arXiv subjects

Peter Garnavich

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Garnavich.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy and TARDIS Models of the Broad-lined Type-Ic Supernova 2014ad

Few published ultraviolet (UV) spectra exist for stripped-envelope supernovae, and none to date for broad-lined Type Ic supernovae (SN Ic-bl). These objects have extremely high ejecta velocities and are the only supernova type directly linked to gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Here we present two epochs of HST/STIS spectra of the SN Ic-bl 2014ad, the first UV spectra for this class. We supplement this with 26 new epochs of ground-based optical spectra, augmenting a rich spectral time series. The UV spectra do not show strong features and are consistent with broadened versions of other SN Ic spectra observed in the UV. We measure Fe II 5169 Angstrom velocities and show that SN 2014ad has even higher ejecta velocities than most SNe Ic both with and without observed GRBs. We construct models of the SN 2014ad UV+optical spectra using TARDIS, a 1D Monte-Carlo radiative-transfer spectral synthesis code. The models fit the data well at multiple epochs in the optical but underestimate the flux in the UV, likely due to simplifying assumptions. We find that high densities at high velocities are needed to reproduce the spectra, with $\sim$3 M$_\odot$ of material at $v >$ 22,000 km s$^{-1}$, assuming spherical symmetry. Our nebular line fits suggest a steep density profile at low velocities. Together, these results imply a higher total ejecta mass than estimated from previous light curve analysis and expected from theory. This may be reconciled by a flattening of the density profile at low velocity and extra emission near the center of the ejecta.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Characteristics of the Permanent Superhumps in V533 Herculis

We analyze two sectors of TESS photometry of the nova-like cataclysmic variable star V533 Her. We detect a periodicity consistent with the binary orbital period and estimate a revised value of 3.53709(2) hr. We also detect a strong signal near a period of 3.8 h that we associate with positive superhumps. The superhump frequency varies over the TESS observations with the fractional difference between the superhump and orbital periods, $ε$, ranging between $0.055\le ε\le 0.080$. The superhump amplitude is correlated with its frequency such that the amplitude increases as $ε$ decreases. Positive superhumps result from an instability that generates an eccentric accretion disk and $ε$ is a measure of the disk precession rate in the binary rest frame. The observed correlation implies that as the disk precession rate slows, the disk eccentricity increases.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Kepler K2 and TESS observations of two magnetic cataclysmic variables: The new asynchronous polar SDSS J084617.11+245344.1 and Paloma

There have been relatively few published long-duration, uninterrupted light curves of magnetic cataclysmic variable stars in which the accreting white dwarf's rotational frequency is slightly desynchronized from the binary orbital frequency (asynchronous polars). We report Kepler K2 and TESS observations of two such systems. The first, SDSS J084617.11+245344.1, was observed by the Kepler spacecraft for 80 days during Campaign 16 of the K2 mission, and we identify it as a new asynchronous polar with a likely 4.64 h orbital period. This is significantly longer than any other asynchronous polar, as well as all but several synchronous polars. Its spin and orbital periods beat against each other to produce a conspicuous 6.77 d beat period, across which the system's accretion geometry gradually changes. The second system in this study, Paloma, was observed by TESS for one sector and was already known to be asynchronous. Until now, there had been an ambiguity in its spin period, but the TESS power spectrum pinpoints a spin period of 2.27 h. During the resulting 0.7 d spin-orbit beat period, the light curve phased on the spin modulation alternates between being single- and double-humped. We explore two possible explanations for this behavior: the accretion flow being diverted from one of the poles for part of the beat cycle, or an eclipse of the emitting region responsible for the second hump.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Hitting a New Low: The Unique 28 h Cessation of Accretion in the TESS Light Curve of YY Dra (DO Dra)

We present the Transiting Exoplanet Surveying Satellite (TESS) light curve of the intermediate polar YY Draconis (YY Dra, also known as DO Dra). The power spectrum indicates that while there is stream-fed accretion for most of the observational period, there is a day-long, flat-bottomed low state at the beginning of 2020 during which the only periodic signal is ellipsoidal variation and there is no appreciable flickering. We interpret this low state to be a complete cessation of accretion, a phenomenon that has been observed only once before in an intermediate polar. Simultaneous ground-based observations of this faint state establish that when accretion is negligible, YY Dra fades to $g=17.37\pm0.12$, which we infer to be the magnitude of the combined photospheric contributions of the white dwarf and its red dwarf companion. Using survey photometry, we identify additional low states in 2018-2019 during which YY Dra repeatedly fades to -- but never below -- this threshold. This implies relatively frequent cessations in accretion. Spectroscopic observations during future episodes of negligible accretion can be used to directly measure the field strength of the white dwarf by Zeeman splitting. Separately, we search newly available catalogs of variable stars in an attempt to resolve the long-standing dispute over the proper identifier of this system.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

SN 2018agk: A Prototypical Type Ia Supernova with a Smooth Power-law Rise in Kepler (K2)

We present the 30-min cadence Kepler/K2 light curve of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2018agk, covering approximately one week before explosion, the full rise phase and the decline until 40 days after peak. We additionally present ground-based observations in multiple bands within the same time range, including the 1-day cadence DECam observations within the first $\sim$5 days after the first light. The Kepler early light curve is fully consistent with a single power-law rise, without evidence of any bump feature. We compare SN 2018agk with a sample of other SNe~Ia without early excess flux from the literature. We find that SNe Ia without excess flux have slowly-evolving early colors in a narrow range ($g-i\approx -0.20\pm0.20$ mag) within the first $\sim 10$ days. On the other hand, among SNe Ia detected with excess, SN 2017cbv and SN 2018oh tend to be bluer, while iPTF16abc's evolution is similar to normal SNe Ia without excess in $g-i$. We further compare the Kepler light curve of SN 2018agk with companion-interaction models, and rule out the existence of a typical non-degenerate companion undergoing Roche-lobe overflow at viewing angles smaller than $45^{\circ}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Rapid bursts of magnetically gated accretion in the intermediate polar V1025 Cen

Magnetically gated accretion has emerged as a proposed mechanism for producing extremely short, repetitive bursts of accretion onto magnetized white dwarfs in intermediate polars (IPs), but this phenomenon has not been detected previously in a confirmed IP. We report the 27-day TESS light curve of V1025 Cen, an IP that shows a remarkable series of twelve bursts of accretion, each lasting for less than six hours. The extreme brevity of the bursts and their short recurrence times (~1-3 days) are incompatible with the dwarf-nova instability, but they are natural consequences of the magnetic gating mechanism developed by Spruit & Taam to explain the Type II bursts of the accreting neutron star known as the Rapid Burster. In this model, the accretion flow piles up at the magnetospheric boundary and presses inward until it couples with the star's magnetic field, producing an abrupt burst of accretion. After each burst, the reservoir of matter at the edge of the magnetosphere is replenished, leading to cyclical bursts of accretion. A pair of recent studies applied this instability to the suspected IPs MV Lyr and TW Pic, but the magnetic nature of these two systems has not been independently confirmed. In contrast, previous studies have unambiguously established the white dwarf in V1025 Cen to be significantly magnetized. The detection of magnetically gated bursts in a confirmed IP therefore validates the extension of the Spruit & Taam instability to magnetized white dwarfs.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Searching for Diamagnetic Blob Accretion in the 74 day K2 Observation of V2400 Ophiuchi

Since its discovery in 1995, V2400 Ophiuchi (V2400 Oph) has stood apart from most known intermediate polar cataclysmic variables due to its proposed magnetic field strength (9-27 MG) and disk-less accretion. To date, the exact accretion mechanism of the system is still unknown, and standard accretion models fail to accurately predict the peculiar behavior of its lightcurve. We present the K2 Campaign~11 light curve of V2400 Oph recording 74.19 days of photometric data cadenced at 1 minute. The light curve is dominated by aperiodic flickering and quasi-periodic oscillations, which make the beat and spin signals inconspicuous on short timescales. Notably, a log-log full power spectrum shows a break frequency at $\sim10^2$ cycles~d$^{-1}$ similar to some disk-fed systems. Through power spectral analysis, the beat and spin periods are measured as $1003.4\pm0.2$ seconds and $ 927.7\pm 0.1$ seconds respectively. A power spectrum of the entire K2 observation demonstrates beat period dominance. However, time-resolved power spectra reveals a strong dependence between observation length and the dominant frequency of the light curve. For short observations (2-12 hrs) the beat, spin, or first beat harmonic can be observed as the dominant periodic signal. Such incoherence and variability indicate a dynamical accretion system more complex than current intermediate polar theories can explain. We propose that a diamagnetic blob accretion model may serve as a plausible explanation for the accretion mechanism.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Spectroscopy of the Proposed White Dwarf Pulsar ASASSN-V J205543.90+240033.5

We obtained spectra of ASASSN-V J205543.90+240033.5 (J2055), a system that shows photometric variations similar to the white dwarf (WD) pulsar AR Scorpii (Kato et al. arXiv:2109.03979). Our spectra display a continuum rising steeply toward the blue as well as an array of emission lines. Resolved Balmer and Paschen lines are seen with H$α$ and H$β$ having central absorption features. The strongest lines are unresolved CII, CIII, and NIII as well as doubly ionized helium. The spectra are similar to that of YY Hya (Kimeswenger et al. arXiv:2110.03935), and suggest that J2055 is a post-common envelope binary consisting of a hot compact star irradiating the face of a secondary of unknown spectral type. Velocity variations detected from the emission lines confirm the binary nature of J2055. The origin of the 10 minute photometric variation remains uncertain.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Are Type Ia Supernovae in Restframe $H$ Brighter in More Massive Galaxies?

We analyze 143 Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) observed in $H$ band (1.6-1.8 $μ$m) and find SNeIa are intrinsically brighter in $H$-band with increasing host galaxy stellar mass. We find SNeIa in galaxies more massive than $10^{10.43} M_{\odot}$ are $0.13 \pm 0.04$ mag brighter in $H$ than SNeIa in less massive galaxies. The same set of SNeIa observed at optical wavelengths, after width-color-luminosity corrections, exhibit a $0.10 \pm 0.03$ mag offset in the Hubble residuals. We observe an outlier population ($|ΔH_{\rm max}| > 0.5$ mag) in the $H$ band and show that removing the outlier population moves the mass threshold to $10^{10.65} M_{\odot}$ and reduces the step in $H$ band to $0.08 \pm 0.04$ mag, but the equivalent optical mass step is increased to $0.13 \pm 0.04$ mag. We conclude the outliers do not drive the brightness--host-mass correlation. Less massive galaxies preferentially host more higher-stretch SNeIa, which are intrinsically brighter and bluer. It is only after correction for width-luminosity and color-luminosity relationships that SNeIa have brighter optical Hubble residuals in more massive galaxies. Thus finding SNeIa are intrinsically brighter in $H$ in more massive galaxies is an opposite correlation to the intrinsic (pre-width-luminosity correction) optical brightness. If dust and the treatment of intrinsic color variation were the main driver of the host galaxy mass correlation, we would not expect a correlation of brighter $H$-band SNeIa in more massive galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Confirmation of a Second Propeller: A High-Inclination Twin of AE~Aquarii

For decades, AE Aquarii (AE Aqr) has been the only cataclysmic variable star known to contain a magnetic propeller: a persistent outflow whose expulsion from the binary is powered by the spin-down of the rapidly rotating, magnetized white dwarf. In 2020, LAMOST-J024048.51+195226.9 (J0240) was identified as a candidate eclipsing AE Aqr object, and we present three epochs of time-series spectroscopy that strongly support this hypothesis. We show that during the photometric flares noted by Thorstensen (2020) (arXiv:2007.09285), the half-width-at-zero-intensity of the Balmer and HeI lines routinely reaches a maximum of ~3000 km/s, well in excess of what is observed in normal cataclysmic variables. This is, however, consistent with the high-velocity emission seen in flares from AE Aqr. Additionally, we confirm beyond doubt that J0240 is a deeply eclipsing system. The flaring continuum, HeI and much of the Balmer emission likely originate close to the WD because they disappear during the eclipse that is centered on inferior conjunction of the secondary star. The fraction of the Balmer emission remaining visible during eclipse has a steep decrement and it is likely produced in the extended outflow. Most enticingly of all, this outflow produces a narrow P-Cyg absorption component for nearly half of the orbit, and we demonstrate that this scenario closely matches the outflow kinematics predicted by Wynn, King, & Horne (1997). While an important piece of evidence for the magnetic-propeller hypothesis -- a rapid WD spin period -- remains elusive, our spectra provide compelling support for the existence of a propeller-driven outflow viewed nearly edge-on, enabling a new means of rigorously testing theories of the propeller phenomenon.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Quasi-periodic oscillations in the TESS light curve of TX Col, a diskless intermediate polar on the precipice of forming an accretion disk

One of the fundamental properties of an intermediate polar is the dynamical nature of the accretion flow as it encounters the white dwarf's magnetosphere. Many works have presumed a dichotomy between disk-fed accretion, in which the WD accretes from a Keplerian disk, and stream-fed accretion, in which the matter stream from the donor star directly impacts the WD's magnetosphere without forming a disk. However, there is also a third, poorly understood regime in which the accretion flow consists of a torus of diamagnetic blobs that encircles the WD. This mode of accretion is expected to exist at mass-transfer rates below those observed during disk-fed accretion, but above those observed during pure stream-fed accretion. We invoke the diamagnetic-blob regime to explain the exceptional TESS light curve of the intermediate polar TX Col, which transitioned into and out of states of enhanced accretion during Cycles 1 and 3. Power-spectral analysis reveals that the accretion was principally stream-fed. However, when the mass-transfer rate spiked, large-amplitude quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) abruptly appeared and dominated the light curve for weeks. The QPOs have two striking properties: they appear in a stream-fed geometry at elevated accretion rates, and they occur preferentially within a well-defined range of frequencies (~10-25 cycles per day). We propose that during episodes of enhanced accretion, a torus of diamagnetic blobs forms near the binary's circularization radius and that the QPOs are beats between the white dwarf's spin frequency and unstable blob orbits within the WD's magnetosphere. We discuss how such a torus could be a critical step in producing an accretion disk in a formerly diskless system.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Peeking Between the Pulses: The Far-UV Spectrum of the Previously Unseen White Dwarf in AR Scorpii

The compact object in the interacting binary AR Sco has widely been presumed to be a rapidly rotating, magnetized white dwarf (WD), but it has never been detected directly. Isolating its spectrum has proven difficult because the spin-down of the WD generates pulsed synchrotron radiation that far outshines the WD's photosphere. As a result, a previous study of AR Sco was unable to detect the WD in the averaged far-ultraviolet spectrum from a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observation. In an effort to unveil the WD's spectrum, we reanalyze these HST observations by calculating the average spectrum in the troughs between synchrotron pulses. We identify weak spectral features from the previously unseen WD and estimate its surface temperature to be 11500$\pm$500K. Additionally, during the synchrotron pulses, we detect broad Lyman-$α$ absorption consistent with hot WD spectral models. We infer the presence of a pair of hotspots, with temperatures between 23000K and 28000K, near the magnetic poles of the WD. As the WD is not expected to be accreting from its companion, we describe two possible mechanisms for heating the magnetic poles. The Lyman-$α$ absorption of the hotspots appears relatively undistorted by Zeeman splitting, constraining the WD's field strength to be 100 MG, but the data are insufficient to search for the subtle Zeeman splits expected at lower field strengths.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Testing Progenitor Models Using the Late-Time Light Curve of Supernova 1992A

The dominant radioactive energy source powering Type Ia supernova light curves is expected to switch from the decay of $^{56}$Co to $^{57}$Co at very late epochs. We use archival HST images of SN1992A obtained more than 900 days after explosion to constrain its cobalt isotopic abundance ratio and compare it to the well-studied event SN2011fe. We confirm the $^{57}$Co / $^{56}$Co ratio for SN2011fe of $0.026\pm 0.004$ found by arXiv:1608.01155, consistent with a "double degenerate" progenitor scenario. For SN1992A, we find a ratio of $0.034\pm 0.010$, but the large uncertainty does not allow us to differentiate between progenitor models

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Identification of Orbital Eclipses in LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9, a Candidate AE Aqr-type Cataclysmic Variable Star

AE Aqr objects are a class of cataclysmic variable stars in which the rapidly rotating magnetosphere of the white dwarf (WD) primary centrifugally expels most infalling gas before it can accrete onto the WD. The expulsion of the accretion flow via this "magnetic propeller" extracts angular momentum from the WD and produces large-amplitude, aperiodic flares in optical photometry. The eponymous AE Aqr is the only confirmed member of this class of object, but recently, Thorstensen (2020) discovered a candidate AE Aqr system: LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9. Using survey photometry, we measure a refined orbital period for this system and identify a shallow, previously unrecognized eclipse during which the system's frequent AE Aqr-like flaring episodes cease. A dedicated follow-up study is still necessary to test the proposed AE Aqr classification for LAMOST J024048.51+195226.9, but should it be confirmed, the eclipse of its flare-production region will offer a new means of studying the magnetic propeller phenomenon.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

An Improved Spin-Down Rate for the Proposed White-Dwarf Pulsar AR Scorpii

We analyze rapid-cadence, multiwavelength photometry of AR Scorpii from three observatories, covering five observing seasons. We measure the arrival times of the system's beat pulses and use them to compute an updated ephemeris. The white dwarf spin-down rate is estimated with an uncertainty of only 4%. These results confirm, beyond any doubt, that the white dwarf's spin period is increasing at the rate consistent with by that of Stiller et al. (2018). We study the evolution of the beat pulse's color index across the orbit. The color of the primary pulse maxima varies significantly across the orbit, with the peaks being bluer after superior conjunction than in the first half of the orbit. Specifically, at orbital phase 0.5, the color index of the primary pulse shows a very sharp discontinuity towards bluer indices. This supports the Potter & Buckley (2018b) synchrotron emission model where the two emitting poles differ significantly in color. However, no corresponding jump in the color of the secondary pulses is seen. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the arrival times of the pulses can differ by as much as 6s in simultaneous $u$ and $r$ photometry, depending on the binary orbital phase. If left uncorrected, this wavelength-dependent timing offset could lead to erroneous measurements of the spin-period derivative, particularly with heterogeneous datasets.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Magnetospheric interaction in white dwarf binaries AR Sco and AE Aqr

We develop a model of the white dwarf (WD) - red dwarf (RD) binaries AR Sco and AE Aqr as systems in a transient propeller stage of highly asynchronous intermediate polars. The WDs are relatively weakly magnetized with magnetic field of $\sim 10^6$ G. We explain the salient observed features of the systems due to the magnetospheric interaction of two stars. Currently, the WD's spin-down is determined by the mass loading of the WD's magnetosphere from the RD's at a mild rate of $\dot{M}_{WD} \sim 10^{-11} M_\odot $/yr. Typical loading distance is determined by the ionization of the RD's wind by the WD's UV flux. The WD was previously spun up by a period of high accretion rate from the RD via Roch lobe overflow with $\dot{M} \sim 10^{-9} M_\odot $/yr, acting for as short a period as tens of thousands of years. The non-thermal X-ray and optical synchrotron emitting particles originate in reconnection events in the magnetosphere of the WD due to the interaction with the flow from the RD. In the case of AR Sco, the reconnection events produce signals at the WD's rotation and beat periods - this modulation is due to the changing relative orientation of the companions' magnetic moments and resulting variable reconnection conditions. Radio emission is produced in the magnetosphere of the RD, we hypothesize, in a way that it is physically similar to the Io-induced Jovian decametric radiation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Short-cadence K2 observations of an accretion-state transition in the polar Tau 4

The Kepler spacecraft observed a total of only four AM Herculis cataclysmic variable stars during its lifetime. We analyze the short-cadence K2 light curve of one of those systems, Tau 4 (RX J0502.8+1624), which underwent a serendipitous jump from a low-accretion state into a high state during the final days of the observation. Apart from one brief flare, there was no evidence of accretion during the 70 d of observations of the low state. As Tau 4 transitioned into a high state, the resumption of accretion was very gradual, taking approximately six days (~90 binary orbits). We supplement Tau 4's K2 light curve with time-resolved spectroscopy obtained in both high and low states of accretion. High-excitation lines, such as He II 468.6 nm, were extraordinarily weak, even when the system was actively accreting. This strongly suggests the absence of an accretion shock, placing Tau 4 in the bombardment regime predicted for AM Herculis systems with low accretion rates. In both the high-state and low-state spectra, Zeeman absorption features from the white dwarf's photosphere are present and reveal a surface-averaged field strength of $15\pm2$ MG. Remarkably, the high-state spectra also show Zeeman-split emission lines produced in a region with a field strength of $12\pm1$ MG. Zeeman emission has not been previously reported in an AM Herculis system, and we propose that the phenomenon is caused by a temperature inversion in the WD's atmosphere near the accretion region.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

The Rise and Fall of the King: The Correlation between FO Aquarii's Low States and the White Dwarf's Spindown

The intermediate polar FO Aquarii (FO Aqr) experienced its first-reported low-accretion states in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and using newly available photographic plates, we identify pre-discovery low states in 1965, 1966, and 1974. The primary focus of our analysis, however, is an extensive set of time-series photometry obtained between 2002 and 2018, with particularly intensive coverage of the 2016-2018 low states. After computing an updated spin ephemeris for the white dwarf (WD), we show that its spin period began to increase in 2014 after having spent 27 years decreasing; no other intermediate polar has experienced a sign change of its period derivative, but FO Aqr has now done so twice. Our central finding is that the recent low states all occurred shortly after the WD began to spin down, even though no low states were reported in the preceding quarter-century, when it was spinning up. Additionally, the system's mode of accretion is extremely sensitive to the mass-transfer rate, with accretion being almost exclusively disk-fed when FO Aqr is brighter than V~14 and substantially stream-fed when it is not. Even in the low states, a grazing eclipse remains detectable, confirming the presence of a disk-like structure (but not necessarily a Keplerian accretion disk). We relate these various observations to theoretical predictions that during the low state, the system's accretion disk dissipates into a non-Keplerian ring of diamagnetic blobs. Finally, a new XMM-Newton observation from a high state in 2017 reveals an anomalously soft X-ray spectrum and diminished X-ray luminosity compared to pre-2016 observations.

astro-ph.SR↗