arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S. Jeong.
On April 28, 2016, the Lomonosov satellite, equipped with a number of scientific instruments, was launched into orbit. Here we present briefly some of the results obtained with the first orbital telescope of extreme energy cosmic rays TUS and by a group of detectors aimed at multi-messenger observations of gamma-ray bursts.
We present the extensive follow-up campaign on the afterglow of GRB 110715A at 17 different wavelengths, from X-ray to radio bands, starting 81 seconds after the burst and extending up to 74 days later. We performed for the first time a GRB afterglow observation with the ALMA observatory. We find that the afterglow of GRB 110715A is very bright at optical and radio wavelengths. We use optical and near infrared spectroscopy to provide further information about the progenitor's environment and its host galaxy. The spectrum shows weak absorption features at a redshift z = 0.8225, which reveal a host galaxy environment with low ionization, column density and dynamical activity. Late deep imaging shows a very faint galaxy, consistent with the spectroscopic results. The broadband afterglow emission is modelled with synchrotron radiation using a numerical algorithm and we determine the best fit parameters using Bayesian inference in order to constrain the physical parameters of the jet and the medium in which the relativistic shock propagates. We fitted our data with a variety of models, including different density profiles and energy injections. Although the general behaviour can be roughly described by these models, none of them are able to fully explain all data points simultaneously. GRB 110715A shows the complexity of reproducing extensive multi-wavelength broadband afterglow observations, and the need of good sampling in wavelength and time and more complex models to accurately constrain the physics of GRB afterglows.
We report the results of our observing campaign on GRB140903A, a nearby (z=0.351) short duration (T90~0.3 s) gamma-ray burst discovered by Swift. We monitored the X-ray afterglow with Chandra up to 21 days after the burst, and detected a steeper decay of the X-ray flux after approximately 1 day. Continued monitoring at optical and radio wavelengths showed a similar decay in flux at nearly the same time, and we interpret it as evidence of a narrowly collimated jet. By using the standard fireball model to describe the afterglow evolution, we derive a jet opening angle of 5 deg and a collimation-corrected total energy release of 2E50 erg. We further discuss the nature of the GRB progenitor system. Three main lines disfavor a massive star progenitor: the properties of the prompt gamma-ray emission, the age and low star-formation rate of the host galaxy, and the lack of a bright supernova. We conclude that this event was likely originated by a compact binary merger.
Only a few red dwarf flaring stars in the solar neighbourhood have undergone exceptional events called superflares. They have been detected with high-energy satellites (i.e. Swift) and have been proven to be powerful events (both in intensity and energy) and potentially hazardous for any extraterrestial life. The physics of these events can be understood as an extrapolation of the (much) weaker activity already occurring in the most powerful solar flares occurring in the Sun. Nevertheless, the origin (why?) these superflares occur is currently unknown. A recent study presents the optical and X-ray long-term evolution of the emission by the super-flare from the red-dwarf star DG CVn undertaken in 2014. In that paper we comment on the context of these observations and on the properties that can be derived through the analysis of them.
Using a mulit-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrograph (MRTOF-MS) located after a gas cell coupled with the gas-filled recoil ion separator GARIS-II, the masses of several heavy nuclei have been directly and precisely measured. The nuclei were produced via fusion-evaporation reactions and separated from projectile-like and target-like particles using GARIS-II before being stopped in a helium-filled gas cell. Time-of-flight spectra for three isobar chains, 205Fr-205Rn-205At-205Po, 206Fr-206Rn-206At and 201Rn-201At-201Po-201Bi, were observed. Precision atomic mass values were determined for 205,206Fr, 201At, and 201Po.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory pathfinder (UFFO-p) is a new space mission dedicated to detect Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and rapidly follow their afterglows in order to provide early optical/ultraviolet measurements. A GRB location is determined in a few seconds by the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger telescope (UBAT) employing the coded mask imaging technique and the detector combination of Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate (YSO) scintillating crystals and multi-anode photomultiplier tubes. The results of the laboratory tests of UBAT's functionality and performance are described in this article. The detector setting, the pixel-to-pixel response to X-rays of different energies, the imaging capability for <50 keV X-rays, the localization accuracy measurements, and the combined test with the Block for X-ray and Gamma-Radiation Detection (BDRG) scintillator detector to check the efficiency of UBAT are all described. The UBAT instrument has been assembled and integrated with other equipment on UFFO-p and should be launched on board the Lomonosov satellite in late-2015.
DG CVn is a binary system in which one of the components is an M type dwarf ultra fast rotator, only three of which are known in the solar neighborhood. Observations of DG CVn by the Swift satellite and several ground-based observatories during its super-flare event on 2014 allowed us to perform a complete hard X-ray - optical follow-up of a super-flare from the red-dwarf star. The observations support the fact that the super-flare can be explained by the presence of (a) large active region(s) on the surface of the star. Such activity is similar to the most extreme solar flaring events. This points towards a plausible extrapolation between the behaviour from the most active red-dwarf stars and the processes occurring in the Sun.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is called to revolutionise essentially all areas of Astrophysics. With a collecting area of about a square kilometre, the SKA will be a transformational instrument, and its scientific potential will go beyond the interests of astronomers. Its technological challenges and huge cost requires a multinational effort, and Europe has recognised this by putting the SKA on the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). The Spanish SKA White Book is the result of the coordinated effort of 120 astronomers from 40 different research centers. The book shows the enormous scientific interest of the Spanish astronomical community in the SKA and warrants an optimum scientific exploitation of the SKA by Spanish researchers, if Spain enters the SKA project.
We study the dark nature of GRB 130528A through multi-wavelength observations and conclude that the main reason for the optical darkness is local extinction inside of the host galaxy. Automatic observations were performed at BOOTES-4/MET robotic telescope. We also triggered target of opportunity (ToO) observation at the OSN, IRAM PdBI and the GTC+OSIRIS. The host galaxy photometric observations in optical to near-infrared (nIR) wavelengths were achieved through large ground-based aperture telescopes, such as the 10.4m GTC, the 4.2m WHT, 6m BTA, and the 2m LT. Based on these observations, spectral energy distributions (SED) for the host galaxy and afterglow were constructed. Thanks to mm observations at PdBI, we confirm the presence of a mm source within the XRT error circle that faded over the course of our observations and identify the host galaxy. However, we do not find any credible optical source within early observations with BOOTES-4/MET and 1.5m OSN telescopes. Spectroscopic observation of this galaxy by GTC showed a single faint emission line that likely corresponds to [OII] 3727\{AA} at a redshift of 1.250+/-0.001 implying a SFR(M_sun/yr) > 6.18 M_sun/yr without correcting for dust extinction. The probable extinction was revealed through analysis of the afterglow SED, resulting in a value of AV >= ~ 0.9 at the rest frame, this is comparable to extinction levels found among other dark GRBs. The SED of the host galaxy is explained well (chi2/d.o.f.=0.564) by a luminous (MB=-21.16), low-extinction (AV =0, rest frame), and aged (2.6 Gyr) stellar population. We can explain this apparent contradiction in global and line-of-sight extinction if the GRB birth place happened to lie in a local dense environment. In light of having relatively small specific SFR (SSFR) ~ 5.3 M_sun/yr (L/L_star)-1, this also could explain the age of the old stellar population of host galaxy.
GRB 130925A was an unusual GRB, consisting of 3 distinct episodes of high-energy emission spanning $\sim$20 ks, making it a member of the proposed category of `ultra-long' bursts. It was also unusual in that its late-time X-ray emission observed by Swift was very soft, and showed a strong hard-to-soft spectral evolution with time. This evolution, rarely seen in GRB afterglows, can be well modelled as the dust-scattered echo of the prompt emission, with stringent limits on the contribution from the normal afterglow (i.e. external shock) emission. We consider and reject the possibility that GRB 130925A was some form of tidal disruption event, and instead show that if the circumburst density around GRB 130925A is low, the long duration of the burst and faint external shock emission are naturally explained. Indeed, we suggest that the ultra-long GRBs as a class can be explained as those with low circumburst densities, such that the deceleration time (at which point the material ejected from the nascent black hole is decelerated by the circumburst medium) is $\sim$20 ks, as opposed to a few hundred seconds for the normal long GRBs. The increased deceleration radius means that more of the ejected shells can interact before reaching the external shock, naturally explaining both the increased duration of GRB 130925A, the duration of its prompt pulses, and the fainter-than-normal afterglow.
Events such as GRB130606A at z=5.91, offer an exciting new window into pre-galactic metal enrichment in these very high redshift host galaxies. We study the environment and host galaxy of GRB 130606A, a high-z event, in the context of a high redshift population of GRBs. We have obtained multiwavelength observations from radio to gamma-ray, concentrating particularly on the X-ray evolution as well as the optical photometric and spectroscopic data analysis. With an initial Lorentz bulk factor in the range Γ_0 ~ 65-220, the X-ray afterglow evolution can be explained by a time-dependent photoionization of the local circumburst medium, within a compact and dense environment. The host galaxy is a sub-DLA (log N (HI) = 19.85+/-0.15), with a metallicity content in the range from ~1/7 to ~1/60 of solar. Highly ionized species (N V and Si IV) are also detected. This is the second highest redshift burst with a measured GRB-DLA metallicity and only the third GRB absorber with sub-DLA HI column density. GRB ' lighthouses' therefore offer enormous potential as backlighting sources to probe the ionization and metal enrichment state of the IGM at very high redshifts for the chemical signature of the first generation of stars.
The Swift Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) observatory responds to GRB triggers with optical observations in ~ 100 s, but cannot respond faster than ~ 60 s. While some ground-based telescopes respond quickly, the number of sub-60 s detections remains small. In mid- to late-2013, the Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory-Pathfinder is to be launched on the Lomonosov spacecraft to investigate early optical GRB emission. This pathfinder mission is necessarily limited in sensitivity and event rate; here we discuss a next generation rapid-response space observatory. We list science topics motivating our instruments, those that require rapid optical-IR GRB response, including: A survey of GRB rise shapes/times, measurements of optical bulk Lorentz factors, investigation of magnetic dominated (vs. non-magnetic) jet models, internal vs. external shock origin of prompt optical emission, the use of GRBs for cosmology, and dust evaporation in the GRB environment. We also address the impacts of the characteristics of GRB observing on our instrument and observatory design. We describe our instrument designs and choices for a next generation observatory as a second instrument on a low-earth orbit spacecraft, with a 120 kg instrument mass budget. Restricted to relatively modest mass and power, we find that a coded mask X-ray camera with 1024 cm2 of detector area could rapidly locate about 64 GRB triggers/year. Responding to the locations from the X-ray camera, a 30 cm aperture telescope with a beam-steering system for rapid (~ 1 s) response and a near-IR camera should detect ~ 29 GRB, given Swift GRB properties. Am additional optical camera would give a broadband optical-IR slope, allowing dynamic measurement of dust extinction at the source, for the first time.
A new laser ion source configuration based on resonant photoionization in a gas cell has been developed at RIBF RIKEN. This system is intended for the future PArasitic RI-beam production by Laser Ion-Source (PALIS) project which will be installed at RIKEN's fragment separator, BigRIPS. A novel implementation of differential pumping, in combination with a sextupole ion beam guide (SPIG), has been developed. A few small scroll pumps create a pressure difference from 1000 hPa - 10^-3 Pa within a geometry drastically miniaturized compared to conventional systems. This system can utilize a large exit hole for fast evacuation times, minimizing the decay loss for short-lived nuclei during extraction from a buffer gas cell, while sufficient gas cell pressure is maintained for stopping high energy RI-beams. In spite of the motion in a dense pressure gradient, the photo-ionized ions inside the gas cell are ejected with an assisting force gas jet and successfully transported to a high-vacuum region via SPIG followed by a quadrupole mass separator. Observed behaviors agree with the results of gas flow and Monte Carlo simulations.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) Pathfinder is a payload on the Russian Lomonosov satellite, scheduled to be launched in November 2011. The Observatory is designed to detect early UV/Optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). There are two telescopes and one main data acquisition system: the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT), the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT), and the UFFO Data Acquisition (UDAQ) system. The UDAQ controls and manages the operation and communication of each telescope, and is also in charge of the interface with the satellite. It will write the data taken by each telescope to the NOR flash memory and sends them to the satellite via the Bus-Interface system (BI). It also receives data from the satellite including the coordinates and time of an external trigger from another payload, and distributes them to two telescopes. These functions are implemented in field programmable gates arrays (FPGA) for low power consumption and fast processing without a microprocessor. The UDAQ architecture, control of the system, and data flow will be presented.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) pathfinder is a space mission devoted to the measurement of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), especially their early light curves which will give crucial information on the progenitor stars and central engines of the GRBs. It consists of two instruments: the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger telescope (UBAT) for the detection of GRB locations and the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) for the UV/optical afterglow observations, upon triggering by UBAT. The UBAT employs a coded-mask γ/X-ray camera with a wide field of view (FOV), and is comprised of three parts: a coded mask, a hopper, and a detector module (DM). The UBAT DM consists of a LYSO scintillator crystal array, multi-anode photo multipliers, and analog and digital readout electronics. We present here the design and fabrication of the UBAT DM, as well as its preliminary test results.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory-Pathfinder (UFFO-P) is to be launched onboard Lomonosov spacecraft in November 2011. It is to measure early UV/Optical photons from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) is one of two instruments designed for detection of UV/Optical images of the GRBs. SMT is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope of 100 mm in diameter with a motorized slewing mirror at the entrance providing 17\times17 arcmin2 in Field of View (FOV) and 4 arcsec in pixel resolution. Its sky coverage can be further expanded up to 35 degrees in FOV by tilting a motorized slewing mirror. All mirrors were fabricated to about RMS 0.02 waves in wave front error (WFE) and 84.7% (in average reflectivity) over 200nm~650nm range. SMT was aligned to RMS 0.05 waves in WFE (test wavelength 632.8nm). From the static gravity test result, SMT optics system is expected to survive during launch. The technical details of SMT assembly and laboratory performance test results are reported.
Hundreds of gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical light curves have been measured since the discovery of optical afterglows. However, even after nearly 7 years of operation of the Swift Observatory, only a handful of measurements have been made soon (within a minute) after the gamma ray signal. This lack of early observations fails to address burst physics at short time scales associated with prompt emissions and progenitors. Because of this lack of sub-minute data, the characteristics of the rise phase of optical light curve of short-hard type GRB and rapid-rising GRB, which may account for ~30% of all GRB, remain practically unknown. We have developed methods for reaching sub-minute and sub-second timescales in a small spacecraft observatory. Rather than slewing the entire spacecraft to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position, we use rapidly moving mirror to redirect our optical beam. As a first step, we employ motorized slewing mirror telescope (SMT), which can point to the event within 1s, in the UFFO Pathfinder GRB Telescope onboard the Lomonosov satellite to be launched in Nov. 2011. UFFO's sub-minute measurements of the optical emission of dozens of GRB each year will result in a more rigorous test of current internal shock models, probe the extremes of bulk Lorentz factors, provide the first early and detailed measurements of fast-rise GRB optical light curves, and help verify the prospect of GRB as a new standard candle. We will describe the science and the mission of the current UFFO Pathfinder project, and our plan of a full-scale UFFO-100 as the next step.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is a new space-based experiment to observe Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). GRBs are the most luminous electromagnetic events in the universe and occur randomly in any direction. Therefore the UFFO consists of two telescopes; UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) to detect GRBs using a wide field-of-view (FOV), and a Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) to observe UV/optical events rapidly within the narrow, targeted FOV. The SMT is a Ritchey-Chretien telescope that uses a motorized mirror system and an Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD). When the GRB is triggered by the UBAT, the SMT receives the position information and rapidly tilts the mirror to the target. The ICCD start to take the data within a second after GRB is triggered. Here we give the details about the SMT readout electronics that deliver the data.