arXiv subjects

S. R. Oates

Publications and source records attributed to S. R. Oates.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

VLT Suzaku observations of the Fermi pulsar PSR J1028-5819

We used optical images taken with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the B and V bands to search for the optical counterpart of PSR J1028-5819 or constrain its optical brightness. At the same time, we used an archival Suzaku observation to confirm the preliminary identification of the pulsar's X-ray counterpart obtained by Swift. Due to the large uncertainty on the pulsar's radio position and the presence of a bright (V = 13.2) early F-type star at < 4", we could not detect its counterpart down to flux limits of B~25.4 and V ~25.3, the deepest obtained so far for PSR J1028-5819. From the Suzaku observations, we found that the X-ray spectrum of the pulsar's candidate counterpart is best-fit by a power-law with spectral index 1.7 +/- 0.2 and an absorption column density NH < 10^21 cm-2, which would support the proposed X-ray identification. Moreover, we found possible evidence for the presence of diffuse emission around the pulsar. If real, and associated with a pulsar wind nebula (PWN), its surface brightness and angular extent would be compatible with the expectations for a ~100 kyr old pulsar at the PSR J1028-5819 distance.

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arXiv2012

Panchromatic observations of the textbook GRB 110205A: constraining physical mechanisms of prompt emission and afterglow

We present a comprehensive analysis of a bright, long duration (T90 ~ 257 s) GRB 110205A at redshift z= 2.22. The optical prompt emission was detected by Swift/UVOT, ROTSE-IIIb and BOOTES telescopes when the GRB was still radiating in the gamma-ray band. Nearly 200 s of observations were obtained simultaneously from optical, X-ray to gamma-ray, which makes it one of the exceptional cases to study the broadband spectral energy distribution across 6 orders of magnitude in energy during the prompt emission phase. By fitting the time resolved prompt spectra, we clearly identify, for the first time, an interesting two-break energy spectrum, roughly consistent with the standard GRB synchrotron emission model in the fast cooling regime. Although the prompt optical emission is brighter than the extrapolation of the best fit X/gamma-ray spectra, it traces the gamma-ray light curve shape, suggesting a relation to the prompt high energy emission. The synchrotron + SSC scenario is disfavored by the data, but the models invoking a pair of internal shocks or having two emission regions can interpret the data well. Shortly after prompt emission (~ 1100 s), a bright (R = 14.0) optical emission hump with very steep rise (alpha ~ 5.5) was observed which we interpret as the emission from the reverse shock. It is the first time that the rising phase of a reverse shock component has been closely observed. The full optical and X-ray afterglow lightcurves can be interpreted within the standard reverse shock (RS) + forward shock (FS) model. In general, the high quality prompt emission and afterglow data allow us to apply the standard fireball shock model to extract valuable information about the GRB including the radiation mechanism, radius of prompt emission R, initial Lorentz factor of the outflow, the composition of the ejecta, as well as the collimation angle and the total energy budget.

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arXiv2012

The Unusual Temporal and Spectral Evolution of the Type IIn Supernova 2011ht

We present very early UV to optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the peculiar Type IIn supernova (SN) 2011ht in UGC 5460. The UV observations of the rise to peak are only the second ever recorded for a Type IIn SN and are by far the most complete. The SN, first classified as a SN impostor, slowly rose to a peak of M_V \sim -17 in \sim55 days. In contrast to the \sim2 magnitude increase in the v-band light curve from the first observation until peak, the UV flux increased by >7 magnitudes. The optical spectra are dominated by strong, Balmer emission with narrow peaks (FWHM\sim600 km/s), very broad asymmetric wings (FWHM\sim4200 km/s), and blue shifted absorption (\sim300 km/s) superposed on a strong blue continuum. The UV spectra are dominated by FeII, MgII, SiII, and SiIII absorption lines broadened by \sim1500 km/s. Merged X-ray observations reveal a L_(0.2-10)=(1.0+/-0.2)x10^(39) erg/s. Some properties of SN 2011ht are similar to SN impostors, while others are comparable to Type IIn SNe. Early spectra showed features typical of luminous blue variables at maximum and during giant eruptions. However, the broad emission profiles coupled with the strong UV flux have not been observed in previous SN impostors. The absolute magnitude and energetics (~2.5x10^(49) ergs in the first 112 days) are reminiscent of normal Type IIn SN, but the spectra are of a dense wind. We suggest that the mechanism for creating this unusual profile could be a shock interacting with a shell of material that was ejected a year before the discovery of the SN.

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arXiv2012

Broadband study of GRB 091127: a sub-energetic burst at higher redshift?

GRB 091127 is a bright gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by Swift at a redshift z=0.49 and associated with SN 2009nz. We present the broadband analysis of the GRB prompt and afterglow emission and study its high-energy properties in the context of the GRB/SN association. While the high luminosity of the prompt emission and standard afterglow behavior are typical of cosmological long GRBs, its low energy release, soft spectrum and unusual spectral lag connect this GRB to the class of sub-energetic bursts. We discuss the suppression of high-energy emission in this burst, and investigate whether this behavior could be connected with the sub-energetic nature of the explosion.

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arXiv2011

The Dust Extinction Curves of Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies

The composition and amount of interstellar dust within gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies is of key importance when addressing selection effects in the GRB redshift distribution, and when studying the properties of their host galaxies. As well as the implications for GRB research, probing the dust within the high-z hosts of GRBs also contributes to our understanding of the conditions of the interstellar medium and star-formation in the distant Universe. Nevertheless, the physical properties of dust within GRB host galaxies continues to be a highly contended issue. In this paper we explore the mean extinction properties of dust within the host galaxies of a sample of 17 GRBs with total host galaxy visual extinction Av<1 ( =0.4), covering a redshift range z=0.7-3.1. We find the average host extinction curve to have an ultraviolet slope comparable to that of the LMC, but with little evidence of a 2175Angs dust extinction feature as observed along Milky Way and LMC sightlines. We cannot at present rule out the presence of a 2175Angs feature, and both the standard SMC and LMC extinction curves also provide good fits to our data. However, we can reject an extinction curve that has a UV slope as flat as the mean Milky Way extinction curve, whilst also having a 2175Angs feature as prominent as seen in the mean Milky Way extinction curve. This is in contrast to the clear detection of a 2175Angs bump and the flatter extinction curves of some more heavily extinguished GRBs (Av>1), which may be indicative of there being a dependence between dust abundance and the wavelength dependence of dust extinction, as has been previously speculated.

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arXiv2011

An unusual stellar death on Christmas Day

Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most dramatic examples of massive stellar deaths, usually as- sociated with supernovae (Woosley et al. 2006). They release ultra-relativistic jets producing non-thermal emission through synchrotron radiation as they interact with the surrounding medium (Zhang et al. 2004). Here we report observations of the peculiar GRB 101225A (the "Christmas burst"). Its gamma-ray emission was exceptionally long and followed by a bright X-ray transient with a hot thermal component and an unusual optical counterpart. During the first 10 days, the optical emission evolved as an expanding, cooling blackbody after which an additional component, consistent with a faint supernova, emerged. We determine its distance to 1.6 Gpc by fitting the spectral-energy distribution and light curve of the optical emission with a GRB-supernova template. Deep optical observations may have revealed a faint, unresolved host galaxy. Our proposed progenitor is a helium star-neutron star merger that underwent a common envelope phase expelling its hydrogen envelope. The resulting explosion created a GRB-like jet which gets thermalized by interacting with the dense, previously ejected material and thus creating the observed black-body, until finally the emission from the supernova dominated. An alternative explanation is a minor body falling onto a neutron star in the Galaxy (Campana et al. 2011).

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arXiv2011

Fermi and Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow Population Studies

The new and extreme population of GRBs detected by Fermi-LAT shows several new features in high energy gamma-rays that are providing interesting and unexpected clues into GRB prompt and afterglow emission mechanisms. Over the last 6 years, it has been Swift that has provided the robust dataset of UV/optical and X-ray afterglow observations that opened many windows into components of GRB emission structure. The relationship between the LAT detected GRBs and the well studied, fainter, less energetic GRBs detected by Swift-BAT is only beginning to be explored by multi-wavelength studies. We explore the large sample of GRBs detected by BAT only, BAT and Fermi-GBM, and GBM and LAT, focusing on these samples separately in order to search for statistically significant differences between the populations, using only those GRBs with measured redshifts in order to physically characterize these objects. We disentangle which differences are instrumental selection effects versus intrinsic properties, in order to better understand the nature of the special characteristics of the LAT bursts.

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arXiv2010

Photometric redshifts for GRB afterglows from GROND and Swift/UVOT

We present a framework to obtain photometric redshifts (photo-zs) for gamma-ray burst afterglows. Using multi-band photometry from GROND and Swift/UVOT, photo-zs are derived for five GRBs for which spectroscopic redshifts are not available. We use UV/optical/NIR data and synthetic photometry based on afterglow observations and theory to derive the photometric redshifts of GRBs and their accuracy. Taking into account the afterglow synchrotron emission properties, we investigate the application of photometry to derive redshifts in a theoretical range between z~1 and z~12. The measurement of photo-zs for GRB afterglows provides a quick, robust and reliable determination of the distance scale to the burst, particularly in those cases where spectroscopic observations in the optical/NIR range cannot be obtained. Given a sufficiently bright and mildly reddened afterglow, the relative photo-z accuracy is better than 10% between z=1.5 and z~7 and better than 5% between z=2 and z=6. We detail the approach on 5 sources without spectroscopic redshifts observed with UVOT on-board Swift and/or GROND. The distance scale to those same afterglows is measured to be $z=4.31^{+0.14}_{-0.15}$ for GRB 080825B, $z=2.13^{+0.14}_{-0.20}$ for GRB 080906, $z=3.44^{+0.15}_{-0.32}$ for GRB 081228, $z=2.03^{+0.16}_{-0.14}$ for GRB 081230 and $z=1.28^{+0.16}_{-0.15}$ for GRB 090530. Combining the response from UVOT with ground-based observatories and in particular GROND operating in the optical/NIR wavelength regime, reliable photo-zs can be obtained from z ~ 1.0 out to z ~ 10, and possibly even at higher redshifts in some favorable cases, provided that these GRBs exist, are localized quickly, have sufficiently bright afterglows and are not heavily obscured.

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arXiv2010

A Statistical Comparison of the Optical/UV and X-ray Afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts using the Swift Ultra-violet Optical and X-ray Telescopes

We present the systematic analysis of the UVOT and XRT light curves for a sample of 26 Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). By comparing the optical/UV and X-ray light curves, we found that they are remarkably different during the first 500s after the BAT trigger, while they become more similar during the middle phase of the afterglow, i.e. between 2000s and 20000s. If we take literally the average properties of the sample, we find that the mean temporal indices observed in the optical/UV and X-rays after 500s are consistent with a forward-shock scenario, under the assumptions that electrons are in the slow cooling regime, the external medium is of constant density and the synchrotron cooling frequency is situated between the optical/UV and X-ray observing bands. While this scenario describes well the averaged observed properties, some individual GRB afterglows require different or additional assumptions, such as the presence of late energy injection. We show that a chromatic break (a break in the X-ray light curve that is not seen in the optical) is present in the afterglows of 3 GRBs and demonstrate evidence for chromatic breaks in a further 4 GRBs. The average properties of these breaks cannot be explained in terms of the passage of the synchrotron cooling frequency through the observed bands, nor a simple change in the external density. It is difficult to reconcile chromatic breaks in terms of a single component outflow and instead, more complex jet structure or additional emission components are required.

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arXiv2010

Discovery of the nearby long, soft GRB 100316D with an associated supernova

We report the Swift discovery of nearby long, soft gamma-ray burst GRB 100316D, and the subsequent unveiling of its low redshift host galaxy and associated supernova. We derive the redshift of the event to be z = 0.0591 +/- 0.0001 and provide accurate astrometry for the GRB-SN. We study the extremely unusual prompt emission with time-resolved gamma-ray to X-ray spectroscopy, and find that the spectrum is best modelled with a thermal component in addition to a synchrotron emission component with a low peak energy. The X-ray light curve has a remarkably shallow decay out to at least 800 s. The host is a bright, blue galaxy with a highly disturbed morphology and we use Gemini South, VLT and HST observations to measure some of the basic host galaxy properties. We compare and contrast the X-ray emission and host galaxy of GRB 100316D to a subsample of GRB-SNe. GRB 100316D is unlike the majority of GRB-SNe in its X-ray evolution, but resembles rather GRB 060218, and we find that these two events have remarkably similar high energy prompt emission properties. Comparison of the host galaxies of GRB-SNe demonstrates, however, that there is a great diversity in the environments in which GRB-SNe can be found. GRB 100316D is an important addition to the currently sparse sample of spectroscopically confirmed GRB-SNe, from which a better understanding of long GRB progenitors and the GRB--SN connection can be gleaned.

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arXiv2010

GRB 090926A and Bright Late-time Fermi LAT GRB Afterglows

GRB 090926A was detected by both the GBM and LAT instruments on-board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Swift follow-up observations began ~13 hours after the initial trigger. The optical afterglow was detected for nearly 23 days post trigger, placing it in the long lived category. The afterglow is of particular interest due to its brightness at late times, as well as the presence of optical flares at T0+10^5 s and later, which may indicate late-time central engine activity. The LAT has detected a total of 16 GRBs; 9 of these bursts, including GRB 090926A, also have been observed by Swift. Of the 9 Swift observed LAT bursts, 6 were detected by UVOT, with 5 of the bursts having bright, long-lived optical afterglows. In comparison, Swift has been operating for 5 years and has detected nearly 500 bursts, but has only seen ~30% of bursts with optical afterglows that live longer than 10^5 s. We have calculated the predicted gamma-ray fluence, as would have been seen by the BAT on-board Swift, of the LAT bursts to determine whether this high percentage of long-lived optical afterglows is unique, when compared to BAT-triggered bursts. We find that, with the exception of the short burst GRB 090510A, the predicted BAT fluences indicate the LAT bursts are more energetic than 88% of all Swift bursts, and also have brighter than average X-ray and optical afterglows.

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arXiv2010

Chandra and Swift Follow-up Observations of the Intermediate Mass Black Hole in ESO243-49

The brightest Ultra-Luminous X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49 provides strong evidence for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. As the luminosity and thus the mass estimate depend on the association of HLX-1 with ESO 243-49, it is essential to confirm its affiliation. This requires follow-up investigations at wavelengths other than X-rays, which in-turn needs an improved source position. To further reinforce the intermediate mass black hole identification, it is necessary to determine HLX-1's environment to establish whether it could potentially form and nourish a black hole at the luminosities observed. Using the High Resolution Camera onboard Chandra, we determine a source position of RA=01h10m28.3s and Dec=-46d04'22.3". A conservative 95% error of 0.3" was found following a boresight correction by cross-matching the positions of 3 X-ray sources in the field with the 2MASS catalog. Combining all Swift UV/Optical Telescope uvw2 images, we failed to detect a UV source at the Chandra position down to a 3sigma limiting magnitude of 20.25 mag. However, there is evidence that the UV emission is elongated in the direction of HLX-1. This is supported by archival data from GALEX and suggests that the far-UV emission is stronger than the near-UV. This could imply that HLX-1 may be situated near the edge of a star forming region. Using the latest X-ray observations we deduce the mass accretion rate of a 500 Msun black hole with the observed luminosity and show that this is compatible with such an environment.

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arXiv2010

Further Observations of the Intermediate Mass Black Hole Candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1

The brightest Ultra-Luminous X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49 currently provides strong evidence for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. Here we present the latest multi-wavelength results on this intriguing source in X-ray, UV and radio bands. We have refined the X-ray position to sub-arcsecond accuracy. We also report the detection of UV emission that could indicate ongoing star formation in the region around HLX-1. The lack of detectable radio emission at the X-ray position strengthens the argument against a background AGN.

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arXiv2010

GRB 081008: from burst to afterglow and the transition phase in between

We present a multi-wavelength study of GRB 081008, at redshift 1.967, by Swift, ROTSE-III and GROND. Compared to other Swift GRBs, GRB 081008 has a typical gamma-ray isotropic equivalent energy output (10^53 erg) during the prompt phase, and displayed two temporally separated clusters of pulses. The early X-ray emission seen by the Swift/XRT was dominated by the softening tail of the prompt emission, producing multiple flares during and after the Swift/BAT detections. Optical observations that started shortly after the first active phase of gamma-ray emission showed two consecutive peaks. We interpret the first optical peak as the onset of the afterglow associated with the early burst activities. A second optical peak, coincident with the later gamma-ray pulses, imposes a small modification to the otherwise smooth lightcurve and thus suggests a minimal contribution from a probable internal component. We suggest the early optical variability may be from continuous energy injection into the forward shock front by later shells producing the second epoch of burst activities. These early observations thus provide a potential probe for the transition from prompt to the afterglow phase. The later lightcurve of GRB 081008 displays a smooth steepening in all optical bands and X-ray. The temporal break is consistent with being achromatic at the observed wavelengths. Our broad energy coverage shortly after the break constrains a spectral break within optical. However, the evolution of the break frequency is not observed. We discuss the plausible interpretations of this behavior.

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arXiv2009

Dust and Metal Column Densities in Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies

In this paper we present the results from the analysis of a sample of 28 gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow spectral energy distributions, spanning the X-ray through to near-infrared wavelengths. This is the largest sample of GRB afterglow spectral energy distributions thus far studied, providing a strong handle on the optical depth distribution of soft X-ray absorption and dust-extinction systems in GRB host galaxies. We detect an absorption system within the GRB host galaxy in 79% of the sample, and an extinction system in 71% of the sample, and find the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) extinction law to provide an acceptable fit to the host galaxy extinction profile for the majority of cases, consistent with previous findings. The range in the soft X-ray absorption to dust-extinction ratio, N_{H,X}/Av, in GRB host galaxies spans almost two orders of magnitude, and the typical ratios are significantly larger than those of the Magellanic Clouds or Milky Way. Although dust destruction could be a cause, at least in part, for the large N_{H,X}/Av ratios, the good fit provided by the SMC extinction law for the majority of our sample suggests that there is an abundance of small dust grains in the GRB environment, which we would expect to have been destroyed if dust destruction were responsible for the large N_{H,X}/Av ratios. Instead, our analysis suggests that the distribution of N_{H,X}/Av in GRB host galaxies may be mostly intrinsic to these galaxies, and this is further substantiated by evidence for a strong negative correlation between N_{H,X}/Av and metallicity for a subsample of GRB hosts with known metallicity. Furthermore, we find the N_{H,X}/Av ratio and metallicity for this subsample of GRBs to be comparable to the relation found in other more metal-rich galaxies.

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arXiv2009

Swift and Fermi observations of the early afterglow of the short Gamma-Ray Burst 090510

We present the observations of GRB090510 performed by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and the Swift observatory. This is a bright, short burst that shows an extended emission detected in the GeV range. Furthermore, its optical emission initially rises, a feature so far observed only in long bursts, while the X-ray flux shows an initial shallow decrease, followed by a steeper decay. This exceptional behavior enables us to investigate the physical properties of the GRB outflow, poorly known in short bursts. We discuss internal shock and external shock models for the broadband energy emission of this object.

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arXiv2009

Multi-Wavelength Properties of the Type IIb SN 2008ax

We present the UV, optical, X-ray, and radio properties of the Type IIb SN 2008ax discovered in NGC 4490. The observations in the UV are one of the earliest of a Type IIb supernova (SN). On approximately day four after the explosion, a dramatic upturn in the u and uvw1 (lambda_c = 2600 Angstroms) light curves occurred after an initial rapid decline which is attributed to adiabatic cooling after the initial shock breakout. This rapid decline and upturn is reminiscent of the Type IIb SN 1993J on day six after the explosion. Optical/near-IR spectra taken around the peak reveal prominent H-alpha, HeI, and CaII absorption lines. A fading X-ray source is also located at the position of SN 2008ax, implying an interaction of the SN shock with the surrounding circumstellar material and a mass-loss rate of the progenitor of M_dot = (9+/-3)x10^-6 solar masses per year. The unusual time evolution (14 days) of the 6 cm peak radio luminosity provides further evidence that the mass-loss rate is low. Combining the UV, optical, X-ray, and radio data with models of helium exploding stars implies the progenitor of SN 2008ax was an unmixed star in an interacting-binary. Modeling of the SN light curve suggests a kinetic energy (E_k) of 0.5x10^51 ergs, an ejecta mass (M_ej) of 2.9 solar masses, and a nickel mass (M_Ni) of 0.06 solar masses.

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arXiv2009

Swift-UVOT captures the earliest ultraviolet spectrum of a Gamma Ray Burst

We present the earliest ever ultraviolet spectrum of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) as observed with the Swift-UVOT. The GRB 081203A spectrum was observed for 50 seconds with the UV grism starting 251 seconds after the Swift-BAT trigger when the GRB was of u ~13.4 mag and still rising to its peak optical brightness. The UV grism spectrum shows a damped Ly-alpha line, Ly-beta, and the Lyman continuum break at a redshift z = 2.05 +/- 0.01. A model fit to the Lyman absorption implies log N(HI) = 22.0 +/- 0.2 cm-2, which is typical for GRB host galaxies with damped Ly-alpha absorbers. This observation of GRB 081203A demonstrates that for GRBs brighter than v ~14 mag and with 0.5 < z < 3.5 the UVOT will be able to provide redshifts, and probe for damped Ly-alpha absorbers within 4-6 minutes from the time of the Swift-BAT trigger.

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