- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/224/20
- Title:
- 10yr of Swift/XRT obs. of GRBs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/224/20
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- X-ray flares are generally supposed to be produced by later activities of the central engine, and may share a similar physical origin with the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). In this paper, we have analyzed all significant X-ray flares from the GRBs observed by Swift from 2005 April to 2015 March. The catalog contains 468 bright X-ray flares, including 200 flares with redshifts. We obtain the fitting results of X-ray flares, such as start time, peak time, duration, peak flux, fluence, peak luminosity, and mean luminosity. The peak luminosity decreases with peak time, following a power-law behavior L_p_{propto}T_peak,z_^-1.27^. The flare duration increases with peak time. The 0.3-10keV isotropic energy of the distribution of X-ray flares is a log-normal peaked at 10^51.2^erg. We also study the frequency distributions of flare parameters, including energies, durations, peak fluxes, rise times, decay times, and waiting times. Power-law distributions of energies, durations, peak fluxes, and waiting times are found in GRB X-ray flares and solar flares. These distributions could be well explained by a fractal-diffusive, self-organized criticality model. Some theoretical models based on magnetic reconnection have been proposed to explain X-ray flares. Our result shows that the relativistic jets of GRBs may be dominated by Poynting flux.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/856/80
- Title:
- 6-yr optical monitoring of the FSRQ 3C 454.3
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/856/80
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present our photometric monitoring of a flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 at Yunnan observatories from 2006 to 2011. We find that the optical color of 3C 454.3 shows an obvious redder-when-brighter trend, which reaches a saturation stage when the source is brighter than 15.15mag at V band. We perform a simulation with multiple values of disk luminosity and spectral index to reproduce the magnitude-color diagram. The results show that the contamination caused by the disk radiation alone is difficult to produce the observed color variability. The variability properties during the outburst in 2009 December are also compared with {gamma}-ray data derived from the Fermi {gamma}-ray space telescope. The flux variation of these two bands follows a linear relation with F_{gamma}_{propto}F_R_^1.14+/-0.07^, which provides observational evidence for the external Compton process in 3C 454.3. Meanwhile, this flux correlation indicates that electron injection is the main mechanism for the variability origin. We also explore the variation of the flux ratio F{gamma}/FR and the detailed structures in the light curves, and discuss some possible origins for the detailed variability behaviors.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/226/18
- Title:
- 5yr radial velocity measurements of 19 Cepheids
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/226/18
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We investigate the radial velocity (RV) variability and spectroscopic binarity of 19 Galactic long-period (P_puls_>~10d) classical Cepheid variable stars whose trigonometric parallaxes are being measured using the Hubble Space Telescope and Gaia. Our primary objective is to constrain possible parallax error due to undetected orbital motion. Using over 1600 high-precision RVs measured between 2011 and 2016, we find no indication of orbital motion on <~5yr timescales for 18 Cepheids and determine upper limits on allowed configurations for a range of input orbital periods. The results constrain the unsigned parallax error due to orbital motion to <2% for 16 stars, and <4% for 18. We improve the orbital solution of the known binary YZ Carinae and show that the astrometric model must take into account orbital motion to avoid significant error (~+/-100{mu}arcsec). We further investigate long-timescale (P_orb_>10yr) variations in pulsation-averaged velocity v_{gamma}_ via a template fitting approach using both new and literature RVs. We discover the spectroscopic binarity of XZ Car and CD Cyg, find first tentative evidence for AQ Car, and reveal KN Cen's orbital signature. Further (mostly tentative) evidence of time-variable v_{gamma}_ is found for SS CMa, VY Car, SZ Cyg, and X Pup. We briefly discuss considerations regarding a vetting process of Galactic Leavitt law calibrators and show that light contributions by companions are insignificant for most distance scale applications.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/232/7
- Title:
- 8yr R-band photopolarimetric data of blazar Mrk 421
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/232/7
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The results of 8yr R-band photopolarimetric data of blazar Mrk 421 collected from 2008 February to 2016 May are presented, along with extensive multiwavelength observations covering radio to TeV {gamma}-rays around the flares observed in 2008 May, 2010 March, and 2013 April. The most important results are found in 2013, when the source displayed in the R band a very high brightness state of 11.29+/-0.03mag (93.60+/-1.53mJy) on April 10 and a polarization degree of 11.00%+/-0.44% on May 13. The analysis of the optical data shows that the polarization variability is due to the superposition of two polarized components that might be produced in two distinct emitting regions. An intranight photopolarimetric variability study carried out over seven nights after the 2013 April maximum found flux and polarization variations on the nights of April 14, 15, 16, and 19. In addition, the flux shows a minimum variability timescale of {Delta}t=2.34+/-0.12hr, and the polarization degree presents variations of~1%-2% on a timescale of {Delta}t~minutes. Also, a detailed analysis of the intranight data shows a coherence length of the large-scale magnetic field of l_B_~0.3pc, which is the same order of magnitude as the distance traveled by the relativistic shocks. This result suggests that there is a connection between the intranight polarimetric variations and spatial changes of the magnetic field. Analysis of the complete R-band data along with the historical optical light curve found for this object shows that Mrk 421 varies with a period of 16.26+/-1.78yr.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/245/18
- Title:
- 9yr R-band photopolarimetric data of 3C 279
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/245/18
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- An exhaustive analysis of 9yr optical R-band photopolarimetric data of the flat-spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 from 2008 February 27 to 2017 May 25 is presented, along with multiwavelength observing campaigns performed during the flaring activity exhibited in 2009 February/March, 2011 June, 2014 March/April, 2015 June, and 2017 February. In the R band, this source showed the maximum brightness state of 13.68+/-0.11mag (1.36+/-0.20mJy) on 2017 March 2 and the lowest brightness state ever recorded of 18.20+/-0.87 mag (0.16+/-0.03mJy) on 2010 June 17. During the entire period of observations, the polarization degree varied between 0.48%+/-0.17% and 31.65%+/-0.77%, and the electric vector position angle (EVPA) exhibited large rotations between 82.98+/-0.92{deg} and 446.32+/-1.95{deg}. Optical polarization data show that this source has a stable polarized component that varied from~6% (before the 2009 flare) to~13% after the flare. The overall behavior of our polarized variability data supports the scenario of jet precessions as responsible for the observed large rotations of the EVPA. Discrete correlation function analysis shows that the lags between gamma-rays and X-rays compared to the optical R-band fluxes are {Delta}t~31 days and 1 day in 2009. Lags were also found among gamma-rays compared with X-rays and radio of {Delta}t~30 and 43 days in 2011, and among radio and optical R band of {Delta}t~10 days in 2014. A very intense flare in 2017 was observed in optical bands, with a dramatic variation in the polarization degree (from~6% to 20%) in 90 days without exhibiting flaring activity in other wavelengths.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/832/121
- Title:
- 4-yr RV survey of red giant in eclipsing binaries
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/832/121
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Given the potential of ensemble asteroseismology for understanding fundamental properties of large numbers of stars, it is critical to determine the accuracy of the scaling relations on which these measurements are based. From several powerful validation techniques, all indications so far show that stellar radius estimates from the asteroseismic scaling relations are accurate to within a few percent. Eclipsing binary systems hosting at least one star with detectable solar-like oscillations constitute the ideal test objects for validating asteroseismic radius and mass inferences. By combining radial velocity (RV) measurements and photometric time series of eclipses, it is possible to determine the masses and radii of each component of a double-lined spectroscopic binary. We report the results of a four-year RV survey performed with the echelle spectrometer of the Astrophysical Research Consortium's 3.5m telescope and the APOGEE spectrometer at Apache Point Observatory. We compare the masses and radii of 10 red giants (RGs) obtained by combining radial velocities and eclipse photometry with the estimates from the asteroseismic scaling relations. We find that the asteroseismic scaling relations overestimate RG radii by about 5% on average and masses by about 15% for stars at various stages of RG evolution. Systematic overestimation of mass leads to underestimation of stellar age, which can have important implications for ensemble asteroseismology used for Galactic studies. As part of a second objective, where asteroseismology is used for understanding binary systems, we confirm that oscillations of RGs in close binaries can be suppressed enough to be undetectable, a hypothesis that was proposed in a previous work.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/837/30
- Title:
- 25yrs monitoring of stellar orbits in the GC
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/837/30
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Using 25 years of data from uninterrupted monitoring of stellar orbits in the Galactic Center (GC), we present an update of the main results from this unique data set: a measurement of mass and distance to SgrA*. Our progress is not only due to the eight-year increase in time base, but also to the improved definition of the coordinate system. The star S2 continues to yield the best constraints on the mass of and distance to Sgr A*; the statistical errors of 0.13x10^6^M_{sun}_ and 0.12kpc have halved compared to the previous study. The S2 orbit fit is robust and does not need any prior information. Using coordinate system priors, the star S1 also yields tight constraints on mass and distance. For a combined orbit fit, we use 17 stars, which yields our current best estimates for mass and distance: M=4.28+/-0.10|_stat._+/-0.21|_sys_x10^6^M_{sun}_ and R_0_=8.32+/-0.07|_stat._+/-0.14|_sys_kpc. These numbers are in agreement with the recent determination of R_0_ from the statistical cluster parallax. The positions of the mass, of the near-infrared flares from Sgr A*, and of the radio source Sgr A* agree to within 1mas. In total, we have determined orbits for 40 stars so far, a sample which consists of 32 stars with randomly oriented orbits and a thermal eccentricity distribution, plus eight stars that we can explicitly show are members of the clockwise disk of young stars, and which have lower-eccentricity orbits.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/232/8
- Title:
- 16yrs of AGNs X-ray spectral analyses from 7Ms CDF-S
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/232/8
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a detailed spectral analysis of the brightest active galactic nuclei (AGNs) identified in the 7Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey over a time span of 16 years. Using a model of an intrinsically absorbed power-law plus reflection, with possible soft excess and narrow Fe K{alpha} line, we perform a systematic X-ray spectral analysis, both on the total 7Ms exposure and in four different periods with lengths of 2-21 months. With this approach, we not only present the power-law slopes, column densities N_H_, observed fluxes, and absorption-corrected 2-10keV luminosities L_X_ for our sample of AGNs, but also identify significant spectral variabilities among them on timescales of years. We find that the N_H_ variabilities can be ascribed to two different types of mechanisms, either flux-driven or flux-independent. We also find that the correlation between the narrow Fe line EW and N_H_ can be well explained by the continuum suppression with increasing N_H_. Accounting for the sample incompleteness and bias, we measure the intrinsic distribution of N_H_ for the CDF-S AGN population and present reselected subsamples that are complete with respect to N_H_. The N_H_-complete subsamples enable us to decouple the dependences of N_H_ on L_X_ and on redshift. Combining our data with those from C-COSMOS, we confirm the anticorrelation between the average N_H_ and L_X_ of AGN, and find a significant increase of the AGN-obscured fraction with redshift at any luminosity. The obscured fraction can be described as f_obscured_~0.42(1+z)^0.60^.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/836/124
- Title:
- 2yrs of eclipse data & precise RVs for LP661-13
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/836/124
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report the detection of stellar eclipses in the LP 661-13 system. We present the discovery and characterization of this system, including high-resolution spectroscopic radial velocities and a photometric solution spanning two observing seasons. LP 661-13 is a low-mass binary system with an orbital period of 4.7043512_-0.0000010_^+0.0000013^d at a distance of 24.9+/-1.3pc. LP661-13A is a 0.30795+/-0.00084M_{sun}_ star, while LP661-13B is a 0.19400+/-0.00034M_{sun}_ star. The radius of each component is 0.3226+/-0.0033R_{sun}_ and 0.2174+/-0.0023R_{sun}_, respectively. We detect out-of-eclipse modulations at a period slightly shorter than the orbital period, implying that at least one of the components is not rotating synchronously. We find that each component is slightly inflated compared to stellar models, and that this cannot be reconciled through age or metallicity effects. As a nearby eclipsing binary system, where both components are near or below the full-convection limit, LP 661-13 will be a valuable test of models for the structure of cool dwarf stars.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/830/10
- Title:
- >20yrs of HST obs. of Cepheids in SNIa host gal.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/830/10
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present results of an optical search conducted as part of the SH0ES project (Supernovae and H_0_ for the Equation of State of dark energy) for Cepheid variable stars using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 19 hosts of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and the maser-host galaxy NGC4258. The targets include nine newly imaged SN Ia hosts using a novel strategy based on a long-pass filter that minimizes the number of HST orbits required to detect and accurately determine Cepheid properties. We carried out a homogeneous reduction and analysis of all observations, including new universal variability searches in all SNIa hosts, which yielded a total of 2200 variables with well-defined selection criteria, the largest such sample identified outside the Local Group. These objects are used in a companion paper to determine the local value of H_0_ with a total uncertainty of 2.4%.
