arXiv subjects

I. F. Mirabel

Publications and source records attributed to I. F. Mirabel.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Mid-infrared observations of NGC 1068 with ISOCAM

We report on Mid-Infrared (MIR) observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, obtained with ISOCAM in low-resolution spectro-imaging mode. The spatial resolution (around 5 arcsec) allows us to disentangle the circumnuclear starburst regions from the emission of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The global spatial distribution of the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIBs) is similar to the cold dust component, traced by the 450 microns emission and the gaseous component obtained from the CO(1-0) map. However, a shift between the maximum of the UIB and 450 microns emission is clearly seen in our maps. The UIBs in the MIR (5-16 microns) originate almost exclusively from the starburst regions in the galactic disk with an emission peaking at the extremity of the stellar/ gaseous bar at a distance of 1 kpc from the AGN. The spectrum of the nucleus is characterized over the whole 5-16 microns range by a strong continuum which can be fitted with a power law of index -1.7. Moreover, the high [NeIII]/[NeII] ratio (>2.5) in the nuclear region argues for a hard radiation field from the AGN. Observations indicate that the AGN in NGC 1068 contributes less than 5% to the total integrated UIB emission even though its hot dust continuum contributes as much as 75% to the total MIR flux. On the contrary, the nuclear contribution to the cold dust emission decreases considerably at submillimeter wavelengths and does not represent more than 25% of the total integrated emission at 450 microns.

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arXiv2000

Microquasars: Open Questions and Future Perspectives

The discovery and subsequent study of microquasars lead to major progress in our understanding of: 1) the nature of relativistic jets seen elsewhere in the universe, and 2) the connection between the accretion onto compact objects and the formation of collimated jets. A detailed account of the major progress accomplished until present was published in Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics (Mirabel & Rodr\'ıguez, 1999). Here I review the questions that remain unanswered, as well as the future perspectives that this new field of research is opening.

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arXiv2000

A search for possible interactions between ejections from GRS 1915+105 and the surrounding interstellar medium

We have observed an extended region surrounding the first discovered galactic superluminal source GRS 1915+105, seeking evidence of interaction between the relativistic ejecta of that object and the interstellar medium. We find two radio sources axisymmetrically aligned along the sub-arcsecond relativistic ejecta of GRS 1915+105 and roughly 17' distant from it, which coincide with the luminous IRAS sources 19124+1106 and 19132+1035. We have observed these sources at centimeter (VLA), millimeter (IRAM 30m), and infrared (ISO, UKIRT, ESO/MPI 2.2m) wavelengths in both line and continuum emission. At centimeter wavelengths a non-thermal jet-like feature aligned along the outflow axis is located adjacent to the inner edge of the southern source. Strong density enhancements are found in the millimeter tracers CO and H13CO+ at the positions of both sources and some of the morphology is reminiscent of shock-like interactions; however, linewidths are narrow. At infrared wavelengths strong hydrogen recombination lines and weak lines of molecular hydrogen are observed at the southern source. We discuss these results as possible evidence of the sought-after interaction, both in terms of the regions undergoing ongoing shock-heating and in terms of them being locations of shock-induced star formation. The evidence for each of these is inconclusive. Millimeter line mapping of a portion of W 50 where the relativistic jets of the X-ray binary SS 433 interact with the interstellar medium shows roughly similar morphology as GRS 1915+105, suggesting that the phenomena observed at the IRAS sources may not be unusual for such a long distance interaction.

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arXiv2000

Mid-Infrared observations of GRS 1915+105 and SS433

We have observed in the mid-infrared (4-18 micron) the counterpart of the compact object GRS 1915+105, and the western jet of SS433. The images were carried out with the ISOCAM infrared camera on board of the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). The mid-infrared photometry of GRS 1915+105 shows the presence of an additional contribution besides the synchrotron emission. The 15 micron images of the large-scale western lobe of the SS433/W50 nebula are compared to the radio and X-ray ones. They show infrared synchrotron emission on the western edge of SS433/W50 lobe.

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arXiv2000

On the nature of the microquasar V4641 Sagittarii

We present photometric and spectroscopic optical and near-infrared (NIR) observations taken during the outburst on September 1999 of the source V4641 Sgr = SAX J1819.3-2525 (in'tzand et al., 2000) = XTE J1819-254 (Markwardt et al., 1999). We show that our observations suggest a distance between 4 and 8 kpc, the spectral type of the companion star being constrained between B3 and A2 V, making the system a High Mass X-ray Binary System (HMXB). In view of the radio and optical/NIR observations, it is possible that the ejecta of the source interacted with the surrounding medium of the source.

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arXiv2000

Peculiar Extended X-ray Emission around the "Radio-Loud" Black Hole Candidate 1E1740.7-2942

We present the discovery of peculiar extended X-ray emission around 1E1740.7-2942, a black hole candidate that is known to produce prominent, persistent radio jets. The data was obtained with the High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The zeroth-order image reveals an elongated feature about 3" in length that is roughly perpendicular to the radio lobes (or jets). The feature is roughly symmetric about the point source. It is spatially resolved in the long direction but not in the short direction. The position of 1E1740.7-2942 was determined with a statistical accuracy of \~0.06" in the right ascension and ~0.04" in the declination, thanks to Chandra's unprecedented spatial resolution. It is about 0.6" from the radio position but the difference is well within the uncertainty in the absolute aspect solutions of the observation. The dispersed HETGS spectra of 1E1740.7-2942 show evidence for the presence of weak, narrow emission lines, although the statistics are quite limited. We discuss possible origins of the extended emission and the implications of the emission lines.

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arXiv2000

Search for interactions between ejections of GRS 1915+105 and its environment

To unravel the effect of likely interactions between the energetic ejections of the galactic superluminal source GRS 1915+105 and its surrounding interstellar medium, we observed its environment. Two IRAS sources are symmetrically placed with respect to GRS 1915+105, and are aligned with the sub-arcsec ejections of this source. We analyzed these two sources IRAS 19124+1106 and IRAS 19132+1035 through near-infrared, millimeter and centimeter wavelengths. The evidence for these regions being interaction zones seems inconclusive.

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arXiv2000

AU-Scale Synchrotron Jets and Superluminal Ejecta in GRS 1915+105

Radio imaging of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) during various flaring, quiescent, or oscillatory states of the black hole binary, always resolves the nucleus as a compact jet of length about 10.lambda_cm AU. On scales of 2.5-7AU, the nucleus has brightness temperature T_B > 10^9 K, and its properties are better fit by a synchrotron jet, rather than a thermal jet. The nuclear jet varies in 10-60min during minor X-ray/radio outbursts, and re-establishes within 18hrs of a major outburst, indicating the robustness of the disk/jet system to disruption. At lower resolution (80-240AU), time-lapse images reveal discrete superluminal ejecta at 500-600 AU separation from the nucleus. The measured velocity is 1.5c+-0.1c(D/12 kpc) for the approaching component, consistent with ballistic motion of the ejecta from 500AU outwards, perhaps even since birth. The axis of the ejecta differs by <12deg clockwise from the axis of the AU-scale jet, measured in the same observation. Both axes are stable for years. The black hole is astrometrically located to +-1.5mas, after accounting for its secular parallax from Galactic rotation of 5.8+-1.5mas/yr at the distance of 12kpc, and a limit of <100km/s is placed on its proper-motion with respect to its neighbourhood. Our observations suggest that the unresolved flat-spectrum radio cores of accreting black holes are compact quasi-continuous synchrotron jets.

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arXiv2000

Formation of a tidal dwarf galaxy in the interacting system Arp 245 (NGC 2992/93)

Among the various phenomena observed in interacting galaxies is the ejection due to tidal forces of material into the intergalactic medium and its subsequent rearranging which can lead to the formation of self-gravitating tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs). We investigate this process with a detailed multiwavelength study of the interacting system Arp 245 (NGC 2992/3) and a numerical model of the collision. The system is observed at an early stage of the interaction, about 100 Myr after perigalacticon, though at a time when tidal tails have already developed. Our HI map shows prominent counterparts to the optical tails. Whereas the stellar and gaseous components of the plume that originates from NGC 2992 match, the stellar and HI tails emanating from NGC 2993 have a different morphology. In particular, the HI forms a ring, a feature that has been successfully reproduced by our numerical simulations. The HI emission in the system as a whole peaks at the tip of the NGC 2992 tail where a gas reservoir of about 10^9 Msun, about 60% of the HI towards NGC 2992, coincides with a star-forming optical condensation, A245N. The latter tidal object exhibits properties ranging between those of dwarf irregular galaxies (structural parameters, gas content, star formation rate) and those of spiral disks (metallicity, star formation efficiency, stellar population). Prompted by the questions raised for this particular object, we discuss some issues related to the definition and identification of TDGs (abridged)

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arXiv2000

Jets in quasars, microquasars and gamma-ray bursts

Relativistic outflows are common in accreting and forming black holes. Despite the enormous differences in scale, stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries and supermassive black holes in Galactic Nuclei produce jets with analogous properties. In both are observed two types of relativistic outflows: 1) quasi-steady compact jets with flat-spectrum, and 2) episodic large-scale ejections with steep-spectrum and apparent superluminal motions. Because of the short time scale of the phenomena in black hole binaries, the formation of synchrotron jets is associated to changes in the X-ray thermal emission from the accretion disk. Besides, the most common class of gamma-ray bursts can be conceived as extreme microquasars, since they are afterglows from ultra-relativistic jets associated to the formation of black holes at cosmological distances.

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arXiv2000

Exploring the high frequency emission of radio loud X-ray binaries

We report millimetre-wave continuum observations of the X-ray binaries Cygnus X-3, SS 433, LSI+61 303, Cygnus X-1 and GRS 1915+105. The observations were carried out with the IRAM 30 m-antenna at 250 GHz (1.25 mm) from 1998 March 14 to March 20. These millimetre measurements are complemented with centimetre observations from the Ryle Telescope, at 15 GHz (2.0 cm) and from the Green Bank Interferometer at 2.25 and 8.3 GHz (13 and 3.6 cm). Both Cygnus X-3 and SS 433 underwent moderate flaring events during our observations, whose main spectral evolution properties are described and interpreted. A significant spectral steepening was observed in both sources during the flare decay, that is likely to be caused by adiabatic expansion, inverse Compton and synchrotron losses. Finally, we also report 250 GHz upper limits for three additional undetected X-ray binary stars: LSI+65 010, LSI+61 235 and X Per.

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arXiv2000

Mid-infrared diagnostics to distinguish AGNs from starbursts

We present new mid-infrared (MIR) diagnostics to distinguish emission of active galactic nuclei (AGN) from that originating in starburst regions. Our method uses empirical spectroscopic criteria based on the fact that MIR emission from star forming or active galaxies arises mostly from HII regions, photo-dissociation regions (PDRs) and AGNs. The analysis of the strength of the 6.2micron Unidentified Infrared Band (UIB) and the MIR continuum shows that UIBs are very faint or absent in regions harboring the intense and hard radiation fields of AGNs and pure HII regions, where the UIB carriers could be destroyed. The MIR signature of AGNs is the presence of an important continuum in the 3-10micron band which originates from very hot dust heated by the intense AGN radiation field. Using these two distinct spectral properties found in our MIR templates, we build diagnostic diagrams which provide quantitative estimates of the AGN, PDR and HII region contribution in a given MIR spectrum. This new MIR classification can be used to reveal the presence of AGNs highly obscured by large columns of dust.

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arXiv2000

Spatial resolution bias in the mid-infrared Starburst/AGN classification

We present the effects of limited spatial resolution to the observed mid-infrared (MIR) spectrum of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) surrounded by a disk with massive star forming regions. Using MIR observations of the face-on nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6814, we vary the observing aperture and examine the evolution of the observed AGN/starburst fraction with our MIR diagnostic. We show that the spatial resolution of ISOCAM is sufficient to disentangle AGN from starburst features in nuclear regions of nearby galaxies (D<50Mpc). However, with the exception of a few ultra-luminous galaxies, dilution effects hide completely the AGN contribution in more distant galaxies.

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arXiv2000

Jets from black hole binaries and Galactic Nuclei

Relativistic outflows are a common phenomenon in accreting black holes. Despite the enormous differences in scale, stellar-mass black holes in binaries and supermassive black holes in Galactic Nuclei produce jets with analogous properties. In both are observed two types of relativistic outflows: 1) steady compact jets with flat-spectrum, and 2) sporadic extended jets with steep-spectrum and apparent superluminal motions. Besides, the most common class of gamma-ray bursts are afterglows from ultra-relativistic jets associated to the formation of black holes at cosmological distances.

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arXiv2000

VLT observations of GRS 1915+105

We present near infrared spectroscopy of the superluminal microquasar \grs\ obtained with the first unit of the VLT (Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (ESO No 63.H-0261).) and the ISAAC spectro-imager. The emission features detected in the VLT data have been identified as He I, Br $γ$, He II and Na I. The detection of Na I is reported here for the first time, while our confirmation of weak He II emission provides support to previous marginal detections of this feature. By comparing the observed spectra with those of massive stars, we find that our results are very consistent with \grs being a high mass X-ray system with an early type primary, as previously proposed by Chaty et al. (1996) and Mirabel et al. (1997). The VLT spectra also provide evidence of P Cygni profiles, that turn into blue emission wings when the system is in outburst. This observed line profile evolution implies that \grs must be surrounded by an expanding envelope, that is partially blown out during the X-ray outbursts. The presence of such circumstellar gaseous material around \grs is more naturally understood in the context of a massive luminous star than if the system was a low-mass X-ray binary.

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arXiv2000

Gamma-Ray Bursts as a Cosmic Window for Galaxy Evolution

Present knowledge indicates that gamma-ray bursts are linked with massive stars. They will become invaluable probes of the early universe and galaxy formation. In the future, it will be possible to use gamma-ray bursts for two purposes: 1) to probe the history of massive star formation in the Universe by the rate of occurence of gamma-ray bursts, and 2) for the study of galaxy evolution at all lookback times by determining the nature of the galaxy hosts. Because gamma-rays are not attenuated by intervening dust and gas, the selection of the cosmic sites of massive star formation by this method is less affected by the biases associated with optical-uv surveys (e.g. UV-dropout techniques). Infrared and sub-millimeter follow up studies of the hosts of gamma-ray bursts may: 1) reveal a putative population of reddened ($R-K \geq 4$) galaxies at high redshifts, and 2) detect very massive stars (population III) formed at $z \geq$ 5.

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arXiv2000

Searching for AGN signatures in Mid-IR Spectra: The case of NGC1068

We present mid-IR observations of the prototypical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 obtained with ISOCAM between 5 and 16micron. The proximity of this galaxy coupled with the spectro-imaging capabilities of the instrument allow us to separate the mid-IR emission of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) from the distinctly different emission of the circumnuclear star forming regions. The Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIBs), which trace the starburst contribution very well, are not detected in the spectrum of the AGN region where their carriers could be destroyed. Moreover, the featureless continuum of the AGN exhibits a strong hot dust component below 10micron not observed in the starburst regions. Those two distinct mid-IR spectral properties, as well as the presence of high excitation ionic lines such as [NeVI](7.7micron) and [NeV](14.3micron) in the AGN spectrum, provide us with very powerful complementary tools to disentangle AGNs from starbursts. The effects of high extinction on the mid-IR identification of AGNs are also discussed.

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arXiv2000

The Mid-Infrared Spectra of Interacting Galaxies: From ISO to SIRTF

We present mid-infrared (5--16micron) images and spectra of a sequence of interacting galaxies, observed by ISOCAM. The galaxies were selected as being at progressive stages in the time evolution of a merging event, following what is known as Toomre's ``merger sequence'', and having no detected contribution from an active galactic nucleus (AGN) in their mid-infrared spectrum. To trace the intensity of the global star formation in those galaxies, we use the ratio of the 15micron to 7micron flux. Our analysis indicates that this ratio increases from ~1 to ~5 as galaxies move from the pre-starburst to the merging/starburst phase only to decrease to ~1 again in the post-starburst phase of the evolved merger remnants. Moreover, we find that the variation of this ratio is well correlated with the one of the IRAS 25/12 and 60/100 flux ratios. The potential to test and improve upon these results using the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board SIRTF is discussed.

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