| 11. |
- Malesani, D., et al.
(författare)
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Early Spectroscopic Identification of SN 2008D
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 692:2, s. L84-L87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- SN 2008D was discovered while following up an unusually bright X-ray transient (XT) in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2770. We present early optical spectra ( obtained 1.75 days after the XT) which allowed the first identification of the object as a supernova ( SN) at redshift z = 0.007. These spectra were acquired during the initial declining phase of the light curve, likely produced in the stellar envelope cooling after shock breakout, and rarely observed. They exhibit a rather flat spectral energy distribution with broad undulations, and a strong, W-shaped feature with minima at 3980 and 4190 angstrom ( rest frame). We also present extensive spectroscopy and photometry of the SN during the subsequent photospheric phase. Unlike SNe associated with gamma-ray bursts, SN 2008D displayed prominent He features and is therefore of Type Ib.
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| 12. |
- Messias, M. J, et al.
(författare)
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The Greenland Sea tracer experiment 1996–2002: Horizontal mixing and transport of Greenland Sea Intermediate Water
- 2008
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Ingår i: Progress In Oceanography. - : Elsevier BV. - 0079-6611. ; 78:1, s. 85-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In summer 1996, a tracer release experiment using sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) was launched in the intermediate-depth waters of the central Greenland Sea (GS), to study the mixing and ventilation processes in the region and its role in the northern limb of the Atlantic overturning circulation. Here we describe the hydrographic context of the experiment, the methods adopted and the results from the monitoring of the horizontal tracer spread for the 1996–2002 period documented by 10 shipboard surveys. The tracer marked “Greenland Sea Arctic Intermediate Water” (GSAIW). This was redistributed in the gyre by variable winter convection penetrating only to mid-depths, reaching at most 1800 m depth during the strongest event observed in 2002. For the first 18 months, the tracer remained mainly in the Greenland Sea. Vigorous horizontal mixing within the Greenland Sea gyre and a tight circulation of the gyre interacting slowly with the other basins under strong topographic influences were identified. We use the tracer distributions to derive the horizontal shear at the scale of the Greenland Sea gyre, and rates of horizontal mixing at 10 and 300 km scales. Mixing rates at small scale are high, several times those observed at comparable depths at lower latitudes. Horizontal stirring at the sub-gyre scale is mediated by numerous and vigorous eddies. Evidence obtained during the tracer release suggests that these play an important role in mixing water masses to form the intermediate waters of the central Greenland Sea. By year two, the tracer had entered the surrounding current systems at intermediate depths and small concentrations were in proximity to the overflows into the North Atlantic. After 3 years, the tracer had spread over the Nordic Seas basins. Finally by year six, an intensive large survey provided an overall synoptic documentation of the spreading of the tagged GSAIW in the Nordic Seas. A circulation scheme of the tagged water originating from the centre of the GS is deduced from the horizontal spread of the tracer. We present this circulation and evaluate the transport budgets of the tracer between the GS and the surroundings basins. The overall residence time for the tagged GSAIW in the Greenland Sea was about 2.5 years. We infer an export of intermediate water of GSAIW from the GS of 1 to 1.85 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) for the period from September 1998 to June 2002 based on the evolution of the amount of tracer leaving the GS gyre. There is strong exchange between the Greenland Sea and Arctic Ocean via Fram Strait, but the contribution of the Greenland Sea to the Denmark Strait and Iceland Scotland overflows is modest, probably not exceeding 6% during the period under study.
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| 13. |
- Olsson, Anders, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Intermediate water from the Greenland Sea in the Faroe Bank Channel: spreading of released sulphur hexafluoride
- 2005
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Ingår i: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. - : Elsevier BV. - 0967-0637. ; 52:2, s. 279-294
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Faroe Bank Channel is the deepest passage for dense water leaving the Nordic Seas into the North Atlantic. The contribution to this part of the Greenland-Scotland Overflow by intermediate water from the Greenland Sea is investigated by the tracer sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) that was released into the central Greenland Sea in summer 1996. Continuous monitoring has since traced it around the Nordic Seas and into the connecting areas. It was observed for the first time close to the Faroe Islands in early 1999, indicating a transport time from the Greenland Sea of around 2.5 years. This study estimates that approximately 16 kg of SF6 had passed the Faroe Bank Channel by the end of 2002, that is 5% of the total amount released. Both the arrival time and the amount of exported SF6 deduced from the observations are consistent with the results from a numerical ocean model simulating the tracer release and spreading.
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| 14. |
- Jakobsson, P, et al.
(författare)
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A mean redshift of 2.8 for Swift gamma-ray bursts
- 2006
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Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 447:3, s. 897-903
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The exceptionally high luminosities of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), gradually emerging as extremely useful probes of star formation, make them promising tools for exploration of the high-redshift Universe. Here we present a carefully selected sample of Swift GRBs, intended to estimate in an unbiased way the GRB mean redshift (z(mean)), constraints on the fraction of high-redshift bursts and an upper limit on the fraction of heavily obscured afterglows. We find that z(mean) = 2.8 and that at least 7% of GRBs originate at z > 5. In addition, consistent with pre-Swift observations, at most 20% of afterglows can be heavily obscured. The redshift distribution of the sample is qualitatively consistent with models where the GRB rate is proportional to the star formation rate in the Universe. We also report optical, near-infrared and X-ray observations of the afterglow of GRB 050814, which was seen to exhibit very red optical colours. By modelling its spectral energy distribution we find that z = 5.3 +/- 0.3. The high mean redshift of GRBs and their wide redshift range clearly demonstrates their suitability as efficient probes of galaxies and the intergalactic medium over a significant fraction of the history of the Universe.
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| 15. |
- Xu, D., et al.
(författare)
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In Search of Progenitors for Supernovaless Gamma-Ray Bursts 060505 and 060614 : Re-examination of Their Afterglows
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 696:1, s. 971-979
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GRB 060505 and GRB 060614 are nearby long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) without accompanying supernovae (SNe) down to very strict limits. They thereby challenge the conventional LGRB-SN connection and naturally give rise to the question: are there other peculiar features in their afterglows which would help shed light on their progenitors? To answer this question, we combine new observational data with published data and investigate the multiband temporal and spectral properties of the two afterglows. We find that both afterglows can be well interpreted within the framework of the jetted standard external shock wave model, and that the afterglow parameters for both bursts fall well within the range observed for other LGRBs. Hence, from the properties of the afterglows there is nothing to suggest that these bursts should have another progenitor than other LGRBs. Recently, Swift-discovered GRB 080503 also has the spike + tail structure during its prompt γ-ray emission seemingly similar to GRB 060614. We analyze the prompt emission of this burst and find that this GRB is actually a hard-spike + hard-tail burst with a spectral lag of 0.8 ± 0.4 s during its tail emission. Thus, the properties of the prompt emission of GRB 060614 and GRB 080503 are clearly different, motivating further thinking of GRB classification (and even identification of faint core-collapse SNe). Finally, we note that, whereas the progenitor of the two SN-less bursts remains uncertain, the core-collapse origin for the SN-less bursts would be quite certain if a windlike environment can be observationally established, e.g., from an optical decay faster than the X-ray decay in the afterglow's slow cooling phase. Based on observations collected at the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, under programs 077.D-0661 and 177.A-0591.
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