arXiv subjects

W. M. Goss

Publications and source records attributed to W. M. Goss.

176 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

Discovery of a New Filamentary Structure near the Galactic Center: G358.85+0.47 - The Pelican

We report the discovery of a new filamentary structure, G358.85+0.47, consisting of at least three mutually parallel but bent `strands', located about 1.5 degrees SW of the Sgr A complex. Unlike all the other known Galactic center filaments, G358.85+0.47 is oriented parallel to the galactic plane. This orientation of the filament may have implications for the large scale structure of the magnetic field near the Galactic Center. This feature was identified in a new wide-field image of the Galactic Center region at 90 cm. Further higher resolution observations at 20 cm revealed a filamentary structure which is similar to several other known linear features in the vicinity of the Galactic center. Based on its appearance in a 20 cm image, we give it the name 'the Pelican' for further reference.

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arXiv1999

Ionized Gas in the SgrA Complex - VLA Observations of H168alpha and H270alpha Recombination Lines

Radio recombination lines at a wavelength of 20 cm reveals the presence of an extended component of ionized gas of lower density in the Sgr A complex. This component extends well beyond the thermal `mini-spiral' SgrA-West, which seem to be embedded in it. The low-density component is present over the entire extent of SgrA East and possibly beyond and it is responsible for the turnover in the spectrum of SgrA East and the halo observed by Pedlar et al (1989) at 90 cm. The radial velocity of the extended ionized gas range from +50 km/s to -200 km/s with minima of emission near -50 and -150 km/s. The total mass of the low-density component is estimated to be 10^4 solar masses. A possible extended feature at a high velocity of 470 km/s is also detected, but needs further observations to confirm it.

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arXiv1999

Sub-Milliarcsecond Precision of Pulsar Motions: Using In-Beam Calibrators with the VLBA

We present Very Long Baseline Array phase-referenced measurements of the parallax and proper motion of two pulsars, B0919+06 and B1857-26. Sub-milliarcsecond positional accuracy was obtained by simultaneously observing a weak calibrator source within the 40' field of view of the VLBA at 1.5 GHz. We discuss the merits of using weak close calibrator sources for VLBI observations at low frequencies, and outline a method of observation and data reduction for these type of measurements. For the pulsar B1919+06 we measure a parallax of 0.31 +/- 0.14 mas. The accuracy of the proper motions is approximately 0.5 mas, an order of magnitude improvement over most previous determinations.

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arXiv1998

G359.87+0.18: An FR II Radio Galaxy 15 Arcminutes from Sgr A*. Implications for the Scattering Region in the Galactic Center

G359.87+0.18 is an enigmatic object located 15' from Sgr A*. It has been variously classified as an extragalactic source, Galactic jet source, and young supernova remnant. We present new observations of G359.87+0.18 between 0.33 and 15 GHz and use these to argue that this source is an Faranoff-Riley II radio galaxy. We are able to place a crude limit on its redshift of z > 0.1. The source has a spectral index α< -1 (S \propto ν^α), suggestive of a radio galaxy with a redshift z >~ 2. The scattering diameters of Sgr A* and several nearby OH masers (~ 1" at 1 GHz) indicate that a region of enhanced scattering is along the line of sight to the Galactic center. If the region covers the Galactic center uniformly, the implied diameter for a background source is at least 600" at 0.33 GHz, in contrast with the observed 20" diameter of G359.87+0.18. Using the scattering diameter of a nearby OH maser OH 359.762+0.120 and the widths of two, nearby, non-thermal threads, G0.08+0.15 and G359.79+0.17, we show that a uniform scattering region should cover G359.87+0.18. We therefore conclude that the Galactic center scattering region is inhomogeneous on a scale of 5' (~ 10 pc at a distance of 8.5 kpc). This scale is comparable to the size scale of molecular clouds in the Galactic center. The close agreement between these two lengths scales is an indication that the scattering region is linked intimately to the Galactic center molecular clouds.

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arXiv1998

High-resolution Observations of OH(1720 MHz) Masers Toward the Galactic Center

High-resolution VLA observations of 1720 MHz OH maser emission from Sgr A East and the circumnuclear disk with spatial and spectral resolutions of $\approx$ 2\dasec5 $\times$ 1\dasec3 and 0.27 \kms are reported. This follow-up observational study focuses on the recent discovery of a number of such OH maser features and their intense circularly polarized maser lines detected toward these Galactic center sources. The 1720 MHz maser line of OH arises from collisionally excited gas behind a C-type shock and is an important diagnostic of the interaction process that may occur between molecular clouds and associated X-ray emitting shell-type supernova remnants. The present observations have confirmed that the observed Stokes $V$ signal is due to Zeeman splitting and that the OH masers are angularly broadened by the scattering medium toward the Galactic center. The scale length of the magnetic field fluctuations in the scattering medium toward the Galactic center is estimated to be greater than 0.1-0.2 pc using the correlation of the position angles of the scatter-broadened maser spots. In addition, the kinematics of the maser spots associated with Sgr A East are used to place a 5 pc displacement between this extended radio structure and the Galactic center.

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arXiv1998

Shock-Excited Maser Emission from Supernova Remnants: G32.8-0.1, G337.8-0.1, G346.6-0.2, and the HB3/W3 Complex

We present the results of VLA observations in the ground-state hydroxyl (OH) transition at 1720 MHz toward 20 supernova remnants (SNRs). We detect compact emission from four objects. For three of these objects (G32.8-0.1, G337.8-0.1, and G346.6-0.2), we argue that the emission results from masers which are shock-excited due to the interaction of the SNR and an adjacent molecular cloud. We observe a characteristic Zeeman profile in the Stokes V spectrum, which allows us to derive a magnetic field of 1.5 and 1.7 mG for G32.8-0.1 and G346.6-0.2, respectively. The velocity of the masers also allows us to determine a kinematic distance to the SNR. Our criteria for a maser to be associated with an SNR along the line of sight are that the position and velocity of the maser and SNR must agree, and the OH(1720) emission must be unaccompanied by other OH lines.

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arXiv1998

Detection of HI 21cm Absorption by the Warm Neutral Medium

We have detected HI 21cm line absorption by the Warm Neutral Medium (WNM) using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. The absorption was detected toward Cygnus A at LSR velocities of -40 and -70 km s^{-1}. These two velocity ranges were previously identified as being relatively free of cold absorbing clouds. The measured optical depth for the WNM along the line of sight to Cygnus A is 8.9+/-1.9 x10^{-4} at -70 km s^{-1}, and 8.5+/-2.0 x10^{-4} at -40 km s^{-1}, with corresponding spin temperatures of 6000+/-1700 K and 4800+/-1600 K, respectively. The volume filling factor for the WNM appears to be fairly high (f = 0.4).

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arXiv1998

The simultaneous spectrum of Sgr A* from 20cm to 1mm and the nature of the mm-excess

We report results from a multiwavelength campaign to measure the simultaneous spectrum of the super-massive black hole candidate Sgr A* in the Galactic Center from cm to mm-wavelengths using the VLA, BIMA, the Nobeyama 45m, and the IRAM 30m telescopes. The observations confirm that the previously detected mm-excess is an intrinsic feature of the spectrum of Sgr A*. The excess can be interpreted as due to the presence of an ultra-compact component of relativistic plasma with a size of a few Schwarzschild radii near the black hole. If so, Sgr A* might offer the unique possibility to image the putative black hole against the background of this component with future mm-VLBI experiments.

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arXiv1997

Sgr A* and Company - Multiwavelength observations of Sgr A* and VLA search of ``Sgr A*'s'' in LINERs

We report first results from a multiwavelength campaign to measure the simultaneous spectrum of Sgr A* from cm to mm wavelengths. The observations confirm that the previously detected submm-excess is not due to variability; the presence of an ultracompact component with a size of a few Schwarzschild radii is inferred. In a VLA survey of LINER galaxies, we found Sgr A*-like nuclei in one quarter of the galaxies searched, suggesting a link between those low-power AGN and the Galactic Center.

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arXiv1997

Polarization Observations of 1720 MHz OH Masers toward the Three Supernova Remnants W28, W44, and IC443

(abridged) - We present arcsecond resolution observations from the VLA of the satellite line of the hydroxyl molecule (OH) at 1720.53 MHz toward three Galactic supernova remnants: W28, W44 and IC443. All of our observations are consistent with a model in which the OH(1720 MHz) is collisionally excited by H2 molecules in the postshock gas heated by a non-dissociative shock. Supernova remnants with OH(1720 MHz) maser emission may be promising candidates to conduct high energy searches for the sites of cosmic ray acceleration.

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arXiv1996

The Pulsar Wind Nebula Around PSR B1853+01 in the Supernova Remnant W44

We present radio observations of a region in the vicinity of the young pulsar PSR B1853+01 in the supernova remnant W44. The pulsar is located at the apex of an extended feature with cometary morphology. We argue on the basis of its morphology and its spectral index and polarization properties that this is a synchrotron nebula produced by the spin down energy of the pulsar. The geometry and physical parameters of this pulsar-powered nebula and W44 are used to derive three different measures of the pulsar's transverse velocity. A range of estimates between 315 and 470 km/s are derived, resulting in a typical value of 375 km/s. The observed synchrotron spectrum from radio to X-ray wavelengths is used to put constraints on the energetics of the nebula and to derive the parameters of the pulsar wind.

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arXiv1995

Does the Crab Have a Shell?

We present deep images of a region around the Crab nebula made with the VLA, utilizing new imaging and deconvolution algorithms in a search for a faint radio shell. The existence of a high-velocity, hydrogen-rich envelope has been predicted to account for the low total mass and kinetic energy of the observed nebula. No radio emission was detected from an extended source outside the Crab nebula. Our limits on surface brightness are sufficiently low to rule out the existence of a shell around the Crab whose brightness is at least two orders of magnitude below SN\thinspace{1006}, the faintest historical shell-type supernova remnant. We consider models for the progenitor star and the pre-supernova environment and conclude that if a fast, outer shock exists then it has a sharply reduced efficiency at accelerating relativistic particles from the kinetic energy of the blast wave. We also looked for a steepening of the spectral index along the boundary of the Crab nebula itself, the signature of an outer shock. However, contrary to previous claims, no such steepening was found. The absence of any evidence at radio wavelengths that either the Crab nebula or a hypothetical shell is interacting with the ambient medium leads to an interpretation that the supernova of 1054 AD was a peculiar low energy event.

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arXiv1994

The Radio Lifetime of Supernova Remnants and the Distribution of Pulsar Velocities at Birth

We have made VLA images of the fields around three young pulsars which have resulted in the discovery of two new supernova remnants and confirmation of a third. We argue that, in at least two cases and perhaps the third, the pulsars are physically associated with these supernova remnants. A review of all known young pulsars shows that the majority are associated with supernova remnants. We show that the typical density of the interstellar medium into which the supernova remnants are evolving has a density of 0.2 cm$^{-3}$ instead of the low value of 0.01 cm$^{-3}$ which had been calculated from other studies, and results in a considerably longer radio lifetime for supernova remnants. Both the morphology of the supernova remnants and the location of the pulsars imply that most of these young pulsars are born with large transverse velocities ($\sim$500 km s$^{-1}$). This high velocity mean in the distribution of pulsar velocities appears to be a general property of the pulsar population at birth, not seen in proper motion studies, due to selection effects. We explore the implications of this result as it relates to the origin of these velocities and the galactic distribution of pulsars. High velocity pulsars can escape their supernova remnant in a very short timescale, comparable to the lifetime of the remnant and may even play a role in extending the observable radio lifetime of the remnant. A significant fraction will be capable of escaping the disk of the Galaxy, producing an extended halo population.

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arXiv1993

Shock Excited Maser Emission from the Supernova Remnant W28

We present VLA observations in the hydroxyl line OH(1720 MHz) towards the supernova remnant W28. These high resolution images show a more extensive distribution of 1720 MHz emission than had previously been suspected from earlier single-dish observations. A total of 26 distinct maser spots were detected which lie on the edge of the radio continuum emission from W28 and are unresolved with our 12 arcsec resolution. Significant detection of linear and circular polarization in the maser spots is also made. The location of the maser spots, together with the physical conditions in the SNR and the adjacent molecular cloud, argue for a shock excitation mechanism. The possibilities of using the OH(1720 MHz) as a powerful diagnostic of the interaction of supernova remnants with molecular clouds is discussed.

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