arXiv subjects

A. Udalski

Publications and source records attributed to A. Udalski.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Clues to the Metallicity Distribution in the Galactic Bulge: Abundances in OGLE-2007_BLG-349S

We present an abundance analysis based on high dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio Keck spectra of a very highly microlensed Galactic bulge dwarf, OGLE-2007-BLG-349S, with Teff ~ 5400 K. The amplification at the time the spectra were taken ranged from 350 to 450. This bulge star is highly enhanced in metallicity with [Fe/H] = +0.51 \pm 0.09 dex. The abundance ratios for the 28 species of 26 elements for which features could be detected in the spectra are solar. In particular, there is no evidence for enhancement of any of the alpha-elements including O and Mg. We conclude that the high [Fe/H] seen in this star, when combined with the equally high [Fe/H] derived in previous detailed abundance analysis of two other Galactic bulge dwarfs, both also microlensed, implies that the median metallicity in the Galactic bulge is very high. We thus infer that many previous estimates of the metallicity distribution in the Galactic bulge have substantially underestimated the mean Fe-metallicity there due to sample bias, and suggest a candidate mechanism for such. If our conjecture proves valid, it may be necessary to update the calibrations for the algorithms used by many groups to interpret spectra and broad band photometry of the integrated light of very metal-rich old stellar populations, including luminous elliptical galaxies.

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arXiv2008

An optical & X-ray study of the counterpart to the SMC X-ray binary pulsar system SXP327

Optical and X-ray observations are presented here of a newly reported X-ray transient system in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The data reveal many previously unknown X-ray detections of this system and clear evidence for a 49.995d binary period. In addition, the optical photometry show recurring outburst features at the binary period which may well be indicative of the neutron star interacting with a circumstellar disk around a Be star.

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arXiv2008

Discovery of a Jupiter/Saturn Analog with Gravitational Microlensing

Searches for extrasolar planets have uncovered an astonishing diversity of planetary systems, yet the frequency of solar system analogs remains unknown. The gravitational microlensing planet search method is potentially sensitive to multiple-planet systems containing analogs of all the solar system planets except Mercury. We report the detection of a multiple-planet system with microlensing. We identify two planets with masses of ~0.71 and ~0.27 times the mass of Jupiter and orbital separations of ~2.3 and ~4.6 astronomical units orbiting a primary star of mass ~0.50 solar masses at a distance of ~1.5 kiloparsecs. This system resembles a scaled version of our solar system in that the mass ratio, separation ratio, and equilibrium temperatures of the planets are similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn. These planets could not have been detected with other techniques; their discovery from only six confirmed microlensing planet detections suggests that solar system analogs may be common.

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arXiv2008

Binary Lenses in OGLE III EWS Database. Season 2005

We present nine new binary lens candidates from OGLE-III Early Warning System database for the season of 2005. We have also found four events interpreted as single mass lensing of double sources. The candidates have been selected by visual light curves inspection. Examining the models of binary lenses in our previous studies (10 caustic crossing events of OGLE-II seasons 1997--1999 and 34 binary lens events of OGLE-III seasons 2002--2004, including one planetary event), in this work and in three publications concerning planetary events of season 2005, we find four cases of extreme mass ratio binaries (q<0.01), and almost all other models with mass ratios in the range 0.1<q<1.0, which may indicate the division between planetary systems and binary stars.

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arXiv2008

The distance to the Galactic Centre based on Population-II Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars

Context: The distance to the Galactic Centre (GC) is of importance for the distance scale in the Universe. The value derived by Eisenhauer et al. (2005) of 7.62 +- 0.32 kpc based on the orbit of one star around the central black hole is shorter than most other distance estimates based on a variety of different methods. Aim: To establish an independent distance to the GC with high accuracy. To this end Population-II Cepheids are used that have been discovered in the OGLE-II and III surveys. Method: Thirty-nine Pop-II Cepheids have been monitored on 4 nights spanning 14 days. Light curves have been fitted using the known periods from the OGLE data to determine the mean K-band magnitude. It so happens that 37 RR Lyrae stars are in the field-of-views and mean K-band magnitudes are derived for this sample as well. Results: The period-luminosity relation of Pop-II Cepheids in the K-band is determined, and the derived slope of -2.24 +- 0.14 is consistent with the value derived by Matsunaga et al. (2006). Fixing the slope to their more accurate value results in a zero point, and implies a distance modulus to the GC of 14.51 +- 0.12, with an additional systematic uncertainty of 0.07 mag. Similarly, from the RR Lyrae K-band PL-relation we derive a value of 14.48 +- 0.17 (random) +- 0.07 (syst.). The two independent determinations are averaged to find 14.50 +- 0.10 (random) +- 0.07 (syst.), or 7.94 +- 0.37 +- 0.26 kpc.

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arXiv2007

OGLE-TR-211 - a new transiting inflated hot Jupiter from the OGLE survey and ESO LP666 spectroscopic follow-up program

We present results of the photometric campaign for planetary and low-luminosity object transits conducted by the OGLE survey in 2005 season (Campaign #5). About twenty most promising candidates discovered in these data were subsequently verified spectroscopically with the VLT/FLAMES spectrograph. One of the candidates, OGLE-TR-211, reveals clear changes of radial velocity with small amplitude of 82 m/sec, varying in phase with photometric transit ephemeris. Thus, we confirm the planetary nature of the OGLE-TR-211 system. Follow-up precise photometry of OGLE-TR-211 with VLT/FORS together with radial velocity spectroscopy supplemented with high resolution, high S/N VLT/UVES spectra allowed us to derive parameters of the planet and host star. OGLE-TR-211b is a hot Jupiter orbiting a F7-8 spectral type dwarf star with the period of 3.68 days. The mass of the planet is equal to 1.03+/-0.20 M_Jup while its radius 1.36+0.18-0.09 R_Jup. The radius is about 20% larger than the typical radius of hot Jupiters of similar mass. OGLE-TR-211b is, then, another example of inflated hot Jupiters - a small group of seven exoplanets with large radii and unusually small densities - objects being a challenge to the current models of exoplanets.

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arXiv2007

Optical and X-ray variability of two Small Magellanic Cloud X-ray binary pulsars - SXP46.6 and SXP6.85

We present long-term optical and RXTE data of two X-ray binary pulsars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, SXP46.6 and SXP6.85. The optical light curves of both sources show substantial (~0.5-0.8 mag) changes over the time span of the observations. While the optical data for SXP6.85 do not reveal any periodic behaviour, by detrending the optical measurements for SXP46.6 we find an orbital period of ~137 days, consistent with results from the X-ray data. The detection of Type I X-ray outbursts from SXP46.6, combined with the fact that we also see optical outbursts at these times, implies that SXP46.6 is a high orbital eccentricity system. Using contemporaneous optical spectra of SXP46.6 we find that the equivalent width of the H_alpha emission line changes over time indicating that the size of the circumstellar disc varies. By studying the history of the colour variations for SXP6.85 we find that the source gets redder as it brightens which can also be attributed to changes in the circumstellar disc. We do not find any correlation between the X-ray and optical data for SXP6.85. The results for SXP6.85 suggest that it is a low eccentricity binary and that the optical modulations are due to the Be phenomenon.

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arXiv2007

The Cosmic Horseshoe: Discovery of an Einstein Ring around a Giant Luminous Red Galaxy

We report the discovery of an almost complete Einstein ring of diameter 10" in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 5 (DR5). Spectroscopic data from the 6m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory reveals that the deflecting galaxy has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion in excess of 400 km/s and a redshift of 0.444, whilst the source is a star-forming galaxy with a redshift of 2.379. From its color and luminosity, we conclude that the lens is an exceptionally massive Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) with a mass within the Einstein radius of 5 x 10^12 solar masses. This remarkable system provides a laboratory for probing the dark matter distribution in LRGs at distances out to 3 effective radii, and studying the properties of high redshift star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2007

A transiting planet among 23 new near-threshold candidates from the OGLE survey - OGLE-TR-182

By re-processing the data of the second season of the OGLE survey for planetary transits and adding new mesurements on the same fields gathered in subsequent years with the OGLE telescope, we have identified 23 new transit candidates, recorded as OGLE-TR-178 to OGLE-TR-200. We studied the nature of these objects with the FLAMES/UVES multi-fiber spectrograph on the VLT. One of the candidates, OGLE-TR-182, was confirmed as a transiting gas giant planet on a 4-day orbit. We characterised it with further observations using the FORS1 camera and UVES spectrograph on the VLT. OGLE-TR-182b is a typical ``hot Jupiter'' with an orbital period of 3.98 days, a mass of 1.01 +- 0.15 MJup and a radius of 1.13 (+0.24-0.08) RJup. Confirming this transiting planet required a large investment in telescope time with the best instruments available, and we comment on the difficulty of the confirmation process for transiting planets in the OGLE survey. We delienate the zone were confirmation is difficult or impossible, and discuss the implications for the Corot space mission in its quest for transiting telluric planets.

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arXiv2007

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. Period-Luminosity Relations of Variable Red Giant Stars

Period-luminosity (PL) relations of variable red giants in the Large (LMC) and Small Magellanic Clouds (SMC) are presented. The PL diagrams are plotted in three planes: logP-K_S, logP-W_{JK}, and logP-W_I. Fourteen PL sequences are distinguishable, and some of them consist of three closely spaced ridges. Each of the sequences is fitted with a linear or quadratic function. The similarities and differences between the PL relations in both galaxies are discussed for four types of red giant variability: OGLE Small Amplitude Red Giants (OSARGs), Miras and Semiregular Variables (SRVs), Long Secondary Periods (LSPs) and ellipsoidal variables. We propose a new method of separating OSARGs from non-variable stars and SRVs. The method employs the position in the reddening-free PL diagrams and the characteristic period ratios of these multiperiodic variables. The PL relations for the LMC OSARG are compared with the calculated relations for RGB models along isochrones of relevant ages and metallicities. We also compare measured periods and amplitudes of the OSARGs with predictions based on the relations valid for less luminous solar-like pulsators. Miras and SRVs seem to follow PL relation of the same slopes in the LMC and SMC, while for LSP and ellipsoidal variables slopes in both galaxies are different. The PL sequences defined by LSP variables and binary systems overlap in the whole range of analyzed wavebands. We put forward new arguments for the binary star scenario as an explanation of the LSP variability and elaborate on it further. The measured pulsation to orbital period ratio implies nearly constant ratio of the star radius to orbital distance, R/A=0.4, as we find. Combined effect of tidal friction and mass loss enhanced by the low-mass companion may explain why such a value is preferred.

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arXiv2007

INTEGRAL observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud

The first INTEGRAL observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (carried out in 2003) are reported in which two sources are clearly detected. The first source, SMC X-1, shows a hard X-ray eclipse and measurements of its pulse period indicate a continuation of the long-term spin-up now covering ~30 years. The second source is likely to be a high mass X-ray binary, and shows a potential periodicity of 6.8s in the IBIS lightcurve. An exact X-ray or optical counterpart cannot be designated, but a number of proposed counterparts are discussed. One of these possible counterparts shows a strong coherent optical modulation at ~2.7d, which, together with the measured hard X-ray pulse period, would lead to this INTEGRAL source being classified as the fourth known high mass Roche lobe overflow system.

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arXiv2007

First Space-Based Microlens Parallax Measurement: Spitzer Observations of OGLE-2005-SMC-001

We combine Spitzer and ground-based observations to measure the microlens parallax of OGLE-2005-SMC-001, the first such space-based determination since S. Refsdal proposed the idea in 1966. The parallax measurement yields a projected velocity \tilde v ~ 230 km/s, the typical value expected for halo lenses, but an order of magnitude smaller than would be expected for lenses lying in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) itself. The lens is a weak (i.e., non-caustic-crossing) binary, which complicates the analysis considerably but ultimately contributes additional constraints. Using a test proposed by Assef et al. (2006), which makes use only of kinematic information about different populations but does not make any assumptions about their respective mass functions, we find that the likelihood ratio is L_halo/L_SMC = 20. Hence, halo lenses are strongly favored but SMC lenses are not definitively ruled out. Similar Spitzer observations of additional lenses toward the Magellanic Clouds would clarify the nature of the lens population. The Space Interferometry Mission could make even more constraining measurements.

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arXiv2007

The Araucaria Project. The Distance to the Local Group Galaxy WLM from Cepheid Variables discovered in a Wide-Field Imaging Survey

We have conducted an extensive wide-field imaging survey for Cepheid variables in the Local Group irregular galaxy WLM. From data obtained on 101 nights, we have discovered 60 Cepheids which include 14 of the 15 Cepheid variables previously detected by Sandage and Carlson. Down to a period of 3 days, our Cepheid survey in WLM should be practically complete. Importantly, we have found for the first time a long-period Cepheid (P=54.2 days) in this galaxy, alleviating the puzzle that WLM with its many blue, massive stars does not contain Cepheids with periods longer than about 10 days. Our data define tight period-luminosity relations in V, I and the reddening-free Wesenheit magnitude ${\rm W}_{\rm I}$ which are all extremely well fit by the corresponding slopes of the LMC Cepheid PL relation, suggesting no change of the PL relation slope down to a Cepheid metal abundance of about -1.0 dex, in agreement with other recent studies. We derive a true distance modulus to WLM of 25.144 $\pm$0.03 (r) $\pm$0.07 (s) mag from our data, in good agreement with the earlier 24.92 $\pm$ 0.21 mag determination of Lee, Freedman and Madore (1993a) from Cepheid variables. The quoted value of the systematic uncertainty does not include the contribution from the LMC distance which we have assumed to be 18.50 mag, as in the previous papers in our project.

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arXiv2007

An Extrasolar Planet Census with a Space-based Microlensing Survey

A space-based gravitational microlensing exoplanet survey will provide a statistical census of exoplanets with masses down to 0.1 Earth-masses and orbital separations ranging from 0.5AU to infinity. This includes analogs to all the Solar System's planets except for Mercury, as well as most types of planets predicted by planet formation theories. Such a survey will provide results on the frequency of planets around all types of stars except those with short lifetimes. Close-in planets with separations < 0.5 AU are invisible to a space-based microlensing survey, but these can be found by Kepler. Other methods, including ground-based microlensing, cannot approach the comprehensive statistics on the mass and semi-major axis distribution of extrasolar planets that a space-based microlensing survey will provide. The terrestrial planet sensitivity of a ground-based microlensing survey is limited to the vicinity of the Einstein radius at 2-3 AU, and space-based imaging is needed to identify and determine the mass of the planetary host stars for the vast majority of planets discovered by microlensing. Thus, a space-based microlensing survey is likely to be the only way to gain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of planetary systems, which is needed to understand planet formation and habitability. The proposed Microlensing Planet Finder (MPF) mission is an example of a space-based microlensing survey that can accomplish these objectives with proven technology and a cost that fits comfortably under the NASA Discovery Program cost cap.

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arXiv2007

Binary Lenses in OGLE-III EWS Database. Season 2004

We present 19 binary lens candidates from OGLE-III Early Warning System database for the season of 2004. We have also found five events interpreted as single mass lensing of double sources. The candidates have been selected by visual light curves inspection. Examining the models of binary lenses of this and our previous studies (10 caustic crossing events of OGLE-II seasons 1997--1999 and 15 binary lens events of OGLE-III seasons 2002--2003) we find one case of extreme mass ratio binary (q ~ 0.005, a known planetary lens OGLE 2003-BLG-235/MOA 2003-BLG-53) and almost all other models with mass ratios in the range 0.1<q<1.0, which may indicate the division between planetary systems and binary stars.

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arXiv2007

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. OGLE-III Long Term Monitoring of the Gravitational Lens QSO 2237+0305

We present results of the long term monitoring of the gravitational lens QSO 2237+0305 conducted during the OGLE survey. Light curves of all four components of the lens obtained during the second phase of the OGLE project (OGLE-II; 1997-2000) are supplemented with the data collected in the OGLE-III phase in the observing seasons 2001-2006. Calibration procedures to tie the new OGLE-III data with already calibrated OGLE-II light curves are described. The resulting homogeneous OGLE data set is the most extensive photometric coverage of the gravitational lens QSO 2237+0305, spanning now one decade - the seasons from 1997 to 2006 - and revealing unique microlensing activity of this spectacular object. All photometric data of the gravitational lens QSO 2237+0305 collected by OGLE are available to the astronomical community from the OGLE Internet archive.

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arXiv2007

X-ray bright sources in the Chandra Small Magellanic Cloud Wing Survey - detection of two new pulsars

We investigate the X-ray and optical properties of a sample of X-ray bright sources from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) Wing Survey. We have detected two new pulsars with pulse periods of 65.8 s (CXOU J010712.6-723533) and 700 s (CXOU J010206.6-714115), and present observations of two previously known pulsars RX J0057.3-7325 (SXP101) and SAX J0103.2-7209 (SXP348). Our analysis has led to three new optical identifications for the detected pulsars. We find long-term optical periods for two of the pulsars, CXOU J010206.6-714115 and SXP101, of 267 and 21.9 d, respectively. Spectral analysis of a sub-set of the sample shows that the pulsars have harder spectra than the other sources detected. By employing a quantile-based colour-colour analysis we are able to separate the detected pulsars from the rest of the sample. Using archival catalogues we have been able to identify counterparts for the majority of the sources in our sample. Combining this with our results from the temporal analysis of the Chandra data and archival optical data, the X-ray spectral analysis, and by determining the X-ray to optical flux ratios we present preliminary classifications for the sources. In addition to the four detected pulsars, our sample includes two candidate foreground stars, 12 probable active galactic nuclei, and five unclassified sources.

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arXiv2006

The Araucaria Project. The Distance to the Sculptor Group Galaxy NGC 55 from a Newly Discovered Abundant Cepheid Population

We have detected, for the first time, Cepheid variables in the Sculptor Group SB(s)m galaxy NGC 55. From wide-field images obtained in the optical V and I bands during 77 nights in 2002-2003, we have found 143 Cepheids with periods ranging from 5.6 to 175.9 days. 133 of these objects have periods longer than 10 days, making NGC 55 to-date the galaxy with the largest known number of long-period Cepheids in the Sculptor Group. We construct period-luminosity relations from our data and obtain distance moduli corrected for the small foreground reddening to NGC 55 of 26.79 $\pm$ 0.04 mag (internal error) in V, 26.66 $\pm$ 0.03 mag in I and 26.40 $\pm$ 0.05 mag in the reddening-independent V-I Wesenheit index. The trend of increasing distance moduli with shorter wavelength hints at the existence of significant reddening intrinsic to NGC 55 which affects the measured Cepheid magnitudes. From our data, we determine the intrinsic mean reddening of the Cepheids in NGC 55 as E(B-V) = 0.102 mag which brings the distance determinations from the different bands into excellent agreement. Our best distance estimate for NGC 55 from the present optical Cepheid photometry is 26.40 mag $\pm$ 0.05 mag (internal error) $\pm$ 0.09 mag (systematic error). This value is tied to an assumed LMC distance of 18.50 mag. Our quoted systematic error of the present NGC 55 Cepheid distance does not take into account the current uncertainty on the distance of the fiducial LMC galaxy itself. Within the small respective uncertainties, the Sculptor Group galaxies NGC 55 and NGC 300 are at the same distance of 1.9 Mpc, strengthening the case for a physical association of these galaxies

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