arXiv subjects

Scott F. Anderson

Publications and source records attributed to Scott F. Anderson.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

The UV Spectrum of the Ultra-compact X-ray Binary- 4U 1627-673

We have obtained Hubble Space Telescope/STIS low-resolution ultraviolet spectra of the X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67 (=KZ TrA); 4U 1626-67 is unusual even among X-ray pulsars due to its ultra-short binary period (P=41.4 min) and remarkably low mass-function (<1.3e-6 Msun). The far-UV spectrum was exposed for a total of 32ks and has sufficient signal-to-noise to reveal numerous broad emission and prominent narrower absorption lines. Most of the absorption lines are consistent in strength with a purely interstellar origin. However, there is evidence that both CI and CIV require additional absorbing gas local to the system. In emission, the usual prominent lines of NV and HeII are absent, whilst both OIV and OV are relatively strong. We further identify a rarely seen feature at ~1660A as the OIII] multiplet. Our ultraviolet spectra therefore provide independent support for the recent suggestion that the mass donor is the chemically fractionated core of either a C-O-Ne or O-Ne-Mg white dwarf; this was put forward to explain the results of Chandra high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. The velocity profiles of the ultraviolet lines are in all cases broad and/or flat-topped, or perhaps even double-peaked for the highest ionization cases of O; in either case the ultraviolet line profiles are in broad agreement with the Doppler pairs found in the X-ray spectra. Both the X-ray and far-UV lines are plausibly formed in (or in an corona just above) a Keplerian accretion disc; the combination of ultraviolet and X-ray spectral data may provide a rich data set for follow-on detailed models of the disk dynamics and ionization structure in this highly unusual low-mass X-ray pulsar system.

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arXiv2002

Faint High Latitude Carbon Stars Discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Methods and Initial Results

We report the discovery of 39 Faint High Latitude Carbon Stars (FHLCs) from Sloan Digital Sky Survey commissioning data. The objects, each selected photometrically and verified spectroscopically, range over 16.6 < r* < 20.0, and show a diversity of temperatures as judged by both colors and NaD line strengths. At the completion of the Sloan Survey, there will be many hundred homogeneously selected and observed FHLCs in this sample. We present proper motion measures for each object, indicating that the sample is a mixture of extremely distant (>100 kpc) halo giant stars, useful for constraining halo dynamics, plus members of the recently-recognized exotic class of very nearby dwarf carbon (dC) stars. Motions, and thus dC classification, are inferred for 40-50 percent of the sample, depending on the level of statistical significance invoked. The new list of dC stars presented here, although selected from only a small fraction of the final SDSS, doubles the number of such objects found by all previous methods. (Abstract abridged).

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arXiv2002

The Optical Identification of the X-ray Burster X1746-370 in the Globular Cluster NGC6441

We find convincing observational evidence to confirm the optical identification of the X-ray burster X1746-370 located in the globular cluster NGC6441. Chandra/HRC-I imaging yields a much improved X-ray position for the source, which we show to be fully consistent with our rederived position of a UV-excess star, U1, in the same astrometric reference frame. In addition, the smaller Chandra X-ray error circle excludes the only other blue stars previously identified in the old Einstein circle. We have also obtained Hubble Space Telescope/STIS time-resolved optical spectra of star U1. Although there are no strong line features, the flux distribution demonstrates U1 to be unusually bright in the blue and faint in the red, consistent with earlier WFPC2 photometry. More notably, the flux level of the continuum is seen to vary significantly compared to stars of similar brightness. Indeed, the lightcurve can plausibly be fit by a 5.73 hr period sinusoid, which is the period of the recurring X-ray dips seen in this source. The presence of modulations in both wavelengths strengthens the case for an orbital origin, and therefore deepens the puzzle of the unusual energy independent X-ray dips. Lastly, we note that X1746-370 remains the longest period confirmed X-ray burster in a globular cluster, and the only one with a period typical of the galactic population as a whole.

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arXiv2001

The Rapid Burster in Liller 1: the Chandra X-ray Position and a Search for an IR Counterpart

Despite the unique X-ray behavior of the compact bursting X-ray source MXB1730-335, the "Rapid Burster" (RB) in the highly reddened globular cluster Liller 1, to date there has been no known optical/IR counterpart for the object, no precise astrometric solution that correlates X-ray, radio, and optical positions and thus restricts the number of possible candidates, nor even published IR images of the field. We solve a previous radio/X-ray positional discrepancy, presenting the results of precise Chandra X-ray imaging, which definitively show that the radio source is positionally aligned with MXB1730-335. At the same time, we have detected three additional low luminosity (Lx~10e34 erg/s) X-ray sources within two core radii, which are possibly quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries. We present both ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope infrared imaging of the field (in quiescent and bursting X-ray states of the RB), together with the necessary astrometric solution to overlay the radio/X-ray source positions. Even at HST resolution, the RB field is very complex and there are multiple candidates. No object of unusual color, or of substantial variability in quiescent versus active or burst versus non-burst states, is identified. Further, more sensitive HST/NICMOS and/or ground-based adaptive-optics observations are needed to confidently identify the proper counterpart. In the case of the RB, uncertain but plausible calculations on the effects of the burst on the binary companion indicate that detection of a variable candidate should be feasible.

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arXiv2001

High-Redshift Quasars Found in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Commissioning Data VI. Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectrograph Observations

We present results on over 100 high-redshift quasars found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), using automated selection algorithms applied to SDSS imaging data and with spectroscopic confirmation obtained during routine spectroscopic operations of the Sloan 2.5-m telescope. The SDSS spectra cover the wavelength range 3900--9200 Angstroms at a spectral resolution of 1800, and have been obtained for 116 quasars with redshifts greater than 3.94; 92 of these objects were previously uncataloged, significantly increasing the current tally of published z>4 quasars. The paper also reports observations of five additional new z>4.6 quasars; all were found from the SDSS imaging survey and spectroscopically confirmed with data from the Apache Point Observatory's 3.5-m telescope. The i' magnitudes of the quasars range from 18.03 to 20.56. Of the 97 new objects in this paper, 13 are Broad Absorption Line quasars. Five quasars, including one object at a redshift of 5.11, have 20 cm peak flux densities greater than 1 mJy. Two of the quasars, both at z=4.5, have very weak emission lines; one of these objects is a radio source. Nineteen of the newly-discovered objects have redshifts above 4.6, and the maximum redshift is z=5.41; among objects reported to date, the latter is the third highest redshift AGN, and penultimate in redshift among luminous quasars.

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arXiv2001

Weak Lensing Measurements of 42 SDSS/RASS Galaxy Clusters

We present a lensing study of 42 galaxy clusters imaged in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) commissioning data. Cluster candidates are selected optically from SDSS imaging data and confirmed for this study by matching to X-ray sources found independently in the ROSAT all sky survey (RASS). Five color SDSS photometry is used to make accurate photometric redshift estimates that are used to rescale and combine the lensing measurements. The mean shear from these clusters is detected to 2 h-1 Mpc at the 7-sigma level, corresponding to a mass within that radius of 4.2 +/- 0.6 x 10^14 h-1 M_sun. The shear profile is well fit by a power law with index -0.9 +/- 0.3, consistent with that of an isothermal density profile. This paper demonstrates our ability to measure ensemble cluster masses from SDSS imaging data.

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arXiv2001

Optical Identification of the X-ray Burster in the Globular Cluster NGC1851

We have obtained exposures of the field of X0512-401 in the globular cluster NGC1851, in X-rays with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and in the far-UV with the Hubble Space Telescope. We derive an accurate new X-ray position within ~1" for X0512-401, which enables us to confirm that the only plausible candidate for the optical/UV counterpart is the Star A, which we previously identified from WFPC2 imaging. We find no evidence for X-ray or UV flux modulation on the ultra-short (<1 hr) expected binary period, which implies a low system inclination. In addition, we have detected and spatially resolved an X-ray burst event, confirming the association of the burster, quiescent X-ray source, and optical object. The very large Lx/Lopt of this object implies an extraordinarily compact system, similar to the sources in NGC6624 and NGC6712.

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arXiv1999

Ultracompact X-ray Binaries in Globular Clusters: Variability of the Optical Counterpart of X1832-330 in NGC 6652

Evidence is emerging that the luminous X-ray sources in the cores of globular clusters may often consist of, or perhaps even as a class be dominated by, ultracompact (P < 1 hr) binary stars. To the two such systems already known, in NGC 6624 and NGC 6712, we now add evidence for two more. We detect large amplitude variability in the candidate optical counterpart for the X-ray source in the core of NGC 6652. Although the available observations are relatively brief, the existing Hubble Space Telescope data indicate a strong 43.6 min periodic modulation of the visible flux of semi-amplitude 30%. Further, although the orbital period of the source in NGC 1851 is not yet explicitly measured, we demonstrate that previous correlations of optical luminosity with X-ray luminosity and accretion disk size, strengthened by recent data, strongly imply that the period of that system is also less than 1 hr. Thus currently there is evidence that 4 of the 7 globular cluster X-ray sources with constrained periods are ultracompact, a fraction far greater than that found in X-ray binaries the field.

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arXiv1999

Measuring Omega Baryon from the Helium Lyman-Alpha Forest

A new method to extract Omega_b from high redshift intergalactic absorption is described, based on the distribution of HeII Ly-alpha optical depths in the voids in the ionization zone of quasars. A preliminary estimate from recent HST-STIS spectra of PKS 1935-692 at z=3 gives Omega_b h^2 = 0.013^{+0.002}_{-0.001} (1-sigma statistical errors, for a Lambda-CDM cosmology with additional systematic uncertainties) consistent with other estimates.

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arXiv1999

Serendipitous Discovery of a Cataclysmic Variable in the Globular Cluster NGC 6624

Despite indications that classical cataclysmic variable (CV) stars are rare in globular clusters in general, and in the cluster NGC 6624 in particular, we have serendipitously discovered such a star ~6'' from the cluster center. A Hubble Space Telescope spectrum of the m~22 object shows strong, broad emission lines typical of numerous field CVs, and the inferred optical and UV luminosity are also similar. Our accidental observation also provides the first high-quality ultraviolet spectrum of a globular cluster CV. That we have detected such an object in an observation that includes just a few percent of the central area of the cluster may indicate that cluster CVs are more common than previously thought, at least near the core.

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arXiv1999

Infrared Candidates for the Intense Galactic X-ray Source GX 17+2

We present new astrometric solutions and infrared Hubble Space Telescope observations of GX 17+2 (X1813-140), one of the brightest X-ray sources on the celestial sphere. Despite 30 years of intensive study, and the existence of a strong radio counterpart with a sub-arcsecond position, the object remains optically unidentified. The observed X-ray characteristics strongly suggest that it is a so-called "Z-source," the rare but important category that includes Sco X-1 and Cyg X-2. Use of the USNO-A2.0 catalog enables us to measure the position of optical and infrared objects near the radio source to sub-arcsecond precision within the International Celestial Reference Frame, for direct comparison with the radio position, which we also recompute using modern calibrators. With high confidence we eliminate the V~17.5 star NP Ser, often listed as the probable optical counterpart of the X-ray source, as a candidate. Our HST NICMOS observations show two faint objects within our 0.5" radius 90% confidence error circle. Even the brighter of the two, Star A, is far fainter than expected (H~19.8), given multiple estimates of the extinction in this field and our previous understanding of Z sources, but it becomes the best candidate for the counterpart of GX 17+2. The probability of a chance coincidence of an unrelated faint object on the radio position is high. However, if the true counterpart is not Star A, it is fainter still, and our conclusion that the optical counterpart is surprisingly underluminous is but strengthened.

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arXiv1999

A Morphological and Multicolor Survey for Faint QSOs in the Groth-Westphal Strip

Quasars representative of the populous faint end of the luminosity function are frustratingly dim with m~24 at intermediate redshift; moreover groundbased surveys for such faint QSOs suffer substantial morphological contamination by compact galaxies having similar colors. In order to establish a more reliable ultrafaint QSO sample, we used the APO 3.5-m telescope to take deep groundbased U-band CCD images in fields previously imaged in V,I with WFPC2/HST. Our approach hence combines multicolor photometry with the 0.1" spatial resolution of HST, to establish a morphological and multicolor survey for QSOs extending about 2 magnitudes fainter than most extant groundbased surveys. We present results for the "Groth-Westphal Strip", in which we identify 10 high likelihood UV-excess candidates having stellar or stellar-nucleus+galaxy morphology in WFPC2. For m(606)<24.0 (roughly B<24.5) the surface density of such QSO candidates is 420 (+180,-130) per square degree, or a surface density of 290 (+160,-110) per square degree with an additional V-I cut that may further exclude compact emission line galaxies. Even pending confirming spectroscopy, the observed surface density of QSO candidates is already low enough to yield interesting comparisons: our measures agree extremely well with the predictions of several recent luminosity function models.

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arXiv1998

The Full Re-Ionization of Helium

Observations of resolved HeII Lyman alpha absorption in spectra of two QSO's suggest that the epoch of helium ionization occurred at z~3. Proximity zones in the spectra of the quasars (z=3.18, 3.285) at 304 A resemble Stromgren spheres, suggesting that the intergalactic medium is only singly ionized in helium. We present models of the proximity effect which include the full physics of the ionization, heating and cooling and an accurately simulated inhomogeneous gas distribution. In these models the underdense intergalactic medium is heated to at least 10,000-20,000 K after cooling to as low as a few 1000 K due to cosmological expansion, with higher temperatures achieved farther away from the quasar due to absorption-hardened ionizing spectra. The quasars turn on for a few times 10^7 years with a fairly steady flux output at 228 A comparable to the 304 A flux output directly observed with HST. The recoveries in the spectra occur naturally due to voids in the IGM and may provide a fairly model-independent probe of the baryon density.

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arXiv1998

Mapping Low-Density Intergalactic Gas: a Third Helium Lyman-alpha Forest

We present a new HST/STIS spectrum of the z=3.18 quasar PKS 1935-692 and summarize the spectral features shortwards of 304A in the rest frame likely to be caused by foreground HeII Lyman-alpha absorption. In accord with previous results on two other quasars at similar redshifts, we demonstrate a correlation with the HI Lyman-alpha forest absorption, and show that much of the helium absorption is caused by a comparable quantity of more diffuse gas with Omega~0.01, that is not detected in HI. The helium ionization zone around the quasar is detected as well as a void seen in both HI and HeII. The properties of the absorption are in broad agreement with those of the other quasars and with models of the protogalactic gas distribution and ionization at this redshift.

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arXiv1998

A Search for the Optical Counterpart of the Luminous X-ray Source in NGC 6652

We examine images of the field of X1832-330, the luminous (Lx ~ 10^36 erg/s) X-ray burst source near the center of the globular cluster NGC 6652, in order to identify the optical counterpart for further study. U and B ground-based images allow us to set a limit M_B > 3.5 for the counterpart at the time of those observations, provided that the color is (U-B)_0 ~ -1, similar to the sources known in other clusters. Archival Hubble Space Telescope observations survey most but not all of the 1 sigma X-ray error circle, and allow us to set limits M_B > 5.9 and M_B > 5.2 in the WF/PC and WFPC2 regions, respectively. In the WF/PC images we do weakly detect a faint object with UV-excess, but it is located 11.7'' from the ROSAT X-ray position. This considerable (2.3 sigma) discrepancy in position suggests that this candidate be treated with caution, but it remains the only reasonable one advanced thus far. We measure for this star m_439 = 20.2 +- 0.2, (m_336 - m_439) = -0.5 +- 0.2, and estimate M_B = 5.5, (U-B)_0 = -0.9, similar to other known optical counterparts. If this candidate is not the identification, our limits imply that the true counterpart, not yet identified, is probably the optically-faintest cluster source yet known, or alternatively that it did not show significant UV excess at the time of these observations. Finally, we assess the outlook for the identification of the remaining luminous globular cluster X-ray sources.

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arXiv1997

The Probable Optical Counterpart of the Luminous X-ray Source in NGC 6441

We report results from Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 imaging of the field of the luminous, bursting X-ray source in the globular cluster NGC 6441. Although the X-ray position is known to a precision of a few arcseconds, this source is only ~6'' from the cluster center, and the field contains hundreds of stars within the 3'' X-ray error circle, making it difficult to isolate the optical counterpart. Nevertheless, our multicolor images reveal a single, markedly UV-excess object with m_{336}=19.0, m_{439}=19.3, within the X-ray error circle. Correcting for substantial reddening and bandpass differences, we infer B_0=18.1, (U-B)_0=-1.0, clearly an unusual star for a globular cluster. Furthermore, we observe an ultraviolet intensity variation of 30% for this object over 0.5 hr, as well as an even greater variation in m_{439} between two HST observations taken approximately one year apart. The combination of considerable UV-excess and significant variability strongly favors this object as the optical counterpart to the low-mass X-ray binary X1746-370. With a group of five optical counterparts to high-luminosity globular cluster X-ray sources now known, we present a homogeneous set of HST photometry on these objects, and compare their optical properties with those of field low-mass X-ray binaries. The mean (U-B)_0 color of the cluster sources is identical to that of the field sources, and the mean M_{B_0} is similar to bursters in the field. However, the ratio of optical to X-ray flux of cluster sources seems to show a significantly larger dispersion than field sources.

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arXiv1997

Time-Resolved Ultraviolet Observations of the Globular Cluster X-ray Source in NGC 6624: The Shortest Known Period Binary System

Using the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained the first time-resolved spectra of the King et al. ultraviolet-bright counterpart to the 11-minute binary X-ray source in the core of the globular cluster NGC 6624. This object cannot be readily observed in the visible, even from HST, due to a much brighter star superposed <0.1'' distant. Our FOS data show a highly statistically significant UV flux modulation with a period of 11.46+-0.04 min, very similar to the 685 sec period of the known X-ray modulation, definitively confirming the association between the King et al. UV counterpart and the intense X-ray source. The UV amplitude is very large compared with the observed X-ray oscillations: X-ray variations are generally reported as 2-3% peak-to-peak, whereas our data show an amplitude of about 16% in the 126-251 nm range. A model for the system by Arons & King predicts periodic UV fluctuations in this shortest-known period binary system, due to the cyclically changing aspect of the X-ray heated face of the secondary star (perhaps a very low mass helium degenerate). However, prior to our observations, this predicted modulation has not been detected. Employing the Arons & King formalism, which invokes a number of different physical assumptions, we infer a system orbital inclination 35deg<i<50 deg. Amongst the three best-studied UV/optical counterparts to the intense globular cluster X-ray sources, two are now thought to consist of exotic double-degenerate ultrashort period binary systems.

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arXiv1997

Resolving the Helium Lyman-$α$ Forest: Mapping Intergalactic Gas and Ionizing Radiation at $z\approx 3$

We present a new, high resolution HST/GHRS spectrum of quasar Q0302-003, and use the HeII Lyman-$α$ absorption, together with a high resolution Keck spectrum of the HI Lyman-$α$ forest, to probe the distribution and ionization state of foreground gas just below the quasar redshift $z\approx 3.3$. The main new conclusions from the current data are: 1. The HeII Lyman-$α$ forest is detected; 2. The ``diffuse'' (redshift-space-filling) medium is also detected, and must have a low density ($Ω\le 0.01 (h/0.7)^{-3/2}$) consistent with standard primordial nucleosynthesis and models of early gas collapse into protogalaxies; 3. The intergalactic ionizing spectrum is soft ($η\ge 100$), although the intergalactic helium is probably mostly doubly ionized by $z=3.3$; 4. The helium abundance is within a factor of a few of standard Big Bang predictions, over a large volume of space at high redshift.

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