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K. Sokolovsky

Publications and source records attributed to K. Sokolovsky.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Fermi-LAT detections of novae V1723 Sco and V6598 Sgr

Context. Numerous classical novae have been observed to emit {\gamma}-rays (E > 100 MeV) detected by the Fermi-LAT. The prevailing hypothesis attributes this emission to the interaction of accelerated particles within shocks in the nova ejecta. However, the lack of non-thermal X-ray detection coincident with the {\gamma}-rays remains a challenge to this theory. Methods. We performed similar analyses of the Fermi-LAT data for both novae to determine the duration, localization, and spectral properties of the {\gamma}-ray emission. These results were compared with optical data from the AAVSO database and X-ray observations from NuSTAR, available for V1723 Sco 2024 only, to infer the nature of the accelerated particles. Finally, we used a physical emission model to extract key parameters related to particle acceleration. Results. V1723 Sco 2024 was found to be a very bright {\gamma}-ray source with an emission duration of 15 days allowing us to constrain the spectral index and the total energy of accelerated protons. Despite early NuSTAR observations, no non-thermal X-ray emission was detected simultaneously with the {\gamma}-rays. However, unexpected {\gamma}-ray and thermal hard X-ray emission were observed more than 40 days after the nova outburst, suggesting that particle acceleration can occur even several weeks post-eruption. V6598 Sgr 2023, on the other hand, was detected by the Fermi-LAT at a significance level of 4{\sigma}over just two days, one of the shortest {\gamma}-ray emission durations ever recorded, coinciding with a rapid decline in optical brightness. Finally, the high ratio of {\gamma}-ray to optical luminosities and {\gamma}-ray to X-ray luminosities for both novae, as well as the curvature of the {\gamma}-ray spectrum of V1723 Sco below 500 MeV, are all more consistent with the hadronic than the leptonic scenario for {\gamma}-ray generation in novae.

astro-ph.HE

Very Long Baseline Interferometry imaging of the advancing ejecta in the first gamma-ray nova V407 Cyg

In 2010/3, the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi revealed a transient gamma-ray source, positionally coincident with the optical nova in the symbiotic binary, V407Cyg. This event marked the first discovery of gamma-ray emission from a nova. We aimed to obtain resolved radio imaging of the material involved in the nova event; to determine the ejecta geometry and advance velocity directly in the image plane; to constrain the physical conditions of the system. We observed the source with the EVN and the VLBA over 16 epochs, between 20 days and 6 months after the optical discovery. The source is initially very dim but it later shows a substantial increase in brightness and a resolved shell-like structure 40 to 90 days after the optical event. The shell has a projected elliptical shape and is asymmetric in brightness and spectral index, being brighter and characterised by a rising spectrum at the S-E edge. We determine a projected velocity of ~3500 km/s in the initial phase, and ~2100 km/s between day 20 and 91. We also found an emitting feature about 350 mas (940 AU) to the N-W, advancing at a projected velocity of ~700 km/s along the polar axis of the binary. The total flux density in the VLBI images is significantly lower than that previously reported at similar epochs and over much wider angular scales with the VLA. Optical spectra demonstrated that in 2010 we were viewing V407Cyg along the equatorial plane and from behind the Mira. Our radio observations image the bipolar flow of the ejecta perpendicular to the orbital plane, where deceleration is much lower than through the equatorial plane probed by the truncated profile of optical emission lines. The separated polar knot at 350 mas and the bipolar flow strictly resemble the similar arrangement seen in Hen 2-104. The observed ~700 km/s expansion constrains the launch-date of the polar knot around 2004. [Abridged]

astro-ph.SR

Full orbital solution for the binary system in the northern Galactic disc microlensing event Gaia16aye

Gaia16aye was a binary microlensing event discovered in the direction towards the northern Galactic disc and was one of the first microlensing events detected and alerted to by the Gaia space mission. Its light curve exhibited five distinct brightening episodes, reaching up to I=12 mag, and it was covered in great detail with almost 25,000 data points gathered by a network of telescopes. We present the photometric and spectroscopic follow-up covering 500 days of the event evolution. We employed a full Keplerian binary orbit microlensing model combined with the motion of Earth and Gaia around the Sun to reproduce the complex light curve. The photometric data allowed us to solve the microlensing event entirely and to derive the complete and unique set of orbital parameters of the binary lensing system. We also report on the detection of the first-ever microlensing space-parallax between the Earth and Gaia located at L2. The properties of the binary system were derived from microlensing parameters, and we found that the system is composed of two main-sequence stars with masses 0.57$\pm$0.05 $M_\odot$ and 0.36$\pm$0.03 $M_\odot$ at 780 pc, with an orbital period of 2.88 years and an eccentricity of 0.30. We also predict the astrometric microlensing signal for this binary lens as it will be seen by Gaia as well as the radial velocity curve for the binary system. Events such as Gaia16aye indicate the potential for the microlensing method of probing the mass function of dark objects, including black holes, in directions other than that of the Galactic bulge. This case also emphasises the importance of long-term time-domain coordinated observations that can be made with a network of heterogeneous telescopes.

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Infrared spectroscopy of the recent outburst in V1047 Cen (Nova Centauri 2005)

Fourteen years after its eruption as a classical nova (CN), V1047 Cen (Nova Cen 2005) began an unusual re-brightening in 2019 April. The amplitude of the brightening suggests that this is a dwarf nova (DN) eruption in a CN system. Very few CNe have had DN eruptions within decades of the main CN outburst. The 14 years separating the CN and DN eruptions of V1047 Cen is the shortest of all instances recorded thus far. Explaining this rapid succession of CN and DN outbursts in V1047 Cen may be challenging within the framework of standard theories for DN outbursts. Following a CN eruption, the mass accretion rate is believed to remain high $(\dot{M}\sim10^{-8}$M$_\odot$yr$^{-1})$ for a few centuries, due to the irradiation of the secondary star by the still-hot surface of the white dwarf. Thus a DN eruption is not expected to occur during this high mass accretion phase as DN outbursts, which result from thermal instabilities in the accretion disk, and arise during a regime of low mass accretion rate $(\dot{M}\sim10^{-10}$M$_\odot$yr$^{-1})$. Here we present near-infrared spectroscopy to show that the present outburst is most likely a DN eruption, and discuss the possible reasons for its early occurrence. Even if the present re-brightening is later shown to be due to a cause other than a DN outburst, the present study provides invaluable documentation of this unusual event.

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An XMM-Newton look at the strongly variable radio-weak BL Lac Fermi J1544-0639

Fermi J1544-0639/ASASSN-17gs/AT2017egv was identified as a gamma-ray/optical transient on May 15, 2017. Subsequent multiwavelength observations suggest that this source may belong to the new class of radio-weak BL Lacs. We studied the X-ray spectral properties and short-term variability of Fermi J1544-0639 to constrain the X-ray continuum emission mechanism of this peculiar source. We present the analysis of an XMM-Newton observation, 56 ks in length, performed on February 21, 2018. The source exhibits strong X-ray variability, both in flux and spectral shape, on timescales of ~10 ks, with a harder-when-brighter behaviour typical of BL Lacs. The X-ray spectrum is nicely described by a variable broken power law, with a break energy of around 2.7 keV consistent with radiative cooling due to Comptonization of broad-line region photons. We find evidence for a `soft excess', nicely described by a blackbody with a temperature of ~0.2 keV, consistent with being produced by bulk Comptonization along the jet.

astro-ph.HE

Hubble Catalog of Variables

The Hubble Catalog of Variables (HCV) project aims to identify the variable sources in the Hubble Source Catalog (HSC), which includes about 92 million objects with over 300 million measurements detected by the WFPC2, ACS and WFC3 cameras on board of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), by using an automated pipeline containing a set of detection and validation algorithms. All the HSC sources with more than a predefined number of measurements in a single filter/instrument combination are pre-processed to correct systematic effect and to remove the bad measurements. The corrected data are used to compute a number of variability indexes to determine the variability status of each source. The final variable source catalog will contain variables stars, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), supernovae (SNs) or even new types of variables, reaching an unprecedented depth (V$\leq$27 mag). At the end of the project, the first release of the HCV will be available at the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) and the ESA Hubble Science Archives. The HCV pipeline will be deployed at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) so that an updated HCV may be generated following future releases of HSC.

astro-ph.IM

The Hubble Catalog of Variables

We aim to construct an exceptionally deep (V ~< 27) catalog of variable objects in selected Galactic and extragalactic fields visited multiple times by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). While HST observations of some of these fields were searched for specific types of variables before (most notably, the extragalactic Cepheids), we attempt a systematic study of the population of variable objects of all types at the magnitude range not easily accessible with ground-based telescopes. The variability timescales that can be probed range from hours to years depending on how often a particular field has been visited. For source extraction and cross-matching of sources between visits we rely on the Hubble Source Catalog which includes 10^7 objects detected with WFPC2, ACS, and WFC3 HST instruments. The lightcurves extracted from the HSC are corrected for systematic effects by applying local zero-point corrections and are screened for bad measurements. For each lightcurve we compute variability indices sensitive to a broad range of variability types. The indices characterize the overall lightcurve scatter and smoothness. Candidate variables are selected as having variability index values significantly higher than expected for objects of similar brightness in the given set of observations. The Hubble Catalog of Variables will be released in 2018.

astro-ph.SR

The Hubble Catalog of Variables

The Hubble Catalog of Variables (HCV) is a 3 year ESA funded project that aims to develop a set of algorithms to identify variables among the sources included in the Hubble Source Catalog (HSC) and produce the HCV. We will process all HSC sources with more than a predefined number of measurements in a single filter/instrument combination and compute a range of lightcurve features to determine the variability status of each source. At the end of the project, the first release of the Hubble Catalog of Variables will be made available at the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) and the ESA Science Archives. The variability detection pipeline will be implemented at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) so that updated versions of the HCV may be created following the future releases of the HSC.

astro-ph.IM

Probing the gamma-ray variability in 3C279 using broadband observations

We present the results of a broadband radio-to-GeV observing campaign organized to get a better understanding of the radiation processes responsible for the $γ$-ray flares observed in 3C 279. The total intensity and polarization observations of the source were carried out between December 28, 2013 and January 03, 2014 using the Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT, and KVN telescopes. A prominent flare observed in the optical/near-UV passbands was found to be correlated with a concurrent $γ$-ray flare at a confidence level $>$95$\%$, which suggests a co-spatial origin of the two. Moreover, the flaring activity in the two regimes was accompanied by no significant spectral variations. A peak in the X-ray light curve coincides with the peaks of the fractional polarization curves at 43 and 86 GHz radio bands. No prominent variation was noticed for the total intensity and the electric vector position angle (EVPA) observations at radio bands during this period. We noticed a possible hint of steepening of the radio spectrum with an increase in percentage polarization, which suggests that the radio polarization variations could be simply due to a spectral change. In a simple scenario, the correlated optical/$γ$-ray flares could be caused by the same population of emitting particles. The coincidence of the increase in radio polarization with the X-ray flux supports the picture that X-rays are produced via inverse-Compton scattering of radio photons. The observed fractional variability for the $γ$-ray flare $\sim$0.23 does not exceed that in the optical regime, which is inconsistent with what we usually observe for 3C 279; it could be due to different dependencies of the magnetic field and the external radiation field energy density profiles along the jet.

astro-ph.HE

Photometric variability of the nova-like object V380 Oph in 1976-2016

We combined photographic, photoelectric and CCD observations of the nova-like variable V380 Oph to get a light curve spanning the time range of 40 years. While the typical high-state brightness of V380 Oph was R~14.5, two low-brightness episodes identified in 1979 (B_pg~17.5) and 2015 (R~19) confirm its classification as a VY Scl-type "anti-dwarf nova". The Fourier period analysis of photoelectric and CCD V and B observations obtained in 2002-16 revealed the presence of two periods 0.148167d and 4.287d, that may be associated with negative superhumps and disc precession. We also compared measurements obtained with the iris micro-photometer and flatbed scanner at the same plates and found an agreement within the expected accuracy of photographic photometry.

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Very Long Baseline polarimetry and the gamma-ray connection in Markarian 421 during the broadband campaign in 2011

We analyzed data in polarized intensity obtained with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at twelve epochs (one observation per month from January to December 2011) at 15, 24, and 43 GHz. For the absolute orientation of the electric vector position angles (EVPA) we used the D-terms method. We also used gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope on weekly time bins throughout 2011. The source shows polarized emission, and its properties vary with time, frequency, and location along the jet. The core mean polarization fraction is generally between 1% and 2%, with a 4% peak at 43 GHz in March; the polarization angle is variable, mainly at 15 GHz, where it changes frequently, and less so at 43 GHz, where it oscillates in the range 114 - 173 deg. The jet polarization properties are more stable, with a fractional polarization of around 16% and a polarization angle nearly perpendicular to the jet axis. The average flux and photon index at gamma-ray energies are (17.7+-0.5)x10^8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 and the photon index is 1.77+-0.02. The gamma-ray light curve shows variability, with a main peak that appears to be associated with the peak in the core polarized emission at 43 GHz, as well as with the total intensity light curve. A discrete correlation function analysis yields a correlation coefficient of 0.54 at zero delay, with a significance level above 99.7%. We accurately determine the polarization properties of Mrk 421, both in the core and in the jet region. The radio and gamma-ray light curves are correlated. The observed EVPA variability at 15 GHz is partly due to opacity and partly to a variable Faraday rotation effect. To explain the residual variability of the intrinsic polarization angle and the low degree of polarization in the core region, we invoke a blend of variable cross-polarized subcomponents with different polarization properties within the beam.

astro-ph.HE

Long-Term Multiwavelength Studies of High-Redshift Blazar 0836+710

Aims. The observation of gamma -ray flares from blazar 0836+710 in 2011, following a period of quiescence, offered an opportunity to study correlated activity at different wavelengths for a high-redshift (z=2.218) active galactic nucleus. Methods. Optical and radio monitoring, plus Fermi-LAT gamma-ray monitoring provided 2008-2012 coverage, while Swift offered auxiliary optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray information. Other contemporaneous observations were used to construct a broad-band spectral energy distribution. Results. There is evidence of correlation but not a measurable lag between the optical and gamma-ray flaring emission. On the contrary, there is no clear correlation between radio and gamma-ray activity, indicating radio emission regions that are unrelated to the parts of the jet that produce the gamma-rays. The gamma-ray energy spectrum is unusual in showing a change of shape from a power law to a curved spectrum when going from the quiescent state to the active state.

astro-ph.HE

Radio to gamma-ray variability study of blazar S5 0716+714

We present the results of a series of radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the BL Lac object S50716+714 carried out between April 2007 and January 2011. The multi-frequency observations were obtained using several ground and space based facilities. The intense optical monitoring of the source reveals faster repetitive variations superimposed on a long-term variability trend at a time scale of ~350 days. Episodes of fast variability recur on time scales of ~ 60-70 days. The intense and simultaneous activity at optical and gamma-ray frequencies favors the SSC mechanism for the production of the high-energy emission. Two major low-peaking radio flares were observed during this high optical/gamma-ray activity period. The radio flares are characterized by a rising and a decaying stage and are in agreement with the formation of a shock and its evolution. We found that the evolution of the radio flares requires a geometrical variation in addition to intrinsic variations of the source. Different estimates yield a robust and self-consistent lower limits of δ> 20 and equipartition magnetic field B_eq > 0.36 G. Causality arguments constrain the size of emission region θ< 0.004 mas. We found a significant correlation between flux variations at radio frequencies with those at optical and gamma-rays. The optical/GeV flux variations lead the radio variability by ~65 days. The longer time delays between low-peaking radio outbursts and optical flares imply that optical flares are the precursors of radio ones. An orphan X-ray flare challenges the simple, one-zone emission models, rendering them too simple. Here we also describe the spectral energy distribution modeling of the source from simultaneous data taken through different activity periods.

astro-ph.HE

Flaring Activity from 0836+710 (4C +71.07): What Can We Learn With Limited Multiwavelength Coverage?

After a long period of quiescence in γ-rays, blazar 0836+710 (4C +71.07) flared in the Spring of 2011. We found only limited multiwavelength coverage of the source. An indication of correlated optical / γ-ray variability is not surprising for a Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar (FSRQ) like this one. Radio observations at high frequencies, however, had seen a flare in 2010, well offset from possible γ-ray activity. The 2011 γ-ray activity comes during a period of rising radio emission, a pattern that has been seen since the EGRET era.

astro-ph.HE

VLBA monitoring of Mrk 421 at 15 and 24 GHz during 2011

We present a preliminary analysis of new high resolution radio observations of the nearby TeV blazar Markarian 421 (z=0.031). This study is part of an ambitious multifrequency campaign, with observations in sub-mm (SMA), optical/IR (GASP), UV/X-ray (Swift, RXTE, MAXI), and gamma rays (Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, VERITAS). In this manuscript we consider only data obtained with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at seven epochs (one observation per month from January to July 2011) at 15 and 23.8 GHz. We investigate the inner jet structure on parsec scales through the study of model-fit components for each epoch. We identified 5-6 components which are consistent with being stationary during the 6-month period reported here. The aim is to try to shed light on questions such as the nature of radiating particles, the connection between radio and gamma-ray emission, the location of emitting regions and the origin of the flux variability.

astro-ph.HE

MAGIC and Multi-Wavelength Observations of Mrk 180 and 1ES 2344+514 in 2008

Simultaneous multi-wavelength (MW) campaigns are the most promising approaches to investigate the still unrevealed nature of blazars, active galactic nuclei which are variable on all time scales from radio to TeV energies. In 2008, two MW campaigns on the high-frequency peaked blazars Mrk 180 and 1ES 2344+514 have been organised by the MAGIC collaboration. From radio to TeV gamma rays, RATAN-600, Metsähovi, Effelsberg, VLBA (only 1ES 2344+514), IRAM, KVA, Swift, AGILE, Fermi-LAT and MAGIC-I were taking part in these campaigns. Mrk 180 had just been discovered at TeV energies by MAGIC in 2006, whereas 1ES 2344+514 is a known TeV emitter since many years. Due to their rather faint emission particularly at TeV energies, the campaigns represented quite challenging observations. In fact, Mrk 180 has not been investigated until now in MW campaigns, and for 1ES 2344+514 only one campaign including TeV measurements has been reported in literature up to now. In this contribution, we will present detailed MW light curves for both sources and describe the composite wide range spectral energy distributions by theoretical models.

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A new eclipsing binary system with a pulsating component detected by CoRoT

We report the discovery of CoRoT 102980178 (R.A.= 06:50:12.10, Dec.= -02:41:21.8, J2000) an Algol-type eclipsing binary system with a pulsating component (oEA). It was identified using a publicly available 55 day long monochromatic lightcurve from the CoRoT initial run dataset (exoplanet field). Eleven consecutive 1.26m deep total primary and the equal number of 0.25m deep secondary eclipses (at phase 0.50) were observed. The following light elements for the primary eclipse were derived: HJD_MinI= 2454139.0680 + 5.0548d x E. The lightcurve modeling leads to a semidetached configuration with the photometric mass ratio q=0.2 and orbital inclination i=85 deg. The out-of-eclipse lightcurve shows ellipsoidal variability and positive O'Connell effect as well as clear 0.01m pulsations with the dominating frequency of 2.75 c/d. The pulsations disappear during the primary eclipses, which indicates the primary (more massive) component to be the pulsating star. Careful frequency analysis reveals the second independent pulsation frequency of 0.21 c/d and numerous combinations of these frequencies with the binary orbital frequency and its harmonics. On the basis of the CoRoT lightcurve and ground based multicolor photometry, we favor classification of the pulsating component as a gamma Doradus type variable, however, classification as an SPB star cannot be excluded.

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Multiwavelength observations of 3C 454.3. III. Eighteen months of AGILE monitoring of the "Crazy Diamond"

We report on 18 months of multiwavelength observations of the blazar 3C 454.3 (Crazy Diamond) carried out in July 2007-January 2009. We show the results of the AGILE campaigns which took place on May-June 2008, July-August 2008, and October 2008-January 2009. During the May 2008-January 2009 period, the source average flux was highly variable, from an average gamma-ray flux F(E>100MeV) > 200E-8 ph/cm2/s in May-June 2008, to F(E>100MeV)~80E-8 ph/cm2/s in October 2008-January 2009. The average gamma-ray spectrum between 100 MeV and 1 GeV can be fit by a simple power law (Gamma_GRID ~ 2.0 to 2.2). Only 3-sigma upper limits can be derived in the 20-60 keV energy band with Super-AGILE. During July-August 2007 and May-June 2008, RXTE measured a flux of F(3-20 keV)= 8.4E-11 erg/cm2/s, and F(3-20 keV)=4.5E-11 erg/cm2/s, respectively and a constant photon index Gamma_PCA=1.65. Swift/XRT observations were carried out during all AGILE campaigns, obtaining a F(2-10 keV)=(0.9-7.5)E-11 erg/cm2/s and a photon index Gamma_XRT=1.33-2.04. BAT measured an average flux of ~5 mCrab. GASP-WEBT monitored 3C 454.3 during the whole 2007-2008 period from the radio to the optical. A correlation analysis between the optical and the gamma-ray fluxes shows a time lag of tau=-0.4 days. An analysis of 15 GHz and 43 GHz VLBI core radio flux observations shows an increasing trend of the core radio flux, anti- correlated with the higher frequency data. The modeling SEDs, and the behavior of the long-term light curves in different energy bands, allow us to compare the jet properties during different emission states, and to study the geometrical properties of the jet on a time-span longer than one year.

astro-ph.HE