- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/880/32
- Title:
- Optical/{gamma}-ray flares for Fermi-LAT blazars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/880/32
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Even with several thousand Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) blazar detections, the {gamma}-ray emission mechanism is poorly understood. We explore correlated optical/{gamma}-ray flux variations for 178 Fermi-LAT blazars regularly monitored by the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, the Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System, and the Steward Observatory. Out of the 178 sources, 121 show a measurable (>1{sigma}) discrete correlation function peak. Using the derived time lags and Bayesian block light-curve decompositions, we measure the fraction of common and orphan flares between the two bands. After accounting for sampling and sensitivity limitations we quantify for the first time the true orphan flare rates of optical and {gamma}-ray flares: 54.5% of optical and 20% of {gamma}-ray flares are orphan events. Both the intraband temporal relation and the small orphan {gamma}-ray flare fraction point toward leptonic processes as the likely mechanisms for the high-energy emission. Motivated to discriminate between synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) and external-Compton dominance in individual sources, we use the flux-flux variations to determine the slope m of the log fopt-log f{gamma} dependence. The slope distribution suggests a bimodal population with high and intermediate synchrotron peak objects showing larger m than low synchrotron peak objects. We find that m is naturally decreased through pollution from the orphan (typically optical) flares and develop a method to statistically recover, given the sources' measured orphan flare rate, the intrinsic m. While source classes show composite behavior, the majority of BL Lac objects favor m=2, indicating an SSC origin for the {gamma}-rays. No preference for either m is found in flat spectrum radio quasars.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/439/690
- Title:
- Optical/{gamma}-ray variability in blazars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/439/690
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We use optical data from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) and the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS) to study the variability of {gamma}-ray-detected and non-detected objects in a large population of active galactic nuclei selected from the Candidate Gamma-Ray Blazar Survey and Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope catalogues. Our samples include 714 sources with PTF data and 1244 sources with CRTS data. We calculate the intrinsic modulation index to quantify the optical variability amplitude in these samples.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/557/A12
- Title:
- Optical light curves of {gamma}-ray bursts
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/557/A12
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a comprehensive analysis of the optical and X-ray light curves (LCs) and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a large sample of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows to investigate the relationship between the optical and X-ray emission after the prompt phase. We consider all data available in the literature, which where obtained with different instruments. We collected the optical data from the literature and determined the shapes of the optical LCs. Then, using previously presented X-ray data we modeled the optical/X-ray SEDs. We studied the SED parameter distributions and compared the optical and X-ray LC slopes and shapes.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/769/108
- Title:
- Optical photometry of 4 millisecond pulsars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/769/108
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- In the last few years, over 43 millisecond radio pulsars have been discovered by targeted searches of unidentified {gamma}-ray sources found by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. A large fraction of these millisecond pulsars are in compact binaries with low-mass companions. These systems often show eclipses of the pulsar signal and are commonly known as black widows and redbacks because the pulsar is gradually destroying its companion. In this paper, we report on the optical discovery of four strongly irradiated millisecond pulsar companions. All four sources show modulations of their color and luminosity at the known orbital periods from radio timing. Light curve modeling of our exploratory data shows that the equilibrium temperature reached on the companion's dayside with respect to their nightside is consistent with about 10%-30% of the available spin-down energy from the pulsar being reprocessed to increase the companion's dayside temperature. This value compares well with the range observed in other irradiated pulsar binaries and offers insights about the energetics of the pulsar wind and the production of {gamma}-ray emission. In addition, this provides a simple way of estimating the brightness of irradiated pulsar companions given the pulsar spin-down luminosity. Our analysis also suggests that two of the four new irradiated pulsar companions are only partially filling their Roche lobe. Some of these sources are relatively bright and represent good targets for spectroscopic follow-up.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/686/1209
- Title:
- Optical properties of GRB afterglows
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/686/1209
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a multiwavelength analysis of 63 gamma-ray bursts observed with the world's three largest robotic optical telescopes, the Liverpool and Faulkes Telescopes (North and South). Optical emission was detected for 24 GRBs with brightnesses ranging from R=10 to 22mag in the first 10 minutes after the burst. By comparing optical and X-ray light curves from t=100 to ~106 seconds, we introduce four main classes, defined by the presence or absence of temporal breaks at optical and/or X-ray wavelengths. While 14/24 GRBs can be modeled with the forward-shock model, explaining the remaining 10 is very challenging in the standard framework even with the introduction of energy injection or an ambient density gradient. Early X-ray afterglows, even segments of light curves described by a power law, may be due to additional emission from the central engine. Thirty-nine GRBs in our sample were not detected and have deep upper limits (R<22mag) at early time. Of these, only 10 were identified by other facilities, primarily at near infrared wavelengths, resulting in a dark burst fraction of ~50%. Additional emission in the early-time X-ray afterglow due to late-time central engine activity may also explain some dark bursts by making the bursts brighter than expected in the X-ray band compared to the optical band.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/748/49
- Title:
- Optical spectroscopy of 1LAC broad-line blazars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/748/49
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report on optical spectroscopy of 165 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in the Fermi 1LAC sample, which have helped allow a nearly complete study of this population. Fermi FSRQs show significant evidence for non-thermal emission even in the optical; the degree depends on the {gamma}-ray hardness. They also have smaller virial estimates of hole mass than the optical quasar sample. This appears to be largely due to a preferred (axial) view of the {gamma}-ray FSRQ and non-isotropic (H/R ~ 0.4) distribution of broad-line velocities. Even after correction for this bias, the Fermi FSRQs show higher mean Eddington ratios than the optical population. A comparison of optical spectral properties with Owens Valley Radio Observatory radio flare activity shows no strong correlation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/342/1299
- Title:
- Parkes Multi-Beam Pulsar Survey. III.
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/342/1299
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey has unlocked vast areas of the Galactic plane, which were previously invisible to earlier low-frequency and less-sensitive surveys. The survey has discovered more than 600 new pulsars so far, including many that are young and exotic. In this paper we report the discovery of 200 pulsars for which we present positional and spin-down parameters, dispersion measures, flux densities and pulse profiles. A large number of these new pulsars are young and energetic, and we review possible associations of {gamma}-ray sources with the sample of about 1300 pulsars for which timing solutions are known. Based on a statistical analysis, we estimate that about 19+/-6 associations are genuine. The survey has also discovered 12 pulsars with spin properties similar to those of the Vela pulsar, nearly doubling the known population of such neutron stars. Studying the properties of all known 'Vela-like' pulsars, we find their radio luminosities to be similar to normal pulsars, implying that they are very inefficient radio sources. Finally, we review the use of the newly discovered pulsars as Galactic probes and discuss the implications of the new NE2001 Galactic electron density model for the determination of pulsar distances and luminosities.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/568/A19
- Title:
- Photometry of 3 {gamma}-ray burst supernovae
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/568/A19
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometry for three gamma-ray burst supernovae (GRB-SNe): GRB 120729A, GRB 130215A/SN 2013ez and GRB 130831A/SN 2013fu. For GRB 130215A/SN 2013ez, we also present optical spectroscopy at t-t0=16.1d, which covers rest-frame 3000-6250{AA}. Based on FeII (5169) and SiII (6355), our spectrum indicates an unusually low expansion velocity of 4000-6350km/s, the lowest ever measured for a GRB-SN. Additionally, we determined the brightness and shape of each accompanying SN relative to a template supernova (SN 1998bw), which were used to estimate the amount of nickel produced via nucleosynthesis during each explosion. We find that our derived nickel masses are typical of other GRB-SNe, and greater than those of SNe Ibc that are not associated with GRBs. For GRB 130831A/SN 2013fu, we used our well-sampled R-band light curve (LC) to estimate the amount of ejecta mass and the kinetic energy of the SN, finding that these too are similar to other GRB-SNe. For GRB 130215A, we took advantage of contemporaneous optical/NIR observations to construct an optical/NIR bolometric LC of the afterglow. We fit the bolometric LC with the millisecond magnetar model of Zhang & Meszaros (2001ApJ...552L..35Z), which considers dipole radiation as a source of energy injection to the forward shock powering the optical/NIR afterglow. Using this model we derive an initial spin period of P=1ms and a magnetic field of B=1.1x10^15^G, which are commensurate with those found for proposed magnetar central engines of other long-duration GRBs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/541/A160
- Title:
- Planck + X/{gamma} observations of blazars
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/541/A160
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present simultaneous Planck, Swift, Fermi, and ground-based data for 105 blazars belonging to three samples with flux limits in the soft X-ray, hard X-ray, and {gamma}-ray bands, with additional 5GHz flux-density limits to ensure a good probability of a Planck detection. We compare our results to those of a companion paper presenting simultaneous Planck and multi-frequency observations of 104 radio-loud northern active galactic nuclei selected at radio frequencies. While we confirm several previous results, our unique data set allows us to demonstrate that the selection method strongly influences the results, producing biases that cannot be ignored.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/843/143
- Title:
- Polarimetry & photometry of GRB with RINGO2
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/843/143
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a catalog of early-time (~10^2^-10^4^s) photometry and polarimetry of all gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical afterglows observed with the RINGO2 imaging polarimeter on the Liverpool Telescope. Of the 19 optical afterglows observed, the following nine were bright enough to perform photometry and attempt polarimetry: GRB100805A, GRB101112A, GRB110205A, GRB110726A, GRB120119A, GRB120308A, GRB120311A, GRB120326A, and GRB120327A. We present multiwavelength light curves for these 9 GRBs, together with estimates of their optical polarization degrees and/or limits. We carry out a thorough investigation of detection probabilities, instrumental properties, and systematics. Using two independent methods, we confirm previous reports of significant polarization in GRB 110205A and 120308A, and report the new detection of P=6_-2_^+3^% in GRB101112A. We discuss the results for the sample in the context of the reverse- and forward-shock afterglow scenario, and show that GRBs with detectable optical polarization at early time have clearly identifiable signatures of reverse-shock emission in their optical light curves. This supports the idea that GRB ejecta contain large-scale magnetic fields, and it highlights the importance of rapid-response polarimetry.
