arXiv subjects

N. Masetti

Publications and source records attributed to N. Masetti.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

BeppoSAX study of the broad-band properties of luminous globular cluster X-ray sources

We have performed a detailed study of the broadband spectra of the luminous globular cluster X-ray sources using BeppoSAX. With the exception of X2127+119, located in NGC7078, all the other spectra are well represented by a two component model consisting of a disk-blackbody and Comptonized emission. The measured low-energy absorptions are in good agreement with those predicted from optical measurements of the host globular clusters. This implies that there is little intrinsic X-ray absorption within the binaries themselves, and that the above spectral model provides a good representation of the low-energy continua. The sources can be divided into two groups. In the first group, composed of 3 ultra-compact (orbital period <1hr) sources, the disk-blackbody temperatures and inner-radii appear physically realistic and the Comptonization seed photons temperatures and radii of the emission areas are consistent with the disk temperatures and inner radii. For all the other sources, the disk-blackbody parameters appear not to be physically realistic and the Comptonization parameters are unrelated to those of the disk-blackbody emission. If this is a spectral signature of ultra-compact binaries, this implies that no other ultra-compact binaries are present among those studied here. It is unclear why this difference between the two types of binaries should exist.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Discovery of a Transient Absorption Edge in the X-ray Spectrum of GRB 990705

We report the discovery of a transient equivalent hydrogen column density with an absorption edge at ~3.8 kiloelectron volts in the spectrum of the prompt x-ray emission of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 990705. This feature can be satisfactorily modeled with a photoelectric absorption by a medium located at a redshift of ~0.86 and with an iron abundance of ~75 times the solar one. The transient behavior is attributed to the strong ionization produced in the circumburst medium by the GRB photons. The high iron abundance points to the existence of a burst environment enriched by a supernova along the line of sight. The supernova explosion is estimated to have occurred about 10 years before the burst. Our results agree with models in which GRBs originate from the collapse of very massive stars and are preceded by a supernova event

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

VLT identification of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 000131 at z=4.50

We report the discovery of the gamma-ray burst GRB 000131 and its optical afterglow. The optical identification was made with the VLT 84 hours after the burst following a BATSE detection and an Inter Planetary Network localization. GRB 000131 was a bright, long-duration GRB, with an apparent precursor signal 62 s prior to trigger. The afterglow was detected in ESO VLT, NTT, and DK1.54m follow-up observations. Broad-band and spectroscopic observations of the spectral energy distribution reveals a sharp break at optical wavelengths which is interpreted as a Ly-alpha absorption edge at 6700 A. This places GRB 000131 at a redshift of 4.500 +/- 0.015. The inferred isotropic energy release in gamma rays alone was approximately 10^54 erg (depending on the assumed cosmology). The rapid power-law decay of the afterglow (index alpha=2.25, similar to bursts with a prior break in the lightcurve), however, indicates collimated outflow, which relaxes the energy requirements by a factor of < 200. The afterglow of GRB 000131 is the first to be identified with an 8-m class telescope.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Hard X-rays from Type II bursts of the Rapid Burster and its transition toward quiescence

We report on 4 BeppoSAX Target Of Opportunity observations of MXB 1730-335, the Rapid Burster (RB), made during the 1998 February-March outburst. In the first observation, approximately 20 days after the outburst peak, the X-ray light curve showed Type II bursts at a rate of 43 per hour. Nine days later, during the second BeppoSAX pointing, only 5 Type II bursts were detected at the beginning of the observation. During the third pointing no X-ray bursts were detected and in the fourth and final observation the RB was not detected at all. Persistent emission from the RB was detected up to 10 keV during the first three pointings. The spectra of the persistent and bursting emissions below 10 keV were best fit with a model consisting of two blackbodies. An additional component (a power law) was needed to describe the 1-100 keV bursting spectrum when the persistent emission was subtracted. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of the RB beyond 20 keV. We discuss the evolution of the spectral parameters for the bursting and persistent emission during the outburst decay. The light curve, after the second BeppoSAX pointing, showed a steepening of the previous decay trend, and a sharper decay rate leading to quiescence was observed with BeppoSAX in the two subsequent observations. We interpret this behaviour as caused by the onset of the propeller effect. Finally, we infer a neutron star magnetic field B ~ 4 10^8 Gauss.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

VLT spectroscopy of GRB 990510 and GRB 990712; probing the faint and bright end of the GRB host galaxy population

We present time-resolved optical spectroscopy of the afterglows of the gamma-ray bursts GRB 990510 and GRB 990712. Through the identification of several absorption lines in the first epoch GRB 990510 spectrum, we determine the redshift for this burst at z >= 1.619. No clear emission lines are detected. The strength of the MgI feature is indicative of a dense environment, most likely the host galaxy of GRB 990510. Although the host is extremely faint (V >~ 28), the GRB afterglow allows us to probe its interstellar medium and - in principle - to measure its metallicity. The optical spectrum of GRB 990712 (whose host galaxy is the brightest of the known GRB hosts at cosmological redshifts), shows clear features both in emission and absorption, at a redshift of z = 0.4331 +/- 0.0004. On the basis of several line emission diagnostic diagrams, we conclude that the host galaxy of GRB 990712 is most likely an HII galaxy. We derive a unreddened [OII] star formation rate of 2.7 +/- 0.8 Msun/yr. Correcting for the measured extinction intrinsic to the host galaxy (A(V) = \gpm{3.4}{2.4}{1.7}), this value increases to \gpm{35}{178}{25} Msun/yr. The [OII] equivalent width, compared to that of field galaxies at z <= 1, also suggests that the host of GRB 990712 is vigorously forming stars. We employ the oxygen and Hbeta emission-line intensities to estimate the global oxygen abundance for the host of GRB 990712: log(O/H) = -3.7 +- 0.4, which is slightly below the lowest metallicity one finds in nearby spiral galaxies. For both GRBs we study the time evolution of the absorption lines, whose equivalent width might be expected to change with time if the burst resides in a dense compact medium. We find no evidence for a significant change in the MgII width.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

The very red afterglow of GRB 000418 - further evidence for dust extinction in a GRB host galaxy

We report near-infrared and optical follow-up observations of the afterglow of the Gamma-Ray Burst 000418 starting 2.5 days after the occurrence of the burst and extending over nearly seven weeks. GRB 000418 represents the second case for which the afterglow was initially identified by observations in the near-infrared. During the first 10 days its R-band afterglow was well characterized by a single power-law decay with a slope of 0.86. However, at later times the temporal evolution of the afterglow flattens with respect to a simple power-law decay. Attributing this to an underlying host galaxy we find its magnitude to be R=23.9 and an intrinsic afterglow decay slope of 1.22. The afterglow was very red with R-K=4 mag. The observations can be explained by an adiabatic, spherical fireball solution and a heavy reddening due to dust extinction in the host galaxy. This supports the picture that (long) bursts are associated with events in star-forming regions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Discovery of hard X-ray emission from Type II bursts of the Rapid Burster

We report on results of BeppoSAX Target Of Opportunity (TOO) observations of the source MXB 1730-335, also called the Rapid Burster (RB), made during its outburst of February-March 1998. We monitored the evolution of the spectral properties of the RB from the outburst decay to quiescence. During the first TOO, the X-ray light curve of the RB showed many Type II bursts and its broadband (1-100 keV) spectrum was acceptably fit with a two blackbody plus power law model. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first time that this source is detected beyond 30 keV.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

GRB990712: First Indication of Polarization Variability in a Gamma-ray Burst Afterglow

We report the detection of significant polarization in the optical afterglow of GRB990712 on three instances 0.44, 0.70 and 1.45 days after the gamma-ray burst, with (P, theta) being (2.9% +- 0.4%, 121.1 degr +- 3.5 degr), (1.2% +- 0.4%, 116.2 degr +- 10.1 degr) and (2.2% +- 0.7%, 139.2 degr +- 10.4 degr) respectively. The polarization is intrinsic to the afterglow. The degree of polarization is not constant, and smallest at the second measurement. The polarization angle does not vary significantly during these observations. We find that none of the existing models predict such polarization variations at constant polarization angle, and suggest ways in which these models might be modified to accommodate the observed behavior of this afterglow.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Unusually rapid variability of the GRB000301C optical afterglow

We present BVRI light curves of the afterglow of GRB000301C, one of the brightest ever detected at a day time scale interval after GRB trigger. The monitoring started 1.5 days after the GRB and ended one month later. Inspection of the extremely well sampled R band light curve and comparison with BVI data has revealed a complex behavior, with a long term flux decrease and various short time scale features superimposed. These are uncommon among other observed afterglows, and might trace either intrinsic variability within the relativistic shock (re-acceleration and re-energization) or inhomogeneities in the medium in which the shock propagates.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Unusual quiescent X-ray activity from XTE J0421+560 (CI Cam)

We report on BeppoSAX observations of the X-ray transient XTE J0421+560 in quiescence 156, 541, and ~690 days after the maximum of the 1998 April outburst. In the first observation the source was soft with a power-law photon index of 4.0 (+1.9 -0.9) and absorption, NH, of (1.1 +4.9 -1.1) X 10^21 atom/cm2. In the second observation, the source brightened by a factor ~15 in the 1-10 keV energy range, became significantly harder with a photon index of 1.86 (+0.27 -0.32) and was strongly absorbed with NH = (4.0 +/- 0.8) X 10^23 atom/cm2. There is evidence for a narrow emission line in both spectra at \~7 keV. In the third observation, the source had faded by a factor ~$8 from the previous observation to below the BeppoSAX detection level. It is possible that these variations result from orbital motion of a compact object around the B[e] star companion with the intense, absorbed, spectrum arising during passage through dense circumstellar material. If this is the case, the system may be continuing to exhibit periodic activity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

GRB990510: on the possibility of a beamed X-ray afterglow

We discuss the prompt emission of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 990510 and its subsequent X-ray afterglow from 8.0 to 44.3 hrs after the prompt emission, using observations with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Narrow Field Instruments on BeppoSAX. In the 40-700 keV band, GRB990510 had a fluence of \~1.9x10^{-5}erg cm^{-2}, whereas it reached a peak flux of ~2.4x10^{-6}erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The X-ray afterglow decay light curve can be satisfactorily described by a single power law with index of -1.42+/-0.07. Both the X-ray and optical behaviour of the afterglow can be explained by gamma-ray burst debris expanding as a jet; we find that the cooling frequency is (fixed) between the optical and X-ray wavelength bands.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Prompt and afterglow emission from the X-ray rich GRB981226 observed with BeppoSAX

We discuss observations of the prompt X and gamma-ray emission and X-ray afterglow from GRB981226. This event has the weakest gamma-ray peak flux detected with the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor. It shows an isolated X-ray precursor and the highest X-ray to gamma-ray fluence ratio measured thus far with the Wide Field Cameras. The event was followed up with the Narrow Field Instruments, and the X-ray afterglow was detected up to 10 keV. The afterglow flux is observed to rise from a level below the sensitivity of the MECS/LECS telescopes up to a peak flux of (5 +/-1) * 10^(-13) erg cm-2 s-1, in the 2-10 keV energy band. This rise is followed by a decline according to a power law with index of 1.31 (+0.44,-0.39). We discuss these results in the light of the current GRB models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

ASCA and BeppoSAX observations of the peculiar X-ray source 4U1700+24/HD154791

The X-ray source 4U1700+24/HD154791 is one of the few galactic sources whose counterpart is an evolved M star. In X-rays the source shows extreme erratic variability and a complex and variable spectrum. While this strongly suggests accretion onto a compact object, no clear diagnosis of binarity was done up to now. We report on ASCA and BeppoSAX X-ray broad band observations of this source and on ground optical observations from the Loiano 1.5 m telescope.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

BeppoSAX spectrum of GRB971214: evidence of a substantial energy output during afterglow

We report the X/gamma-ray spectrum of GRB971214 and of its afterglow. The afterglow was measured few hours after the main event and for an elapsed time of more than two days. The measure of this GRB and afterglow is relevant due to its extreme, cosmological distance (z=3.42). The prompt event shows a hard photon spectrum, consistent with a broken power law with photon indices Gamma_X~0.1 below ~20 keV and Gamma_g~1.3 above 60 keV. The afterglow spectrum, measured with the MECS and LECS BeppoSAX telescopes, is consistent with a power law with spectral photon index Gamma=1.6. Within the statistical accuracy of our measure no spectral evolution is detected during the observation of the afterglow. When integrated during the time span covered by BeppoSAX observations, the power in the afterglow emission, even with very conservative assumptions, is at least comparable with the power in the main event. The IR-to-X rays broad band spectrum is also presented, collecting data from the literature and adding them to the BeppoSAX measure. It shows that the predictions from synchrotron emission models is qualitatively confirmed. The BeppoSAX measurement of the X and gamma ray spectrum of this GRB/afterglow is discussed in the framework of current theoretical models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

X-ray/optical observations of XTE J0421+560/CI Cam in quiescence

We report on a BeppoSAX observation of the transient X-ray source XTE J0421+560 during quiescence performed ~150 days after the 1998 April outburst. The source had an unabsorbed 0.5-10 keV flux of 6.7x10^{-12} erg/cm2/s and was still remarkably soft with most of the emission below 2 keV. The X-ray spectrum can be fit with the same two-temperature model as the outburst observations. There is evidence for the presence of an Iron emission feature at ~7 keV. We report also on a series of optical observations performed using the 72 cm Teramo-Normale Telescope (TNT) of the Teramo Observatory, and the 1.5 m Loiano Telescope of the Bologna Observatory. The optical spectrum includes very strong Balmer emission lines, He I, [Fe II], and [O I] features. From the observed L_x/Lopt~10^{-3} the quiescent optical emission cannot be due to re-processing of the X-rays, but has to be generated in the optical companion or the circumstellar material. Moreover, the quiescent X-ray luminosity cannot be due to the optical star if it is of spectral type OB. Although the nature of the compact object present in the XTE J0421+560/CI Cam system cannot be firmly established, we speculate that it is most probably a white dwarf.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Near-infrared detection and optical follow-up of the GRB990705 afterglow

Optical and near-infrared observations of the GRB990705 error box were carried out with ESO telescopes at La Silla and Paranal in Chile and with the NOAO SPIREX 0.6-meter telescope in Antarctica. We detected the counterpart of this GRB in the near-infrared H band and optical V band. The power-law decline of the near-infrared lightcurve is rather steep with a decay index alpha ~ 1.7 in the first hours, and a possible steepening after one day. Broadband spectral analysis of the optical/near-infrared afterglow suggests that this GRB took place in a high density environment. A deep optical image obtained at Antu (VLT-UT1) about 5 days after the GRB trigger shows at the position of the transient an extended object which might be the host galaxy of GRB990705.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Prompt and delayed emission properties of Gamma-Ray Bursts observed with BeppoSAX

We investigated the spectral evolution in the 2--700 keV energy band of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GRBM) and localized with the Wide Field Cameras (WFCs) aboard the BeppoSAX satellite before May 1998. Most of them have been followed-up with the Narrow Field Instruments aboard the same satellite. In the light of these results we discuss open issues on the GRB phenomenon. We find that the optically thin synchrotron shock model (SSM) provides an acceptable representation of most of the time-resolved GRB spectra extending down to 2 keV, except in the initial phases of several bursts and during the whole duration of the quite strong GRB970111, where a low-energy photon depletion with respect to the thin SSM spectrum is observed. We find that the X-ray afterglow starts at about 50% of the GRB duration, and that its fluence, as computed from the WFC light curve, is consistent with the decay law found from the afterglow NFI observations. We also investigate the hydrodynamical evolution of the GRB in our sample and their associated afterglow, when it was detected. We find that the photon index of the latest spectrum of the GRB prompt emission is correlated with the index of the afterglow fading law, when available, as expected on the basis of an external shock of a relativistic fireball.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

BeppoSAX Observations of GRB980425: Detection of the Prompt Event and Monitoring of the Error Box

We present BeppoSAX follow-up observations of GRB980425 obtained with the Narrow Field Instruments (NFI) in April, May, and November 1998. The first NFI observation has detected within the 8' radius error box of the GRB an X-ray source positionally consistent with the supernova 1998bw, which exploded within a day of GRB980425, and a fainter X-ray source, not consistent with the position of the supernova. The former source is detected in the following NFI pointings and exhibits a decline of a factor of two in six months. If it is associated with SN 1998bw, this is the first detection of X-ray emission from a Type I supernova above 2 keV. The latter source exhibits only marginally significant variability. The X-ray spectra and variability of the supernova are compared with thermal and non-thermal models of supernova high energy emission. Based on the BeppoSAX data, it is not possible to firmly establish which of the two detected sources is the GRB X-ray counterpart, although probability considerations favor the supernova.

astro-ph↗