arXiv subjects

Hektor Monteiro

Publications and source records attributed to Hektor Monteiro.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

CCD Photometry of NGC 2482 and Five Previously Unobserved Open Star Clusters

We present BV and u'g'r'i' CCD photometry of the central region of NGC 2482. We also present BVu'g' CCD photometry of five clusters that have been poorly studied in the past: Ruprecht 42, Ruprecht 51, Ruprecht 153, Ruprecht 154; and AH03 J0748-26.9, which to our knowledge has not been studied before. Using a global optimization technique that eliminates much of the subjectivity previously inherent in main sequence fitting studies, we obtain values of the distances, ages, and metallicities of the clusters, with robust estimates of the uncertainties of these fundamental parameters. Four of our clusters are less than ~1.3 kpc beyond the Sun's distance from the Galactic Center and have essentially solar metallicity. The metallicities of those clusters more distant from the Galactic Center are consistent with a 0.3 dex step to lower [Fe/H] found in other studies.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Kinematic study of the parsec-scale jet of the quasar PKS 1741--03

We present 23 interferometric images of parsec-scale jet of the quasar PKS 1741--03 at 15, 24 and 43 GHz spanning about 13 yr. We model the images as a superposition of discrete two--dimensional elliptical Gaussian components, with parameters determined by the cross--entropy technique. All the images present a spatially unresolved component (core) and usually two or three components receding from it. The same components were found in simultaneous 24 and 43 GHz maps, showing the robustness of our model-fitting. The core-shift opacity effect between these frequencies is weak. We have identified seven components moving along straight lines at constant apparent superluminal speeds ($3.5\leβ_\mathrm{obs}\le 6.1$), with different sky position angles ($-186°\le η\le -125°$). The core flux density tracks quite well the fluctuations seen in the historical single-dish light curve at 14.5 GHz, with no measurable delay. The total flux density from the moving jet components is delayed $\sim$2 yr in relation to the core light curve, roughly the same as the lag between the ejection epoch and the maximum flux density in the light curves of the jet components. We propose that there are three non-exclusive mechanisms for producing these delays. From the kinematics of the most robust jet components and the core brightness temperature, we determined the bulk Lorentz factor ($4.8\leγ\le 24.5$) and the jet viewing angle ($0.°35 \le θ\le 4.°2$); these values agree with previous estimates from the spectral energy distribution of PKS 1741--03 and its radio variability.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

On the alignment of PNe and local magnetic field at the galactic centre: MHD numerical simulations

For the past decade observations of the alignement of PNe symmetries with respect to the galactic disk have led to conflicting results. Recently observational evidence for alignment between PNe and local interstellar magnetic fields in the central part of the Galaxy ($b < 5^\circ$) has been found. We studied the role of the interstellar magnetic field on the dynamical evolution of a PN by means of an analytical model and from 3D MHD numerical simulations. We test under what conditions typical ejecta would have their dynamics severely modified by an interstellar magnetic field. We found that uniform fields of $> 100μ$G are required in order to be dynamically dominant. This is found to occur only at later evolutionary stages, therefore being unable to change the general morphology of the nebula. However, the symmetry axis of bipolar and elliptical nebulae end up aligned to the external field. This result can explain why different samples of PNe result in different conclusions regarding the alignment of PNe. Objects located at high galactic latitudes, or at large radii, should present no preferential alignment with respect to the galactic plane. PNe located at the galactic centre and low latitudes would, on the other hand, be preferentiably aligned to the disk. Finally, we present synthetic polarization maps of the nebulae to show that the polarization vectors, as well as the field lines at the expanding shell, are not uniform even in the strongly magnetized case, indicating that polarization maps of nebulae are not adequate in probing the orientation, or intensity, of the dominant external field.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Parsec-scale jet precession in BL Lacertae (2200+420)

BL Lacertae is the prototype of the BL Lac class of active galactic nuclei, exhibiting intensive activity on parsec (pc) scales, such as intense core variability and multiple ejections of jet components. In particular, in previous works the existence of precession motions in the pc-scale jet of BL Lacertae has been suggested. In this work we revisit this issue, investigating temporal changes of the observed right ascension and declination offsets of the jet knots in terms of our relativistic jet-precession model. The seven free parameters of our precession model were optimized via a heuristic cross-entropy method, comparing the projected precession helix with the positions of the jet components on the plane of the sky and imposing constraints on their maximum and minimum superluminal velocities. Our optimized best model is compatible with a jet having a bulk velocity of 0.9824c, which is precessing with a period of about 12.1 yr in the observer's reference frame and changing its orientation in relation to the line of sight between 4 and 5 degrees, approximately. Assuming that the jet precession has its origin in a supermassive binary black hole system, we show that the 2.3-yr periodic variation in the structural position angle of the very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) core of BL Lacertae reported by Stirling et al. is compatible with a nutation phenomenon if the secondary black hole has a mass higher than about six times that of the primary black hole.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Modeling very long baseline interferometric images with the cross-entropy global optimization technique

We present a new technique for obtaining model fittings to VLBI images of astrophysical jets. The method minimizes a performance function proportional to the sum of the squared difference between the model and observed images. The model image is constructed by summing elliptical Gaussian sources characterized by six parameters: two-dimensional peak position, peak intensity, eccentricity, amplitude and orientation angle of the major axis. We present results for the fitting of two main benchmark jets: the first, constructed from three individual Gaussian sources, the second formed by five Gaussian sources. Both jets were analyzed by our cross-entropy technique in finite and infinite signal-to-noise regimes, the background noise chosen to mimic that found in interferometric radio maps. We show that our technique is capable of recovering the parameters of the sources with a similar accuracy to that obtained from the traditional AIPS task IMFIT when the image is relatively simple (e.g., few components). For more complex maps, our method displays superior performance in recovering the parameters of the jet components. Our methodology is also able to show quantitatively the number of individual components present in an image. An additional application of the cross-entropy technique to a real image of a BL Lac object is shown and discussed. Our results indicate that our cross-entropy technique must be used in situations involving the analysis of complex emission regions having more than three sources, even though it is substantially slower than current model fitting tasks (at least 10,000 times slower for a single processor, depending on the number of sources to be optimized). As in the case of any model fitting performed in the image plane, caution is required in analyzing images constructed from a poorly sampled (u,v) plane.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

3-D Photoionization Structure and Distances of Planetary Nebulae IV. NGC 40

Continuing our series of papers on the 3-D structure and accurate distances of Planetary Nebulae (PNe), we present here the results obtained for the planetary nebula NGC\,40. Using data from different sources and wavelengths, we construct 3-D photoionization models and derive the physical quantitities of the ionizing source and nebular gas. The procedure, discussed in detail in the previous papers, consists of the use of 3-D photoionization codes constrained by observational data to derive the three-dimensional nebular structure, physical and chemical characteristics and ionizing star parameters of the objects by simultaneously fitting the integrated line intensities, the density map, the temperature map, and the observed morphologies in different emission lines. For this particular case we combined hydrodynamical simulations with the photoionization scheme in order to obtain self-consistent distributions of density and velocity of the nebular material. Combining the velocity field with the emission line cubes we also obtained the synthetic position-velocity plots that are compared to the observations. Finally, using theoretical evolutionary tracks of intermediate and low mass stars, we derive the mass and age of the central star of NGC\,40 as $(0.567 \pm 0.06)$M$_{\odot}$ and $(5810 \pm 600)$yrs, respectively. The distance obtained from the fitting procedure was $(1150 \pm 120)$pc.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

The possibility of determining open-cluster parameters from BVRI photometry

In the last decades we witnessed an increase in studies of open clusters of the Galaxy, especially because of the good determination for a wide range of values of parameters such as age, distance, reddening, and proper motion. The reliable determination of the parameters strongly depends on the photometry available and especially on the U filter, which is used to obtain the color excess E(B-V) through the color-color diagram (U-B) by (B-V) by fitting a zero age main-sequence. Owing to the difficulty of performing photometry in the U band, many authors have tried to obtain E(B-V) without the filter. But because of the near linearity of the color-color diagrams that use the other bands, combined with the fact that most fitting procedures are highly subjective (many done "by eye") the reliability of those results has always been questioned. Our group has recently developed, a tool that performs isochrone fitting in open-cluster photometric data with a global optimization algorithm, which removes the need to visually perform the fits and thus removes most of the related subjectivity. Here we apply our method to a set of synthetic clusters and two observed open clusters (Trumpler 1 and Melotte 105) using only photometry for the BVRI bands. Our results show that, considering the cluster structural variance caused only by photometric and Poisson sampling errors, our method is able to recover the synthetic cluster parameters with errors of less than 10% for a wide range of ages, distances, and reddening, which clearly demonstrates its potential. The results obtained for Trumpler 1 and Melotte 105 also agree well with previous literature values.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2006

Orientation effects in Bipolar nebulae

We show that the inclination to the line of sight of bipolar nebulae strongly affects some of their observed properties. We model these objects as having a spherically symmetric Planetary Nebula and a dusty equatorial density enhancement that produces extinction that varies with the viewing angle. Our sample of 29 nebulae taken from the literature shows a clear correlation between the inclination angle and the near-IR and optical photometric properties as well as the apparent luminosity of the objects. As the inclination angle increases --the viewing angle is closer to the equatorial plane-- the objects become redder, their average apparent luminosity decreases, and their average projected expansion velocity becomes smaller. We compute two-dimensional models of stars embedded in dusty disks of various shapes and compositions and show that the observed data can be reproduced by disk-star combinations with reasonable parameters. To compare with the observational data, we generate sets of model data by randomly varying the star and disk parameters within a physically meaningful range. We conclude that a only a smooth pole to equator density gradient agrees with the observed phenomena and that thin, equatorially concentrated disks can be discarded.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

3-D Photoionization Structure and Distances of Planetary Nebulae III. NGC 6781

Continuing our series of papers on the three-dimensional (3-D) structures of and accurate distances to Planetary Nebulae (PNe), we present our study of the planetary nebula NGC6781. For this object we construct a 3-D photoionization model and, using the constraints provided by observational data from the literature we determine the detailed 3-D structure of the nebula, the physical parameters of the ionizing source and the first precise distance. The procedure consists in simultaneously fitting all the observed emission line morphologies, integrated intensities and the 2-D density map from the [SII] line ratios to the parameters generated by the model, and in an iterative way obtain the best fit for the central star parameters and the distance to NGC6781, obtaining values of 950+-143pc and 385 Lsun for the distance and luminosity of the central star respectively. Using theoretical evolutionary tracks of intermediate and low mass stars, we derive the mass of the central star of NGC6781 and its progenitor to be 0.60+-0.03 Msun and 1.5+-0.5 Msun respectively.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Ages of White Dwarf-Red Subdwarf Systems

We provide the first age estimates for two recently discovered white dwarf-red subdwarf systems, LHS 193AB and LHS 300AB. These unusual systems provide a new opportunity for linking the reliable age estimates for the white dwarfs to the (measurable) metallicities of the red subdwarfs. We have obtained precise photometry in the $V_{J}R_{KC}I_{KC}JH$ bands and spectroscopy covering from 6000Åto 9000Åfor the two new systems, as well as for a comparison white dwarf-main sequence red dwarf system, GJ 283 AB. Using model grids available in the literature, we estimate the cooling age as well as temperature, surface gravity, mass, progenitor mass and {\it total} lifetimes of the white dwarfs. The results indicate that the two new systems are probably ancient thick disk objects with ages of at least 6-9 Gyr. We also conduct searches of red dwarf and white dwarf compendia from SDSS data and the L{é}pine Shara Proper Motion (LSPM) catalog for additional common proper motion white dwarf-red subdwarf systems. Only seven new candidate systems are found, which indicates the rarity of these systems.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

3-D Photoionization Structure and Distances of Planetary Nebulae II. Menzel 1

We present the results of a spatio-kinematic study of the planetary nebula Menzel 1 using spectro-photometric mapping and a 3-D photoionization code. We create several 2-D emission line images from our long-slit spectra, and use these to derive the line fluxes for 15 lines, the Halpha/Hbeta extinction map, and the [SII] line ratio density map of the nebula. We use our photoionization code constrained by these data to derive the three-dimensional nebular structure and ionizing star parameters of Menzel 1 by simultaneously fitting the integrated line intensities, the density map, and the observed morphologies in several lines, as well as the velocity structure. Using theoretical evolutionary tracks of intermediate and low mass stars, we derive a mass for the central star of 0.63+-0.05 Msolar. We also derive a distance of 1050+_150 pc to Menzel 1.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

3-D Photoionization Structure and Distances of Planetary Nebulae I. NGC6369

We present the results of mapping the planetary nebula NGC6369 using multiple long slit spectra taken with the CTIO 1.5m telescope. We create two dimensional emission line images from our spectra, and use these to derive fluxes for 17 lines, the Halpha/Hbeta extinction map, the [SII] line ratio density map, and the [NII] temperature map of the nebula. We use our photoionization code constrained by these data to determine the distance, the ionizing star characteristics, and show that a clumpy hour-glass shape is the most likely three-dimensional structure for NGC6369. Note that our knowledge of the nebular structure eliminates all uncertainties associated with classical distance determinations, and our method can be applied to any spatially resolved emission line nebula. We use the central star, nebular emission line, and optical+IR luminosities to show that NGC6369 is matter bound, as about 70% of the Lyman continuum flux escapes. Using evolutionary tracks from Bloecker(1995) we derive a central star mass of about 0.65 Msolar.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Proper Motion and Kinematics of the Ansae in NGC7009

We have measured the proper motion (PM) and kinematics of the ansae in NGC 7009 using high dispersion echelle spectra and archive narrow band HST images. Assuming that the ansae are moving at equal and opposite velocities from the central star we obtain a system radial velocity of -53+-2km/s, the eastern ansa approaching and the western ansa receding at Vr=5.3+-1km/s with respect to this value. The PM of the eastern ansa is 28+-8mas/yr, which with our weighted distance to NGC 7009 of 0.86+-0.34kpc gives Vexp=112+-32km/s. The electron temperature and density in both ansae were determined to be Te=9000+-400K and Ne=2300+-400/cc. The dynamic age of the ansae is 925+-260yrs.and the implied PM of the central star is 1+-0.5mas/yr. This is in qualitative but not quantitative agreement with previous work.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Binarity and Symbiotics in Asymmetrical Planetary Nebulae

We show that there are strong links between certain types of asymmetrical Planetary Nebulae (PNe) and symbiotic stars. Symbiotics are binaries and several have extended optical nebulae all of which are asymmetrical and ~-40% are bipolar. Bipolar PNe are likely to be formed by binaries and share many properties with symbiotic nebulae (SyNe). Some PNe show point symmetry which is naturally explained by precession in a binary system. M2-9 has both point and plane symmetry, and has been shown to have a binary central object. We show that inclination on the sky affects the observed properties of bipolar nebulae due to enhanced equatorial densities, and compare observations of a sample of BPNe with a simple model. Good agreement is obtained between model predicted and observed IR/optical flux ratios and apparent luminosities, which further confirms the binary hypothesis.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Orientation effects in bipolar nebulae: Can disks do it?

In this work we investigate how a circumstellar disk affects the radiation emitted by an embedded star. We show correlations obtained from broad-band observations of bipolar nebulae indicating that an orientation effect is at play in these systems. The FIR radiation relative to total radiation increases with inclination while the NIR and BVR fractions decrease. This is an expected effect if we consider the system as being made up of a dense dusty disk being irradiated by a hot star. We calculate 2-D models to try and reproduce the observed behavior with different disk and star configurations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Kinematics and Proper Motion of the Ansae in NGC7009

We have measured the expansion velocities and proper motion of the ansae in NGC7009 using high dispersion echelle spectra and archive narrow band HST images. Assuming that the ansae are moving at equal and opposite velocities from the central star we obtain an average system radial velocity of -54 +-2 km/s, the eastern ansa approaching and the western ansa receding at Vr = 5.5 +-1 km/s relative to this value. Only the proper motion of the eastern ansa could be measured, leading to 2.8 +- 0.8 arcsec/century, or Vt=130 +- 40.d km/s, where d is the distance to the nebula in kpc. Additionally, the electron temperature and density for each ansa was measured using line intensity ratios. The results are Te = 9000 K and ne = 2000 /cm3 for both ansae within the errors.

astro-ph↗