The chemical composition of 28 Population II Cepheids and one RR Lyrae variable has been studied using high-resolution spectra. The chemical composition of W Vir variable stars (with periods longer than 8 d) is typical for the halo and thick disc stars. However, the chemical composition of BL Her variables (with periods of 0.8-4 d) is drastically different, although it does not differ essentially from that of the stars belonging to globular clusters. In particular, the sodium overabundance ([Na/Fe]~=0.4) is reported for most of these stars, and the Na-O anticorrelation is also possible. The evolutionary tracks for BL Her variables (with a progenitor mass value of 0.8 solar masses) indicate that mostly helium-overabundant stars (Y=0.30-0.35) can fall into the instability strip region. We suppose that it is the helium overabundance that accounts not only for the existence of BL Her variable stars but also for the observed abnormalities in the chemical composition of this small group of pulsating variables.
We present new Near-Infrared photometry of Type II Cepheids in the Bulge from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey (VVV) (Minniti et al., 2010NewA...15..433M; Saito et al., 2012A&A...537A.107S, Cat. II/337. We provide the largest sample (894 stars) of T2Cs with JHKs observations that have accurate periods from the OGLE catalog (Soszynski et al., 2017, Cat. J/AcA/67/297). Our analysis makes use of the Ks-band time-series observations to estimate mean-magnitudes and individual distances by means of the Period-Luminosity PL relation. To constrain the kinematic properties of our targets, we complement our analysis with proper motions based on both the VVV and Gaia Data Release 2.
The evolution of a Type IIn supernova (SN IIn) is governed by the interaction between the SN ejecta and a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM). SNe IIn thus allow us to probe the late-time mass-loss history of their progenitor stars. We present optical photometry of a sample of 42 Type IIn supernovae, obtained by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) collaboration and its successor, the intermediate PTF (iPTF), from 2009 to 2017 using the 1.2m Samuel Oschin telescope and the 1.52m telescope at Palomar Observatory, California, USA.
We present a new self-consistent and versatile method that derives photospheric radius and temperature variations of Type II-Plateau supernovae based on their expansion velocities and photometric measurements. We apply the method to a sample of 26 well-observed, nearby supernovae with published light curves and velocities. We simultaneously fit ~230 velocity and ~6800mag measurements distributed over 21 photometric passbands spanning wavelengths from 0.19 to 2.2{mu}m. The light-curve differences among the Type II-Plateau supernovae are well modeled by assuming different rates of photospheric radius expansion, which we explain as different density profiles of the ejecta, and we argue that steeper density profiles result in flatter plateaus, if everything else remains unchanged. The steep luminosity decline of Type II-Linear supernovae is due to fast evolution of the photospheric temperature, which we verify with a successful fit of SN 1980K. Eliminating the need for theoretical supernova atmosphere models, we obtain self-consistent relative distances, reddenings, and nickel masses fully accounting for all internal model uncertainties and covariances. We use our global fit to estimate the time evolution of any missing band tailored specifically for each supernova, and we construct spectral energy distributions and bolometric light curves. We produce bolometric corrections for all filter combinations in our sample. We compare our model to the theoretical dilution factors and find good agreement for the B and V filters. Our results differ from the theory when the I, J, H, or K bands are included. We investigate the reddening law toward our supernovae and find reasonable agreement with standard R~3.1 reddening law in UBVRI bands. Results for other bands are inconclusive. We make our fitting code publicly available.
We present the results of a 10.5-yr, volume-limited (28-Mpc) search for supernova (SN) progenitor stars. In doing so we compile all SNe discovered within this volume (132, of which 27 per cent are Type Ia) and determine the relative rates of each subtype from literature studies. The core-collapse SNe break down into 59 per cent II-P and 29 per cent Ib/c, with the remainder being IIb (5 per cent), IIn (4 per cent) and II-L (3 per cent). There have been 20 II-P SNe with high-quality optical or near-infrared pre-explosion images that allow a meaningful search for the progenitor stars. In five cases they are clearly red supergiants, one case is unconstrained, two fall on compact coeval star clusters and the other twelve have no progenitor detected. We review and update all the available data for the host galaxies and SN environments (distance, metallicity and extinction) and determine masses and upper mass estimates for these 20 progenitor stars using the stars stellar evolutionary code and a single consistent homogeneous method. A maximum likelihood calculation suggests that the minimum stellar mass for a Type II-P to form is m_min_= 8.5^+1^_-1.5_M_{sun}_ and the maximum mass for II-P progenitors is m_max_= 16.5+/-1.5M_{sun}_, assuming a Salpeter initial mass function holds for the progenitor population (in the range {Gamma}=-1.35^+0.3^_-0.7_). The minimum mass is consistent with current estimates for the upper limit to white dwarf progenitor masses, but the maximum mass does not appear consistent with massive star populations in Local Group galaxies. Red supergiants in the Local Group have masses up to 25M_{sun}_ and the minimum mass to produce a Wolf-Rayet star in single star evolution (between solar and LMC metallicity) is similarly 25-30M_{sun}_. The reason we have not detected any high-mass red supergiant progenitors above 17M_{sun}_ is unclear, but we estimate that it is statistically significant at 2.4{sigma} confidence. Two simple reasons for this could be that we have systematically underestimated the progenitor masses due to dust extinction or that stars between 17-25M_{sun}_produce other kinds of SNe which are not II-P. We discuss these possibilities and find that neither provides a satisfactory solution. We term this discrepancy the 'red supergiant problem' and speculate that these stars could have core masses high enough to form black holes and SNe which are too faint to have been detected. We compare the ^56^Ni masses ejected in the SNe to the progenitor mass estimates and find that low-luminosity SNe with low ^56^Ni production are most likely to arise from explosions of low-mass progenitors near the mass threshold that can produce a core-collapse.
In recent years, wide-field sky surveys providing deep multiband imaging have presented a new path for indirectly characterizing the progenitor populations of core-collapse supernovae (SNe): systematic light-curve studies. We assemble a set of 76 grizy-band Type IIP SN light curves from Pan-STARRS1, obtained over a constant survey program of 4yr and classified using both spectroscopy and machine-learning-based photometric techniques. We develop and apply a new Bayesian model for the full multiband evolution of each light curve in the sample. We find no evidence of a subpopulation of fast-declining explosions (historically referred to as "Type IIL" SNe). However, we identify a highly significant relation between the plateau phase decay rate and peak luminosity among our SNe IIP. These results argue in favor of a single parameter, likely determined by initial stellar mass, predominantly controlling the explosions of red supergiants. This relation could also be applied for SN cosmology, offering a standardizable candle good to an intrinsic scatter of <~0.2mag. We compare each light curve to physical models from hydrodynamic simulations to estimate progenitor initial masses and other properties of the Pan-STARRS1 Type IIP SN sample. We show that correction of systematic discrepancies between modeled and observed SN IIP light-curve properties and an expanded grid of progenitor properties are needed to enable robust progenitor inferences from multiband light-curve samples of this kind. This work will serve as a pathfinder for photometric studies of core-collapse SNe to be conducted through future wide-field transient searches.
High-quality collections of Type II supernova (SN) light curves are scarce because they evolve for hundreds of days, making follow-up observations time consuming and often extending over multiple observing seasons. In light of these difficulties, the diversity of SNe II is not fully understood. Here we present ultraviolet and optical photometry of 12 SNe II monitored by the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network during 2013 to 2014, and compare them with previously studied SNe having well-sampled light curves. We explore SN II diversity by searching for correlations between the slope of the linear light-curve decay after maximum light (historically used to divide SNe II into IIL and IIP) and other measured physical properties. While SNe IIL are found to be on average more luminous than SNe IIP, SNe IIL do not appear to synthesize more ^56^Ni than SNe IIP. Finally, optical nebular spectra obtained for several SNe in our sample are found to be consistent with models of red supergiant progenitors in the 12-16M_{sun}_ range. Consequently, SNe IIL appear not to account for the deficit of massive red supergiants as SN II progenitors.
We analyze the emission properties of a new sample of 3,579 type 1 AGN, selected from the SDSS DR7 based on the detection of broad H-{alpha} emission. The sample extends over a broad H-{alpha} luminosity L_bHa_ of 10^40^-10^44^erg/s and a broad H-{alpha} FWHM of 1,000-25,000km/s, which covers the range of black hole mass 10^6^<M_BH_/M{sun}<10^9.5^ and luminosity in Eddington units 10^-3^<L/L_Edd_<1. We combine ROSAT, GALEX and 2MASS observations to form the SED from 2.2um to 2keV. We find the following: 1. The distribution of the H-{alpha} FWHM values is independent of luminosity. 2. The observed mean optical-UV SED is well matched by a fixed shape SED of luminous quasars, which scales linearly with L_bHa_, and a host galaxy contribution. 3. The host galaxy r-band (fibre) luminosity function follows well the luminosity function of inactive non-emission line galaxies (NEG), consistent with a fixed fraction of ~3% of NEG hosting an AGN, regardless of the host luminosity. 4. The hosts of lower luminosity AGN have a mean z band luminosity and u-z colour which are identical to NEG with the same redshift distribution. With increasing L_bHa_ the AGN hosts become bluer and less luminous than NEG. The implied increasing star formation rate with L_bHa_ is consistent with the relation for SDSS type 2 AGN of similar bolometric luminosity. 5. The optical-UV SED of the more luminous AGN shows a small dispersion, consistent with dust reddening of a blue SED, as expected for thermal thin accretion disc emission. 6. There is a rather tight relation of {nu}L_{nu}_(2keV) and L_bHa_, which provides a useful probe for unobscured (true) type 2 AGN. 7. The primary parameter which drives the X-ray to UV emission ratio is the luminosity, rather than M_BH_ or L/L_Edd_.
We explore the connection between black hole growth at the center of obscured quasars selected from the XMM-COSMOS survey and the physical properties of their host galaxies. We study a bolometric regime (<Lbol>=8x10^45^erg/s) where several theoretical models invoke major galaxy mergers as the main fueling channel for black hole accretion. To derive robust estimates of the host galaxy properties, we use an SED fitting technique to distinguish the AGN and host galaxy emission. We evaluate the effect on galaxy properties estimates of being unable to remove the nuclear emission from the SED. The superb multi-wavelength coverage of the COSMOS field allows us to obtain reliable estimates of the total stellar masses and star formation rates (SFRs) of the hosts. We supplement this information with a morphological analysis of the ACS/HST images, optical spectroscopy, and an X-ray spectral analysis.
Type 2 quasars are luminous active galactic nuclei whose central regions are obscured by large amounts of gas and dust. In this paper, we present a catalog of type 2 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, selected based on their optical emission lines. The catalog contains 887 objects with redshifts z<0.83; this is 6 times larger than the previous version and is by far the largest sample of type 2 quasars in the literature.
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