arXiv subjects

Brian W. Mulligan

Publications and source records attributed to Brian W. Mulligan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Wolf 1130: A Nearby Triple System Containing a Cool, Ultramassive White Dwarf

Following the discovery of the T8 subdwarf WISEJ200520.38+542433.9 (Wolf 1130C), with common proper motion to a binary (Wolf 1130AB) consisting of an M subdwarf and a white dwarf, we set out to learn more about the old binary in the system. We find that the A and B components of Wolf 1130 are tidally locked, which is revealed by the coherence of more than a year of V band photometry phase folded to the derived orbital period of 0.4967 days. Forty new high-resolution, near-infrared spectra obtained with the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) provide radial velocities and a projected rotational velocity (v sin i) of 14.7 +/- 0.7 km/s for the M subdwarf. In tandem with a Gaia parallax-derived radius and verified tidal-locking, we calculate an inclination of i=29 +/- 2 degrees. From the single-lined orbital solution and the inclination we derive an absolute mass for the unseen primary (1.24+0.19-0.15 Msun). Its non-detection between 0.2 and 2.5 microns implies that it is an old (>3.7 Gyr) and cool (Teff<7000K) ONe white dwarf. This is the first ultramassive white dwarf within 25pc. The evolution of Wolf 1130AB into a cataclysmic variable is inevitable, making it a potential Type Ia supernova progenitor. The formation of a triple system with a primary mass >100 times the tertiary mass and the survival of the system through the common-envelope phase, where ~80% of the system mass was lost, is remarkable. Our analysis of Wolf 1130 allows us to infer its formation and evolutionary history, which has unique implications for understanding low-mass star and brown dwarf formation around intermediate mass stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

A Compact Circumstellar Shell as the Source of High--velocity Features in SN 2011fe

High-velocity features (HVF), especially of Ca II, are frequently seen in Type Ia supernova observed prior to B-band maximum (Bmax). These HVF evolve in velocity from more than 25,000 km/s, in the days after first light, to about 18,000 km/s near Bmax. To recreate the evolution of the Ca II near-infrared triplet (CaNIR) HVF in SN 2011fe, we consider the interaction between a model Type Ia supernova and compact circumstellar shells with masses between 0.003 solar masses and 0.012 solar masses. We fit the observed CaNIR feature using synthetic spectra generated from the models using syn++. The CaNIR feature is better explained by the supernova model interacting with a shell than the model without a shell, with a shell of mass 0.005 solar masses tending to be better fitting than the other shells. The evolution of the optical depth of CaNIR suggests that the ionization state of calcium within the ejecta and shell is not constant. We discuss the method used to measure the observed velocity of CaNIR and other features and conclude that HVF or other components can be falsely identified. We briefly discuss the possible origin of the shells and the implications for the progenitor system of the supernova.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

High-Velocity Features of Calcium and Silicon in the Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae

"High-velocity features" (HVFs) are spectral features in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that have minima indicating significantly higher (by greater than about 6000 km/s) velocities than typical "photospheric-velocity features" (PVFs). The PVFs are absorption features with minima indicating typical photospheric (i.e., bulk ejecta) velocities (usually ~9000-15,000 km/s near B-band maximum brightness). In this work we undertake the most in-depth study of HVFs ever performed. The dataset used herein consists of 445 low-resolution optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra (at epochs up to 5 d past maximum brightness) of 210 low-redshift SNe Ia that follow the "Phillips relation." A series of Gaussian functions is fit to the data in order to characterise possible HVFs of Ca II H&K, Si II λ6355, and the Ca II NIR triplet. The temporal evolution of the velocities and strengths of the PVFs and HVFs of these three spectral features is investigated, as are possible correlations with other SN Ia observables. We find that while HVFs of Ca II are regularly observed (except in underluminous SNe Ia, where they are never found), HVFs of Si II λ6355 are significantly rarer, and they tend to exist at the earliest epochs and mostly in objects with large photospheric velocities. It is also shown that stronger HVFs of Si II λ6355 are found in objects that lack C II absorption at early times and that have red ultraviolet/optical colours near maximum brightness. These results lead to a self-consistent connection between the presence and strength of HVFs of Si II λ6355 and many other mutually correlated SN~Ia observables, including photospheric velocity.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Asymptotic Spectrum of Kerr Black Holes in the Small Angular Momentum Limit

We study analytically the highly damped quasinormal modes of Kerr black holes in the small angular momentum limit. To check the previous analytic calculations in the literature, which use a combination of radial and tortoise coordinates, we reproduce all the results using the radial coordinate only. According to the earlier calculations, the real part of the highly damped quasinormal mode frequency of Kerr black holes approaches zero in the limit where the angular momentum goes to zero. This result is not consistent with the Schwarzschild limit where the real part of the highly damped quasinormal mode frequency is equal to c^3 ln(3)/(8 pi G M). In this paper, our calculations suggest that the highly damped quasinormal modes of Kerr black holes in the zero angular momentum limit make a continuous transition from the Kerr value to the Schwarzschild value. We explore the nature of this transition using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques. Finally, we calculate the highly damped quasinormal modes of the extremal case in which the topology of Stokes/anti-Stokes lines takes a different form.

gr-qc↗