UV Observations Research Articles

The Effect of the Velocity Distribution on Kilonova Emission

The electromagnetic emission from the nonrelativistic ejecta launched in neutron star mergers (either dynamically or through a disk wind) has the potential to probe both the total mass and composition of this ejecta. These observations are crucial in understanding the role of these mergers in the production of r-process elements in the Universe. However, many properties of the ejecta can alter the light curves and we must both identify which properties play a role in shaping this emission and understand the effects these properties have on the emission before we can use observations to place strong constraints on the amount of r-process elements produced in the merger. This paper focuses on understanding the effect of the velocity distribution (amount of mass moving at different velocities) for lanthanide-rich ejecta on the light curves and spectra. The simulations use distributions guided by recent calculations of disk outflows and compare the velocity-distribution effects to those of ejecta mass, velocity, and composition. Our comparisons show that uncertainties in the velocity distribution can lead to a factor of 2–4 uncertainties in the inferred ejecta mass based on peak infrared luminosities. We also show that early-time UV or optical observations may be able to constrain the velocity distribution, reducing the uncertainty in the ejecta mass.

The contact binary system TYC 7275-1968-1 as seen by optical, UV and X-ray observations

We present an analysis of publicly available X-ray and optical observations of TYC 7275-1968-1, a contact binary, red nova progenitor candidate. The long optical time series of ASAS-3, SuperWASP, CRTS, Gaia, ASAS-SN, and TESS enabled us to improve its orbital period to 0.3828071 ± 0.0000026 d. We show the presence of an X-ray and UV source associated with TYC 7275-1968-1 from Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, that was previously assumed to be the counterpart of CD -36 8436 (V1044 Cen), a symbiotic star located 22 arcsec from the red nova candidate. The X-ray data indicate the presence of a region with a temperature of kT = 0.8−0.1+0.9 keV and a luminosity of 1.4−0.2+0.1× 1031 erg s −1 in the range 0.3 – 10 keV. The detection of X-rays and modulated UV emission suggests that both components of the binary are chromospherically active.

Formation and Dynamics in an Observed Preeruptive Filament

The formation of filaments/prominences is still a debated topic. Many different processes have been proposed: levitation, injection of cool plasma, merging filaments, and cooling plasma in hot loops. We take the opportunity to make a multiwavelength analysis of the formation of an active-region filament, combining several UV and EUV observations including the new Ne vii 465 Å filtergrams provided by the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager on board the Space Advanced Technology satellite. The filament is mainly observed at the limb for 3 hr. It is progressively formed through a series of stages, including emergence and cooling of hot loops, reconnection between small filaments, material transfer in a large filament channel, and reconnection between filaments and emerged hot loops. From the observations at 465 Å, we find that the new-formed filaments show bright structures as in 304 Å, while the long-lived stable filaments display dark morphology as in 211 Å. This suggests that the plasma around 0.5 MK would be an essential component of new-formed filaments and the material temperature in filaments would be variable during their evolution. The filament formed by the recombination of two filaments and an emerged hot loop finally erupts. After reconnection, the final filament shows a highly twisted structure of both bright and dark strands, which is surrounded by several weak and dispersive looplike structures. This eruptive filament has a complex multichannel topology and covers a wide range of temperatures.

Coordinated X-ray and UV absorption within the accretion disk wind of the active galactic nucleus PG 1126-041

Context. Accretion disk winds launched close to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are a viable mechanism providing feedback between the SMBH and the host galaxy. Aims. We aim to characterize the X-ray properties of the inner accretion disk wind of the nearby active galactic nucleus PG 1126-041 and to study its connection with the UV-absorbing wind. Methods. We performed a spectroscopic analysis of eight XMM-Newton observations of PG 1126-041 taken between 2004 and 2015, using both phenomenological models and the most advanced accretion disk wind models available. For half of the data set, we were able to compare the X-ray analysis results with the results of quasi-simultaneous, high-resolution, spectroscopic UV observations taken with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Results. The X-ray spectra of PG 1126-041 are complex and absorbed by ionized material, which is highly variable on multiple timescales, sometimes as short as 11 days. Accretion disk wind models can account for most of the X-ray spectral complexity of PG 1126-041, with the addition of massive clumps, represented by a partially covering absorber. Variations in column density (NH ∼ 5 − 20 × 1022 cm−2) of the partially covering absorber drive the observed X-ray spectral variability of PG 1126-041. The absorption from the X-ray partially covering gas and from the blueshifted C IV troughs appear to vary in a coordinated way. Conclusions. The line of sight toward PG 1126-041 offers a privileged view through a highly dynamic nuclear wind originating on inner accretion disk scales, making the source a very promising candidate for future detailed studies of the physics of accretion disk winds around SMBHs.

Surface activity of rapidly rotating stars from simultaneous X-ray and UV observations with AstroSat

Surface activity of rapidly rotating stars from simultaneous X-ray and UV observations with AstroSat

Resolved Kennicutt–Schmidt law in two strongly lensed star-forming galaxies at redshift 1

We study the star formation rate (SFR) vs. molecular gas mass (Mmol) scaling relation from hundreds to thousands of parsec in two strongly lensed galaxies at redshift z ∼ 1, the Cosmic Snake and A521. We trace the SFR using extinction-corrected rest-frame UV observations with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Mmol using detections of the CO(4–3) line with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The similar angular resolutions of our HST and ALMA observations of 0.15 − 0.2″ combined with magnifications reaching μ > 20 enable us to resolve structures in the galaxies of sizes lower than 100 pc. These resolutions are close to those of studies of nearby galaxies. This allows us to investigate for the first time the Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) law (SFR–Mmol surface densities) at different spatial scales, from galactic scales to ∼100 pc scales, in galaxies at z ∼ 1. At integrated scales we find that both galaxies satisfy the KS law defined by galaxies at redshifts between 1 and 2.5. We test the resolved KS (rKS) law in cells of sizes down to 200 pc in the two galaxies. We observe that this relationship generally holds in these z ∼ 1 galaxies, although its scatter increases significantly with decreasing spatial scales. We check the scale dependence of the spatial correlation between the surface densities of SFR and Mmol by focusing on apertures centred on individual star-forming regions and molecular clouds. We conclude that star-forming regions and molecular clouds become spatially de-correlated at ≲1 kpc in the Cosmic Snake, whereas they appear de-correlated at all spatial scales (from 400 pc to 6 kpc) in A521.

Late-time HST UV and optical observations of AT 2018cow: extracting a cow from its background

ABSTRACT The bright, blue, rapidly evolving AT 2018cow is a well-studied peculiar extragalactic transient. Despite an abundance of multiwavelength data, there still is no consensus on the nature of the event. We present our analysis of three epochs of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations spanning the period from 713 to 1474 d post-burst, paying particular attention to uncertainties of the transient photometry introduced by the complex background in which AT 2018cow resides. Photometric measurements show evident fading in the UV and more subtle but significant fading in the optical. During the last HST observation, the transient’s optical/UV colours were still bluer than those of the substantial population of compact, young, star-forming regions in the host of AT 2018cow, suggesting some continued transient contribution to the light. However, a compact source underlying the transient would substantially modify the resulting spectral energy distribution, depending on its contribution in the various bands. In particular, in the optical filters, the complex, diffuse background poses a problem for precise photometry. An underlying cluster is expected for a supernova occurring within a young stellar environment or a tidal-disruption event (TDE) within a dense older one. While many recent works have focused on the supernova interpretation, we note the substantial similarity in UV light-curve morphology between AT 2018cow and several tidal disruption events around supermassive black holes. Assuming AT 2018cow arises from a TDE-like event, we fit the late-time emission with a disc model and find MBH = 103.2 ± 0.8 M⊙. Further observations are necessary to determine the late-time evolution of the transient and its immediate environment.

SN 2023ixf in Messier 101: Photo-ionization of Dense, Close-in Circumstellar Material in a Nearby Type II Supernova

We present UV and/or optical observations and models of SN 2023ixf, a type II supernova (SN) located in Messier 101 at 6.9 Mpc. Early time (flash) spectroscopy of SN 2023ixf, obtained primarily at Lick Observatory, reveals emission lines of H i, He i/ii, C iv, and N iii/iv/v with a narrow core and broad, symmetric wings arising from the photoionization of dense, close-in circumstellar material (CSM) located around the progenitor star prior to shock breakout. These electron-scattering broadened line profiles persist for ∼8 days with respect to first light, at which time Doppler broadened the features from the fastest SN ejecta form, suggesting a reduction in CSM density at r ≳ 1015 cm. The early time light curve of SN 2023ixf shows peak absolute magnitudes (e.g., M u = −18.6 mag, M g = −18.4 mag) that are ≳2 mag brighter than typical type II SNe, this photometric boost also being consistent with the shock power supplied from CSM interaction. Comparison of SN 2023ixf to a grid of light-curve and multiepoch spectral models from the non-LTE radiative transfer code CMFGEN and the radiation-hydrodynamics code HERACLES suggests dense, solar-metallicity CSM confined to r = (0.5–1) × 1015 cm, and a progenitor mass-loss rate of yr−1. For the assumed progenitor wind velocity of v w = 50 km s−1, this corresponds to enhanced mass loss (i.e., superwind phase) during the last ∼3–6 yr before explosion.

X-Ray and UV Observations of the Contact Binary KIC 9832227

We investigate the X-ray and UV emission from the contact binary star KIC 9832227, which was observed with XMM-Newton for one orbital cycle. The binary is detected with an average X-ray luminosity of 3.4 × 1030 erg s−1. The X-ray emission is restricted to energies below 3 keV and originates from a multitemperature plasma with temperatures up to 1 keV. The X-ray spectrum has at least two distinct components, a cooler, mostly steady component, and a hotter component exhibiting significant variability. The variable X-ray emission appears to originate from a compact flare near the contact region between the two stars that is being eclipsed by the secondary. We analyze the eclipse profile to constrain the location, size, and density of the flaring region. The remaining X-ray emission is not eclipsed and could originate from the polar region on the primary star or an extended corona. The UV emission exhibits the same nearly sinusoidal modulation at half the orbital period that is observed at longer wavelengths. The primary and secondary eclipses have slightly different depths, which is generally attributed to starspot activity. Using simulations of the UV light curve with stellar atmosphere models, we deduce the presence of a starspot near the polar region of the primary, and we determine the time of primary eclipse.

Classification of the Fermi-LAT blazar candidates of uncertain type using extreme gradient boosting

ABSTRACT Machine learning based approaches are emerging as very powerful tools for many applications including source classification in astrophysics research due to the availability of huge high quality data from different surveys in observational astronomy. The Large Area Telescope on board Fermi satellite (Fermi-LAT) has discovered more than 6500 high energy gamma-ray sources in the sky from its survey over a decade. A significant fraction of sources observed by the Fermi-LAT either remains unassociated or has been identified as Blazar Candidates of Uncertain type (BCUs). We explore the potential of eXtreme Gradient Boosting – a supervised machine learning algorithm to identify the blazar subclasses among a sample of 112 BCUs of the 4FGL catalogue whose X-ray counterparts are available within 95 per cent uncertainty regions of the Fermi-LAT observations. We have used information from the multiwavelength observations in IR, optical, UV, X-ray, and γ-ray wavebands along with the redshift measurements reported in the literature for classification. Among the 112 uncertain type blazars, 62 are classified as BL Lacertae objects and six have been classified as flat spectrum radio quasars. This indicates a significant improvement with respect to the multiperceptron neural network based classification reported in the literature. Our study suggests that the gamma-ray spectral index, and IR colour indices are the most important features for identifying the blazar subclasses using the XGBoost classifier. We also explore the importance of redshift in the classification BCU candidates.

Evidence for Non‐Monotonic and Broadband Electron Distributions in the Europa Footprint Tail Revealed by Juno In Situ Measurements

AbstractWe characterize the precipitating electrons accelerated in the Europa‐magnetosphere interaction by analyzing in situ measurements and remote sensing observations recorded during 10 crossings of the flux tubes connected to Europa's auroral footprint tail by Juno. The electron downward energy flux, ranging from 34 to 0.8 mW/m2, exhibits an exponential decay as a function of downtail distance, with an e‐folding factor of 7.4°. Electrons are accelerated at energies between 0.3 and 25 keV, with a characteristic energy that decreases downtail. The electron distributions form non‐monotonic spectra in the near tail (i.e., within an angular separation of less than 4°) that become broadband in the far tail. The size of the interaction region at the equator is estimated to be 4.2 ± 0.9 Europa radii, consistent with previous estimates based on theory and UV observations.

Green solvents and restoration: Application of biomass-derived solvents in cleaning procedures

Blends of solvents from non-renewable sources, often polluting and toxic to humans, are routinely used in the restoration of painted artifacts. Here we present the application of three different green solvents (and their mixtures) as a viable alternative to the standard triad of solvents (acetone, ethanol, and isooctane) used in the solubility test for cleaning polychromic artworks.Solketal (SOLK), γ-valerolactone (GVL), and 2-ethylhexyl pelargonate (ARGO) were selected among the solvents achievable from bio-based synthons such as glycerol, levulinic acid, and pelargonic acid, which are mainly produced from biomass and renewable feedstocks as exhausted vegetable oils, carbohydrates, and lignocellulose. Specifically, ARGO solvent was prepared by esterification reaction and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopy coupled to gas chromatography (GC–MS).Hansen solubility parameters for each solvent were determined by a group contribution method, thus enabling their placement in the Teas graph. Their penetration ability in wooden specimens was investigated by evaluating the volume retention of each solvent with different coated specimens.The solvent ability of the selected compounds was tested by visible and UV observations on specimens prepared with film-forming substances (Dammar, Mastic, Shellac, Paraloid® B72 and linseed oil) brushed onto glass plates.Our results pointed out the suitability of this solvent triad for application to panel painting surfaces. The effectiveness of mixtures made with the above green solvent was successfully tested to remove a terpenic varnish from a 16th century oil painting on a wooden panel.

Estimation of Inactivation time for the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the UV biometer in South Korea.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a result of the infection by "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and has caused various social and economic effects over the globe. As the SARS-CoV-2 is effectively inactivated by the exposure to the UV-B radiation (shorter than 315nm), the exposure time for inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 was estimated using the broadband UV observation instrument over 11 observation sites in South Korea. For the limitation of the UV biometer, which has limited spectral information, the coefficient for conversion from the erythemal UV (EUV) to the radiation for virus inactivation was adopted before estimating the inactivation time. The inactivation time of SARS-CoV-2 is significantly dependent on seasonal and diurnal variations due to the temporal variations of surface incident UV irradiance. The inactivation times in summer and winter were around 10 and 50min, respectively. The inactivation time was unidentified during winter afternoons due to the weak spectral UV solar radiation in winter. As the estimation of inactivation time using broadband observation includes the uncertainty due to the conversion coefficient and the error due to the solar irradiance, the sensitivity analysis of the inactivation time estimation was also conducted by changing the UV irradiance.

VERTICO

Aims. In this Virgo Environment Traced in CO (VERTICO) science paper, we aim to study how the star formation process depends on the galactic environment and gravitational interactions in the context of galaxy evolution. We explore the scaling relation between the star formation rate surface density (ΣSFR) and the molecular gas surface density (Σmol), also known as the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, in a subsample of Virgo cluster spiral galaxies. Methods. We used new Atacama Compact Array and Total Power (ACA+TP) observations from the VERTICO-Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program at 720 pc resolution to resolve the molecular gas content, as traced by the 12CO (2 − 1) transition, across the disks of 37 spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster. In combination with archival UV and IR observations used to determine the star formation rate (SFR), we estimated the parameters of the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relation for the entire ensemble of galaxies, and within individual galaxies. Results. We find the KS slope for the entire population to be N = 0.97 ± 0.07, with a characteristic molecular gas depletion time of 1.86 Gyr for our full sample, which is in agreement with previous work in isolated, nearby star-forming galaxies. In individual galaxies, we find that the KS slope ranges between 0.69 and 1.40, and that typical star formation efficiencies of molecular gas can vary from galaxy to galaxy by a factor of ∼4. These galaxy-to-galaxy variations account for ∼0.20 dex in scatter in the ensemble KS relation, which is characterized by a 0.42 dex scatter. In addition, we find that the HI-deficient galaxies in the Virgo cluster show a steeper resolved KS relation and lower molecular gas efficiencies than HI-normal cluster galaxies. Conclusions. While the molecular gas content in galaxies residing in the Virgo cluster appears – to first order – to behave similarly to that in isolated galaxies, our VERTICO sample of galaxies shows that cluster environments play a key role in regulating star formation. The environmental mechanisms affecting the HI galaxy content also have a direct impact on the star formation efficiency of molecular gas in cluster galaxies, leading to longer depletion times in HI-deficient members.

The Similar Seven: A Set of Very Alike Exoplanets to Test Correlations between System Parameters and Atmospheric Properties

Studies of exoplanetary atmospheres have found no definite correlations between observed high-altitude aerosols and other system parameters. This could be, in part, because of the lack of homogeneous exoplanet samples for which specific parameters can be isolated and inspected. Here, we present a set of seven exoplanets with very similar system parameters. We analyze existing photometric time series, Gaia parallax, and high-resolution spectroscopic data to produce a new set of homogeneous stellar, planetary, and orbital parameters for these systems. With this, we confirm that most measured parameters for all systems are very similar, except for the host stars’ metallicities and possibly high-energy irradiation levels, which require UV and X-ray observations to constrain. From the sample, WASP-6b, WASP-96b, and WASP-110b have observed transmission spectra that we use to estimate their aerosol coverage levels using the Na i doublet 5892.9 Å. We find a tentative correlation between the metallicity of the host stars and the planetary aerosol levels. The trend we find with stellar metallicity can be tested by observing transmission spectra of the remaining planets in the sample. Based on our prediction, WASP-25b and WASP-55b should have higher levels of aerosols than WASP-124b and HATS-29b. Finally, we highlight how targeted surveys of alike planets similar to the ones presented here might prove key for identifying driving factors for atmospheric properties of exoplanets in the future and could be used as a sample selection criterion for future observations with, e.g., JWST, ARIEL, and the next generation of ground-based telescopes.

New measurement system based on small-angle neutron scattering for structural analysis of light-responsive materials

With the increasing importance of light-responsive materials, it is vital to analyze the relationship between function and structural changes induced by light irradiation. Small-angle scattering (SAS) is effective for such structural analysis. However, quantitatively capturing local molecular structure formation and molecular reactions at a scale of less than 1 nm via SAS is difficult. In this study, to analyze the structure of non-equilibrium phenomena in light-responsive materials, a new sample environment has been developed for a time-of-flight small- and wide-angle neutron scattering instrument (TAIKAN), comprising a UV–Vis irradiation system, UV–Vis absorption measurement equipment and photodetector. Simultaneous measurement of small-angle neutron scattering and UV–Vis absorption was achieved. This system was used to demonstrate the in situ observation of UV–Vis irradiation-induced structural change of micelles formed by 4-butylazobenzene-4′-(oxyethyl)trimethylammonium bromide, which is a light-responsive surfactant, in an aqueous solution. The results showed that the present measuring system provides direct information on the interplay between changes in micelle structure and changes in molecular configuration.

The Final Season Reimagined: 30 Tidal Disruption Events from the ZTF-I Survey

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) offer a unique way to study dormant black holes. While the number of observed TDEs has grown thanks to the emergence of wide-field surveys in the past few decades, questions regarding the nature of the observed optical, UV, and X-ray emission remain. We present a uniformly selected sample of 30 spectroscopically classified TDEs from the Zwicky Transient Facility Phase I survey operations with follow-up Swift UV and X-ray observations. Through our investigation into correlations between light-curve properties, we recover a shallow positive correlation between the peak bolometric luminosity and decay timescales. We introduce a new spectroscopic class of TDE, TDE-featureless, which are characterized by featureless optical spectra. The new TDE-featureless class shows larger peak bolometric luminosities, peak blackbody temperatures, and peak blackbody radii. We examine the differences between the X-ray bright and X-ray faint populations of TDEs in this sample, finding that X-ray bright TDEs show higher peak blackbody luminosities than the X-ray faint subsample. This sample of optically selected TDEs is the largest sample of TDEs from a single survey yet, and the systematic discovery, classification, and follow-up of this sample allows for robust characterization of TDE properties, an important stepping stone looking forward toward the Rubin era.

UVS Observations of Ganymede's Aurora During Juno Orbits 34 and 35

AbstractOn 7 June 2021, Juno‐UVS mapped Ganymede's auroral emissions near a closest approach altitude of 1,046 km. The high spatial resolution map exhibits bright, 200–1,000 R, oxygen emissions organized into northern and southern auroral ovals. Though the map has incomplete global coverage, UVS observed longitudinal structure similar to that described by McGrath et al. (2013), https://doi.org/10.1002/jgra.50122 and latitudinal and vertical structure never before resolved. The mapped auroral emissions (a) display an intense narrow auroral curtain with a sharp poleward boundary, (b) have a more slowly decreasing equatorial edge on the leading hemisphere, (c) appear to originate near the surface with a vertical extent of 25–50 km, and (d) are slightly brighter in the north than the south. Additionally, we present UVS observations from the more distant Juno Ganymede flyby on 20 July 2021. We describe the observations, compare them to previous Hubble Space Telescope observations and current model predictions of the open‐closed‐field line‐boundary.

Discovery of a probable very fast extragalactic nova in a symbiotic binary

Very fast novae are novae that evolve exceptionally quickly (on timescales of only days). Due to their rapid evolution, very fast novae are challenging to detect and study, especially at early times. Here we report the discovery, made as part of our Transient UV Objects project, of a probable very fast nova in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300. We detected the rise to the peak (which are rarely observed for very fast novae) in the near-ultraviolet (NUV), with the first detection just ∼2 h after the eruption started. The peak and early stages of the decay were also observed in UV and optical bands. The source rapidly decayed (two NUV magnitudes within 3.5 days), making it one of the fastest novae known. In addition, a likely quiescent counterpart was found in archival near-infrared Spitzer and VIRCAM images, but not in any deep optical and UV observations, indicating a very red spectral shape in quiescence. The outburst and quiescence properties suggest that the system is likely a symbiotic binary. We discuss this new transient in the context of very fast novae in general and specifically as a promising supernova Type Ia progenitor candidate, due to its very high inferred WD mass (∼1.35 M⊙; determined by comparing this source to other very fast novae).

An extended [C ii] halo around a massive star-forming galaxy at z = 5.3

ABSTRACT High-redshift observations are often biased towards massive and bright galaxies that are not necessarily representative of the full population. In order to accurately study galaxy evolution and mass assembly at these redshifts, observations of ‘normal’ main sequence galaxies are required. Here we present Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) 0.3 arcsec resolution observations of the [C ii] emission line at 158 μm of HZ7, a main sequence galaxy at z = 5.25. Comparing to archival rest-frame UV observations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we find strong evidence of the existence of extended [C ii] emission, which we estimate to be twice the size of the rest-frame UV emission, yielding one of the first high-redshift objects where a clear signature of a [C ii] ‘Halo’ has been detected to date. For a matched Sérsic profile with n = 1, we measured a [C ii] effective radius of 0.50 ± 0.04 arcsec (3.07 ± 0.25 kpc) and an average rest-frame UV effective radius of 0.2 ± 0.04 arcsec (1.48 ± 0.16 kpc). The [C ii] morphology and kinematics of the system suggest a merging event resulting in a non-rotating disc system. This event could be responsible for the extended [CII] emission. Alternatively, some potential obscured emission could also explain the [C ii] to UV size ratio. These results contribute to the growing consensus with respect to the existence of extended [C ii] emission around galaxies.