arXiv subjects

A. Gomboc

Publications and source records attributed to A. Gomboc.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

The early and late-time spectral and temporal evolution of GRB 050716

We report on a comprehensive set of observations of Gamma Ray Burst 050716, detected by the Swift satellite and subsequently followed-up rapidly in X-ray, optical and near infra-red wavebands. The prompt emission is typical of long-duration bursts, with two peaks in a time interval of T90 = 68 seconds (15 - 350 keV). The prompt emission continues at lower flux levels in the X-ray band, where several smaller flares can be seen, on top of a decaying light curve that exhibits an apparent break around 220 seconds post trigger. This temporal break is roughly coincident with a spectral break. The latter can be related to the extrapolated evolution of the break energy in the prompt gamma-ray emission, and is possibly the manifestation of the peak flux break frequency of the internal shock passing through the observing band. A possible 3 sigma change in the X-ray absorption column is also seen during this time. The late-time afterglow behaviour is relatively standard, with an electron distribution power-law index of p = 2 there is no noticable temporal break out to at least 10 days. The broad-band optical/nIR to X-ray spectrum indicates a redshift of z ~> 2 for this burst, with a host-galaxy extinction value of E(B-V) ~ 0.7 that prefers an SMC-like extinction curve.

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arXiv2006

Multi-wavelength afterglow observations of the high redshift GRB 050730

GRB 050730 is a long duration high-redshift burst (z=3.967) discovered by Swift. The afterglow shows variability and is well monitored over a wide wavelength range. We present comprehensive temporal and spectral analysis of the afterglow of GRB 050730 including observations from the millimeter to X-rays. We use multi-wavelength afterglow data to understand the temporal and spectral decay properties with superimposed variability of this high redshift burst. Five telescopes were used to study the decaying afterglow of GRB 050730 in the B, V, r', R, i', I, J and K photometric pass bands. A spectral energy distribution was constructed at 2.9 hours post-burst in the K, J, I, R, V and B bands. X-ray data from the satellites Swift and XMM-Newton were used to study the afterglow evolution at higher energies. The early afterglow shows variability at early times and shows a steepening at ~0.1 days (8.6 ks) in the B, V, r', R, i', I, J and K passbands. The early afterglow light curve decayed with alpha_1 = -0.60+/-0.07 and alpha_2 = -1.71+/-0.06 based on R and I band data. A millimeter detection of the afterglow around 3 days after the burst shows an excess in comparison to predictions. The early X-ray light curve observed by Swift is complex and contains flares. At late times the X-ray light curve can be fit by a powerlaw alpha_x = -2.5+/-0.15 which is steeper than the optical light curve. A spectral energy distribution (SED) was constructed at \~2.9 hours after the burst. An electron energy index, p, of ~ 2.3 was calculated using the SED and the photon index from the X-ray afterglow spectra and indicates that the synchrotron cooling frequency nu_c is above observed frequencies.

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arXiv2006

Anatomy of A Dark Burst - The Afterglow of GRB 060108

We report the first detection of an optical afterglow of a GRB (060108) that would have been classified as 'dark' in the absence of deep, rapid ground-based optical imaging with the 2-m robotic Faulkes Telesscope (FTN). Our multiwavelength analysis reveals an X-ray light curve typical of many Swift long GRBs (3-segments plus flare). Its optical afterglow, however, was already fainter than the detection limit of the UVOT within 100s of the burst. Optical imaging in BVRi' filters with the FTN began 2.75 minutes after the burst and resulted in the detection of the optical afterglow at 5.3 minutes, with a UKIRT K-band identification at ~45 mins. R and i'-band light curves are consistent with a single power law decay in flux, F(t) prop t^-a where a=0.43+/-0.08, or a 2-segment light curve with a steep decay a_1 <0.88, flattening to a_2 ~ 0.31, with evidence for rebrightening at i' band. Deep VLT R-band imaging at ~12 days reveals a faint, extended object (R ~23.5 mag) at the location of the afterglow. Although the brightness is compatible with the extrapolation of the a_2 slow decay, significant flux is likely due to a host galaxy. This implies that the optical light curve had a break before 12 days, akin to what observed in the X-rays. We derive a maximum photometric redshift z<3.2 for GRB 060108 and a best-fitting optical-to-X-ray SED at 1000 s after the burst consistent with a power law with index beta_OX = 0.54 and a small amount of extinction. The unambiguous detection at B-band and the derived photometric redshift rule out a high redshift as the reason for the optical faintness of GRB 060108. Instead, the hard opt/X-ray spectral index confirms it as one of the optically-darkest bursts detected and with modest host extinction explains the UVOT non-detection (abridged).

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arXiv2006

The variable X-ray light curve of GRB 050713A: the case of refreshed shocks

We present a detailed study of the spectral and temporal properties of the X-ray and optical emission of GRB050713a up to 0.5 day after the main GRB event. The X-ray light curve exhibits large amplitude variations with several rebrightenings superposed on the underlying three-segment broken powerlaw that is often seen in Swift GRBs. Our time-resolved spectral analysis supports the interpretation of a long-lived central engine, with rebrightenings consistent with energy injection in refreshed shocks as slower shells generated in the central engine prompt phase catch up with the afterglow shock at later times. Our sparsely-sampled light curve of the optical afterglow can be fitted with a single power law without large flares. The optical decay index appears flatter than the X-ray one, especially at later times.

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arXiv2006

The slope of the GRB Variability/Peak Luminosity Correlation

From a sample of 32 GRBs with known redshift (Guidorzi et al. 2005) and then a sample of 551 BATSE GRBs with derived pseudo-redshift (Guidorzi 2005), the time variability/peak luminosity correlation (V vs. L) found by Reichart et al. (2001) was tested. For both samples the correlation is still found but less relevant due to a much higher spread of the data. Assuming a straight line in the logL-logV plane (logL = m logV + b), as done by Reichart et al., the slope was found lower than that derived by Reichart et al.: m = 1.3_{-0.4}^{+0.8} (Guidorzi et al. 2005), m = 0.85 +- 0.02 (Guidorzi 2005), to be compared with m = 3.3^{+1.1}_{-0.9} (Reichart et al. 2001). Reichart & Nysewander (2005) attribute the different slope to the fact we do not take into account in the fit the variance of the sample, and demonstrate that, using the method by Reichart (2001), the data set of Guidorzi et al. (2005) in logL-logV plane is still well described with slope m = 3.4^{+0.9}_{-0.6}. Here we compare the results of two methods accounting for the variance of the sample, that implemented by Reichart (2001) and that by D'Agostini (2005). We demonstrate that the method by Reichart (2001) provides an inconsistent estimate of the slope when the sample variance is comparable with the interval of values covered by the variability. We also show that, using the D'Agostini method, the slope is consistent with that derived by us earlier and inconsistent with that derived by Reichart & Nysewander (2005). Finally we discuss the implications on the interpretations and show that our results are in agreement with the peak energy/variability correlation found by Lloyd-Ronning & Ramirez-Ruiz (2002) and the peak energy/peak luminosity correlation (Yonetoku et al. 2004; Ghirlanda et al. 2005) [abridged].

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arXiv2006

High Quality Early Time Light Curves of GRB 060206: Implications for Gamma Ray Burst Environments and Energetics

The 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT) reacted promptly to the high-redshift (z=4.048) gamma-ray burst GRB 060206. The afterglow was identified automatically and multicolor r'i'z' imaging was triggered without human intervention. Combining our data with those obtained from later follow-ups provides a well-sampled optical light-curve from 5 minutes to >2d after the gamma event. The light-curve is highly structured with at least three bumps evident in the first 75 minutes, including a major rebrightening (Delta_r'=-1.6 at t=3000s), interpreted as late energy injection. At early time (t=440s), we find evidence for fast (Delta t_(rest)<4s<<t) variability, indicating on-going internal-engine activity. We emphasise that a low redshift GRB (z<1) with similar intrinsic properties would have been interpreted completely differently due to undersampling of the light curve in the rest frame at early times; the light-curve behaviour of GRB 060206 should therefore not be considered peculiar. Finally, although the observed late-time steepening of the optical light curve resembles a jet break if taken in isolation, the lack of a corresponding change in the X-ray slope rules out a jet-break interpretation. Traditionally, GRB jet breaks have been inferred from optical data in the absence of simultaneous X-ray data. We suggest therefore that current estimates of the jet opening angle distribution might be biased by events like GRB060206. Consequently, the GRB explosion energy distribution and event rates may have to be revised.

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arXiv2005

The Automatic Real-Time GRB Pipeline of the 2-m Liverpool Telescope

The 2-m Liverpool Telescope (LT), owned by Liverpool John Moores University, is located in La Palma (Canary Islands) and operates in fully robotic mode. In 2005, the LT began conducting an automatic GRB follow-up program. On receiving an automatic GRB alert from a Gamma-Ray Observatory (Swift, INTEGRAL, HETE-II, IPN) the LT initiates a special override mode that conducts follow-up observations within 2-3 min of the GRB onset. This follow-up procedure begins with an initial sequence of short (10-s) exposures acquired through an r' band filter. These images are reduced, analyzed and interpreted automatically using pipeline software developed by our team called "LT-TRAP" (Liverpool Telescope Transient Rapid Analysis Pipeline); the automatic detection and successful identification of an unknown and potentially fading optical transient triggers a subsequent multi-color imaging sequence. In the case of a candidate brighter than r'=15, either a polarimetric (from 2006) or a spectroscopic observation (from 2007) will be triggered on the LT. If no candidate is identified, the telescope continues to obtain z', r' and i' band imaging with increasingly longer exposure times. Here we present a detailed description of the LT-TRAP and briefly discuss the illustrative case of the afterglow of GRB 050502a, whose automatic identification by the LT just 3 min after the GRB, led to the acquisition of the first early-time (< 1 hr) multi-color light curve of a GRB afterglow.

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arXiv2005

The Early (<1 hr) Multi-Color Afterglow of GRB 050502a: Possible Evidence for a Uniform Medium with Density Clumps

The 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope reacted promptly to the gamma-ray burst GRB 050502a discovered by INTEGRAL and started observing 3 min after the onset of the GRB. The automatic identification of a bright afterglow of r'~15.8 triggered for the first time an observation sequence in the BVr'i' filters during the first hour after a GRB. Observations continued for ~1 day using the RoboNet-1.0 network of 2-m robotic telescopes. The light curve in all filters can be described by a simple power law with index of 1.2 +/- 0.1. We find evidence for a bump rising at t~0.02 days in all filters. From the spectrum and the light curve we investigate different interpretative scenarios and we find possible evidence for a uniform circumburst medium with clumps in density, as in the case of GRB 021004. Other interpretations of such bumps, such as the effect of energy injection through refreshed shocks or the result of a variable energy profile, are less favored. The optical afterglow of GRB 050502a is likely to be the result of slow electron cooling with the optical bands lying between the synchrotron peak frequency and the cooling frequency.

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arXiv2005

The GRB Variability/Peak Luminosity Correlation: new results

We report test results of the correlation between time variability and peak luminosity of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), using a larger sample (32) of GRBs with known redshift than that available to Reichart et al. (2001), and using as variability measure that introduced by these authors. The results are puzzling. Assuming an isotropic-equivalent peak luminosity, as done by Reichart et al. (2001), a correlation is still found, but it is less relevant, and inconsistent with a power law as previously reported. Assuming as peak luminosity that corrected for GRB beaming for a subset of 16 GRBs with known beaming angle, the correlation becomes little less significant.

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arXiv2005

Rotational velocities of the giants in symbiotic stars: I. D'-type symbiotics

We have measured the rotational velocities (v.sini) of the mass donors in a number of D'--type symbiotic stars, using the cross-correlation function method. Four from five D' symbiotic stars with known v.sini, appeared to be very fast rotators compared with the catalogues of v.sini for the corresponding spectral types. At least three of these stars rotate at a substantial fraction (>=0.5) of the critical velocity. This means that at least in D'-type symbiotics the cool components rotate faster than isolated giants. If these binary stars are synchronized, their orbital periods should be relatively short (4-60 days). We also briefly discuss the possible origin of the rapid rotation and its connection with mass loss and dust formation.

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arXiv2005

Spectroscopic Survey of the Galaxy with Gaia II. The expected science yield from the Radial Velocity Spectrometer

The Gaia mission is designed as a Galaxy explorer, and will measure simultaneously, in a survey mode, the five or six phase space parameters of all stars brighter than 20th magnitude, as well as providing a description of their astrophysical characteristics. These measurements are obtained by combining an astrometric instrument with micro-arcsecond capabilities, a photometric system giving the magnitudes and colours in 15 bands and a medium resolution spectrograph named the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS). The latter instrument will produce spectra in the 848 to 874 nm wavelength range, with a resolving power R = 11 500, from which radial velocities, rotational velocities, atmospheric parameters and abundances can be derived. A companion paper (Katz et al. 2004) presents the characteristics of the RVS and its performance. This paper details the outstanding scientific impact of this important part of the Gaia satellite on some key open questions in present day astrophysics. The unbiased and simultaneous acquisition of multi-epoch radial velocities and individual abundances of key elements in parallel with the astrometric parameters is essential for the determination of the dynamical state and formation history of our Galaxy. Moreover, for stars brighter than V=15, the resolving power of the RVS will give information about most of the effects which influence the position of a star in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, placing unprecedented constraints on the age, internal structure and evolution of stars of all types. Finally, the RVS multi-epoch observations are ideally suited to the identification, classification and characterisation of the many types of double, multiple and variable stars.

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arXiv2005

Early GRB Optical and Infrared Afterglow Observations with the 2-m Robotic Liverpool Telescope

We present the first optical observations of a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow using the 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT), which is owned and operated by Liverpool John Moores University and situated on La Palma. We briefly discuss the capabilities of LT and its suitability for rapid follow-up observations of early optical and infrared GRB light curves. In particular, the combination of aperture, site, instrumentation and rapid response (robotic over-ride mode aided by telescope's rapid slew and fully-opening enclosure) makes the LT ideal for investigating the nature of short bursts, optically-dark bursts, and GRB blast-wave physics in general. We briefly describe the LT's key position in the RoboNet-1.0 network of robotic telescopes. We present the LT observations of GRB041006 and use its gamma-ray properties to predict the time of the break in optical light curve, a prediction consistent with the observations.

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arXiv2005

The Liverpool Telescope Automatic Pipeline for Real-time GRB Afterglow Detection

The 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT) is ideally suited to the rapid follow-up of unpredictable and transient events such as GRBs. Our GRB follow-up strategy is designed to identify optical/IR counterparts in real time; it involves the automatic triggering of initial observations, on receipt of an alert from Gamma Ray Observatories HETE-2, INTEGRAL and Swift, followed by automated data reduction, analysis, OT identification and subsequent observing mode choice. The lack of human intervention in this process requires robustness at all stages of the procedure. Here we describe the telescope, its instrumentation and GRB pipeline.

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arXiv2004

Rapid H-alpha variability in T Coronae Borealis

We report our search for variability in the H-alpha emission line of the recurrent novae T CrB with time resolution 10-15 minutes. This is comparable with the time scale of the photometric flickering observed in this object. This is the first time that observations of the short time scale variation in emission lines have been made in this object. On two nights (990106 and 990107) we detected statistically significant variability (at 0.99 confidence level) in the line profile of H-alpha. This variability is confined in the central part of the emission line (\pm 100 km/s) although FWZI(H-alpha) is ~800 km/s. The variability in the line profile is accompanied with variability of the total equivalent width, EW(H-alpha), \pm 8% for 990106, and \pm 6% for 990107 (calculated from the mean value of EW). Assuming Keplerian motion, the variability is generated at a distance ~20-30 R_Solar from the white dwarf, which is approximately the radius of the ring the stream of gas forms as it flows away from L_1. On three other nights we are only able to put upper limits on the variability, ΔEW(H-alpha) \pm 2% for 980415, \pm 4% for 980802, and \pm 3% for 980803.

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arXiv2004

White dwarfs with jets as non-relativistic analogues of quasars and microquasars?

We explore the similarities between accreting white dwarfs (CH Cyg and MWC 560) and the much more energetic jet sources - quasars and microquasars. To-date we have identified several common attributes: (1) they exhibit collimated outflows (jets); (2) the jets are precessing; (3) these two symbiotic stars exhibit quasar-like emission line spectra; (4) there is a disk-jet connection like that observed in microquasars. Additionally they may have a similar energy source (extraction of rotational energy from the accreting object). Study of the low energy analogues could have important implications for our understanding of their higher energy cousins.

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arXiv2004

Rapid GRB Follow-up with the 2-m Robotic Liverpool Telescope

We present the capabilities of the 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT), owned and operated by Liverpool John Moores University and situated at ORM, La Palma. Robotic control and scheduling of the LT make it especially powerful for observations in time domain astrophysics including: (i) rapid response to Targets of Opportunity: Gamma Ray Bursts, novae, supernovae, comets; (ii) monitoring of variable objects on timescales from seconds to years, and (iii) observations simultaneous or coordinated with other facilities, both ground-based and from space. Following a GRB alert from the Gamma Ray Observatories HETE-2, INTEGRAL and Swift we implement a special over-ride mode which enables observations to commence in about a minute after the alert, including optical and near infrared imaging and spectroscopy. In particular, the combination of aperture, site, instrumentation and rapid response (aided by its rapid slew and fully-opening enclosure) makes the LT excellently suited to help solving the mystery of the origin of optically dark GRBs, for the investigation of short bursts (which currently do not have any confirmed optical counterparts) and for early optical spectroscopy of the GRB phenomenon in general. We briefly describe the LT's key position in the RoboNet-1.0 network of robotic telescopes.

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arXiv2004

Determination of stellar rotation with Gaia and effects of spectral mismatch

Stellar spectra obtained with Radial Velocity Spectrometer on-board Gaia will enable determination of projected rotational velocities (v sin i) from rotational broadening of spectral lines. To estimate the accuracy with which v sin i can be determined for different stellar types and as a function of magnitude, we perform simulations in which "observed" spectra (as obtained from Gaia RVS simulator) are fitted with Kurucz spectra from template library using the least square method. We compare results on the v sin i accuracy as obtained in the case of spectra differing only in v sin i and in the case of a more general spectral mismatch (in T_eff, log g, [Fe/H]).

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arXiv2004

Spectroscopic survey of the Galaxy with Gaia I. Design and performance of the Radial Velocity Spectrometer

The definition and optimisation studies for the Gaia satellite spectrograph, the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS), converged in late 2002 with the adoption of the instrument baseline. This paper reviews the characteristics of the selected configuration and presents its expected performance. The RVS is a 2.0 by 1.6 degree integral field spectrograph, dispersing the light of all sources entering its field of view with a resolving power R=11 500 over the wavelength range [848, 874] nm. The RVS will continuously and repeatedly scan the sky during the 5 years of the Gaia mission. On average, each source will be observed 102 times over this period. The RVS will collect the spectra of about 100-150 million stars up to magnitude V~17-18. At the end of the mission, the RVS will provide radial velocities with precisions of ~2 km/s at V=15 and \~15-20 km/s at V=17, for a solar metallicity G5 dwarf. The RVS will also provide rotational velocities, with precisions (at the end of the mission) for late type stars of sigma_vsini ~5 km/s at V~15 as well as atmospheric parameters up to V~14-15. The individual abundances of elements such as Silicon and Magnesium, vital for the understanding of Galactic evolution, will be obtained up to V~12-13. Finally, the presence of the 862.0 nm Diffuse Interstellar Band (DIB) in the RVS wavelength range will make it possible to derive the three dimensional structure of the interstellar reddening.

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