| 1. |
- Ackley, K., et al.
(författare)
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Observational constraints on the optical and near-infrared emission from the neutron star-black hole binary merger candidate S190814bv
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 643
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Gravitational wave (GW) astronomy has rapidly reached maturity, becoming a fundamental observing window for modern astrophysics. The coalescences of a few tens of black hole (BH) binaries have been detected, while the number of events possibly including a neutron star (NS) is still limited to a few. On 2019 August 14, the LIGO and Virgo interferometers detected a high-significance event labelled S190814bv. A preliminary analysis of the GW data suggests that the event was likely due to the merger of a compact binary system formed by a BH and a NS.Aims. In this paper, we present our extensive search campaign aimed at uncovering the potential optical and near infrared electromagnetic counterpart of S190814bv. We found no convincing electromagnetic counterpart in our data. We therefore use our non-detection to place limits on the properties of the putative outflows that could have been produced by the binary during and after the merger.Methods. Thanks to the three-detector observation of S190814bv, and given the characteristics of the signal, the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations delivered a relatively narrow localisation in low latency - a 50% (90%) credible area of 5 deg(2) (23 deg(2)) - despite the relatively large distance of 26752 Mpc. ElectromagNetic counterparts of GRAvitational wave sources at the VEry Large Telescope collaboration members carried out an intensive multi-epoch, multi-instrument observational campaign to identify the possible optical and near infrared counterpart of the event. In addition, the ATLAS, GOTO, GRAWITA-VST, Pan-STARRS, and VINROUGE projects also carried out a search on this event. In this paper, we describe the combined observational campaign of these groups.Results. Our observations allow us to place limits on the presence of any counterpart and discuss the implications for the kilonova (KN), which was possibly generated by this NS-BH merger, and for the strategy of future searches. The typical depth of our wide-field observations, which cover most of the projected sky localisation probability (up to 99.8%, depending on the night and filter considered), is r similar to 22 (resp. K similar to 21) in the optical (resp. near infrared). We reach deeper limits in a subset of our galaxy-targeted observations, which cover a total similar to 50% of the galaxy-mass-weighted localisation probability. Altogether, our observations allow us to exclude a KN with large ejecta mass M greater than or similar to 0.1 M-circle dot to a high (> 90%) confidence, and we can exclude much smaller masses in a sub-sample of our observations. This disfavours the tidal disruption of the neutron star during the merger.Conclusions. Despite the sensitive instruments involved in the campaign, given the distance of S190814bv, we could not reach sufficiently deep limits to constrain a KN comparable in luminosity to AT 2017gfo on a large fraction of the localisation probability. This suggests that future (likely common) events at a few hundred megaparsecs will be detected only by large facilities with both a high sensitivity and large field of view. Galaxy-targeted observations can reach the needed depth over a relevant portion of the localisation probability with a smaller investment of resources, but the number of galaxies to be targeted in order to get a fairly complete coverage is large, even in the case of a localisation as good as that of this event.
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| 2. |
- Fynbo, J. P. U., et al.
(författare)
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The galaxy counterpart and environment of the dusty damped Lyman-α absorber at z = 2.226 towards Q 1218+0832
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on further observations of the field of the quasar Q 1218+0832. Geier et al. (2019, A&A, 625, L9) presented the discovery of the quasar resulting from a search for quasars reddened and dimmed by dust in foreground damped Lyman-α absorbers (DLAs). The DLA is remarkable by having a very large H I column density close to 1022 cm−2. Its dust extinction curve shows the 2175 Å bump known from the Local Group. It also shows absorption from cold gas exemplified by C I and CO molecules. For this paper, we present narrow-band observations of the field of Q 1218+0832 and also use an archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image to search for the galaxy counterpart of the DLA. No emission from the DLA galaxy is found in either the narrow-band imaging or in the HST image. In the HST image, we could probe down to an impact parameter of 0.3 arcsec and a 3-σ detection limit of 26.8 mag per arcsec2. In the narrow-band image, we probed down to a 0 arcsec impact parameter and detected nothing down to a 3-σ detection limit of about 3 × 10−17 erg s−1 cm−2. We did detect a bright Lyman-α emitter 59 arcsec south of Q 1218+0832 with a flux of 3 × 10−16 erg s−1 cm−2. We conclude that the DLA galaxy must be located at a very small impact parameter (< 0.3 arcsec, 2.5 kpc) or it is optically dark. Also, the DLA galaxy most likely is part of a galaxy group.
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| 3. |
- Konstantopoulou, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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Dust depletion of metals from local to distant galaxies : II. Cosmic dust-to-metal ratio and dust composition
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 681
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evolution of cosmic dust content and the cycle between metals and dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) play a fundamental role in galaxy evolution. The chemical enrichment of the Universe can be traced through the evolution of the dust-to-metal ratio (DTM) and the dust-to-gas ratio (DTG) with metallicity. The physical processes through which dust is created and eventually destroyed remain to be elucidated. We use a novel method to determine mass estimates of the DTM, DTG, and dust composition in terms of the fraction of dust mass contributed by element X ( fMX ) based on our previous measurements of the depletion of metals in different environments (the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and damped Lyman-α absorbers (DLAs) towards quasars (QSOs) and towards gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)), which were calculated from the relative abundances of metals in the ISM through absorption-line spectroscopy column densities observed mainly from VLT/UVES and X-shooter, and HST/STIS. We also derive the dust extinction from the estimated dust depletion (AV,depl) for GRB-DLAs, the Magellanic Clouds, and the Milky Way, and compare it with the AV estimated from extinction (AV,ext). We find that the DTM and DTG ratios increase with metallicity and with the dust tracer [Zn/Fe]. This suggests that grain growth in the ISM is the dominant process of dust production, at least in the metallicity range (-2 ≤ [M/H]tot . 0.5) and redshift range (0.6 < z < 6.3) that we are studying. The increasing trend in the DTM and DTG with metallicity is in good agreement with a dust production and evolution hydrodynamical model. Our data suggest that the stellar dust yield is much lower (about 1%) than the metal yield and thus that the overall amount of dust in the warm neutral medium that is produced by stars is much lower than previously estimated. The global neutral gas metallicity is decreasing over cosmic time and is traced similarly by quasar-DLAs and GRB-DLAs. We find that, overall, AV,depl is lower than AV,ext for the Milky Way and in a few lines of sight for the Magellanic Clouds, a discrepancy that is likely related to the presence of carbonaceous dust associated with dense clumps of cold neutral gas. For the other environments studied here, we find good agreement overall between the AV,ext and AV,depl.We show that the main elements ( fMX > 1%) that contribute to the dust composition, by mass, are O, Fe, Si, Mg, C, S, Ni, and Al for all the environments, with Si, Mg, and C being equivalent contributors. There are nevertheless variations in the dust composition depending on the overall amount of dust. The abundances measured at low dust regimes in quasar- and GRB-DLAs suggest the presence of pyroxene and metallic iron in dust. These results give important information on the dust and metal content of galaxies across cosmic times, from the Milky Way up to z = 6.3.
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| 4. |
- Levan, Andrew J., et al.
(författare)
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A long-duration gamma-ray burst of dynamical origin from the nucleus of an ancient galaxy
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - 2397-3366. ; 7:8, s. 976-985
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The majority of long-duration (>2 s) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) arise from the collapse of massive stars, with a small proportion created from the merger of compact objects. Most of these systems form via standard stellar evolution pathways. However, a fraction of GRBs may result from dynamical interactions in dense environments. These channels could also contribute substantially to the samples of compact object mergers detected as gravitational wave sources. Here we report the case of GRB 191019A, a long GRB (a duration of T90 = 64.4 ± 4.5 s), which we pinpoint close (⪅100 pc projected) to the nucleus of an ancient (>1 Gyr old) host galaxy at z = 0.248. The lack of evidence for star formation and deep limits on any supernova emission disfavour a massive star origin. The most likely route for progenitor formation is via dynamical interactions in the dense nucleus of the host. The progenitor, in this case, could be a compact object merger. These may form in dense nuclear clusters or originate in a gaseous disc around the supermassive black hole. Identifying, to the best of our knowledge, a first example of a dynamically produced GRB demonstrates the role that such bursts may have in probing dense environments and constraining dynamical fractions in gravitational wave populations.
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| 5. |
- Rossi, A., et al.
(författare)
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A blast from the infant Universe : The very high-z GRB210905A
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 665
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a detailed follow-up of the very energetic GRB 210905A at a high redshift of z = 6.312 and its luminous X-ray and optical afterglow. Following the detection by Swift and Konus-Wind, we obtained a photometric and spectroscopic follow-up in the optical and near-infrared (NIR), covering both the prompt and afterglow emission from a few minutes up to 20 Ms after burst. With an isotropic gamma-ray energy release of Eiso = 1.27−0.19+0.20 × 1054 erg, GRB 210905A lies in the top ∼7% of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the Konus-Wind catalogue in terms of energy released. Its afterglow is among the most luminous ever observed, and, in particular, it is one of the most luminous in the optical at t ≳ 0.5 d in the rest frame. The afterglow starts with a shallow evolution that can be explained by energy injection, and it is followed by a steeper decay, while the spectral energy distribution is in agreement with slow cooling in a constant-density environment within the standard fireball theory. A jet break at ∼46.2 ± 16.3 d (6.3 ± 2.2 d rest-frame) has been observed in the X-ray light curve; however, it is hidden in the H band due to a constant contribution from the host galaxy and potentially from a foreground intervening galaxy. In particular, the host galaxy is only the fourth GRB host at z > 6 known to date. By assuming a number density n = 1 cm−3 and an efficiency η = 0.2, we derived a half-opening angle of 8.4 ° ±1.0°, which is the highest ever measured for a z ≳ 6 burst, but within the range covered by closer events. The resulting collimation-corrected gamma-ray energy release of ≃1 × 1052 erg is also among the highest ever measured. The moderately large half-opening angle argues against recent claims of an inverse dependence of the half-opening angle on the redshift. The total jet energy is likely too large to be sustained by a standard magnetar, and it suggests that the central engine of this burst was a newly formed black hole. Despite the outstanding energetics and luminosity of both GRB 210905A and its afterglow, we demonstrate that they are consistent within 2σ with those of less distant bursts, indicating that the powering mechanisms and progenitors do not evolve significantly with redshift.
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| 6. |
- Schady, P., et al.
(författare)
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Comparing emission- and absorption-based gas-phase metallicities in GRB host galaxies at z =2-4 using JWST
- 2024
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 529:3, s. 2807-2831
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Much of what is known of the chemical composition of the universe is based on emission line spectra from star-forming galaxies. Emission-based inferences are, nevertheless, model-dependent and they are dominated by light from luminous star-forming regions. An alternative and sensitive probe of the metallicity of galaxies is through absorption lines imprinted on the luminous afterglow spectra of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs) from neutral material within their host galaxy. We present results from a JWST/NIRSpec programme to investigate for the first time the relation between the metallicity of neutral gas probed in absorption by GRB afterglows and the metallicity of the star-forming regions for the same host galaxy sample. Using an initial sample of eight GRB host galaxies at z = 2.1–4.7, we find a tight relation between absorption and emission line metallicities when using the recently proposed ?^ metallicity diagnostic (±0.2 dex). This agreement implies a relatively chemically homogeneous multiphase interstellar medium and indicates that absorption and emission line probes can be directly compared. However, the relation is less clear when using other diagnostics, such as R23 and R3. We also find possible evidence of an elevated N/O ratio in the host galaxy of GRB 090323 at z = 4.7, consistent with what has been seen in other z > 4 galaxies. Ultimate confirmation of an enhanced N/O ratio and of the relation between absorption and emission line metallicities will require a more direct determination of the emission line metallicity via the detection of temperature-sensitive auroral lines in our GRB host galaxy sample.
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