arXiv subjects

A. V. Filippenko

Publications and source records attributed to A. V. Filippenko.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

A New Kind of Nova

We performed extensive, multi-wavelength observations of the prototypical symbiotic star Z Andromedae between 2000 and 2003, during a large eruption. The rise to optical maximum occurred in three distinct stages. During the first stage, the rise was very similar to an earlier, small outburst which we determined was due to an accretion-disk instability. In the second stage, an optically thick shell of material was ejected, and in the third stage, the shell cleared to reveal a white dwarf whose luminosity was roughly 10^4 Lsun. We suggest that the outburst was powered by an increase in the rate of nuclear burning on the white-dwarf surface, triggered by a sudden burst of accretion. This outburst thus combined elements of both dwarf novae and classical novae.

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arXiv2004

Properties of Two Hypernovae Entering the Nebular Phase: SN 1997ef and SN 1997dq

The two peculiar Type Ic supernovae (SNe) 1997ef and 1997dq are shown to have very similar photometric and spectral evolution in the epochs when both SNe are observed (i.e. beyond $\sim 80$ days after the explosion). The early light curves and spectra of SN 1997ef suggested that this was a ``hypernova,'' or ``SN 1998bw-like Type Ic supernova.'' The fact that the two SNe are very similar allows us to extend the time coverage of this type of event, since SN 1997dq, unlike SN 1997ef, was observed well into the nebular phase. In contrast to SN 1998bw, the spectra of these two SNe did not become fully nebular until almost one year after the explosion. During a long transition phase, lasting at least 6 months, the SNe developed nebular emission in lines of [\OI] and [\CaII], but at the same time they retained an underlying, photospheric-type spectrum, originating at very low velocities. Spectral synthesis techniques are used to model the spectrum of SN 1997dq, suggesting that it produced $\sim 0.16 \Msun$ of \Nifs, and that a significant fraction of this is located in a dense, low-velocity inner region.

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arXiv2004

The Hubble Higher-Z Supernova Search: Supernovae to z=1.6 and Constraints on Type Ia Progenitor Models

We present results from the Hubble Higher-z Supernova Search, the first space-based open field survey for supernovae (SNe). In cooperation with the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey, we have used the Hubble Space Telescope with the Advanced Camera for Surveys to cover 300 square arcmin in the area of the Chandra Deep Field South and the Hubble Deep Field North on five separate search epochs (separated by 45 day intervals) to a limiting magnitude of z'=26. These deep observations have allowed us to discover 42 SNe in the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1.6. As these data span a large range in redshift, they are ideal for testing the validity of Type Ia supernova progenitor models with the distribution of expected ``delay times,'' from progenitor star formation to SN Ia explosion, and the SN rates these models predict. Through a Bayesian maximum likelihood test, we determine which delay-time models best reproduce the redshift distribution of SNe Ia discovered in this survey. We find that models that require a large fraction of ``prompt'' (less than 2 Gyr) SNe Ia poorly reproduce the observed redshift distribution and are rejected at 95% confidence. We find that Gaussian models best fit the observed data for mean delay times in the range of 3 to 4 Gyr.

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arXiv2004

High-Resolution Ultraviolet Spectra of the Dwarf Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4395: Evidence for Intrinsic Absorption

We present ultraviolet spectra of the dwarf Seyfert 1 nucleus of NGC 4395, obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Hubble Space Telescope's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at velocity resolutions of 7 to 15 km/sec. We confirm our earlier claim of C IV absorption in low-resolution UV spectra and detect a number of other absorption lines with lower ionization potentials. In addition to the Galactic lines, we identify two kinematic components of absorption that are likely to be intrinsic to NGC 4395. We consider possible origins of the absorption, including the interstellar medium (ISM) of NGC 4395, the narrow-line region (NLR), outflowing UV absorbers, and X-ray ``warm absorbers.'' Component 1, at a radial velocity of -770 km/sec with respect to the nucleus, is only identified in the C IV 1548.2 line. It most likely represents an outflowing UV absorber, similar to those seen in a majority of Seyfert 1 galaxies, although additional observations are needed to confirm the reality of this feature. Component 2, at -114 km/sec, most likely arises in the ISM of NGC 4395; its ionic column densities cannot be matched by photoionization models with a power-law continuum. Our models of the highly ionized X-ray absorbers claimed for this active galactic nucleus indicate that they would have undetectable C IV absorption, but large O VI and H I columns should be present. We attribute our lack of detection of the O VI and Ly-beta absorption from the X-ray absorbers to a combination of noise and dilution of the nuclear spectrum by hot stars in the large FUSE aperture.

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arXiv2004

The Ultraviolet Spectra of Active Galaxies With Double-Peaked Emission Lines

We present the results of UV spectroscopy of AGNs with double-peaked Balmer emission lines. In 2/3 of the objects, the far-UV resonance lines are strong, with single-peaked profiles resembling those of Seyfert galaxies. The Mg II line is the only UV line with a double-peaked profile. In the remaining objects, the far-UV resonance lines are relatively weak but still single-peaked. The latter group also displays prominent UV absorption lines, indicative of a low-ionization absorber. We interpret the difference in the profiles of the emission lines as resulting from two different regions: a dense, low-ionization accretion disk (the predominant source of the Balmer and Mg II lines), and a lower density, higher-ionization wind (the predominant source of the far-UV resonance lines). These results suggest a way of connecting the double-peaked emitters with the greater AGN population: in double-peaked emitters the accretion rate onto the black hole is low, making the wind feeble and allowing the lines from the underlying disk to shine through. This scenario also implies that in the majority of AGNs, the wind is the source of the broad emission lines.

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arXiv2004

Discovery and Evolution of an Unusual Luminous Variable Star in NGC 3432 (Supernova 2000ch)

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2000ch, an unusual and extremely luminous variable star located in the galaxy NGC 3432. The object was discovered on 2000 May 3.2 during the course of the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, at an unfiltered magnitude of about 17.4. Pre-discovery images obtained in 1997, 1998, and 2000 April show the object with R = 19.2-19.5 mag. Optical spectra obtained beginning on 2000 May 6 show a smooth, flat continuum and strong, broad hydrogen Balmer emission lines at wavelengths consistent with the catalogued redshift of NGC 3432, strengthening the association of the variable with the galaxy. Photometric monitoring reveals a complex and erratic light curve over a time span of ~10 days. Subsequent optical spectra over the next ~3 months continued to show strong Balmer emission lines with a mean full-width at half-maximum intensity ~1550 km/s and a distinct red asymmetry. A spectrum obtained 9 months after the outburst is similar to the previous spectra, but the integrated flux in H-alpha is nearly half that observed during the outburst. The object's photometric behavior, spectrum, and luminosity suggest that it is a very massive and luminous variable star and might be related to some luminous blue variable stars such as eta Carinae and SN 1997bs in NGC 3627. The brightest apparent magnitude implies an absolute magnitude of approximately -12.7 at the distance of NGC 3432, a value which is comparable to eta Carinae during its outburst in the mid-nineteenth century.

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arXiv2004

Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2000cx

The Type Ia SN 2000cx exhibited multiple peculiarities, including a lopsided B-band light-curve peak that does not conform to current methods for using shapes of light curves to standardize SN Ia luminosities. We use the parameterized supernova synthetic-spectrum code SYNOW to study line identifications in the photospheric-phase spectra of SN 2000cx. Previous work established the presence of Ca II infrared-triplet features forming above velocity about 20,000 km/s, much higher than the photospheric velocity of about 10,000 km/s. We find Ti II features forming at the same high velocity. High-velocity line formation is partly responsible for the photometric peculiarities of SN 2000cx: for example, B-band flux blocking by Ti II absorption features that decreases with time causes the B light curve to rise more rapidly and decline more slowly than it otherwise would. SN 2000cx contains an absorption feature near 4530 A that may be H-beta, forming at the same high velocity. The lack of conspicuous H-alpha and P-alpha signatures does not necessarily invalidate the H-beta identification if the high-velocity line formation is confined to a clump that partly covers the photosphere and the H-alpha and P-alpha source functions are elevated relative to that of resonance scattering. The H-beta identification is tentative. If it is correct, the high-velocity matter must have come from a nondegenerate companion star.

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arXiv2003

GRB 021004: A Possible Shell Nebula around a Wolf-Rayet Star Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor

The rapid localization of GRB 021004 by the HETE-2 satellite allowed nearly continuous monitoring of its early optical afterglow decay, as well as high-quality optical spectra that determined a redshift of z=2.328 for its host, an active starburst galaxy with strong Lyman-alpha emission and several absorption lines. Spectral observations show multiple absorbers blueshifted by up to 3,155 km/s relative to the host galaxy Lyman-alpha emission.We argue that these correspond to a fragmented shell nebula, gradually enriched by a Wolf-Rayet wind over the lifetime of a massive progenitor bubble. In this scenario, the absorbers can be explained by circumstellar material that have been radiatively accelerated by the GRB emission. Dynamical and photoionization models are used to provide constraints on the radiative acceleration from the early afterglow.

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arXiv2003

On The Progenitor of the Type II-Plateau Supernova 2003gd in Messier 74

HST WFPC2 archival F606W and F300W images obtained within one year prior to the explosion of the nearby Type II supernova (SN) 2003gd in Messier 74 (NGC 628) have been analyzed to isolate the progenitor star. The SN site was located using precise astrometry applied to the HST images. Two plausible candidates are identified within 0.6" of the SN position in the F606W image. Neither candidate was detected in the F300W image. SN 2003gd appears to be of Type II-plateau (II-P), with age ~87 d on June 17 UT and with low reddening [E(B-V) = 0.13 mag]. The most likely of the two progenitor candidates has M_V_0 ~ -3.5 mag (for an extinction-corrected distance modulus of 29.3 mag) and, based on additional color information derived from a high-quality, archival ground-based I-band image, we estimate that this star was a red supergiant with initial mass M_ZAMS ~ 8 -- 9 Msun. This mass estimate is somewhat lower than, but relatively consistent with, recent limits placed on the progenitor masses of other SNe II-P, using HST data. Future HST imaging with the Advanced Camera for Surveys, when the SN has faded considerably, will be extremely useful in pinpointing the exact SN location and securing identification of the progenitor. If our proposed candidate is confirmed, it will be only the sixth SN progenitor ever directly identified.

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arXiv2003

Color-selected galaxies at z~6 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey

We report early results on galaxies at z~6, selected from Hubble Space Telescope imaging for the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey. Spectroscopy of one object with the Advanced Camera for Surveys grism and from the Keck and VLT observatories a shows a strong continuum break and asymmetric line emission, identified as Lya at z=5.83. We detect only five spatially extended, z~6 candidates with signal-to-noise ratios > 10, two of which have spectroscopic confirmation. This is many fewer than would be expected if galaxies at z=6 had the same luminosity function as those at z=3. There are many fainter candidates, but we expect substantial contamination from foreground interlopers and spurious detections. Our best estimates favor a z=6 galaxy population with fainter luminosities, higher space density, and similar co-moving ultraviolet emissivity to that at z=3, but this depends critically on counts at fluxes fainter than those reliably probed by the current data.

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arXiv2003

Evolution of the Nuclear Accretion Disk Emission in NGC 1097: Getting Closer to the Black Hole

We study the evolution of the broad, double-peaked Halpha emission-line profile of the LINER/Seyfert 1 nucleus of NGC 1097, using 24 spectra obtained over a time span of 11 yrs - from 1991 Nov. through 2002 Oct. While in the first 5 yrs the main variation was in the relative intensity of the blue and red peaks, in the last years we have also observed an increasing separation between the two peaks, at the same time as the integrated flux in the broad line has decreased. We propose a scenario in which the emission originates in an asymmetric accretion disk around a supermassive black hole, whose source of ionization is getting dimmer, causing the region of maximum emission to come closer to the center (and thus to regions of higher projected velocity). We use the observations to constrain the evolution of the accretion disk emission and to evaluate two models: the elliptical disk model previously found to reproduce the observations from 1991 to 1996 and a model of a circular disk with a single spiral arm. We favor the latter, because the whole set of data is consistent with a monotonic precession of the spiral pattern, which has completed almost two revolutions since 1991. The precession period implies a black hole mass of approximately 5x10^7 solar masses. Finally, we have found tentative evidence of the emergence of an accretion disk wind, which we hope to explore further with future observations.

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arXiv2003

Supernovae in Galaxy Clusters

We present the results of several surveys for supernovae (SNe) in galaxy clusters. SNe discovered in deep, archival HST images were used to measure the cluster SN Ia rate to z=1. A search for SNe in nearby (0.06 < z < 0.2) Abell galaxy clusters yielded 15 SNe, 12 of which were spectroscopically confirmed. Of these, 7 are cluster SNe Ia, which we will use to measure the SN Ia rate in nearby clusters. This search has also discovered the first convincing examples of intergalactic SNe. We conclude with a brief description of ongoing and future cluster SN surveys.

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arXiv2003

Dynamical Formation of Close Binary Systems in Globular Clusters

We know from observations that globular clusters are very efficient catalysts in forming unusual short-period binary systems or their offspring, such as low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs; neutron stars accreting matter from low-mass stellar companions), cataclysmic variables (CVs; white dwarfs accreting matter from stellar companions), and millisecond pulsars (MSPs; rotating neutron stars with spin periods of a few ms). Although there has been little direct evidence, the overabundance of these objects in globular clusters has been attributed by numerous authors to the high densities in the cores, which leads to an increase in the formation rate of exotic binary systems through close stellar encounters. Many such close binary systems emit X-radiation at low luminosities (L_x < 10^{34} erg/s) and are being found in large numbers through observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Here we present conclusive observational evidence for a link between the number of close binaries observed in X-rays in a globular cluster and the stellar encounter rate of the cluster. We also make an estimate of the total number of LMXBs in globular clusters in our Galaxy.

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arXiv2003

XMM-Newton Survey of a Distance-limited Sample of Seyfert Galaxies: Preliminary Spectral Results

An unbiased estimate of the average intrinsic X-ray properties and column density distribution of Seyfert galaxies in the local Universe is crucial to validate unified models of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and to synthesis models for the X-ray background. We present here preliminary results obtained from an on-going XMM-Newton study (~250 ks awarded in the EPIC GT) on a well-defined, statistically complete, and significant sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies.

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arXiv2002

Emission and Absorption in the M87 LINER

The nucleus of M87 displays a LINER spectrum at optical wavelengths, with a nuclear disk of nebulosity that is resolved by the Hubble Space Telescope. We present new results from optical and ultraviolet spectra of the central ~40pc as measured by HST. In contrast with previous results for the extended disk, the emission-line spectrum of the central region is best reproduced by a multi-component photoionization scenario, rather than shock heating. The nebular properties as well as energetic considerations suggest a transition on scales of several tens of parsecs, from predominantly photoionization by a central accretion source, to shock ionization within the disk. If this source is at all representative, it suggests that many LINERs may be composite in terms of the energetic processes that give rise to the emission spectrum. We also report measurements of resonance-line absorption for the nucleus. The absorption spectrum, like the emission lines, is characterized by low ionization. The absorption line measurements coupled with independent constraints suggests a total hydrogen column density of 10^19 - 10^20 cm^-2, outflowing from the galaxy center with a velocity of ~126 km/s. The kinematic signature of an outflow, along with evidence that the absorber covers the power-law continuum source but not the emission-line clouds, suggests that the absorbing matter is related to accretion phenomena in the nucleus. The presence of such an outflow resembles similar behaviour in luminous AGN, although the low ionization that characterizes LINERs is probably indicative of a different mode of accretion in these sources.

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arXiv2002

"Hidden" Seyfert 2 Galaxies and the X-ray Background

Obscured active galactic nuclei, which are classified optically as type 2 (narrow-line) Seyfert galaxies in the local universe, are by far the most promising candidates for the origin of the hard (2-10 keV) X-ray background radiation. However, optical follow-up observations of faint X-ray sources in deep Chandra images have revealed surprising numbers of apparently normal galaxies at modest redshift. Such objects represent ~40-60% of the sources classified in deep Chandra surveys, raising the possibility that the X-ray galaxy population has evolved with cosmic time. Alternatively, most of the faint X-ray galaxies in question are so distant that their angular diameters are comparable to the slit widths used in ground-based spectroscopic observations; thus, their nuclear spectral features may be overwhelmed (``hidden'') by host-galaxy light. To test this hypothesis, we have obtained integrated spectra of a sample of nearby, well-studied Seyfert 2 galaxies. The data, which accurately simulate observations of distant Chandra sources, demonstrate convincingly that the defining spectral signatures of Seyfert 2s can be hidden by light from their host galaxies. In fact, 60% of the observed objects would not be classified as Seyfert 2s on the basis of their integrated spectra, similar to the fraction of faint X-ray sources identified with ``normal'' galaxies. Thus, the numbers of narrow-line active galaxies in deep Chandra surveys (and perhaps all ground-based spectroscopic surveys of distant galaxies) are likely to have been underestimated.

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arXiv2002

The Progenitor of Supernova 1993J Revisited

From Hubble Space Telescope images with 0.05" resolution we identify four stars brighter than V=25 mag within 2.5" of SN 1993J in M81 which contaminated previous ground-based brightness estimates for the supernova progenitor. Correcting for the contamination, we find that the energy distribution of the progenitor is consistent with that of an early K-type supergiant star with M_V \~ -7.0 +/- 0.4 mag and an initial mass of 13--22 Msun. The brightnesses of the nearby stars are sufficient to account for the excess blue light seen from the ground in pre-explosion observations. Therefore, the SN 1993J progenitor did not necessarily have a blue companion, although by 2001, fainter blue stars are seen in close proximity to the supernova. These observations do not strongly limit the mass of a hypothetical companion. A blue dwarf star with a mass up to 30 Msun could have been orbiting the progenitor without being detected in the ground-based images. Explosion models and observations show that the SN 1993J progenitor had a helium-rich envelope. To test whether the helium abundance could influence the energy distribution of the progenitor, we calculated model supergiant atmospheres with a range of plausible helium abundances. The models show that the pre-supernova colors are not strongly affected by the helium abundance longward of 4000 A, and abundances ranging between solar and 90% helium (by number) are all consistent with the observations.

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arXiv2002

Measuring spacetime: from big bang to black holes

Nerd abstract: Observational constraints on spacetime are reviewed, focusing on how the underlying physics (dark matter, dark energy, gravity) can be tested rather than assumed. Popular abstract: Space is not a boring static stage on which events unfold over time, but a dynamic entity with curvature, fluctuations and a rich life of its own which is a booming area of study. Spectacular new measurements of the cosmic microwave background, gravitational lensing, type Ia supernovae, large-scale structure, spectra of the Lyman alpha forest, stellar dynamics and x-ray binaries are probing the properties of spacetime over 22 orders of magnitude in scale. Current measurements are consistent with an infinite flat everlasting Universe containing about 30% cold dark matter, 65% dark energy and at least two distinct populations of black holes.

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