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G. P. Garmire

Publications and source records attributed to G. P. Garmire.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Discrepant Mass Estimates in the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1689

We present a new mass estimate of a well-studied gravitational lensing cluster, Abell 1689, from deep Chandra observations with a total exposure of 200 ks. Within r=200 h-1 kpc, the X-ray mass estimate is systematically lower than that of lensing by 30-50%. At r>200 h-1 kpc, the mass density profiles from X-ray and weak lensing methods give consistent results. The most recent weak lensing work suggest a steeper profile than what is found from the X-ray analysis, while still in agreement with the mass at large radii. Previous studies have suggested that cooler small-scale structures can bias X-ray temperature measurements or that the northern part of the cluster is disturbed. We find these scenarios unlikely to resolve the central mass discrepancy since the former requires 70-90% of the space to be occupied by these cool structures and excluding the northern substructure does not significantly affect the total mass profiles. A more plausible explanation is a projection effect. We also find that the previously reported high hard-band to broad-band temperature ratio in A1689, and many other clusters observed with Chandra, may be resulting from the instrumental absorption that decreases 10-15% of the effective area at ~1.75 keV.

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Modeling mm- to X-ray flare emission from SgrA*

We report on new modeling results based on the mm- to X-ray emission of the SgrA* counterpart associated with the massive black hole at the Galactic Center. Our modeling is based on simultaneous observations carried out on 07 July, 2004, using the ESO NACO adaptive optics instrument and the ACIS-I instrument aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as the SMA and the VLA. The observations revealed several flare events in all wavelength domains. Here we show that a combined synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model followed by an adiabatic expansion of the source components can fully account for the observed flare flux densities and delay times covering the spectral range from the X-ray to the mm-radio domain. The derived physical quantities that describe the flare emission give a blob expansion speed of v{exp}=0.005c, magnetic field of < 60G and spectral indices of 0.8 to 1.4. The derived model parameters suggest that the adiabatic expansion takes place in source components that have a bulk motion larger than v{exp} or the expanding material contributes to a corona or disk, confined to the immediate surroundings of SgrA*.

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Detection of X-ray Emission from the Very Old Pulsar J0108-1431

PSR J0108-1431 is a nearby, 170 Myr old, very faint radio pulsar near the "pulsar death line" in the P-Pdot diagram. We observed the pulsar field with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and detected a point source (53 counts in a 30 ks exposure, energy flux (9+/-2)\times 10^{-15} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 0.3-8 keV band) close to the radio pulsar position. Based on the large X-ray/optical flux ratio at the X-ray source position, we conclude that the source is the X-ray counterpart of PSR J0108-1431.The pulsar spectrum can be described by a power-law model with photon index Gamma \approx 2.2 and luminosity L_{0.3-8 keV} \sim 2\times 10^{28} d_{130}^2 ergs s^{-1}, or by a blackbody model with the temperature kT\approx 0.28 keV and bolometric luminosity L_{bol} \sim 1.3\times 10^{28} d_{130}^2 ergs s^{-1}, for a plausible hydrogen column density NH = 7.3\times 10^{19} cm^{-2} (d_{130}=d/130 pc). The pulsar converts \sim 0.4% of its spin-down power into the X-ray luminosity, i.e., its X-ray efficiency is higher than for most younger pulsars. From the comparison of the X-ray position with the previously measured radio positions, we estimated the pulsar proper motion of 0.2 arcsec yr^{-1} (V_\perp \sim 130 d_{130} km s^{-1}), in the south-southeast direction.

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A Catalog of X-ray Point Sources from Two Megaseconds of Chandra Observations of the Galactic Center

We present a catalog of 9017 X-ray sources identified in Chandra observations of a 2 by 0.8 degree field around the Galactic center. We increase the number of known X-ray sources in the region by a factor of 2.5. The catalog incorporates all of the ACIS-I observations as of 2007 August, which total 2.25 Msec of exposure. At the distance to the Galactic center (8 kpc), we are sensitive to sources with luminosities >4e32 erg/s (0.5-8.0 keV; 90% confidence) over an area of one square degree, and up to an order of magnitude more sensitive in the deepest exposure (1.0 Msec) around Sgr A*. The positions of 60% of our sources are accurate to <1" (95% confidence), and 20% have positions accurate to <0.5". We search for variable sources, and find that 3% exhibit flux variations within an observation, 10% exhibit variations from observation-to-observation. We also find one source, CXOUGC J174622.7-285218, with a periodic 1745 s signal (1.4% chance probability), which is probably a magnetically-accreting cataclysmic variable. We compare the spatial distribution of X-ray sources to a model for the stellar distribution, and find 2.8 sigma evidence for excesses in the numbers of X-ray sources in the region of recent star formation encompassed by the Arches, Quintuplet, and Galactic center star clusters. These excess sources are also seen in the luminosity distribution of the X-ray sources, which is flatter near the Arches and Quintuplet than elsewhere in the field. These excess point sources, along with a similar longitudinal asymmetry in the distribution of diffuse iron emission that has been reported by other authors, probably have their origin in the young stars that are prominent at l~0.1 degree.

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An X-ray, IR, and Submillimeter Flare of Sagittarius A*

Energetic flares are observed in the Galactic supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* from radio to X-ray wavelengths. On a few occasions, simultaneous flares have been detected in IR and X-ray observations, but clear counterparts at longer wavelengths have not been seen. We present a flare observed over several hours on 2006 July 17 with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Keck II telescope, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, and the Submillimeter Array. All telescopes observed strong flare events, but the submillimeter peak is found to occur nearly 100 minutes after the X-ray peak. Submillimeter polarization data show linear polarization in the excess flare emission, increasing from 9% to 17% as the flare passes through its peak, consistent with a transition from optically thick to thin synchrotron emission. The temporal and spectral behavior of the flare require that the energetic electrons responsible for the emission cool faster than expected from their radiative output. This is consistent with adiabatic cooling in an expanding emission region, with X-rays produced through self-Compton scattering, although not consistent with the simplest model of such expansion. We also present a submillimeter flare that followed a bright IR flare on 2005 July 31. Compared to 2006, this event had a larger peak IR flux and similar submillimeter flux, but it lacked measurable X-ray emission. It also showed a shorter delay between the IR and submillimeter peaks. Based on these events we propose a synchrotron and self-Compton model to relate the submillimeter lag and the variable IR/X-ray luminosity ratio.

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X-ray Observations of Parsec-Scale Tails behind Two Middle-Aged Pulsars

Chandra and XMM-Newton resolved extremely long tails behind two middle-aged pulsars, J1509-5850 and J1740+1000. The tail of PSR J1509-5850 is discernible up to 5.6' from the pulsar (6.5 pc at a distance of 4 kpc), with a flux of 2*10^{-13} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} in 0.5-8 keV. The tail spectrum fits an absorbed power-law (PL) model with the photon index of 2.3\pm0.2, corresponding to the 0.5-8 keV luminosity of 1*10^{33} ergs s^{-1}, for n_H= 2.1*10^{22} cm^{-2}. The tail of PSR J1740+1000 is firmly detected up to 5' (2 pc at a 1.4 kpc distance), with a flux of 6*10^{-14} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in 0.4-10 keV. The PL fit yields photon index of 1.4-1.5 and n_H=1*10^{21} cm^{-2}. The large extent of the tails suggests that the bulk flow in the tails starts as mildly relativistic downstream of the termination shock, and then gradually decelerates. Within the observed extent of the J1509-5850 tail, the average flow speed exceeds 5,000 km s^{-1}, and the equipartition magnetic field is a few times 10^{-5} G. For the J1740+1000 tail, the equipartition field is a factor of a few lower. The harder spectrum of the J1740+1000 tail implies either less efficient cooling or a harder spectrum of injected electrons. For the high-latitude PSR J1740+1000, the orientation of the tail on the sky shows that the pulsar is moving toward the Galactic plane, which means that it was born from a halo-star progenitor. The comparison between the J1509 and J1740 tails and the X-ray tails of other pulsars shows that the X-ray radiation efficiency correlates poorly with the pulsar spin-down luminosity or age. The X-ray efficiencies of the ram-pressure confined pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are systematically higher than those of PWNe around slowly moving pulsars with similar spin-down parameters.

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Polarized NIR and X-ray Flares from SgrA*

Stellar dynamics indicate the presence of a super massive 3-4x10^6 Msun solm black hole at the Galactic Center. It is associated with the variable radio, near-infrared, and X-ray counterpart Sagittarius A* (SgrA*). The goal is the investigation and understanding of the physical processes responsible for the variable emission from SgrA*. The observations have been carried out using the NACO adaptive optics (AO) instrument at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (July 2005, May 2007) and the ACIS-I instrument aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory (July 2005). We find that for the July 2005 flare the variable and polarized NIR emission of SgrA* occurred synchronous with a moderately bright flare event in the X-ray domain with an excess 2 - 8 keV luminosity of about 8x10^33erg/s. We find no time lag between the flare events in the two wavelength bands with a lower limit of less than 10 minutes. The May 2007 flare shows the highest sub-flare to flare contrast observed until now. It provides evidence for a variation in the profile of consecutive sub-flares. We confirm that highly variable and NIR polarized flare emission is non-thermal and that there exists a class of synchronous NIR/X-ray flares. We find that the flaring state can be explained via the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) process involving up-scattered sub-millimeter photons from a compact source component. The observations can be interpreted in a model involving a temporary disk with a short jet. In the disk component the flux density variations can be explained due to spots on relativistic orbits around the central super massive black hole (SMBH). The profile variations for the May 2007 flare are interpreted as a variation of the spot structure due to differential rotation within the disk.

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Evidence for line-of-sight structure in a comparison of X-ray and optical observations of the high-redshift cluster RCS043938-2904.7

We present new Chandra observations of a high redshift (z~1) galaxy cluster discovered in the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS): RCS043938-2904.7. X-ray luminosity measurements and mass estimates are consistent with L_X-T_X and M_delta-T_X relationships obtained from low-redshift data. Assuming a single cluster, X-ray mass estimates are a factor of ~10-100 below the red-sequence optical richness mass estimate. Optical spectroscopy reveals that this cluster comprises two components which are close enough to perhaps be physically associated. We present simple modeling of this two-component system which then yields an X-ray mass and optical richness consistent with expectations from statistical samples of lower redshift clusters. An unexpectedly high gas mass fraction is measured assuming a single cluster, which independently supports this interpretation. Additional observations will be necessary to confirm the excess gas mass fraction and to constrain the mass distribution.

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Confirmation of a correlation between the X-ray luminosity and spectral slope of AGNs in the Chandra Deep Fields

We present results from a statistical analysis of 173 bright radio-quiet AGNs selected from the Chandra Deep Field-North and Chandra Deep Field-South surveys (hereafter, CDFs) in the redshift range of 0.1 < z < 4. We find that the X-ray power-law photon index (Gamma) of radio-quiet AGNs is correlated with their 2-10 keV rest-frame X-ray luminosity (L_X) at the > 99.5 percent confidence level in two redshift bins, 0.3 < z < 0.96, and 1.5 < z < 3.3 and is slightly less significant in the redshift bin 0.96 < z < 1.5. We investigate the redshift evolution of the correlation between the power-law photon index and the hard X-ray luminosity and find that the slope and offset of a linear fit to the correlation change significantly (at the > 99.9 percent confidence level) between redshift bins of 0.3 < z < 0.96 and 1.5 < z < 3.3. We explore physical scenarios explaining the origin of this correlation and its possible evolution with redshift in the context of steady corona models focusing on its dependency on variations of the properties of the hot corona with redshift.

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The X-ray Properties of the Most-Luminous Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Utilizing 21 new Chandra observations as well as archival Chandra, ROSAT, and XMM-Newton data, we study the X-ray properties of a representative sample of 59 of the most optically luminous quasars in the Universe (M_i~~-29.3 to -30.2) spanning a redshift range of z~~1.5-4.5. Our full sample consists of 32 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 (DR3) quasar catalog, two additional objects in the DR3 area that were missed by the SDSS selection criteria, and 25 comparably luminous quasars at z>~4. This is the largest X-ray study of such luminous quasars to date. By jointly fitting the X-ray spectra of our sample quasars, excluding radio-loud and broad absorption line (BAL) objects, we find a mean X-ray power-law photon index of Gamma=1.92^{+0.09}_{-0.08} and constrain any neutral intrinsic absorbing material to have a mean column density of N_H<~2x10^{21} cm^{-2}. We find, consistent with other studies, that Gamma does not change with redshift, and we constrain the amount of allowed Gamma evolution for the most-luminous quasars. Our sample, excluding radio-loud and BAL quasars, has a mean X-ray-to-optical spectral slope of a_ox=-1.80+/-0.02, as well as no significant evolution of a_ox with redshift. We also comment upon the X-ray properties of a number of notable quasars, including an X-ray weak quasar with several strong narrow absorption-line systems, a mildly radio-loud BAL quasar, and a well-studied gravitationally lensed quasar.

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An X-ray Imaging Study of the Stellar Population in RCW49

We present the results of a high-resolution X-ray imaging study of the stellar population in the Galactic massive star-forming region RCW49 and its central OB association Westerlund 2. We obtained a 40 ks X-ray image of a 17'x17' field using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and deep NIR images using the Infrared Survey Facility in a concentric 8'3x8'3 region. We detected 468 X-ray sources and identified optical, NIR, and Spitzer Space Telescope MIR counterparts for 379 of them. The unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity of the X-ray image, enhanced by optical and infrared imaging data, yielded the following results: (1) The central OB association Westerlund 2 is resolved for the first time in the X-ray band. X-ray emission is detected from all spectroscopically-identified early-type stars in this region. (2) Most (86%) X-ray sources with optical or infrared identifications are cluster members in comparison with a control field in the Galactic Plane. (3) A loose constraint (2--5 kpc) for the distance to RCW49 is derived from the mean X-ray luminosity of T Tauri stars. (4) The cluster X-ray population consists of low-mass pre--main-sequence and early-type stars as obtained from X-ray and NIR photometry. About 30 new OB star candidates are identified. (5) We estimate a cluster radius of 6'--7' based on the X-ray surface number density profiles. (6) A large fraction (90%) of cluster members are identified individually using complimentary X-ray and MIR excess emission. (7) The brightest five X-ray sources, two Wolf-Rayet stars and three O stars, have hard thermal spectra.

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X-ray emission from the planet pulsar B1257+12

We report the detection of the millisecond pulsar B1257+12 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In a 20 ks exposure we detected 25 photons from the pulsar, with energies between 0.4 and 2.0 keV, corresponding to the flux F_X=(4.4+/- 0.9)*10^{-15} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2} in this energy range. The X-ray spectrum can be described by a power-law model with photon index Gamma = 2.8 and luminosity L_X \approx 2.5*10^{29} ergs s^{-1} in the 0.3--8 keV band, for a plausible distance of 500 pc and hydrogen column density N_H=3*10^{20} cm^{-2}. Alternatively, the spectrum can be fitted by a blackbody model with kT ~ 0.22 keV and projected emitting area ~2000 m^2. If the thermal X-rays are emitted from two symmetric polar caps, the bolometric luminosity of the two caps is 2 L_bol ~ 3*10^{29} ergs s^{-1}. We compared our results with the data on other 30 millisecond pulsars observed in X-rays and found that the apparent X-ray efficiency of PSR B1257+12, L_X/Edot ~ 3*10^{-5} for d=500 pc, is lower than those of most of millisecond pulsars. This might be explained by an unfavorable orientation of the X-ray pulsar beam if the radiation is magnetospheric, or by strong asymmetry of polar caps if the radiation is thermal (e.g., one of the polar caps is much brighter than the other and remains invisible for most part of the pulsar period). Alternatively, it could be attributed to absorption of X-rays in circumpulsar matter, such as a flaring debris disk left over after formation of the planetary system around the pulsar.

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TeV source HESS J1804-216 in X-rays and other wavelengths

The field of the extended TeV source HESS J1804-216 was serendipitously observed with the Chandra ACIS detector. The data reveal several X-ray sources within the bright part of HESS J1804-216. The brightest of these objects, CXOU J180432.4-214009, which has been also detected with Swift and Suzaku, is consistent with being a point-like source, with the 0.3-7 keV flux of (1.7\pm0.2)\times10^{-13} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2}. Its hard and strongly absorbed spectrum can be fitted by the absorbed power-law model with the best-fit photon index of 0.45 and hydrogen column density of 4\times10^{22} cm^{-2}, both with large uncertainties due to the strong correlation between these parameters. A search for pulsations resulted in a 106 s period candidate, which however has a low significance of 97.9%. We found no infrared-optical counterparts for this source. The second brightest source, CXOU J180441.9-214224, which has been detected with Suzaku, is either extended or multiple, with the flux of about 10^{-13} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1}. We found a nearby M dwarf within the X-ray source extension, which could contribute a fraction of the observed X-ray flux. The remaining sources are very faint (<3\times 10^{-14} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1}), and at least some of them are likely associated with nearby stars. Although one or both of the two brighter X-ray sources could be faint accreting binaries or remote pulsars with pulsar wind nebulae (hence possible TeV sources), their relation to HESS J1804-216 remains elusive. The possibility that HESS J1804-216 is powered by the relativistic wind from the young pulsar B1800-21, located at a distance of about 10 pc from the TeV source, still remains a more plausible option.

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X-ray emission from PSR B1800-21, its wind nebula, and similar systems

We detected X-ray emission from PSR B1800-21 and its synchrotron nebula with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The pulsar's observed flux is (1.4+/-0.2) 10^{-14} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 1-6 keV band. The spectrum can be described by a two-component PL+BB model, suggesting a mixture of thermal and magnetospheric emission. For a plausible hydrogen column density n_{H}=1.4 10^{22} cm^{-2}, the PL component has a slope Gamma=1.4+/-0.6 and a luminosity L_{psr}^{nonth}=4 10^{31}(d/4 kpc)^2 ergs s^{-1}. The properties of the thermal component (kT=0.1-0.3 keV, L^{bol}=10^{31}-10^{33} ergs s^{-1}) are very poorly constrained because of the strong interstellar absorption. The compact, 7''\times4'', inner pulsar-wind nebula (PWN), elongated perpendicular to the pulsar's proper motion, is immersed in a fainter asymmetric emission. The observed flux of the PWN is (5.5+/-0.6) 10^{-14} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 1-8 keV band. The PWN spectrum fits by a PL model with Gamma=1.6+/-0.3, L=1.6 10^{32} (d/4 kpc})^2 ergs s^{-1}. The shape of the inner PWN suggests that the pulsar moves subsonically and X-ray emission emerges from a torus associated with the termination shock in the equatorial pulsar wind. The inferred PWN-pulsar properties (e.g., the PWN X-ray efficiency, L_{pwn}/\dot{E}~10^{-4}; the luminosity ratio, L_{pwn}/L_{psr}^{nonth}=4; the pulsar wind pressure at the termination shock, p_s=10^{-9} ergs cm^{-3}) are very similar to those of other subsonically moving Vela-like objects detected with Chandra (L_{pwn}/\dot{E}=10^{-4.5}-10^{-3.5}, L_{pwn}/L_{psr}^{nonth}~5, p_s=10^{-10}-10^{-8} ergs cm^{-1}).

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X-Ray Absorption and an X-Ray Jet in the Radio-Loud Broad Absorption Line Quasar PG 1004+130

We investigate the X-ray properties of PG 1004+130, a low-redshift radio-loud broad absorption line (BAL) quasar with a hybrid FR I/FR II radio morphology. The 22.2 ks XMM-Newton and 41.6 ks Chandra observations presented here are the first X-ray detections of PG 1004+130 and constitute the highest spectral quality X-ray observations of a radio-loud BAL quasar available to date. The Chandra ACIS-S spectrum shows evidence for complex soft X-ray absorption not detected in the data obtained 1.7 yr previously with XMM-Newton, with a best-fit intrinsic column density of N_H=1.2e22 cm-2 for the preferred partial-covering model. There is no significant difference in the hard-band power-law photon index of ~1.5 between the two observations. The Chandra image also reveals extended X-ray emission ~8'' (30 kpc) south-east of the nucleus, aligned with the FR I jet but upstream of the 1.4 GHz radio-brightness peak. The jet is not detected by HST, and the optical upper limit rules out a simple single-component synchrotron interpretation of the radio-to-X-ray emission. The multiwavelength characteristics of the PG 1004+130 jet, including its relatively flat X-ray power law and concave spectral energy distribution, are similar to those of powerful FR II jets. The lack of strong beaming in PG 1004+130 limits the efficiency of inverse Compton upscattering, and we consider the X-ray emission to most likely arise from a second synchrotron component generated by highly energetic electrons.

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X-ray emission from the double neutron star binary B1534+12: Powered by the pulsar wind?

We report the detection of the double neutron star binary (DNSB) B1534+12 (= J1537+1155) with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This DNSB (orbital period 10.1 hr) consists of the millisecond (recycled) pulsar J1537+1155A (P_A=37.9 ms) and a neutron star not detected in the radio. After the remarkable double pulsar binary J0737-3039, it is the only other DNSB detected in X-rays. We measured the flux of (2.2\pm 0.6)\times10^{-15} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2} in the 0.3-6 keV band. The small number of collected counts allows only crude estimates of spectral parameters. The power-law fit yields the photon index of 3.2\pm 0.5 and the unabsorbed 0.2-10 keV luminosity L_X=6\times10^{29} ergs s^{-1} = 3\times 10^{-4}Edot_A, where Edot_A is the spin-down power of J1537+1155A. Alternatively, the spectrum can be fitted by a blackbody model with T = 2.2 MK and the projected emitting area of ~ 5\times 10^3 m^2. The distribution of photon arrival times over binary orbital phase shows a deficit of X-ray emission around apastron, which suggests that the emission is caused by interaction of the relativistic wind from J1537+1155A with its neutron star companion. We also reanalyzed the Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of J0737-3039 and found that its X-ray spectrum is similar to the spectrum of B1534+12, and its X-ray luminosity is about the same fraction of Edot_A, which suggests similar X-ray emission mechanisms. However, the X-ray emission from J0737-3039 does not show orbital phase dependence. This difference can be explained by the smaller eccentricity of J0737-3039 or a smaller misalignment between the equatorial plane of the millisecond pulsar and the orbital plane of the binary.

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An Exploratory Chandra Survey of a Well-Defined Sample of 35 Large Bright Quasar Survey Broad Absorption Line Quasars

We present 4-7 ks Chandra observations of 35 Broad Absorption Line (BAL) quasars from the Large Bright Quasar Survey, the largest sample of sensitive, 0.5-8.0 keV X-ray observations of this class of quasars to date. The limited ranges in both redshift (z=1.42-2.90) and UV luminosity (a factor of ~12) of the sample also make it relatively uniform. Of 35 targets, 27 are detected for a detection fraction of 77%, and we confirm previous studies that find BAL quasars to be generally X-ray weak. Five of the eight non-detections are known low-ionization BAL quasars, confirming reports of extreme X-ray weakness in this subset (~10% of optically selected BAL quasars). Those BAL quasars with the hardest X-ray spectra are also the X-ray weakest, consistent with the interpretation that intrinsic absorption is the primary cause of X-ray weakness in this class of quasars as a whole. Furthermore, the observed trend is not consistent with simple neutral absorption, supporting findings from spectroscopic observations of individual targets that BAL quasars typically exhibit complex X-ray absorption (e.g., partially covering or ionized absorbers). In sum, high-ionization BAL quasars are typically neither intrinsically X-ray weak nor suffer from Compton-thick absorption. In general, we find no evidence for correlations between X-ray weakness and UV absorption-line properties, with the exception of a likely correlation between the maximum outflow velocity of CIV absorption and the magnitude of X-ray weakness. We discuss the implications of our results for disk-wind models of BAL outflows in quasars. (abridged)

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A Chandra/ACIS Study of 30 Doradus I. Superbubbles and Supernova Remnants

We present an X-ray tour of diffuse emission in the 30 Doradus star-forming complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud using high-spatial-resolution X-ray images and spatially-resolved spectra obtained with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The dominant X-ray feature of the 30 Doradus nebula is the intricate network of diffuse emission generated by interacting stellar winds and supernovae working together to create vast superbubbles filled with hot plasma. We construct maps of the region showing variations in plasma temperature (T = 3--9 million degrees), absorption (N_H = 1--6 x 10^{21} cm^{-2}), and absorption-corrected X-ray surface brightness (S_X = 3--126 x 10^{31} ergs s^{-1} pc^{-2}). Enhanced images reveal the pulsar wind nebula in the composite supernova remnant N157B and the Chandra data show spectral evolution from non-thermal synchrotron emission in the N157B core to a thermal plasma in its outer regions. In a companion paper we show that R136, the central massive star cluster, is resolved at the arcsecond level into almost 100 X-ray sources. Through X-ray studies of 30 Doradus the complete life cycle of such a massive stellar cluster can be revealed.

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