arXiv subjects

Bruno Leibundgut

Publications and source records attributed to Bruno Leibundgut.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1998

Deep optical observations at the position of PSR1706-44 with the VLT-UT1

We present optical data gathered by the VLT Test Camera in the V-band at the radio (interferometric) position of PSR1706-44. We find no optical counterpart to the pulsar in the VLT image. At a distance of 2.7 arcsec from a nearby bright star, the 3-sigma upper limit to the pulsar magnitude above the background is V = 25.5. Within an error circle of 1.0 arcsec the upper limit is degraded in the direction towards the star. At a distance < 2 arcsec from the star we can with confidence only claim an upper limit of V = 24.5. This is still several magnitudes fainter than previous estimates. The implications of the optical upper limit taken together with the high energy pulsed gamma-ray radiation for theoretical models of pulsar emission are discussed.

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arXiv1998

A Deep Optical Luminosity Function of NGC 6712 with the VLT: Evidence for Severe Tidal Disruption

The VLT on Cerro Paranal was used to observe four fields located at 2.3' from the center of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6712 in the V and R bands. The resulting color-magnitude diagram shows a well defined main sequence reaching down to the 5 sigma detection limit at V~25, R~23.5 or approximately 4 mag below the main sequence turn-off, the deepest obtained so far on this cluster. This yields a main sequence luminosity function that peaks at M_R~4.5 and drops down to the 50% completeness limit at M_R~8.5. Transformation to a mass function via the latest mass-luminosity relation appropriate to this object indicates that the peak of the luminosity function corresponds to ~0.75 Msolar, a value significantly higher than the ~0.25 Msolar measured for most other clusters observed so far. Since this object, in its Galactic orbit, penetrates very deeply into the Galactic bulge with perigalactic distance of ~0.3 kpc, this result is the first strong evidence that tidal forces have stripped this cluster of a substantial portion of its lower mass star population all the way down to its half-light radius and possibly beyond.

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arXiv1998

Late-Time Optical and UV Spectra of SN 1979C and SN 1980K

A low-dispersion Keck I spectrum of SN 1980K taken in August 1995 (t = 14.8 yr after explosion) and a November 1997 MDM spectrum (t = 17.0 yr) show broad 5500 km s^{-1} emission lines of Hα, [O I] 6300,6364 A, and [O II] 7319,7330 A. Weaker but similarly broad lines detected include [Fe II] 7155 A, [S II] 4068,4072 A, and a blend of [Fe II] lines at 5050--5400 A. The presence of strong [S II] 4068,4072 A emission but a lack of [S II] 6716,6731 A emission suggests electron densities of 10^{5-6} cm^{-3}. From the 1997 spectra, we estimate an Hαflux of 1.3 \pm 0.2 \times 10^{-15} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} indicating a 25% decline from 1987--1992 levels during the period 1994 to 1997, possibly related to a reported decrease in its nonthermal radio emission.

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arXiv1998

Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 Imaging of SN 1979C and Its Environment

The locations of supernovae in the local stellar and gaseous environment in galaxies contain important clues to their progenitor stars. As part of a program to study the environments of supernovae using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging data, we have examined the environment of the Type II-L SN 1979C in NGC 4321 (M100). We place more rigorous constraints on the mass of the SN progenitor, which may have had a mass M \approx 17--18 M_sun. Moreover, we have recovered and measured the brightness of SN 1979C, m=23.37 in F439W (~B; m_B(max) = 11.6), 17 years after explosion. .

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arXiv1998

Emission within a Damped Lyman Alpha Absorption Trough: the Complex Sight Line Towards Q2059-360

We present new spectroscopic observations of the quasar Q2059-360, confirming the existence of an emission feature within the Damped Lyman Alpha (DLA) absorption trough. By observing also at slit positions offset from the quasar, we show that the emission is spatially extended by at least a few arcseconds, and hence confirm that the feature seen must be due to emission rather than unusual absorption characteristics. We find that the DLA trough is very close in redshift to the broad Lyman~$α$ emission line of the QSO, with the result that the DLA absorption removes much of the peak region of that line. Despite the similarity of the redshifts of the DLA and the QSO, the lack of high-ionization lines of the DLA system and the unresolved widths of the corresponding metal lines indicate that the DLA cloud is not an associated system. The emission feature has a large velocity offset of +490 km/s with respect to the DLA system, and is resolved in velocity, comprising two components with a separation of ~ 300 km/s. We consider three possibilities: (1) Both emission and absorption occur within an object similar to the high redshift Lyman-break galaxies; (2) The emission feature arises from an object distinct from both the DLA absorber and the QSO, perhaps a young star-forming galaxy or a proto-galactic clump. It could be associated with the DLA absorber and perhaps the QSO in a compact group or cluster; (3) The redshifts are such that the emission feature could be due to Narrow Line Region filaments of the QSO, if the DLA absorption covers a sufficiently small angular size to allow the filaments to be seen beyond the edge of the DLA cloud.

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arXiv1996

The Rise Times and Bolometric Light Curve of SN 1994D: Constraints on Models of Type Ia Supernovae

Using the published photometry and an empirical model of the temporal evolution of the apparent magnitudes in the UBVRI passbands, we have constructed a continuous optical bolometric, or ``quasi-bolometric'', light curve of the well-observed Type Ia supernova SN 1994D. The optical bolometric light curve is found to have a maximum luminosity of about $8.8\times 10^{42} \times (\frac{D}{13.7 Mpc})^2$ erg/s, which is reached $\sim 18$ days after the explosion. In addition, the optical bolometric light curve exhibits an inflection, or ``shoulder'', about $25$ days after maximum. This inflection corresponds to the secondary maximum observed in all filter light curves redder than $B$. The individual filter curves have rise times similar to that of the optical bolometric light curve; other Type Ia supernovae are found to have similar rise times. Our fits indicate that the peak bolometric luminosity and the maxima in the B, V, and R light curves all occur within a day of one another. These results can be used to place constraints on theoretical models of Type Ia events. For example, all current theoretical models predict rise times to peak luminosity which are significantly shorter than that estimated for SN 1994D.

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arXiv1995

TYPE Ib/c SUPERNOVAE AND THEIR RELATION TO BINARY STARS

The present understanding of type Ib/c supernovae and their connection to interacting binaries is reviewed. The problems of the classification and the lack of well-observed events exclude direct inference of progenitor characteristics. The absence of hydrogen lines in the observed spectrum, nevertheless, requires restricted evolutionary schemes to produce suitable progenitor stars for core collapse explosions with no hydrogen envelope. New relative statistics among the supernova types are presented which indicate that SN~Ib/c are on average brighter than SN~II, and with the dense sampling of supernova searches in nearby galaxies, a small intrinsic incidence of SN~Ib/c is determined. The small rates might be in conflict with the observed ratio of massive stars in binaries in the Galaxy.

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arXiv1994

SN~1991T: Reflections of Past Glory

We have obtained photometry and spectra of SN~1991T which extend more than 1000 days past maximum light, by far the longest a SN~Ia has been followed. Although SN~1991T exhibited nearly normal photometric behavior in the first 400 days following maximum, by 600 days its decline had slowed, and by 950~days the supernova brightness was consistent with a constant apparent magnitude of $m_B=21.30$. Spectra near maximum showed minor variations on the SN~Ia theme which grew less conspicuous during the exponential decline. At 270 days the nebular spectrum was composed of Fe and Co lines common to SNe~Ia. However, by 750 days past maximum light, these lines had shifted in wavelength, and were superimposed on a strong blue continuum. The luminosity of SN~1991T at 950 days is more than $9.0\times10^{38}(D/13~{\rm Mpc})^2$~ergs~s$^{-1}$ with a rate of decline of less than $0.04$ mags/100~days. We show that this emission is likely to be light that was emitted by SN~1991T near maximum light which has reflected from foreground dust, much like the light echos observed around SN~1987A.

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