arXiv subjects

Enrico Cappellaro

Publications and source records attributed to Enrico Cappellaro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The SOXS Spectrograph Instrument Control Software

SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is a new spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory (ESO), recently installed at the New Technology Telescope (NTT) at the La Silla Observatory, Chile. The main instrument goal consists in the characterization of transient sources, based on alerts. It covers from (partially) ultra-violet to visible and near-infrared bands, with a spectral resolution of R $\sim 4500$, using two separate, wavelength-optimized spectrographs. A scientific grade visible camera, primarily intended for target acquisition, also provides a "light imaging" mode. In this paper, we present the design of the SOXS Instrument Control Software, which is in charge of controlling all motors, calibration lamps and detectors, monitoring sensors and components' status, coordinating the execution of exposures, and implementing all observation, calibration and maintenance procedures. Given the extensive experience of the SOXS consortium in the development of instruments for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), we decided to base the design of the Control System on the same standards, both for hardware and software control. We illustrate the control network, the instrument functions and detectors to be controlled, the overall design of SOXS Instrument Software (INS) and its main components. Then, we provide details about the control software for the most SOXS-specific components, and peculiar features: the piezoelectric tip-tilt corrector used for active compensation of mechanical flexures of the instrument; the cryogenic piezoelectric slit exchanger for the NIR spectrograph; the co-rotator monitoring system; and the control of the Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS)- based imaging camera.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Continuous Wide-Field Optical Monitoring for Very Early-Phase Transient Discovery

The study of transient phenomena in a multimessenger context is expected to remain a major pillar of astrophysical discovery in the decades ahead. Supernovae, Kilonovae, Black-Hole formation, Novae, GRBs, and tidal disruption events are prime examples, as their earliest phases link electromagnetic radiation to gravitational waves, neutrinos, and high-energy emission. Yet, the physics connecting these messengers unfolds within minutes to hours, while traditional surveys revisit the same region of the sky on the scale of days/weeks, missing when the event begins. Current survey facilities excel at answering what happened and how often, but essentially fail in addressing how it happened and how it couples to gravitational waves, neutrinos, or high-energy emission. Continuous wide-area optical monitoring, as proposed here, removes this limitation. The traditional approach, where a GW or neutrino alert triggers electromagnetic follow-up, is now complemented, and sometimes reversed: early electromagnetic discoveries can prompt searches for weaker gravitational waves or neutrino signals that would otherwise be missed. In the Einstein Telescope era, wide-field optical monitoring will allow us to find the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave events and understand their physics. At the same time, a telescope capable of continuous monitoring provides immediate scientific value for planetary defense, space-debris tracking, stellar variability, exoplanets transit monitoring, accretion-driven activity, and when we step into a new observational territory, the true discoveries are often the ones we did not expect. In this vision, continuous time-domain astronomy does not replace classical surveys: it completes them by supplying the missing temporal dimension. Follow-up observations remain essential, but they now begin at the physical onset of the event rather than after its evolution is underway.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

The Science of the Einstein Telescope

Einstein Telescope (ET) is the European project for a gravitational-wave (GW) observatory of third-generation. In this paper we present a comprehensive discussion of its science objectives, providing state-of-the-art predictions for the capabilities of ET in both geometries currently under consideration, a single-site triangular configuration or two L-shaped detectors. We discuss the impact that ET will have on domains as broad and diverse as fundamental physics, cosmology, early Universe, astrophysics of compact objects, physics of matter in extreme conditions, and dynamics of stellar collapse. We discuss how the study of extreme astrophysical events will be enhanced by multi-messenger observations. We highlight the ET synergies with ground-based and space-borne GW observatories, including multi-band investigations of the same sources, improved parameter estimation, and complementary information on astrophysical or cosmological mechanisms obtained combining observations from different frequency bands. We present advancements in waveform modeling dedicated to third-generation observatories, along with open tools developed within the ET Collaboration for assessing the scientific potentials of different detector configurations. We finally discuss the data analysis challenges posed by third-generation observatories, which will enable access to large populations of sources and provide unprecedented precision.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Automated scheduler for the SOXS instrument: design and performance

We present the advancements in the development of the scheduler for the Son Of X-shooter instrument at the ESO-NTT 3.58-m telescope in La Silla, Chile. SOXS is designed as a single-object spectroscopic facility and features a high-efficiency spectrograph with two arms covering the spectral range of 350-2000 nm and a mean resolving power of approximately R=4500. It will conduct UV-visible and near-infrared follow-up observations of astrophysical transients, drawing from a broad pool of targets accessible through the streaming services of wide-field telescopes, both current and future, as well as high-energy satellites. The instrument will cater to various scientific objectives within the astrophysical community, each entailing specific requirements for observation planning. SOXS will operate at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in La Silla, without the presence of astronomers on the mountain. This poses a unique challenge for the scheduling process, demanding a fully automated algorithm that is autonomously interacting with the appropriate databases and the La Silla Weather API, and is capable of presenting the operator not only with an ordered list of optimal targets (in terms of observing constraints) but also with optimal backups in the event of changing weather conditions. This imposes the necessity for a scheduler with rapid-response capabilities without compromising the optimization process, ensuring the high quality of observations and best use of the time at the telescope. We thus developed a new highly available and scalable architecture, implementing API Restful applications like Docker Containers, API Gateway, and Python-based Flask frameworks. We provide an overview of the current state of the scheduler, which is now ready for the approaching on-site testing during Commissioning phase, along with insights into its web interface and preliminary performance tests.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

The SOXS Instrument Control Software approaching the PAE

The Instrument Control Software of SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter), the forthcoming spectrograph for the ESO New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory, has reached a mature state of development and is approaching the crucial Preliminary Acceptance in Europe phase. Now that all the subsystems have been integrated in the laboratories of the Padova Astronomical Observatory, the team operates for testing purposes with the whole instrument at both engineering and scientific level. These activities will make use of a set of software peculiarities that will be discussed in this contribution. In particular, we focus on the synoptic panel, the co-rotator system special device, on the Active Flexure Compensation system which controls two separate piezo tip-tilt devices.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

The status of the NIR arm of the SOXS Instrument toward the PAE

The Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) is a single object spectrograph, built by an international consortium for the 3.58-m ESO New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory [1]. It offers a simultaneous spectral coverage over 350-2000 nm, with two separate spectrographs. In this paper we present the status of the Near InfraRed (NIR) cryogenic echelle cross-dispersed spectrograph [1], in the range 0.80-2.00 μm with 15 orders, equipped with an 2k x 2k Hawaii H2RG IR array from Teledyne, working at 40K, that is currently assembled and tested on the SOXS instrument, in the premises of INAF in Padova. We describe the different tests and results of the cryo, vacuum, opto-mechanics and detector subsystems that finally will be part of the PAE by ESO.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

What is your favorite transient event? SOXS is almost ready to observe!

The Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) will be the specialized facility to observe any transient event with a flexible scheduler at the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla, Chile. SOXS is a single object spectrograph offering simultaneous spectral coverage in UV-VIS (350-850 nm) and NIR (800-2000 nm) wavelength regimes with an average of R~4500 for a 1arcsec slit. SOXS also has imaging capabilities in the visible wavelength regime. Currently, SOXS is being integrated at the INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova. Subsystem- and system-level tests and verification are ongoing to ensure and confirm that every requirement and performance are met. In this paper, we report on the integration and verification of SOXS as the team and the instrument prepare for the Preliminary Acceptance Europe (PAE).

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

The integration of the SOXS control electronics towards the PAE

SOXS (Son Of X-Shooter) is the new single object spectrograph for the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) at the La Silla Observatory, able to cover simultaneously both the UV-VIS and NIR bands (350-2000 nm). The instrument is currently in the integration and test phase, approaching the Preliminary Acceptance in Europe (PAE) before shipment to Chile for commissioning. After the assembly and preliminary test of the control electronics at INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte (Napoli), the two main control cabinets of SOXS are now hosted in Padova, connected to the real hardware. This contribution describes the final electronic cabinets layout, the control strategy and the different integration phases, waiting for the Preliminary Acceptance in Europe and the installation of the instrument in Chile.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna: Mission Studies and Science Case

The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna (LGWA) is a proposed array of next-generation inertial sensors to monitor the response of the Moon to gravitational waves (GWs). Given the size of the Moon and the expected noise produced by the lunar seismic background, the LGWA would be able to observe GWs from about 1 mHz to 1 Hz. This would make the LGWA the missing link between space-borne detectors like LISA with peak sensitivities around a few millihertz and proposed future terrestrial detectors like Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer. In this article, we provide a first comprehensive analysis of the LGWA science case including its multi-messenger aspects and lunar science with LGWA data. We also describe the scientific analyses of the Moon required to plan the LGWA mission.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

A magnetar giant flare in the nearby starburst galaxy M82

Giant flares, short explosive events releasing up to 10$^{47}$ erg of energy in the gamma-ray band in less than one second, are the most spectacular manifestation of magnetars, young neutron stars powered by a very strong magnetic field, 10$^{14-15}$ G in the magnetosphere and possibly higher in the star interior. The rate of occurrence of these rare flares is poorly constrained, as only three have been seen from three different magnetars in the Milky Way and in the Large Magellanic Cloud in about 50 years since the beginning of gamma-ray astronomy. This sample can be enlarged by the discovery of extragalactic events, since for a fraction of a second giant flares reach peak luminosities above 10$^{46}$ erg/s, which makes them visible by current instruments up to a few tens of Mpc. However, at these distances they appear similar to, and difficult to distinguish from, regular short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The latter are much more energetic events, 10$^{50-53}$ erg, produced by compact binary mergers and originating at much larger distances. Indeed, only a few short GRBs have been proposed, with different levels of confidence, as magnetar giant flare candidates in nearby galaxies. Here we report the discovery of a short GRB positionally coincident with the central region of the starburst galaxy M82. Its spectral and timing properties, together with the limits on its X-ray and optical counterparts obtained a few hours after the event and the lack of an associated gravitational wave signal, qualify with high confidence this event as a giant flare from a magnetar in M82.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Recovered SN Ia rate from simulated LSST images

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will revolutionize Time Domain Astronomy by detecting millions of transients. In particular, it is expected to increment the number of type Ia supernovae (SNIa) of a factor of 100 compared to existing samples up to z~1.2. Such a high number of events will dramatically reduce statistical uncertainties in the analysis of SNIa properties and rates. However, the impact of all other sources of uncertainty on the measurement must still be evaluated. The comprehension and reduction of such uncertainties will be fundamental both for cosmology and stellar evolution studies, as measuring the SNIa rate can put constraints on the evolutionary scenarios of different SNIa progenitors. We use simulated data from the DESC Data Challenge 2 (DC2) and LSST Data Preview 0 (DP0) to measure the SNIa rate on a 15 deg2 region of the Wide-Fast-Deep area. We select a sample of SN candidates detected on difference images, associate them to the host galaxy, and retrieve their photometric redshifts (z-phot). Then, we test different light curves classification methods, with and without redshift priors. We discuss how the distribution in redshift measured for the SN candidates changes according to the selected host galaxy and redshift estimate. We measure the SNIa rate analyzing the impact of uncertainties due to z-phot, host galaxy association and classification on the distribution in redshift of the starting sample. We found a 17% average lost fraction of SNIa with respect to the simulated sample. As 10% of the bias is due to the uncertainty on the z-phot alone (which also affects classification when used as a prior), it results to be the major source of uncertainty. We discuss possible reduction of the errors in the measurement of the SNIa rate, including synergies with other surveys, which may help using the rate to discriminate different progenitor models.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

SN 2020pvb: a Type IIn-P supernova with a precursor outburst

We present photometric and spectroscopic data sets for SN 2020pvb, a Type IIn-P supernova (SN) similar to SNe 1994W, 2005cl, 2009kn and 2011ht, with a precursor outburst detected (PS1 w-band ~ -13.8 mag) around four months before the B-band maximum light. SN 2020pvb presents a relatively bright light curve peaking at M_B = -17.95 +- 0.30 mag and a plateau lasting at least 40 days before it went in solar conjunction. After this, the object is no longer visible at phases > 150 days above -12.5 mag in the B-band, suggesting that the SN 2020pvb ejecta interacts with a dense spatially confined circumstellar envelope. SN 2020pvb shows in its spectra strong Balmer lines and a forest of FeII lines with narrow P Cygni profiles. Using archival images from the Hubble Space Telescope, we constrain the progenitor of SN 2020pvb to have a luminosity of log(L/L_sun) <= 5.4, ruling out any single star progenitor over 50 M_sun. All in all, SN 2020pvb is a Type IIn-P whose progenitor star had an outburst ~ 0.5 yr before the final explosion, the material lost during this outburst is probably playing a role in shaping the physical properties of the supernova.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Detailed spectrophotometric analysis of the superluminous and fast evolving SN 2019neq

SN 2019neq was a very fast evolving superluminous supernova. At a redshift z=0.1059, its peak absolute magnitude was -21.5+/-0.2 mag in g band. In this work, we present data and analysis from an extensive spectrophotometric follow-up campaign using multiple observational facilities. Thanks to a nebular spectrum of SN 2019neq, we investigated some of the properties of the host galaxy at the location of SN 2019neq and found that its metallicity and specific star formation rate are in a good agreement with those usually measured for SLSNe-I hosts. We then discuss the plausibility of the magnetar and the circumstellar interaction scenarios to explain the observed light curves, and interpret a nebular spectrum of SN 2019neq using published SUMO radiative-transfer models. The results of our analysis suggest that the spindown radiation of a millisecond magnetar with a magnetic field B~6e14 G could boost the luminosity of SN 2019neq.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of the Closest Ultrastripped Supernova: SN 2021agco in UGC 3855

We present the discovery and studies of the helium-rich, fast-evolving supernova (SN) 2021agco at a distance of $\sim$ 40 Mpc. Its early-time flux is found to rise from half peak to the peak of $-16.06\pm0.42$ mag in the $r$ band within $2.4^{+1.5}_{-1.0}$ days, and the post-peak light curves also decline at a much faster pace relative to normal stripped-envelope SNe of Type Ib/Ic. The early-time spectrum of SN~2021agco ($t \approx 1.0$ days after the peak) is characterized by a featureless blue continuum superimposed with a weak emission line of ionized C III, and the subsequent spectra show prominent He I lines. Both the photometric and spectroscopic evolution shows close resemblances to SN 2019dge, which is believed to have an extremely stripped progenitor. We reproduce the multicolor light curves of SN 2021agco with a model combining shock-cooling emission with \Ni decay. The best-fit results give an ejecta mass of $\approx 0.3$~M$_\odot$ and a synthesized nickel mass of $\approx 2.2\times10^{-2}$~M$_\odot$. The progenitor is estimated to have an envelope radius $R_{\rm env} \approx 80$~R$_\odot$ and a mass $M_{\rm env} \approx 0.10$~M$_\odot$. All these suggest that SN~2021agco can be categorized as an ultrastripped SN~Ib, representing the closest object of this rare subtype. This SN is found to explode in the disk of an Sab-type galaxy with an age of $\sim 10.0$~Gyr and low star-forming activity. Compared to normal SNe Ib/c, the host galaxies of SN 2021agco and other ultrastripped SNe tend to have relatively lower metallicity, which complicates the properties of their progenitor populations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

The First Data Release of CNIa0.02 -- A Complete Nearby (Redshift <0.02) Sample of Type Ia Supernova Light Curves

The CNIa0.02 project aims to collect a complete, nearby sample of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) light curves, and the SNe are volume-limited with host-galaxy redshifts z_host < 0.02. The main scientific goal is to infer the distributions of key properties (e.g., the luminosity function) of local SNe Ia in a complete and unbiased fashion in order to study SN explosion physics. We spectroscopically classify any SN candidate detected by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) that reaches peak brightness < 16.5 mag. Since ASAS-SN scans the full sky and does not target specific galaxies, our target selection is effectively unbiased by host-galaxy properties. We perform multi-band photometric observations starting from the time of discovery. In the first data release (DR1), we present the optical light curves obtained for 247 SNe from our project (including 148 SNe in the complete sample), and we derive parameters such as the peak fluxes, dm15 and s_BV.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Rubin-Euclid Derived Data Products: Initial Recommendations

This report is the result of a joint discussion between the Rubin and Euclid scientific communities. The work presented in this report was focused on designing and recommending an initial set of Derived Data products (DDPs) that could realize the science goals enabled by joint processing. All interested Rubin and Euclid data rights holders were invited to contribute via an online discussion forum and a series of virtual meetings. Strong interest in enhancing science with joint DDPs emerged from across a wide range of astrophysical domains: Solar System, the Galaxy, the Local Volume, from the nearby to the primaeval Universe, and cosmology.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Laboratory test of the VIS detector system of SOXS for the ESO-NTT telescope

SOXS is the new spectrograph for the ESO NTT telescope able to cover the optical and NIR bands thanks to two different arms: the UV-VIS (350-850 nm), and the NIR (800-2000 nm). In this article, we describe the final design of the visible camera cryostats, the test facilities for the CCD characterization, and the first results with the scientific detector. The UV-VIS detector system is based on a e2v CCD 44-82, a custom detector head coupled with the ESO Continuous Flowing Cryostat (CFC) cooling system and the New General Detector Controller (NGC) developed by ESO. The laboratory facility is based on an optical bench equipped with a Xenon lamp, filter wheels to select the wavelength, an integrating sphere, and a calibrated diode to measure the flux. This paper outlines the visible camera cryostat, the test facilities for the CCD characterization and the first results with the scientific detector in the laboratory and after the integration to the instrument.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Dynamic scheduling for SOXS instrument: environment, algorithms and development

We present development progress of the scheduler for the Son Of X-Shooter (SOXS) instrument at the ESO-NTT 3.58 meter telescope. SOXS will be a single object spectroscopic facility, consisting of a two-arms high-efficiency spectrograph covering the spectral range 350-2000 nanometer with a mean resolving power R$\approx$4500. SOXS will be uniquely dedicated to the UV-visible and near infrared follow up of astrophysical transients, with a very wide pool of targets available from the streaming services of wide-field telescopes, current and future. This instrument will serve a variety of scientific scopes in the astrophysical community, with each scope eliciting its specific requirements for observation planning, that the observing scheduler has to meet. Due to directions from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the instrument will be operated only by La Silla staff, with no astronomer present on the mountain. This implies a new challenge for the scheduling process, requiring a fully automated algorithm that should be able to present the operator not only with and ordered list of optimal targets, but also with optimal back-ups, should anything in the observing conditions change. This imposes a fast-response capability to the scheduler, without compromising the optimization process, that ensures good quality of the observations. In this paper we present the current state of the scheduler, that is now almost complete, and of its web interface.

astro-ph.IM↗