TY - JOUR A1 - Abeysekara, A. U. A1 - Archambault, S. A1 - Archer, A. A1 - Benbow, W. A1 - Bird, R. A1 - Buchovecky, M. A1 - Buckley, J. H. A1 - Byrum, K. A1 - Cardenzana, J. V. A1 - Cerruti, M. A1 - Chen, Xuhui A1 - Christiansen, J. L. A1 - Ciupik, L. A1 - Cui, W. A1 - Dickinson, H. J. A1 - Eisch, J. D. A1 - Errando, M. A1 - Falcone, A. A1 - Fegan, D. J. A1 - Feng, Q. A1 - Finley, J. P. A1 - Fleischhack, H. A1 - Fortin, P. A1 - Fortson, L. A1 - Furniss, A. A1 - Gillanders, G. H. A1 - Griffin, S. A1 - Grube, J. A1 - Gyuk, G. A1 - Huetten, M. A1 - Hakansson, Nils A1 - Hanna, D. A1 - Holder, J. A1 - Humensky, T. B. A1 - Johnson, C. A. A1 - Kaaret, P. A1 - Kar, P. A1 - Kelley-Hoskins, N. A1 - Kertzman, M. A1 - Kieda, D. A1 - Krause, M. A1 - Krennrich, F. A1 - Kumar, S. A1 - Lang, M. J. A1 - Lin, T. T. Y. A1 - Maier, G. A1 - McArthur, S. A1 - McCann, A. A1 - Meagher, K. A1 - Moriarty, P. A1 - Mukherjee, R. A1 - Nieto, D. A1 - Ong, R. A. A1 - Otte, A. N. A1 - Park, N. A1 - Perkins, J. S. A1 - Petrashyk, A. A1 - Pohl, Martin A1 - Popkow, A. A1 - Pueschel, Elisa A1 - Quinn, J. A1 - Ragan, K. A1 - Ratliff, G. A1 - Reynolds, P. T. A1 - Richards, G. T. A1 - Roache, E. A1 - Santander, M. A1 - Sembroski, G. H. A1 - Shahinyan, K. A1 - Staszak, D. A1 - Telezhinsky, Igor O. A1 - Tucci, J. V. A1 - Tyler, J. A1 - Vincent, S. A1 - Wakely, S. P. A1 - Weiner, O. M. A1 - Weinstein, A. A1 - Williams, D. A. A1 - Zitzer, B. T1 - A SEARCH FOR BRIEF OPTICAL FLASHES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SETI TARGET KIC 8462852 JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - The F-type star KIC. 8462852 has recently been identified as an exceptional target for search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) observations. We describe an analysis methodology for optical SETI, which we have used to analyze nine hours of serendipitous archival observations of KIC. 8462852 made with the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory between 2009 and 2015. No evidence of pulsed optical beacons, above a pulse intensity at the Earth of approximately 1 photon m(-2), is found. We also discuss the potential use of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays in searching for extremely short duration optical transients in general. KW - astrobiology KW - extraterrestrial intelligence KW - methods: observational KW - stars: individual ( KIC 8462852) KW - techniques: photometric Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/818/2/L33 SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 818 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abramowski, Attila A1 - Aharonian, Felix A. A1 - Benkhali, Faical Ait A1 - Akhperjanian, A. G. A1 - Angüner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan A1 - Anton, Gisela A1 - Balenderan, Shangkari A1 - Balzer, Arnim A1 - Barnacka, Anna A1 - Becherini, Yvonne A1 - Tjus, J. Becker A1 - Bernlöhr, K. A1 - Birsin, E. A1 - Bissaldi, E. A1 - Biteau, Jonathan A1 - Boettcher, Markus A1 - Boisson, Catherine A1 - Bolmont, J. A1 - Bordas, Pol A1 - Brucker, J. A1 - Brun, Francois A1 - Brun, Pierre A1 - Bulik, Tomasz A1 - Carrigan, Svenja A1 - Casanova, Sabrina A1 - Cerruti, M. A1 - Chadwick, Paula M. A1 - Chalme-Calvet, R. A1 - Chaves, Ryan C. G. A1 - Cheesebrough, A. A1 - Chretien, M. A1 - Colafrancesco, Sergio A1 - Cologna, Gabriele A1 - Conrad, Jan A1 - Couturier, C. A1 - Cui, Y. A1 - Dalton, M. A1 - Daniel, M. K. A1 - Davids, I. D. A1 - Degrange, B. A1 - Deil, C. A1 - dewilt, P. A1 - Dickinson, H. J. A1 - Djannati-Ataï, A. A1 - Domainko, W. A1 - Dubus, G. A1 - Dutson, K. A1 - Dyks, J. A1 - Dyrda, M. A1 - Edwards, T. A1 - Egberts, Kathrin A1 - Eger, P. A1 - Espigat, P. A1 - Farnier, C. A1 - Fegan, S. A1 - Feinstein, F. A1 - Fernandes, M. V. A1 - Fernandez, D. A1 - Fiasson, A. A1 - Fontaine, G. A1 - Foerster, A. A1 - Fuessling, M. A1 - Gajdus, M. A1 - Gallant, Y. A. A1 - Garrigoux, T. A1 - Giavitto, G. A1 - Giebels, B. A1 - Glicenstein, J. F. A1 - Grondin, M. -H. A1 - Grudzinska, M. A1 - Haeffner, S. A1 - Hahn, J. A1 - Harris, J. A1 - Heinzelmann, G. A1 - Henri, G. A1 - Hermann, G. A1 - Hervet, O. A1 - Hillert, A. A1 - Hinton, James Anthony A1 - Hofmann, W. A1 - Hofverberg, P. A1 - Holler, M. A1 - Horns, D. A1 - Jacholkowska, A. A1 - Jahn, C. A1 - Jamrozy, M. A1 - Janiak, M. A1 - Jankowsky, F. A1 - Jung, I. A1 - Kastendieck, M. A. A1 - Katarzynski, K. A1 - Katz, U. A1 - Kaufmann, S. A1 - Khelifi, B. A1 - Kieffer, M. A1 - Klepser, S. A1 - Klochkov, D. A1 - Kluzniak, W. A1 - Kneiske, T. A1 - Kolitzus, D. A1 - Komin, Nu. A1 - Kosack, K. A1 - Krakau, S. A1 - Krayzel, F. A1 - Krueger, P. P. A1 - Laffon, H. A1 - Lamanna, G. A1 - Lefaucheur, J. A1 - Lemiere, A. A1 - Lemoine-Goumard, M. A1 - Lenain, J. -P. A1 - Lennarz, D. A1 - Lohse, T. A1 - Lopatin, A. A1 - Lu, C. -C. A1 - Marandon, V. A1 - Marcowith, Alexandre A1 - Marx, R. A1 - Maurin, G. A1 - Maxted, N. A1 - Mayer, M. A1 - McComb, T. J. L. A1 - Mehault, J. A1 - Meintjes, P. J. A1 - Menzler, U. A1 - Meyer, M. A1 - Moderski, R. A1 - Mohamed, M. A1 - Moulin, Emmanuel A1 - Murach, T. A1 - Naumann, C. L. A1 - de Naurois, M. A1 - Niemiec, J. A1 - Nolan, S. J. A1 - Oakes, L. A1 - Ohm, S. A1 - Wilhelmi, E. de Ona A1 - Opitz, B. A1 - Ostrowski, M. A1 - Oya, I. A1 - Panter, M. A1 - Parsons, R. D. A1 - Arribas, M. Paz A1 - Pekeur, N. W. A1 - Pelletier, G. A1 - Perez, J. A1 - Petrucci, P. -O. A1 - Peyaud, B. A1 - Pita, S. A1 - Poon, H. A1 - Puehlhofer, G. A1 - Punch, M. A1 - Quirrenbach, A. A1 - Raab, S. A1 - Raue, M. A1 - Reimer, A. A1 - Reimer, O. A1 - Renaud, M. A1 - de los Reyes, R. A1 - Rieger, F. A1 - Rob, L. A1 - Romoli, C. A1 - Rosier-Lees, S. A1 - Rowell, G. A1 - Rudak, B. A1 - Rulten, C. B. A1 - Sahakian, V. A1 - Sanchez, David M. A1 - Santangelo, A. A1 - Schlickeiser, R. A1 - Schuessler, F. A1 - Schulz, A. A1 - Schwanke, U. A1 - Schwarzburg, S. A1 - Schwemmer, S. A1 - Sol, H. A1 - Spengler, G. A1 - Spies, F. A1 - Stawarz, L. A1 - Steenkamp, R. A1 - Stegmann, Christian A1 - Stinzing, F. A1 - Stycz, K. A1 - Sushch, Iurii A1 - Szostek, A. A1 - Tavernet, J. -P. A1 - Tavernier, T. A1 - Taylor, A. M. A1 - Terrier, R. A1 - Tluczykont, M. A1 - Trichard, C. A1 - Valerius, K. A1 - van Eldik, C. A1 - van Soelen, B. A1 - Vasileiadis, G. A1 - Venter, C. A1 - Viana, A. A1 - Vincent, P. A1 - Voelk, H. J. A1 - Volpe, F. A1 - Vorster, M. A1 - Vuillaume, T. A1 - Wagner, S. J. A1 - Wagner, P. A1 - Ward, M. A1 - Weidinger, M. A1 - Weitzel, Q. A1 - White, R. A1 - Wierzcholska, A. A1 - Willmann, P. A1 - Woernlein, A. A1 - Wouters, D. A1 - Zabalza, V. A1 - Zacharias, M. A1 - Zajczyk, A. A1 - Zdziarski, A. A. A1 - Zech, Alraune A1 - Zechlin, H. -S. T1 - HESS J1818-154, a new composite supernova remnant discovered in TeV gamma rays and X-rays JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Composite supernova remnants (SNRs) constitute a small subclass of the remnants of massive stellar explosions where non-thermal radiation is observed from both the expanding shell-like shock front and from a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) located inside of the SNR. These systems represent a unique evolutionary phase of SNRs where observations in the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray regimes allow the study of the co-evolution of both these energetic phenomena. In this article, we report results from observations of the shell-type SNR G15.4+0.1 performed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H. E. S. S.) and XMM-Newton. A compact TeV gamma-ray source, HESS J1818-154, located in the center and contained within the shell of G15.4+0.1 is detected by H. E. S. S. and featurs a spectrum best represented by a power-law model with a spectral index of -2.3 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.2(sys) and an integral flux of F(>0.42 TeV) = (0.9 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.2(sys)) x 10(-12) cm(-2) s(-1). Furthermore, a recent observation with XMM-Newton reveals extended X-ray emission strongly peaked in the center of G15.4+0.1. The X-ray source shows indications of an energy-dependent morphology featuring a compact core at energies above 4 keV and more extended emission that fills the entire region within the SNR at lower energies. Together, the X-ray and VHE gamma-ray emission provide strong evidence of a PWN located inside the shell of G15.4+0.1 and this SNR can therefore be classified as a composite based on these observations. The radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from the PWN is compatible with a one-zone leptonic model that requires a low average magnetic field inside the emission region. An unambiguous counterpart to the putative pulsar, which is thought to power the PWN, has been detected neither in radio nor in X-ray observations of G15.4+0.1. KW - X-rays: individuals: G15.4+0.1 KW - gamma rays: general KW - methods: observational KW - supernovae: individual: HESS J1818-154 KW - X-rays: general Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322914 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 562 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Devarapalli, Shanti Priya A1 - Jagirdar, Rukmini A1 - Prasad, Manjunath R. A1 - Thomas, Vineet S. A1 - Ahmed, Syed Aslam A1 - Gralapally, Raghavendra A1 - Das, Jesmin Permala Lohy T1 - Comprehensive study of a neglected contact binary TYC 5532-1333-1 JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - A comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the variable TYC 5532-1333-1 (TYC) along with an investigation of its orbital period variation is presented for the first time. The B- and V-band photometric study indicates that TYC is an intermediate contact binary with degree of contact and mass ratio of 34 per cent and similar to 0.24, respectively. The derived equivalent widths from the spectroscopic study of H alpha and Na-I lines reveal phase-dependent variation and mutual correlation. Using the available times of minimum light, an investigation of orbital period variation shows a long-term decrease at a rate of 3.98 x 10(-6) d yr(-1). Expected causes for such decline in the orbital period could be angular momentum loss and a quasi-sinusoidal variation due to light-time effect probably caused by a third-body companion. The minimum mass of the third body (M-3) was derived to be 0.65 M-circle dot. Our presented study is an attempt to evaluate and understand the evolutionary state of above-mentioned neglected contact binary. KW - line: profiles KW - methods: observational KW - techniques: photometric KW - techniques: spectroscopic KW - stars: activity KW - binaries: eclipsing Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa031 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 493 IS - 2 SP - 1565 EP - 1573 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diercke, Andrea A1 - Kuckein, Christoph A1 - Denker, Carsten T1 - Dynamics and connectivity of an extended arch filament system JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Aims. In this study, we analyzed a filament system, which expanded between moving magnetic features (MMFs) of a decaying sunspot and opposite flux outside of the active region from the nearby quiet-Sun network. This configuration deviated from a classical arch filament system (AFS), which typically connects two pores in an emerging flux region. Thus, we called this system an extended AFS. We contrasted classical and extended AFSs with an emphasis on the complex magnetic structure of the latter. Furthermore, we examined the physical properties of the extended AFS and described its dynamics and connectivity. Methods. The extended AFS was observed with two instruments at the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST). The Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) imager provided images in three different wavelength regions, which covered the dynamics of the extended AFS at different atmospheric heights. The Interferometric Bidimensional Spectropolarimeter (IBIS) provided spectroscopic Ha data and spectropolarimetric data that was obtained in the near-infrared (NIR) Call lambda 8542 angstrom line. We derived the corresponding line-of-sight (LOS) velocities and used He II lambda 304 angstrom extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and LOS magnetograms of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as context data. Results. The NIR Call Stokes-V maps are not suitable to definitively define a clear polarity inversion line and to classify this chromospheric structure. Nevertheless, this unusual AFS connects the MMFs of a decaying sunspot with the network field. At the southern footpoint, we measured that the flux decreases over time. We find strong downflow velocities at the footpoints of the extended AFS, which increase in a time period of 30 min. The velocities are asymmetric at both footpoints with higher velocities at the southern footpoint. An EUV brigthening appears in one of the arch filaments, which migrates from the northern footpoint toward the southern one. This activation likely influences the increasing redshift at the southern footpoint. Conclusions. The extended AFS exhibits a similar morphology as classical AFSs, for example, threaded filaments of comparable length and width. Major differences concern the connection from MMFs around the sunspot with the flux of the neighboring quietSun network, converging footpoint motions, and longer lifetimes of individual arch filaments of about one hour, while the extended AFS is still very dynamic. KW - methods: observational KW - Sun: filaments, prominences KW - Sun: activity KW - techniques: image processing KW - Sun: chromosphere Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201935583 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 629 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diercke, Andrea A1 - Kuckein, Christoph A1 - Verma, Meetu A1 - Denker, Carsten T1 - Counter-streaming flows in a giant quiet-Sun filament observed in the extreme ultraviolet JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Aims. The giant solar filament was visible on the solar surface from 2011 November 8-23. Multiwavelength data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were used to examine counter-streaming flows within the spine of the filament. Methods. We use data from two SDO instruments, the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), covering the whole filament, which stretched over more than half a solar diameter. H alpha images from the Kanzelhohe Solar Observatory (KSO) provide context information of where the spine of the filament is defined and the barbs are located. We apply local correlation tracking (LCT) to a two-hour time series on 2011 November 16 of the AIA images to derive horizontal flow velocities of the filament. To enhance the contrast of the AIA images, noise adaptive fuzzy equalization (NAFE) is employed, which allows us to identify and quantify counter-streaming flows in the filament. We observe the same cool filament plasma in absorption in both H alpha and EUV images. Hence, the counter-streaming flows are directly related to this filament material in the spine. In addition, we use directional flow maps to highlight the counter-streaming flows. Results. We detect counter-streaming flows in the filament, which are visible in the time-lapse movies in all four examined AIA wavelength bands (lambda 171 angstrom, lambda 193 angstrom, lambda 304 angstrom, and lambda 211 angstrom). In the time-lapse movies we see that these persistent flows lasted for at least two hours, although they became less prominent towards the end of the time series. Furthermore, by applying LCT to the images we clearly determine counter-streaming flows in time series of lambda 171 angstrom and lambda 193 angstrom images. In the lambda 304 angstrom wavelength band, we only see minor indications for counter-streaming flows with LCT, while in the lambda 211 angstrom wavelength band the counter-streaming flows are not detectable with this method. The diverse morphology of the filament in H alpha and EUV images is caused by different absorption processes, i.e., spectral line absorption and absorption by hydrogen and helium continua, respectively. The horizontal flows reach mean flow speeds of about 0.5 km s(-1) for all wavelength bands. The highest horizontal flow speeds are identified in the lambda 171 angstrom band with flow speeds of up to 2.5 km s(-1). The results are averaged over a time series of 90 minutes. Because the LCT sampling window has finite width, a spatial degradation cannot be avoided leading to lower estimates of the flow velocities as compared to feature tracking or Doppler measurements. The counter-streaming flows cover about 15-20% of the whole area of the EUV filament channel and are located in the central part of the spine. Conclusions. Compared to the ground-based observations, the absence of seeing effects in AIA observations reveal counter-streaming flows in the filament even with a moderate image scale of 0 '.6 pixel(-1). Using a contrast enhancement technique, these flows can be detected and quantified with LCT in different wavelengths. We confirm the omnipresence of counter-streaming flows also in giant quiet-Sun filaments. KW - methods: observational KW - Sun: filaments, prominences KW - Sun: activity KW - Sun: chromosphere KW - Sun: corona KW - techniques: image processing Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201730536 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 611 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gimenez-Garcia, Ana A1 - Shenar, Tomer A1 - Torrejon, J. M. A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Martinez-Nunez, S. A1 - Hamann, Wolf-Rainer A1 - Rodes-Roca, J. J. A1 - González-Galan, A. A1 - Alonso-Santiago, J. A1 - González-Fernández, C. A1 - Bernabeu, Guillermo A1 - Sander, Andreas Alexander Christoph T1 - Measuring the stellar wind parameters in IGR J17544-2619 and Vela X-1 constrains the accretion physics in supergiant fast X-ray transient and classical supergiant X-ray binaries JF - Siberian Mathematical Journal N2 - Aims. To close this gap, we perform a comparative analysis of the optical companion in two important systems: IGR J175442619 (SFXT) and Vela X-1 (SGXB). We analyze the spectra of each star in detail and derive their stellar and wind properties. As a next step, we compare the wind parameters, giving us an excellent chance of recognizing key differences between donor winds in SFXTs and SGXBs. Methods. We use archival infrared, optical and ultraviolet observations, and analyze them with the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) Potsdam Wolf-Rayet model atmosphere code. We derive the physical properties of the stars and their stellar winds, accounting for the influence of X-rays on the stellar winds. Results. We find that the stellar parameters derived from the analysis generally agree well with the spectral types of the two donors: O9I (IGR J17544-2619) and B0.5Iae (Vela X-1). The distance to the sources have been revised and also agree well with the estimations already available in the literature. In IGR J17544-2619 we are able to narrow the uncertainty to d = 3.0 +/- 0.2 kpc. From the stellar radius of the donor and its X-ray behavior, the eccentricity of IGR J17544-2619 is constrained to e < 0.25. The derived chemical abundances point to certain mixing during the lifetime of the donors. An important difference between the stellar winds of the two stars is their terminal velocities (v(infinity) = 1500 km s(-1) in IGR J17544-2619 and v(infinity) = 700 km s(-1) in Vela X-1), which have important consequences on the X-ray luminosity of these sources. Conclusions. The donors of IGR J17544-2619 and Vela X-1 have similar spectral types as well as similar parameters that physically characterize them and their spectra. In addition, the orbital parameters of the systems are similar too, with a nearly circular orbit and short orbital period. However, they show moderate differences in their stellar wind velocity and the spin period of their neutron star which has a strong impact on the X-ray luminosity of the sources. This specific combination of wind speed and pulsar spin favors an accretion regime with a persistently high luminosity in Vela X-1, while it favors an inhibiting accretion mechanism in IGR J17544-2619. Our study demonstrates that the relative wind velocity is critical in class determination for the HMXBs hosting a supergiant donor, given that it may shift the accretion mechanism from direct accretion to propeller regimes when combined with other parameters. KW - accretion, accretion disks KW - methods: observational KW - techniques: spectroscopic KW - stars: atmospheres KW - X-rays: binaries KW - stars: winds, outflows Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201527551 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 591 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gonzalez Manrique, Sergio Javier A1 - Kuckein, Christoph A1 - Collados, M. A1 - Denker, Carsten A1 - Solanki, S. K. A1 - Gomory, P. A1 - Verma, Meetu A1 - Balthasar, H. A1 - Lagg, A. A1 - Diercke, Andrea T1 - Temporal evolution of arch filaments as seen in He I 10 830 angstrom JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Aims. We study the evolution of an arch filament system (AFS) and of its individual arch filaments to learn about the processes occurring in them. Methods. We observed the AFS at the GREGOR solar telescope on Tenerife at high cadence with the very fast spectroscopic mode of the GREGOR Infrared Spectrograph (GRIS) in the He I 10 830 angstrom spectral range. The He I triplet profiles were fitted with analytic functions to infer line-of-sight (LOS) velocities to follow plasma motions within the AFS. Results. We tracked the temporal evolution of an individual arch filament over its entire lifetime, as seen in the He I 10 830 angstrom triplet. The arch filament expanded in height and extended in length from 13 ' to 21 '. The lifetime of this arch filament is about 30 min. About 11 min after the arch filament is seen in He I, the loop top starts to rise with an average Doppler velocity of 6 km s(-1). Only two minutes later, plasma drains down with supersonic velocities towards the footpoints reaching a peak velocity of up to 40 km s(-1) in the chromosphere. The temporal evolution of He I 10 830 angstrom profiles near the leading pore showed almost ubiquitous dual red components of the He I triplet, indicating strong downflows, along with material nearly at rest within the same resolution element during the whole observing time. KW - Sun: chromosphere KW - Sun: activity KW - methods: observational KW - methods: data analysis KW - techniques: high angular resolution Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201832684 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 617 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hosseinzadeh, Griffin A1 - Cowperthwaite, Philip S. A1 - Gomez, Sebastian A1 - Villar, Victoria Ashley A1 - Nicholl, Matt A1 - Margutti, Raffaella A1 - Berger, Edo A1 - Chornock, Ryan A1 - Paterson, Kerry A1 - Fong, Wen-fai A1 - Savchenko, Volodymyr A1 - Short, Phil A1 - Alexander, Kate D. A1 - Blanchard, Peter K. A1 - Braga, Joao A1 - Calkins, Michael L. A1 - Cartier, Regis A1 - Coppejans, Deanne L. A1 - Eftekhari, Tarraneh A1 - Laskar, Tanmoy A1 - Ly, Chun A1 - Patton, Locke A1 - Pelisoli, Ingrid Domingos A1 - Reichart, Daniel E. A1 - Terreran, Giacomo A1 - Williams, Peter K. G. T1 - Follow-up of the Neutron Star Bearing Gravitational-wave Candidate Events S190425z and S190426c with MMT and SOAR JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - On 2019 April 25.346 and 26.640 UT the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo gravitational-wave (GW) observatory announced the detection of the first candidate events in Observing Run 3 that contained at least one neutron star (NS). S190425z is a likely binary neutron star (BNS) merger at d(L) = 156 +/- 41 Mpc, while S190426c is possibly the first NS-black hole (BH) merger ever detected, at d(L) = 377 +/- 100 Mpc, although with marginal statistical significance. Here we report our optical follow-up observations for both events using the MMT 6.5 m telescope, as well as our spectroscopic follow-up of candidate counterparts (which turned out to be unrelated) with the 4.1 m SOAR telescope. We compare to publicly reported searches, explore the overall areal coverage and depth, and evaluate those in relation to the optical/near-infrared (NIR) kilonova emission from the BNS merger GW170817, to theoretical kilonova models, and to short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) afterglows. We find that for a GW170817-like kilonova, the partial volume covered spans up to about 40% for S190425z and 60% for S190426c. For an on-axis jet typical of SGRBs, the search effective volume is larger, but such a configuration is expected in at most a few percent of mergers. We further find that wide-field gamma-ray and X-ray limits rule out luminous on-axis SGRBs, for a large fraction of the localization regions, although these searches are not sufficiently deep in the context of the gamma-ray emission from GW170817 or off-axis SGRB afterglows. The results indicate that some optical follow-up searches are sufficiently deep for counterpart identification to about 300 Mpc, but that localizations better than 1000 deg(2) are likely essential. KW - binaries: close KW - gravitational waves KW - methods: observational KW - stars: black holes KW - stars: neutron Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab271c SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 880 IS - 1 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mallonn, Matthias A1 - Poppenhäger, Katja A1 - Granzer, Thomas A1 - Weber, Michael A1 - Strassmeier, Klaus G. T1 - Detection capability of ground-based meter-sized telescopes for shallow exoplanet transits JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Meter-sized ground-based telescopes are frequently used today for the follow-up of extrasolar planet candidates. While the transit signal of a Jupiter-sized object can typically be detected to a high level of confidence with small telescope apertures as well, the shallow transit dips of planets with the size of Neptune and smaller are more challenging to reveal. We employ new observational data to illustrate the photometric follow-up capabilities of meter-sized telescopes for shallow exoplanet transits. We describe in detail the capability of distinguishing the photometric signal of an exoplanet transit from an underlying trend in the light curve. The transit depths of the six targets we observed, Kepler-94b, Kepler-63b, K2-100b, K2-138b, K2-138c, and K2-138e, range from 3.9 ppt down to 0.3 ppt. For five targets of this sample, we provide the first ground-based photometric follow-up. The timing of three targets is precisely known from previous observations, and the timing of the other three targets is uncertain and we aim to constrain it. We detect or rule out the transit features significantly in single observations for the targets that show transits of 1.3 ppt or deeper. The shallower transit depths of two targets of 0.6 and 0.8 ppt were detected tentatively in single light curves, and were detected significantly by repeated observations. Only for the target of the shallowest transit depth of 0.3 ppt were we unable to draw a significant conclusion despite combining five individual light curves. An injection-recovery test on our real data shows that we detect transits of 1.3 ppt depth significantly in single light curves if the transit is fully covered, including out-of-transit data toward both sides, in some cases down to 0.7 ppt depth. For Kepler-94b, Kepler-63b, and K2-100b, we were able to verify the ephemeris. In the case of K2-138c with a 0.6 ppt deep transit, we were able to refine it, and in the case of K2-138e, we ruled out the transit in the time interval of more than ±1.5 σ of its current literature ephemeris. KW - methods: observational KW - techniques: photometric KW - planets and satellites: fundamental parameters Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140599 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 657 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martinez Gonzalez, M. J. A1 - Pastor Yabar, A. A1 - Lagg, A. A1 - Asensio Ramos, A. A1 - Collados Vera, M. A1 - Solanki, S. K. A1 - Balthasar, H. A1 - Berkefeld, T. A1 - Denker, Carsten A1 - Doerr, H. P. A1 - Feller, A. A1 - Franz, M. A1 - González Manrique, Sergio Javier A1 - Hofmann, A. A1 - Kneer, F. A1 - Kuckein, Christoph A1 - Louis, R. A1 - von der Lühe, O. A1 - Nicklas, H. A1 - Orozco, D. A1 - Rezaei, R. A1 - Schlichenmaier, R. A1 - Schmidt, D. A1 - Schmidt, W. A1 - Sigwarth, M. A1 - Sobotka, M. A1 - Soltau, D. A1 - Staude, J. A1 - Strassmeier, Klaus G. A1 - Verma, Meetu A1 - Waldman, T. A1 - Volkmer, R. T1 - Inference of magnetic fields in the very quiet Sun JF - Journal of geophysical research : Earth surface N2 - Context. Over the past 20 yr, the quietest areas of the solar surface have revealed a weak but extremely dynamic magnetism occurring at small scales (<500 km), which may provide an important contribution to the dynamics and energetics of the outer layers of the atmosphere. Understanding this magnetism requires the inference of physical quantities from high-sensitivity spectro-polarimetric data with high spatio-temporal resolution. Aims. We present high-precision spectro-polarimetric data with high spatial resolution (0.4") of the very quiet Sun at 1.56 mu m obtained with the GREGOR telescope to shed some light on this complex magnetism. Methods. We used inversion techniques in two main approaches. First, we assumed that the observed profiles can be reproduced with a constant magnetic field atmosphere embedded in a field-free medium. Second, we assumed that the resolution element has a substructure with either two constant magnetic atmospheres or a single magnetic atmosphere with gradients of the physical quantities along the optical depth, both coexisting with a global stray-light component. Results. Half of our observed quiet-Sun region is better explained by magnetic substructure within the resolution element. However, we cannot distinguish whether this substructure comes from gradients of the physical parameters along the line of sight or from horizontal gradients (across the surface). In these pixels, a model with two magnetic components is preferred, and we find two distinct magnetic field populations. The population with the larger filling factor has very weak (similar to 150 G) horizontal fields similar to those obtained in previous works. We demonstrate that the field vector of this population is not constrained by the observations, given the spatial resolution and polarimetric accuracy of our data. The topology of the other component with the smaller filling factor is constrained by the observations for field strengths above 250 G: we infer hG fields with inclinations and azimuth values compatible with an isotropic distribution. The filling factors are typically below 30%. We also find that the flux of the two polarities is not balanced. From the other half of the observed quiet-Sun area similar to 50% are two-lobed Stokes V profiles, meaning that 23% of the field of view can be adequately explained with a single constant magnetic field embedded in a non-magnetic atmosphere. The magnetic field vector and filling factor are reliable inferred in only 50% based on the regular profiles. Therefore, 12% of the field of view harbour hG fields with filling factors typically below 30%. At our present spatial resolution, 70% of the pixels apparently are non-magnetised. KW - Sun: atmosphere KW - Sun: magnetic fields KW - techniques: polarimetric KW - methods: observational Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201628449 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 596 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steppa, Constantin A1 - Egberts, Kathrin T1 - Modelling the Galactic very-high-energy gamma-ray source population JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Context. The High Energy Stereoscopic System Galactic plane survey (HGPS) is to date the most comprehensive census of Galactic gamma -ray sources at very high energies (VHE; 100 GeV <= E <= 100 TeV). As a consequence of the limited sensitivity of this survey, the 78 detected gamma -ray sources comprise only a small and biased subsample of the overall population. The larger part consists of currently unresolved sources, which contribute to large-scale diffuse emission to a still uncertain amount.Aims. We study the VHE gamma -ray source population in the Milky Way. For this purpose population-synthesis models are derived based on the distributions of source positions, extents, and luminosities.Methods. Several azimuth-symmetric and spiral-arm models are compared for spatial source distribution. The luminosity and radius function of the population are derived from the source properties of the HGPS data set and are corrected for the sensitivity bias of the HGPS. Based on these models, VHE source populations are simulated and the subsets of sources detectable according to the HGPS are compared with HGPS sources.Results. The power-law indices of luminosity and radius functions are determined to range between -1.6 and -1.9 for luminosity and -1.1 and -1.6 for radius. A two-arm spiral structure with central bar is discarded as spatial distribution of VHE sources, while azimuth-symmetric distributions and a distribution following a four-arm spiral structure without bar describe the HGPS data reasonably well. The total number of Galactic VHE sources is predicted to be in the range from 800 to 7000 with a total luminosity and flux of (1.6-6.3) x 10(36) ph s(-1) and (3-15) x 10(-10) ph cm(-2) s(-1), respectively.Conclusions. Depending on the model, the HGPS sample accounts for (68-87)% of the emission of the population in the scanned region. This suggests that unresolved sources represent a critical component of the diffuse emission measurable in the HGPS. With the foreseen jump in sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, the number of detectable sources is predicted to increase by a factor between 5 and 9. KW - astroparticle physics KW - gamma rays: general KW - gamma rays: diffuse KW - background KW - methods: observational KW - methods: numerical Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038172 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 643 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER -