apertif science drivers, hardware, and software of the upgraded telescope is presented, along with its key performance characteristics.
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| 37. |
- van der Horst, A. J., et al.
(författare)
-
A comprehensive radio view of the extremely bright gamma-ray burst 130427A
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 444:4, s. 3151-3163
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GRB130427A was extremely bright as a result of occurring at low redshift whilst the energetics were more typical of high-redshift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We collected well-sampled light curves at 1.4 and 4.8 GHz of GRB 130427A with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT); and we obtained its most accurate position with the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN). Our flux density measurements are combined with all the data available at radio, optical and X-ray frequencies to perform broad-band modelling in the framework of a reverse-forward shock model and a two-component jet model, and we discuss the implications and limitations of both models. The low density inferred from the modelling implies that the GRB 130427A progenitor is either a very low metallicity Wolf-Rayet star, or a rapidly rotating, low-metallicity O star. We also find that the fraction of the energy in electrons is evolving over time, and that the fraction of electrons participating in a relativistic power-law energy distribution is less than 15 per cent. We observed intraday variability during the earliest WSRT observations, and the source sizes inferred from our modelling are consistent with this variability being due to interstellar scintillation effects. Finally, we present and discuss our limits on the linear and circular polarization, which are among the deepest limits of GRB radio polarization to date.
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| 38. |
- Wandia, Kelvin, et al.
(författare)
-
An interferometric SETI observation of Kepler-111 b
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 522:3, s. 3784-3794
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The application of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has been limited to date, despite the technique offering many advantages over traditional single-dish SETI observations. In order to further develop interferometry for SETI, we used the European VLBI network (EVN) at 21 cm to observe potential secondary phase calibrators in the Kepler field. Unfortunately, no secondary calibrators were detected. However, a VLBA primary calibrator in the field, J1926+4441, offset only ∼1.88 arcmin from a nearby exoplanet Kepler-111 b, was correlated with high temporal (0.25 s) and spectral (16384 × 488 Hz channels) resolution. During the analysis of the high-resolution data, we identified a spectral feature that was present in both the auto and cross-correlation data with a central frequency of 1420.424 ± 0.0002 MHz and a width of 0.25 MHz. We demonstrate that the feature in the cross-correlations is an artefact in the data, associated with a significant increase in each telescope's noise figure due to the presence of H I in the beam. This would typically go unnoticed in data correlated with standard spectral resolution. We flag (excluded from the subsequent analysis) these channels and phase rotate the data to the location of Kepler-111 b aided by the Gaia catalogue and search for signals with SNR > 7. At the time of our observations, we detect no transmitters with an equivalent isotropically radiated power ≳4 × 1015 W.
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| 39. |
- Yang, Jun, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
A parsec-scale faint jet in the nearby changing-look Seyfert galaxy Mrk 590
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 502:1, s. L61-L65
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Broad Balmer emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGN) may display dramatic changes in amplitude, even disappearance and re-appearance in some sources. As a nearby galaxy at a redshift of z = 0.0264, Mrk 590 suffered such a cycle of Seyfert type changes between 2006 and 2017. Over the last 50 yr, Mrk 590 also underwent a powerful continuum outburst and a slow fading from X-rays to radio wavelengths with a peak bolometric luminosity reaching about 10 per cent of the Eddington luminosity. To track its past accretion and ejection activity, we performed very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.6 GHz in 2015. The EVN observations reveal a faint (∼1.7 mJy) radio jet extending up to ∼2.8 mas (projected scale ∼1.4 pc) toward north, and probably resulting from the very intensive AGN activity. To date, such a parsec-scale jet is rarely seen in the known changing-look AGN. The finding of the faint jet provides further strong support for variable accretion as the origin of the type changes in Mrk 590.
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| 40. |
- Yang, Jun, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
No apparent superluminal motion in the first-known jetted tidal disruption event Swift J1644+5734
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 462:1, s. L66-L70
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first-known tidal disruption event (TDE) with strong evidence for a relativistic jet - based on extensive multiwavelength campaigns - is Swift J1644+5734. In order to directly measure the apparent speed of the radio jet, we performed very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations with the European VLBI network (EVN) at 5 GHz. Our observing strategy was to identify a very nearby and compact radio source with the real-time e-EVN, and then utilize this source as a stationary astrometry reference point in the later five deep EVN observations. With respect to the in-beam source FIRST J1644+5736, we have achieved a statistical astrometric precision about 12 mu as (68 per cent confidence level) per epoch. This is one of the best phase-referencing measurements available to date. No proper motion has been detected in the Swift J1644+5734 radio ejecta. We conclude that the apparent average ejection speed between 2012.2 and 2015.2 was less than 0.3c with a confidence level of 99 per cent. This tight limit is direct observational evidence for either a very small viewing angle or a strong jet deceleration due to interactions with a dense circum-nuclear medium, in agreement with some recent theoretical studies.
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| 41. |
- Yang, Jun, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
The innermost jet in the hidden ultra-luminous X-ray source Cygnus X-3
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. - 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 526:1, s. L1-L7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary with a compact object accreting matter from a Wolf-Rayet donor star. Recently, it has been revealed by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) as a hidden Galactic ultra-luminous X-ray (ULX) source with a luminosity above the Eddington limit, along the direction of a narrow (opening angle) funnel. In between the IXPE observations, we observed Cyg X-3 with the European very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network at 22 GHz and the NICER X-ray instrument. To probe possible relations between the X-ray funnel and the potential radio jet from the ULX, we analysed the simultaneous multiwavelength data. Our high-resolution VLBI image reveals an elongated structure with a position angle of -3.2 ± 0.4 °, accurately perpendicular to the direction of the linear X-ray polarization. Because Cyg X-3 was in the radio quiescent state on 2022 November 10, we identify the mas-scale structure as the innermost radio jet. The finding indicates that the radio jet propagates along and within the funnel. Moreover, the jet is marginally resolved in the transverse direction. This possibly results from the strong stellar winds and the rapid orbital motion of the binary system.
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| 42. |
- Yang, Jun, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
VLBI detection of the internal shocks in nova V959 Mon
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - Trieste, Italy : Sissa Medialab. - 1824-8039.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- V959 Mon is a classical nova detected at GeV γ-ray wavelengths on 2012 June 19. While classicalnovae are now routinely detected in gamma-rays, the origin of the shocks that produce relativisticparticles has remained unknown. We carried out electronic European VLBI Network (e-EVN)observations that revealed a pair of compact synchrotron emission features in V959 Mon on 2012Sep 18. Since synchrotron emission requires strong shocks as well, we identify these features asthe location where the gamma rays were produced. We also detected the extended ejecta in thefollow-up EVN observations. They expanded much faster in East-West direction than the compact knots detected in the aforementioned e-EVN measurements. By comparing the VLBI results with lower resolution images obtained using e-MERLIN and the VLA – as reported by Chomiuk et al.[4] – it appears that 1) influenced by the binary orbit, the nova ejecta was highly asymmetric with a dense and slow outflow in the equatorial plane and low-density and faster ejecta along the poles; and 2) the VLBI knots were related to shocks formed in the interaction region of these outflows.
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| 43. |
- Yang, Xiaolong, et al.
(författare)
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NGC 5252: a pair of radio-emitting active galactic nuclei?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1745-3925 .- 1745-3933. ; 464:1, s. L70-L74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The X-ray source CXO J133815.6+043255 has counterparts in the UV, optical, and radio bands. Based on the multiband investigations, it has been recently proposed by Kim et al. as a rarely seen off-nucleus ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) source with a black hole mass of ≥104 M⊙ in the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 5252. To explore its radio properties at very high angular resolution, we performed very long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.7 GHz. We find that the radio counterpart is remarkably compact among the known ULXs. It does not show a resolved structure with a resolution of a few milliarcsecond (mas), and the total recovered flux density is comparable to that measured in earlier sub-arcsecond-resolution images. The compact radio structure, the relatively flat spectrum, and the high radio luminosity are consistent with a weakly accreting supermassive black hole in a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus. The nucleus of NGC 5252 itself has similar radio properties. We argue that the system represents a relatively rare pair of active galactic nuclei, where both components emit in the radio.
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