arXiv subjects

T. Hilger

Publications and source records attributed to T. Hilger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Gaia Early Data Release 3: The celestial reference frame (Gaia-CRF3)

Gaia-CRF3 is the celestial reference frame for positions and proper motions in the third release of data from the Gaia mission, Gaia DR3 (and for the early third release, Gaia EDR3, which contains identical astrometric results). The reference frame is defined by the positions and proper motions at epoch 2016.0 for a specific set of extragalactic sources in the (E)DR3 catalogue. We describe the construction of Gaia-CRF3, and its properties in terms of the distributions in magnitude, colour, and astrometric quality. Compact extragalactic sources in Gaia DR3 were identified by positional cross-matching with 17 external catalogues of quasars (QSO) and active galactic nuclei (AGN), followed by astrometric filtering designed to remove stellar contaminants. Selecting a clean sample was favoured over including a higher number of extragalactic sources. For the final sample, the random and systematic errors in the proper motions are analysed, as well as the radio-optical offsets in position for sources in the third realisation of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3). The Gaia-CRF3 comprises about 1.6 million QSO-like sources, of which 1.2 million have five-parameter astrometric solutions in Gaia DR3 and 0.4 million have six-parameter solutions. The sources span the magnitude range G = 13 to 21 with a peak density at 20.6 mag, at which the typical positional uncertainty is about 1 mas. The proper motions show systematic errors on the level of 12 $μ$as yr${}^{-1}$ on angular scales greater than 15 deg. For the 3142 optical counterparts of ICRF3 sources in the S/X frequency bands, the median offset from the radio positions is about 0.5 mas, but exceeds 4 mas in either coordinate for 127 sources. We outline the future of the Gaia-CRF in the next Gaia data releases.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Gaia Data Release 3: Pulsations in main sequence OBAF-type stars

The third Gaia data release provides photometric time series covering 34 months for about 10 million stars. For many of those stars, a characterisation in Fourier space and their variability classification are also provided. This paper focuses on intermediate- to high-mass (IHM) main sequence pulsators M >= 1.3 Msun) of spectral types O, B, A, or F, known as beta Cep, slowly pulsating B (SPB), delta Sct, and gamma Dor stars. These stars are often multi-periodic and display low amplitudes, making them challenging targets to analyse with sparse time series. All datasets used in this analysis are part of the Gaia DR3 data release. The photometric time series were used to perform a Fourier analysis, while the global astrophysical parameters necessary for the empirical instability strips were taken from the Gaia DR3 gspphot tables, and the vsini data were taken from the Gaia DR3 esphs tables. We show that for nearby OBAF-type pulsators, the Gaia DR3 data are precise and accurate enough to pinpoint them in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. We find empirical instability strips covering broader regions than theoretically predicted. In particular, our study reveals the presence of fast rotating gravity-mode pulsators outside the strips, as well as the co-existence of rotationally modulated variables inside the strips as reported before in the literature. We derive an extensive period-luminosity relation for delta Sct stars and provide evidence that the relation features different regimes depending on the oscillation period. Finally, we demonstrate how stellar rotation attenuates the amplitude of the dominant oscillation mode of delta Sct stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Gaia Early Data Release 3: Parallax bias versus magnitude, colour, and position

Gaia Early Data Release 3 (Gaia EDR3) gives trigonometric parallaxes for nearly 1.5 billion sources. Inspection of the EDR3 data for sources identified as quasars reveals that their parallaxes are biased, that is systematically offset from the expected distribution around zero, by a few tens of microarcsec. We attempt to map the main dependencies of the parallax bias in EDR3. In principle this could provide a recipe for correcting the EDR3 parallaxes. For faint sources the quasars provide the most direct way to estimate parallax bias. In order to extend this to brighter sources and a broader range of colours, we use differential methods based on physical pairs (binaries) and sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The functional forms of the dependencies are explored by mapping the systematic differences between EDR3 and DR2 parallaxes. The parallax bias is found to depend in a non-trivial way on (at least) the magnitude, colour, and ecliptic latitude of the source. Different dependencies apply to the five- and six-parameter solutions in EDR3. While it is not possible to derive a definitive recipe for the parallax correction, we give tentative expressions to be used at the researcher's discretion and point out some possible paths towards future improvements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Gaia Early Data Release 3: The astrometric solution

Gaia Early Data Release 3 (Gaia EDR3) contains results for 1.812 billion sources in the magnitude range G = 3 to 21 based on observations collected by the European Space Agency Gaia satellite during the first 34 months of its operational phase. We describe the input data, the models, and the processing used for the astrometric content of Gaia EDR3, as well as the validation of these results performed within the astrometry task. The processing broadly followed the same procedures as for Gaia DR2, but with significant improvements to the modelling of observations. For the first time in the Gaia data processing, colour-dependent calibrations of the line- and point-spread functions have been used for sources with well-determined colours from DR2. In the astrometric processing these sources obtained five-parameter solutions, whereas other sources were processed using a special calibration that allowed a pseudocolour to be estimated as the sixth astrometric parameter. Compared with DR2, the astrometric calibration models have been extended, and the spin-related distortion model includes a self-consistent determination of basic-angle variations, improving the global parallax zero point. Gaia EDR3 gives full astrometric data (positions at epoch J2016.0, parallaxes, and proper motions) for 1.468 billion sources (585 million with five-parameter solutions, 882 million with six parameters), and mean positions at J2016.0 for an additional 344 million. Solutions with five parameters are generally more accurate than six-parameter solutions, and are available for 93% of the sources brighter than G = 17 mag. The median uncertainty in parallax and annual proper motion is 0.02-0.03 mas at magnitude G = 9 to 14, and around 0.5 mas at G = 20. Extensive characterisation of the statistical properties of the solutions is provided, including the estimated angular power spectrum of parallax bias from the quasars.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Gaia Early Data Release 3: Acceleration of the solar system from Gaia astrometry

Context. Gaia Early Data Release 3 (Gaia EDR3) provides accurate astrometry for about 1.6 million compact (QSO-like) extragalactic sources, 1.2 million of which have the best-quality five-parameter astrometric solutions. Aims. The proper motions of QSO-like sources are used to reveal a systematic pattern due to the acceleration of the solar system barycentre with respect to the rest frame of the Universe. Apart from being an important scientific result by itself, the acceleration measured in this way is a good quality indicator of the Gaia astrometric solution. Methods. The effect of the acceleration is obtained as a part of the general expansion of the vector field of proper motions in Vector Spherical Harmonics (VSH). Various versions of the VSH fit and various subsets of the sources are tried and compared to get the most consistent result and a realistic estimate of its uncertainty. Additional tests with the Gaia astrometric solution are used to get a better idea on possible systematic errors in the estimate. Results. Our best estimate of the acceleration based on Gaia EDR3 is $(2.32 \pm 0.16) \times 10^{-10}$ m s${}^{-2}$ (or $7.33 \pm 0.51$ km s$^{-1}$ Myr${}^{-1}$) towards $α= 269.1^\circ \pm 5.4^\circ$, $δ= -31.6^\circ \pm 4.1^\circ$, corresponding to a proper motion amplitude of $5.05 \pm 0.35$ $μ$as yr${}^{-1}$. This is in good agreement with the acceleration expected from current models of the Galactic gravitational potential. We expect that future Gaia data releases will provide estimates of the acceleration with uncertainties substantially below 0.1 $μ$as yr${}^{-1}$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Gaia Data Release 2: The astrometric solution

Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia DR2) contains results for 1693 million sources in the magnitude range 3 to 21 based on observations collected by the European Space Agency Gaia satellite during the first 22 months of its operational phase. We describe the input data, models, and processing used for the astrometric content of Gaia DR2, and the validation of these results performed within the astrometry task. Some 320 billion centroid positions from the pre-processed astrometric CCD observations were used to estimate the five astrometric parameters (positions, parallaxes, and proper motions) for 1332 million sources, and approximate positions at the reference epoch J2015.5 for an additional 361 million mostly faint sources. Special validation solutions were used to characterise the random and systematic errors in parallax and proper motion. For the sources with five-parameter astrometric solutions, the median uncertainty in parallax and position at the reference epoch J2015.5 is about 0.04 mas for bright (G<14 mag) sources, 0.1 mas at G=17 mag, and 0.7 mas at G=20 mag. In the proper motion components the corresponding uncertainties are 0.05, 0.2, and 1.2 mas/yr, respectively. The optical reference frame defined by Gaia DR2 is aligned with ICRS and is non-rotating with respect to the quasars to within 0.15 mas/yr. From the quasars and validation solutions we estimate that systematics in the parallaxes depending on position, magnitude, and colour are generally below 0.1 mas, but the parallaxes are on the whole too small by about 0.03 mas. Significant spatial correlations of up to 0.04 mas in parallax and 0.07 mas/yr in proper motion are seen on small (<1 deg) and intermediate (20 deg) angular scales. Important statistics and information for the users of the Gaia DR2 astrometry are given in the appendices.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

S- and D-wave vector charmonia

We revisit earlier calculations of leptonic decay constants of vector charmonia and present and illustrate our decomposition of the corresponding covariant Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes in terms of orbital angular momentum as interpreted in the meson's rest frame. Our results confirm our previous conclusions drawn from the magnitudes of vector-meson leptonic decay constants, identifying the Psi(3770) and Psi(4160) as D-wave states in our setup.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Light-quarkonium spectra and orbital-angular-momentum decomposition in a Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach

We investigate the light quarkonium spectrum using a covariant Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach to QCD. We discuss splittings among as well as orbital angular momentum properties of various states in detail and analyze common features of mass splittings with regard to properties of the effective interaction. In particular, we predict the mass of sbars exotic 1-+ states, and identify orbital angular momentum content in the excitations of the rho meson. Comparing our covariant model results, the rho and its second excitation being predominantly S-wave, the first excitation being predominantly D-wave, to corresponding conflicting lattice-QCD studies, we investigate the pion-mass dependence of the orbital-angular-momentum assignment and find a crossing at a scale of $m_π$ ~ 1.4 GeV. If this crossing turns out to be a feature of the spectrum generated by lattice-QCD studies as well, it may reconcile the different results, since they have been obtained at different values of $m_π$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Aspects of open-flavour mesons in a comprehensive DSBSE study

Open-flavour meson studies are the necessary completion to any comprehensive investigation of quarkonia. We extend recent studies of quarkonia in the Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach to explore their results for all possible flavour combinations. Within the inherent limitations of the setup, we present the most comprehensive results for meson masses and leptonic decay constants currently available and put them in perspective with respect to experiment and other approaches.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Quasi-exotic open-flavor mesons

Meson states with exotic quantum numbers arise naturally in a covariant bound-state framework in QCD. We investigate the consequences of shifting quark masses such that the states are no longer restricted to certain C-parities, but only by J^P. Then, a priori, one can no longer distinguish exotic or conventional states. In order to identify signatures of the different states to look for experimentally, we provide the behavior of masses, leptonic decay constants, and orbital-angular-momentum decomposition of such mesons, as well as the constellations in which they could be found. Most prominently, we consider the case of charged quasi-exotic excitations of the pion.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Leptonic decays of D-wave vector quarkonia

We give a short and basic introduction to our covariant Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach using a rainbow-ladder truncated model of QCD, in which we investigate the leptonic decay properties of heavy quarkonium states in the pseudoscalar and vector channels. Comparing the magnitudes of decay constants, we identify radial 1-- excitations in our calculation with experimental excitations of J/Ψand Υ. Particular attention is paid to those states regarded as D-wave states in the quark model. We predict e+e- decay width of the Υ(1^3D_1) and Υ(2^3D_1) states of the order of ca. 15 eV or more. We also provide a set of predictions for decay constants of pseudoscalar radial excitations in heavy quarkonia.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Effects of a dressed quark-gluon vertex in vector heavy-light mesons and theory average of B(c)* meson mass

We extend earlier investigations of heavy-light pseudoscalar mesons to the vector case, using a simple model in the context of the Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter approach. We investigate the effects of a dressed-quark-gluon vertex in a systematic fashion and illustrate and attempt to quantify corrections beyond the phenomenologically very useful and successful rainbow-ladder truncation. In particular we investigate dressed quark photon vertex in such a setup and make a prediction for the experimentally as yet unknown mass of the B_c*, which we obtain at 6.334 GeV well in line with predictions from other approaches. Furthermore, we combine a comprehensive set of results from the theory literature. The theory average for the mass of the B_c* meson is 6.336 +- 0.002 GeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Effects of a dressed quark-gluon vertex in pseudoscalar heavy-light mesons

Using a simple model in the context of the Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter approach, we investigate the effects of a dressed-quark-gluon vertex on pseudoscalar meson masses. In particular, we focus on the unequal-mass case and investigate heavy-light meson masses; in addition, we study the premise of the effective treatment of heavy quarks in our approach.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Masses of J^PC =1^-+ exotic quarkonia in a Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach

We investigate the properties of mesons with the exotic J^PC = 1^-+ quantum numbers. Starting out from the light-quark domain, where the π_1 states are used as references, we predict the masses of analogous quarkonia for c\bar{c} and b\bar{b} configurations. We employ a covariant Dyson-Schwinger-Bethe-Salpeter-equation approach with a rainbow-ladder truncated model of quantum chromodynamics.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Defining medium-specific condensates in QCD sum rules for $D$ and $B$ mesons

QCD sum rules for $D$ and $B$ mesons in a strongly interacting environment require the decomposition of Gibbs averaged operators related to tensor structures. We present a procedure to decompose these operators into vacuum and medium-specific parts, thus defining plain medium-specific condensates with coefficients vanishing in vacuum. Our decomposition allows for an identification of potential elements of order parameters for chiral restoration, in particular for higher mass-dimension quark-condensates which would be masked otherwise if operators with uncontracted Lorentz indices would be linked to DIS amplitudes.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2013

Analytical properties of the quark propagator from truncated Dyson-Schwinger equation in complex Euclidean space

In view of the mass spectrum of heavy mesons in vacuum the analytical properties of the solutions of the truncated Dyson-Schwinger equatio for the quark propagator within the rainbow approximation are analysed in some detail. In Euclidean space, the quark propagator is not an analytical function possessing, in general, an infinite number of singularities (poles) which hamper to solve the Bethe-Salpeter equation. However, for light mesons (with masses M_{q\bar q} <= 1 GeV) all singularities are located outside the region within which the Bethe-Salpeter equation is defined. With an increase of the considered meson masses this region enlarges and already at masses >= 1 GeV, the poles of propagators of u,d and s quarks fall within the integration domain of the Bethe-Salpeter equation. Nevertheless, it is established that for meson masses up to M_{q\bar q}~=3 GeV only the first, mutually complex conjugated, poles contribute to the solution. We argue that, by knowing the position of the poles and their residues, a reliable parametrisation of the quark propagators can be found and used in numerical procedures of solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation. Our analysis is directly related to the future physics programme at FAIR with respect to open charm degrees of freedom.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

A Combined Solution of the Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter Equations for Mesons as $q\bar q$ Bound States

The mass spectrum of heavy pseudoscalar mesons, described as quark-antiquark bound systems, is considered within the Bethe-Salpeter formalism with momentum dependent masses of the constituents. This dependence is found by solving the Schwinger-Dyson equation for quark propagators in rainbow-ladder approximation. Such an approximation is known to provide both a fast convergence of numerical methods and accurate results for lightest mesons. However, as the meson mass increases, the method becomes less stable and special attention must be devoted to details of numerical means of solving the corresponding equations. We focus on the pseudoscalar sector and show that our numerical scheme describes fairly accurately the $π$, $K$, $D$, $D_s$ and $η_c$ ground states. Excited states are considered as well. Our calculations are directly related to the future physics programme at FAIR.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2010

Heavy pseudoscalar mesons in a Schwinger-Dyson--Bethe-Salpeter approach

The mass spectrum of heavy pseudoscalar mesons, described as quark-antiquark bound systems, is considered within the Bethe-Salpeter formalism with momentum-dependent masses of the constituents. This dependence is found by solving the Schwinger-Dyson equation for quark propagators in rainbow-ladder approximation. Such an approximation is known to provide both a fast convergence of numerical methods and accurate results for lightest mesons. However, as the meson mass increases, the method becomes less stable and special attention must be devoted to details of numerical means of solving the corresponding equations. We focus on the pseudoscalar sector and show that our numerical scheme describes fairly accurately the $π$, $K$, $D$, $D_s$ and $η_c$ ground states. Excited states are considered as well. Our calculations are directly related to the future physics programme at FAIR.

nucl-th↗