Showing papers by "Robert Quimby published in 2008"

Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium – II. The transitional case of SN 2005la

Abstract: We present photometric and spectroscopic data of the peculiar SN 20051a, an object which shows an optical light curve with some luminosity fluctuations and spectra with comparably strong narrow hydrogen and helium lines, probably of circumstellar nature. The increasing full width at half-maximum velocity of these lines is indicative of an acceleration of the circumstellar material. SN 20051a exhibits hybrid properties, sharing some similarities with both Type IIn supernovae and 2006jc-like (Type Ibn) events. We propose that the progenitor of SN 20051a was a very young Wolf-Rayet (WN-type) star which experienced mass ejection episodes shortly before core collapse.

GRB 070201: a possible soft gamma-ray repeater in M31

Abstract: GRB 070201 was a bright, short-duration, hard-spectrum gamma-ray burst detected by the Interplanetary Network. Its error quadrilateral, which has an area of 0.124 deg 2 , intersects some prominent spiral arms of the nearby M31 (Andromeda) galaxy. Given the properties of this GRB, along with the fact that LIGO data argue against a compact binary merger origin in M31, it is an excellent candidate to have been an extragalactic soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) giant flare, with an energy of 1.4 ; 10 45 ergs. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that it was a short-duration GRB in the background. Analysis of ROTSE-IIIb visible-light observations of M31, taken 10.6 hr after the burst and covering 42% of the GRB error region, does not reveal any optical transient down to a limiting magnitude of 17.1. We inspected archival and proprietary XMM-Newton X-ray observations of the intersection of the GRB error region and M31, obtained about 4 weeks prior to the outburst, in order to look for periodic variable X-ray sources. No SGR or anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) candidates (periods in the range 1Y20 s) were detected. We discuss the possibility of detecting extragalactic SGRs/AXPs by identifying their periodic X-ray light curves. Our simulations suggest that the probability of detecting the periodic X-ray signal of one of the known Galactic SGRs/AXPs, if placed in M31, is about 10% using a 50 ks XMM-Newton exposure, increasing to 50% for a 2 Ms observation. Subject headingg galaxies: individual (M31) — gamma rays: bursts — pulsars: general — stars: neutron — X-rays: individual (GRB 070201)

Discovery of the Ultra-Bright Type II-L Supernova 2008es

Abstract: We report the discovery by the Robotic Optical Transient Experiment (ROTSE-IIIb) telescope of SN 2008es, an overluminous supernova (SN) at z=0.205 with a peak visual magnitude of -22.2. We present multiwavelength follow-up observations with the Swift satellite and several ground-based optical telescopes. The ROTSE-IIIb observations constrain the time of explosion to be 23+/-1 rest-frame days before maximum. The linear decay of the optical light curve, and the combination of a symmetric, broad H\alpha emission line profile with broad P Cygni H\beta and Na I \lambda5892 profiles, are properties reminiscent of the bright Type II-L SNe 1979C and 1980K, although SN 2008es is greater than 10 times more luminous. The host galaxy is undetected in pre-supernova Sloan Digital Sky Survey images, and similar to Type II-L SN 2005ap (the most luminous SN ever observed), the host is most likely a dwarf galaxy with M_r > -17. Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope observations in combination with Palomar photometry measure the SED of the SN from 200 to 800 nm to be a blackbody that cools from a temperature of 14,000 K at the time of the optical peak to 6400 K 65 days later. The inferred blackbody radius is in good agreement with the radius expected for the expansion speed measured from the broad lines (10,000 km/s). The bolometric luminosity at the optical peak is 2.8 x 10^44 erg/s, with a total energy radiated over the next 65 days of 5.6 x 10^50 erg. We favor a model in which the exceptional peak luminosity is a consequence of the core-collapse explosion of a progenitor star with a low-mass extended hydrogen envelope and a stellar wind with a density close to the upper limit on the mass-loss rate measured from the lack of an X-ray detection by the Swift X-Ray Telescope. (Abridged).

Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium. II. The transitional case of SN 2005la

Abstract: We present photometric and spectroscopic data of the peculiar SN 2005la, an object which shows an optical light curve with some luminosity fluctuations and spectra with comparably strong narrow hydrogen and helium lines, probably of circumstellar nature. The increasing full-width-half-maximum velocity of these lines is indicative of an acceleration of the circumstellar material. SN 2005la exhibits hybrid properties, sharing some similarities with both type IIn supernovae and 2006jc-like (type Ibn) events. We propose that the progenitor of SN 2005la was a very young Wolf-Rayet (WN-type) star which experimented mass ejection episodes shortly before core collapse.

The first two transient supersoft X-ray sources in M 31 globular clusters and the connection to classical novae

Abstract: Classical novae (CNe) have been found to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSS) in our neighbour galaxy M 31. We determine properties and evolution of the two first SSSs ever discovered in the M 31 globular cluster (GC) system. We have used XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift observations of the centre region of M 31 to discover both SSS and to determine their X-ray light curves and spectra. We performed detailed analysis of XMM-Newton EPIC PN spectra of the source in Bol 111 (SS1) using blackbody and NLTE white dwarf (WD) atmosphere models. For the SSS in Bol 194 (SS2) we used optical monitoring data to search for an optical counterpart. Both GC X-ray sources were classified as SSS. We identify SS1 with the CN M31N 2007-06b recently discovered in the M 31 GC Bol 111. For SS2 we did not find evidence for a recent nova outburst and can only provide useful constraints on the time of the outburst of a hypothetical nova. The only known CN in a M 31 GC can be identified with the first SSS found in a M31 GC. We discuss the impact of our observations on the nova rate for the M 31 GC system.