Search results for "010303 astronomy & astrophysics"
showing 10 items of 1094 documents
Orbital evolution of colliding star and pulsar winds in 2D and 3D; effects of: dimensionality, EoS, resolution, and grid size
2015
(abridged)The structure formed by the shocked winds of a massive star and a non-accreting pulsar in a binary suffers periodic and random variations of orbital and non-linear dynamical origin. For the 1st time, we simulate in 3 D the interaction of isotropic stellar and relativistic pulsar winds along 1 full orbit, on scales well beyond the binary size. We also investigate the impact of grid resolution and size, and of different EoOs: a gamma-constant ideal gas, and an ideal gas with gamma dependent on temperature. We carry out, with the code PLUTO, relativistic HD simulations in 2 and 3 D of the interaction of a slow wind and a relativistic wind with Gamma=2 along 1 full orbit up to ~100 x …
Rotational properties of hypermassive neutron stars from binary mergers
2016
Determining the differential-rotation law of compact stellar objects produced in binary neutron stars mergers or core-collapse supernovae is an old problem in relativistic astrophysics. Addressing this problem is important because it impacts directly on the maximum mass these objects can attain and hence on the threshold to black-hole formation under realistic conditions. Using the results from a large number of numerical simulations in full general relativity of binary neutron star mergers described with various equations of state and masses, we study the rotational properties of the resulting hypermassive neutron stars. We find that the angular-velocity distribution shows only a modest de…
Seeing Double:ASASSN-18bt Exhibits a Two-Component Rise in the Early-Time K2 Light Curve
2018
On 2018 Feb. 4.41, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) discovered ASASSN-18bt in the K2 Campaign 16 field. With a redshift of z=0.01098 and a peak apparent magnitude of B_{max}=14.31, ASASSN-18bt is the nearest and brightest SNe Ia yet observed by the Kepler spacecraft. Here we present the discovery of ASASSN-18bt, the K2 light curve, and pre-discovery data from ASAS-SN and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). The K2 early-time light curve has an unprecedented 30-minute cadence and photometric precision for an SN~Ia light curve, and it unambiguously shows a ~4 day nearly linear phase followed by a steeper rise. Thus, ASASSN-18bt joins a growing list o…
Termination of the MRI via parasitic instabilities in core-collapse supernovae: influence of numerical methods
2016
We study the influence of numerical methods and grid resolution on the termination of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) by means of parasitic instabilities in three-dimensional shearing-disc simulations reproducing typical conditions found in core-collapse supernovae. Whether or not the MRI is able to amplify weak magnetic fields in this context strongly depends, among other factors, on the amplitude at which its growth terminates. The qualitative results of our study do not depend on the numerical scheme. In all our models, MRI termination is caused by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, consistent with theoretical predictions. Quantitatively, however, there are differences, but numerica…
Numerical models of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts -- II. Emission properties
2014
Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt emission, as well as by the absence of a typical afterglow. GRB 101225A is the most prominent member of this class. A plausible progenitor system for it and for BBD-GRBs is the merger a neutron star and a helium core of an evolved, massive star. Using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations we model the propagation of ultrarelativistic jets through the environments created by such mergers. In a previous paper we showed that the thermal emission in BBD-GRBs is linked to the interaction of an ultrarelativistic jet with the ejected …
The limb-brightened jet of M87 down to 7 Schwarzschild radii scale
2018
M87 is one of the nearest radio galaxies with a prominent jet extending from sub-pc to kpc-scales. Because of its proximity and large mass of the central black hole, it is one of the best radio sources to study jet formation. We aim at studying the physical conditions near the jet base at projected separations from the BH of $\sim7-100$ Schwarzschild radii ($R_{\rm sch}$). Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) observations at 86 GHz ($\lambda=3.5\,$mm) provide an angular resolution of $\sim50\mu$as, which corresponds to a spatial resolution of only $7~R_{\rm sch}$ and reach the small spatial scale. We use five GMVA data sets of M87 obtained during 2004--2015 and present new high angular resolution VL…
S5 0836+710: An FRII jet disrupted by the growth of a helical instability?
2012
The remarkable stability of extragalactic jets is surprising, given the reasonable possibility of the growth of instabilities. In addition, much work in the literature has invoked this possibility in order to explain observed jet structures and obtain information from these structures. For example, it was recently shown that the observed helical structures in the jet in S5 0836+710 could be associated with helical pressure waves generated by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Our aim is to resolve the arc-second structure of the jet in the quasar S5 0836+710 and confirm the lack of a hot-spot (reverse jet-shock) found by present observing arrays, as this lack implies a loss of jet collimation be…
Discovery of a jet-like structure with overionized plasma in the SNR IC443
2018
IC443 is a supernova remnant located in a quite complex environment since it interacts with nearby clouds. Indications for the presence of overionized plasma have been found though the possible physical causes of overionization are still debated. Moreover, because of its peculiar position and proper motion, it is not clear if the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) within the remnant is the relic of the IC443 progenitor star or just a rambling one seen in projection on the remnant. Here we address the study of IC443 plasma in order to clarify the relationship PWN-remnant, the presence of overionization and the origin of the latter. We analyzed two \emph{XMM-Newton} observations producing background-su…
The internal structure of overpressured, magnetized, relativistic jets
2016
This work presents the first characterization of the internal structure of overpressured steady superfast magnetosonic relativistic jets in connection with their dominant type of energy. To this aim, relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of different jet models threaded by a helical magnetic field have been analyzed covering a wide region in the magnetosonic Mach number - specific internal energy plane. The merit of this plane is that models dominated by different types of energy (internal energy: hot jets; rest-mass energy: kinetically dominated jets; magnetic energy: Poynting-flux dominated jets) occupy well separated regions. The analyzed models also cover a wide range of magnetiz…
The termination region of high-mass microquasar jets
2011
The environment of high-mass X-ray binaries can be characterized either by the SNR that forms these systems, or by the wind from the companion massive star. These regions should be tenuous but very hot, and surrounded by a dense and cold shocked ISM shell. The interaction between the jet and such a complex medium, also affected by the system proper motion, can lead to very different jet termination structures. The evolution of the jet termination regions during the life of a high-mass microquasar is simulated to improve the present understanding of these structures. Also, the evolving emission characteristics are modeled to inform potential observational campaigns for this class of object. …