The Z Cam-type dwarf nova AT Cancri (AT Cnc) displays a classical nova (CN) shell, demonstrating that mass transfer in cataclysmic binaries decreases substantially after a CN eruption. The hibernation scenario of cataclysmic binaries predicts such a decrease, on a time-scale of a few centuries. In order to measure the time since AT Cnc's last CN eruption, we have measured the radial velocities of a hundred clumps in its ejecta with SITELLE, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope's recently commissioned imaging Fourier transform spectrometer. These range from -455 to +490km/s. Coupled with the known distance to AT Cnc of 460pc, the size of AT Cnc's shell, and a simple model of nova ejecta deceleration, we determine that the last CN eruption of this system occurred 330^+135^_-90_yr ago. This is the most rapid transition from a high mass-transfer rate, nova-like variable to a low mass-transfer rate, dwarf nova yet measured, and in accord with the hibernation scenario of cataclysmic binaries. We conclude by noting the similarity in the deduced outburst date (within a century of 1686 CE) of AT Cnc to a 'guest star' reported in the constellation Cancer by Korean observers in 1645 CE.
Using LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray), Westerbork telescope and survey data, we map the spectral index and age of the remnant radio galaxy by using different ageing models.
The mass function of galaxy clusters is an important cosmological probe. Differences in the selection method could potentially lead to biases when determining the mass function. From the optical and X-ray data of the XMM-Newton Follow-Up Survey, we obtain a sample of galaxy cluster candidates using weak gravitational lensing, the optical Postman matched filter method, and a search for extended X-ray sources. We develop our weak lensing search criteria by testing the performance of the aperture mass statistic on realistic ray-tracing simulations matching our survey parameters and comparing two filter functions. We find that the dominant noise source for our survey is shape noise and that spurious cluster detection due to projections of large-scale structures are negligible. Our full cluster catalog has 155 cluster candidates, 116 found with the Postman matched filter, 59 extended X-ray sources, and 31 shear selected potential clusters. Most of these cluster candidates were not previously known. The present catalog will be a solid foundation for studying possible selection effects in either method.
This is the first paper in a dedicated series to study the properties of the optically-selected broad-line-region-less (BLR-less) active galactic nuclei (AGNs; with no-hidden central broad emission line regions). We carried out a systematic search for the BLR-less AGNs through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Legacy Survey (SDSS Stripe82 Database). Based on the spectral decomposition results for all the 136 676 spectroscopic objects (galaxies and quasars) with redshift less than 0.35 covered by the SDSS Stripe82 region, our spectroscopic sample for the BLR-less AGNs includes 22 693 pure narrow line objects without broad emission lines but with apparent AGN continuum emission R_AGN_>0.3 and apparent stellar lights R_ssp_>0.3. Then, using the properties of the photometry magnitude RMS (RMS) and Pearson's coefficients (R_1,2_) between two different SDSS band light curves: RMS_k_>3xRMS_Mk_ and R_1,2_>~0.8, the final 281 pure narrow line objects with true photometry variabilities are our selected reliable candidates for the BLR-less AGNs. The selected candidates with higher confidence levels not only have the expected spectral features of the BLR-less AGNs, but also show significant true photometry variabilities. The reported sample enlarges at least four times the current sample of the BLR-less AGNs, and will provide more reliable information to explain the lack of the BLRs of AGNs in our following studies.
The multiphase interstellar medium (ISM) is highly structured, on scales from the size of the Solar System to that of a galaxy. In particular, small-scale structures are difficult to study and hence are poorly understood. We used the multiplex capabilities of the AAOmega spectrograph at the Anglo-Australian Telescope to create a half-square-degree map of the neutral and low-ionized ISM in front of the nearby (~5kpc), most massive Galactic globular cluster, {omega} Centauri. Its redshifted, metal-poor and hot horizontal branch stars probe the medium-strong CaII K and NaI D2 line absorption, and weak absorption in the {lambda}5780 and {lambda}5797 diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), on scales around a parsec. The kinematical and thermodynamical picture emerging from these data is that we predominantly probe the warm neutral medium and weakly ionized medium of the Galactic Disc-Halo interface, ~0.3-1kpc above the mid-plane. A comparison with Spitzer Space Telescope 24um and DIRBE/IRAS maps of the warm and cold dust emission confirms that both NaI and CaII trace the overall column density of the warm neutral and weakly ionized medium. Clear signatures are seen of the depletion of calcium atoms from the gas phase into dust grains.
We present a catalog of blue and red stars in M33 based on photographic photometry of over 65,000 objects extracted from plates taken with the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and the 2.0m Rozhen (Bulgarian) Telescope. The completeness limit of the various surveys are estimated here to be V=19.5mag for those stars situated in crowed associations, and V=20.0mag for stars in the interarm fields. We list magnitudes and positions for 2112 blue stars, defined by (U-V)<0.0mag, and V<19.5mag, and 389 red stars defined by (B-V)>1.8mag and V<19.5mag. Of these, 1156 are candidate O stars on the basis of (U-V)<-0.9mag.
Blue straggler stars are exotic objects present in all stellar environments whose nature and formation channels are still partially unclear. They seem to be particularly abundant in open clusters (OCs), thus offering a unique chance to tackle these problems statistically. We aim at building up a new and homogeneous catalogue of blue straggler stars (BSS) in Galactic OCs using Gaia to provide a more solid assessment of these stars membership. Then, we aim at exploring possible relationships of the straggler abundance with the parent cluster structural and dynamical parameters. As a by-product, we also search for possible yellow straggler stars (YSS), which are believed to be stragglers in a more advanced evolution stage. We employ photometry, proper motions, and parallaxes extracted from Gaia DR2 for 408 Galactic star clusters and searched for stragglers within them after performing a careful membership analysis. The number of BBS emerging from our more stringent, selection criteria turns out to be significantly smaller than in previous versions of this catalogue. OCs are therefore not anymore a preferable environment for this kind of stars. Besides, we found that BSS start to appear in clusters with ages larger than log(t)~8.7 and are therefore absent in very young star clusters. The present catalogue supersedes the previous one from Ahumada et al. (2007A&A...463..789A, Cat. J/A+A/463/789) in several ways: membership assessment, number of stragglers found, and so forth. The new list includes 889 BSS and 77 YSS candidates in 408 OCs. We expect this catalogue to be the basis for a new round of studies of blue and yellow straggler stars.
The work studies of the environment of low-mass galaxies with active star formation (SF) and a possible trigger of SF bursts due to gravitational interaction. Following the study by Taylor et al. (1995ApJS...99..427T), we extend the search for possible disturbing galaxies of various masses to a much larger sample of 86 BCGs from the sky region of the Second Byurakan survey (SBS). The BCG magnitudes and radial velocities are revised and up-dated. The sample under study is separated by the criteria: EW([O III]5007)>45{AA} and V_h_<6000km/s nd should be representative of all low-mass galaxies which experience SF bursts.
We select 107 blue-core galaxies from the MaNGA survey, studying their morphology, kinematics as well as the gas-phase metallicity. Our results are as follows: (i) In our sample, 26% of blue-core galaxies have decoupled gas-star kinematics, indicating external gas accretion; 15% have bar-like structure and 8% show post-merger features, such as tidal tails and irregular gas/star velocity field. All these processes/features, such as accreting external misaligned gas, interaction and bar, can trigger gas inflow. Thus the central star-forming activities lead to bluer colors in their centers (blue-core galaxies). (ii) By comparing with the SDSS DR7 star-forming galaxy sample, we find that the blue-core galaxies have higher central gas-phase metallicity than what is predicted by the local mass-metallicity relation. We explore the origin of the higher metallicity, finding that not only the blue-core galaxies, but also the flat-gradient and red-core galaxies all have higher metallicity. This can be explained by the combined effect of redshift and galaxy color.
The search for chemically unevolved galaxies remains prevalent in the nearby Universe, mostly because these systems provide excellent proxies for exploring in detail the physics of high-z systems. The most promising candidates are extremely metal-poor galaxies (XMPs), i.e. galaxies with <1/10 solar metallicity. However, due to the bright emission-line-based search criteria traditionally used to find XMPs, we may not be sampling the full XMP population. In 2014, we reoriented this search using only morphological properties and uncovered a population of ~150 'blue diffuse dwarf (BDD) galaxies', and published a sub-sample of 12 BDD spectra. Here, we present optical spectroscopic observations of a larger sample of 51 BDDs, along with their Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometric properties. With our improved statistics, we use direct-method abundances to confirm that BDDs are chemically unevolved (7.43<12+log(O/H)<8.01), with ~20 per cent of our sample classified as being XMP galaxies, and find that they are actively forming stars at rates of ~1-33x10^-2^M_{sun}_/yr in HII regions randomly embedded in a blue, low-surface-brightness continuum. Stellar masses are calculated from population synthesis models and estimated to be in the range log (M_*_/M_{sun}_)~=5-9. Unlike other low-metallicity star-forming galaxies, BDDs are in agreement with the mass-metallicity relation at low masses, suggesting that they are not accreting large amounts of pristine gas relative to their stellar mass. BDD galaxies appear to be a population of actively star-forming dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies which fall within the class of low-surface-brightness dIrr galaxies. Their ongoing star formation and irregular morphology make them excellent analogues for galaxies in the early Universe.
