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Goobar A, Johansson J, Schulze S, Arendse N, Carracedo AS, Dhawan S, Mörtsell E, Fremling C, Yan L, Perley D, Sollerman J, Joseph R, Hinds KR, Meynardie W, Andreoni I, Bellm E, Bloom J, Collett TE, Drake A, Graham M, Kasliwal M, Kulkarni SR, Lemon C, Miller AA, Neill JD, Nordin J, Pierel J, Richard J, Riddle R, Rigault M, Rusholme B, Sharma Y, Stein R, Stewart G, Townsend A, Vinko J, Wheeler JC, Wold A. Uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified standard candle SN Zwicky. Nat Astron 2023; 7:1098-1107. [PMID: 37736027 PMCID: PMC10509034 DOI: 10.1038/s41550-023-01981-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Detecting gravitationally lensed supernovae is among the biggest challenges in astronomy. It involves a combination of two very rare phenomena: catching the transient signal of a stellar explosion in a distant galaxy and observing it through a nearly perfectly aligned foreground galaxy that deflects light towards the observer. Here we describe how high-cadence optical observations with the Zwicky Transient Facility, with its unparalleled large field of view, led to the detection of a multiply imaged type Ia supernova, SN Zwicky, also known as SN 2022qmx. Magnified nearly 25-fold, the system was found thanks to the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. High-spatial-resolution imaging with the Keck telescope resolved four images of the supernova with very small angular separation, corresponding to an Einstein radius of only θE = 0.167″ and almost identical arrival times. The small θE and faintness of the lensing galaxy are very unusual, highlighting the importance of supernovae to fully characterize the properties of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses, including the impact of galaxy substructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Goobar
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joel Johansson
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Steve Schulze
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nikki Arendse
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ana Sagués Carracedo
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Suhail Dhawan
- Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Edvard Mörtsell
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christoffer Fremling
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Lin Yan
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Daniel Perley
- Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jesper Sollerman
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rémy Joseph
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - K-Ryan Hinds
- Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - William Meynardie
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Igor Andreoni
- Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA
| | - Eric Bellm
- DIRAC Institute, Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Josh Bloom
- Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Thomas E. Collett
- Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Andrew Drake
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Matthew Graham
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Mansi Kasliwal
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Shri R. Kulkarni
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Cameron Lemon
- Institute of Physics, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire de Sauverny, Versoix, CH Switzerland
| | - Adam A. Miller
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | - James D. Neill
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Jakob Nordin
- Institut fur Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Justin Pierel
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Johan Richard
- Université Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon UMR5574, Saint-Genis-Laval, France
| | - Reed Riddle
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Mickael Rigault
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IP2I Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Ben Rusholme
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Yashvi Sharma
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Robert Stein
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | | | - Alice Townsend
- Institut fur Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jozsef Vinko
- Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
- CSFK, Konkoly Observatory, Budapest, Hungary
| | - J. Craig Wheeler
- Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Avery Wold
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
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Graham MJ, Ford KES, McKernan B, Ross NP, Stern D, Burdge K, Coughlin M, Djorgovski SG, Drake AJ, Duev D, Kasliwal M, Mahabal AA, van Velzen S, Belecki J, Bellm EC, Burruss R, Cenko SB, Cunningham V, Helou G, Kulkarni SR, Masci FJ, Prince T, Reiley D, Rodriguez H, Rusholme B, Smith RM, Soumagnac MT. Candidate Electromagnetic Counterpart to the Binary Black Hole Merger Gravitational-Wave Event S190521g. Phys Rev Lett 2020; 124:251102. [PMID: 32639755 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.124.251102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We report the first plausible optical electromagnetic counterpart to a (candidate) binary black hole merger. Detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility, the electromagnetic flare is consistent with expectations for a kicked binary black hole merger in the accretion disk of an active galactic nucleus [B. McKernan, K. E. S. Ford, I. Bartos et al., Astrophys. J. Lett. 884, L50 (2019)AJLEEY2041-821310.3847/2041-8213/ab4886] and is unlikely [<O(0.01%))] due to intrinsic variability of this source. The lack of color evolution implies that it is not a supernova and instead is strongly suggestive of a constant temperature shock. Other false-positive events, such as microlensing or a tidal disruption event, are ruled out or constrained to be <O(0.1%). If the flare is associated with S190521g, we find plausible values of total mass M_{BBH}∼100 M_{⊙}, kick velocity v_{k}∼200 km s^{-1} at θ∼60° in a disk with aspect ratio H/a∼0.01 (i.e., disk height H at radius a) and gas density ρ∼10^{-10} g cm^{-3}. The merger could have occurred at a disk migration trap (a∼700r_{g}; r_{g}≡GM_{SMBH}/c^{2}, where M_{SMBH} is the mass of the active galactic nucleus supermassive black hole). The combination of parameters implies a significant spin for at least one of the black holes in S190521g. The timing of our spectroscopy prevents useful constraints on broad-line asymmetry due to an off-center flare. We predict a repeat flare in this source due to a reencountering with the disk in ∼1.6 yr(M_{SMBH}/10^{8} M_{⊙})(a/10^{3}r_{g})^{3/2}.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Graham
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - K E S Ford
- Department of Science, CUNY-BMCC, 199 Chambers Street, New York, New York 10007, USA
- Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, New York, New York 10028, USA
- Physics Program, The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - B McKernan
- Department of Science, CUNY-BMCC, 199 Chambers Street, New York, New York 10007, USA
- Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, New York, New York 10028, USA
- Physics Program, The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - N P Ross
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3 HJ, United Kingdom
| | - D Stern
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
| | - K Burdge
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - M Coughlin
- Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - S G Djorgovski
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - A J Drake
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - D Duev
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - M Kasliwal
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - A A Mahabal
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - S van Velzen
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
- Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - J Belecki
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - E C Bellm
- DIRAC Institute, Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, 3910 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - R Burruss
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - S B Cenko
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MC 661, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
- Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - V Cunningham
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - G Helou
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - S R Kulkarni
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - F J Masci
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - T Prince
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - D Reiley
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - H Rodriguez
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - B Rusholme
- IPAC, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - R M Smith
- Caltech Optical Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - M T Soumagnac
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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Goobar A, Amanullah R, Kulkarni SR, Nugent PE, Johansson J, Steidel C, Law D, Mörtsell E, Quimby R, Blagorodnova N, Brandeker A, Cao Y, Cooray A, Ferretti R, Fremling C, Hangard L, Kasliwal M, Kupfer T, Lunnan R, Masci F, Miller AA, Nayyeri H, Neill JD, Ofek EO, Papadogiannakis S, Petrushevska T, Ravi V, Sollerman J, Sullivan M, Taddia F, Walters R, Wilson D, Yan L, Yaron O. iPTF16geu: A multiply imaged, gravitationally lensed type Ia supernova. Science 2017; 356:291-295. [PMID: 28428419 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal2729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
We report the discovery of a multiply imaged, gravitationally lensed type Ia supernova, iPTF16geu (SN 2016geu), at redshift z = 0.409. This phenomenon was identified because the light from the stellar explosion was magnified more than 50 times by the curvature of space around matter in an intervening galaxy. We used high-spatial-resolution observations to resolve four images of the lensed supernova, approximately 0.3 arc seconds from the center of the foreground galaxy. The observations probe a physical scale of ~1 kiloparsec, smaller than is typical in other studies of extragalactic gravitational lensing. The large magnification and symmetric image configuration imply close alignment between the lines of sight to the supernova and to the lens. The relative magnifications of the four images provide evidence for substructures in the lensing galaxy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Goobar
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - R Amanullah
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S R Kulkarni
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - P E Nugent
- Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,MS 50B-4206, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - J Johansson
- Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - C Steidel
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - D Law
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - E Mörtsell
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - R Quimby
- Department of Astronomy, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Kavli IPMU (WPI), University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan
| | - N Blagorodnova
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - A Brandeker
- Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Y Cao
- eScience Institute and Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - A Cooray
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - R Ferretti
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Fremling
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L Hangard
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Kasliwal
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - T Kupfer
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - R Lunnan
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.,Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - F Masci
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - A A Miller
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - H Nayyeri
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - J D Neill
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - E O Ofek
- Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - S Papadogiannakis
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T Petrushevska
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - V Ravi
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - J Sollerman
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Sullivan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - F Taddia
- Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Albanova University Center, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - R Walters
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - D Wilson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - L Yan
- Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - O Yaron
- Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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Hodson A, Kasliwal M, Streetly M, MacMahon E, Raj K. A parainfluenza-3 outbreak in a SCT unit: sepsis with multi-organ failure and multiple co-pathogens are associated with increased mortality. Bone Marrow Transplant 2011; 46:1545-50. [PMID: 21258418 PMCID: PMC7091637 DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2010.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The estimated frequency of parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV-3) infections following haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) is 2–7%, whereas reported mortality ranges from 18 to 33%. We report a retrospective outcome analysis following an outbreak of PIV-3 infection in our transplant unit. A total of 16 HSCT patients developed PIV-3 infection. All patients had upper respiratory tract infection, whereas lower respiratory tract infection occurred in 8 patients. Overall, 13 patients were treated with aerosolised Ribavirin (2 g t.d.s. for 5 days) and i.v. Ig (0.5 g/kg) as per standard protocol. One patient refused treatment, whereas two patients with full immune reconstitution were not treated. Overall mortality was 62.5%. Sepsis with multi-organ failure and the presence of pulmonary co-pathogens were both significantly associated with PIV-3-related mortality. Our series confirms that high mortality is associated with PIV-3 infection in HSCT recipients. In patients who develop PIV-3 infection, despite strict enforcement of infection control policies, the best strategy might be careful risk assessment, with effective broad-spectrum anti-microbials in those who are at risk of secondary infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hodson
- Department of Haematology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Soderberg AM, Berger E, Page KL, Schady P, Parrent J, Pooley D, Wang XY, Ofek EO, Cucchiara A, Rau A, Waxman E, Simon JD, Bock DCJ, Milne PA, Page MJ, Barentine JC, Barthelmy SD, Beardmore AP, Bietenholz MF, Brown P, Burrows A, Burrows DN, Byrngelson G, Cenko SB, Chandra P, Cummings JR, Fox DB, Gal-Yam A, Gehrels N, Immler S, Kasliwal M, Kong AKH, Krimm HA, Kulkarni SR, Maccarone TJ, Mészáros P, Nakar E, O’Brien PT, Overzier RA, de Pasquale M, Racusin J, Rea N, York DG. An extremely luminous X-ray outburst at the birth of a supernova. Nature 2008; 453:469-74. [PMID: 18497815 DOI: 10.1038/nature06997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2008] [Accepted: 04/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Soderberg AM, Kulkarni SR, Nakar E, Berger E, Cameron PB, Fox DB, Frail D, Gal-Yam A, Sari R, Cenko SB, Kasliwal M, Chevalier RA, Piran T, Price PA, Schmidt BP, Pooley G, Moon DS, Penprase BE, Ofek E, Rau A, Gehrels N, Nousek JA, Burrows DN, Persson SE, McCarthy PJ. Relativistic ejecta from X-ray flash XRF 060218 and the rate of cosmic explosions. Nature 2006; 442:1014-7. [PMID: 16943832 DOI: 10.1038/nature05087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 383] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)--including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs)--have been revealed to be a rare variety of type Ibc supernova. Although all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary type Ibc supernovae by many orders of magnitude. The essential physical process that causes a dying star to produce a GRB or XRF, and not just a supernova, is still unknown. Here we report radio and X-ray observations of XRF 060218 (associated with supernova SN 2006aj), the second-nearest GRB identified until now. We show that this event is a hundred times less energetic but ten times more common than cosmological GRBs. Moreover, it is distinguished from ordinary type Ibc supernovae by the presence of 10(48) erg coupled to mildly relativistic ejecta, along with a central engine (an accretion-fed, rapidly rotating compact source) that produces X-rays for weeks after the explosion. This suggests that the production of relativistic ejecta is the key physical distinction between GRBs or XRFs and ordinary supernovae, while the nature of the central engine (black hole or magnetar) may distinguish typical bursts from low-luminosity, spherical events like XRF 060218.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Soderberg
- Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
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8
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Berger E, Price PA, Cenko SB, Gal-Yam A, Soderberg AM, Kasliwal M, Leonard DC, Cameron PB, Frail DA, Kulkarni SR, Murphy DC, Krzeminski W, Piran T, Lee BL, Roth KC, Moon DS, Fox DB, Harrison FA, Persson SE, Schmidt BP, Penprase BE, Rich J, Peterson BA, Cowie LL. The afterglow and elliptical host galaxy of the short gamma-ray burst GRB 050724. Nature 2006; 438:988-90. [PMID: 16355217 DOI: 10.1038/nature04238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 292] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2005] [Accepted: 09/14/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Despite a rich phenomenology, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are divided into two classes based on their duration and spectral hardness--the long-soft and the short-hard bursts. The discovery of afterglow emission from long GRBs was a watershed event, pinpointing their origin to star-forming galaxies, and hence the death of massive stars, and indicating an energy release of about 10(51) erg. While theoretical arguments suggest that short GRBs are produced in the coalescence of binary compact objects (neutron stars or black holes), the progenitors, energetics and environments of these events remain elusive despite recent localizations. Here we report the discovery of the first radio afterglow from the short burst GRB 050724, which unambiguously associates it with an elliptical galaxy at a redshift z = 0.257. We show that the burst is powered by the same relativistic fireball mechanism as long GRBs, with the ejecta possibly collimated in jets, but that the total energy release is 10-1,000 times smaller. More importantly, the nature of the host galaxy demonstrates that short GRBs arise from an old (> 1 Gyr) stellar population, strengthening earlier suggestions and providing support for coalescing compact object binaries as the progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Berger
- Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, California 91101, USA.
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