Radio Observations of the Supermassive Black Hole at the Galactic Center and Its Orbiting Magnetar
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Active Galactic Nuclei: a Brief Introduction
Active Galactic Nuclei: a brief introduction Manel Errando Washington University in St. Louis The discovery of quasars 3C 273: The first AGN z=0.158 2 <latexit sha1_base64="4D0JDPO4VKf1BWj0/SwyHGTHSAM=">AAACOXicbVDLSgMxFM34tr6qLt0Ei+BC64wK6kIoPtCNUMU+oNOWTJq2wWRmSO4IZZjfcuNfuBPcuFDErT9g+hC09UC4h3PvJeceLxRcg20/W2PjE5NT0zOzqbn5hcWl9PJKUQeRoqxAAxGoskc0E9xnBeAgWDlUjEhPsJJ3d9rtl+6Z0jzwb6ETsqokLZ83OSVgpHo6754xAQSf111JoK1kTChN8DG+uJI7N6buYRe4ZBo7di129hJ362ew5NJGAFjjfm3V4m0nSerpjJ21e8CjxBmQDBogX08/uY2ARpL5QAXRuuLYIVRjooBTwZKUG2kWEnpHWqxiqE+MmWrcuzzBG0Zp4GagzPMB99TfGzGRWnekZya7rvVwryv+16tE0DysxtwPI2A+7X/UjASGAHdjxA2uGAXRMYRQxY1XTNtEEQom7JQJwRk+eZQUd7POfvboej+TOxnEMYPW0DraRA46QDl0ifKogCh6QC/oDb1bj9ar9WF99kfHrMHOKvoD6+sbuhSrIw==</latexit> <latexit sha1_base64="H7Rv+ZHksM7/70841dw/vasasCQ=">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</latexit> The power source of quasars • The luminosity (L) of quasars, i.e. how bright they are, can be as high as Lquasar ~ 1012 Lsun ~ 1040 W. • The energy source of quasars is accretion power: - Nuclear fusion: 2 11 1 ∆E =0.007 mc =6 10 W s g− -
Exploring the Galactic Center
Exploring the V Galactic Center Goinyk/Shutterstock.com olodymyr A case study of how USRA answered a question posed by James Webb in 1966. On 14 January 1966, NASA (5) C r e Administrator James Webb (1906-1992) wrote a letter d i Should we change the t : N to the prominent Harvard physicist, Professor Norman A orientation of some of S F. Ramsey Jr. (1915-2011), asking him to establish an A our NASA Centers? advisory group that would: (6) What steps should Review the resources at our NASA field centers, and James Webb be taken in scientific such other institutions as would be appropriate, staffing, both inside and against the requirements of the next generation of outside NASA, over the next few years to assure that space projects and advise NASA on a number of key we have the proper people at the proper places to do problems, such as: the job? (1) How can we organize these major projects so that (7) How can we obtain the competent scientists to the most competent scientists and engineers can take the key roles in these major projects? 1 participate? Ramsey assembled his advisory group, and they (2) How can academic personnel participate and at worked through the spring and summer on their report, the same time continue in strong academic roles? which they delivered to the Administrator on 15 August 1966. Their first recommendation was that the NASA (3) What mechanism should be used to determine Administrator appoint a General Advisory Committee the scientific investigations which should be to bring to bear “maximum competence” on “the conducted? formulation and execution of long-term programs of NASA.”2 (4) How does a scientist continue his career development during the six to eight years it requires This recommendation, and many of the others in the to develop an ABL [Automated Biological Laboratory] report, were not what NASA was looking for, and so or a large astronomical facility? the Administrator turned to the National Academy of Sciences to find answers for at least some of the Infrared radiation gets Cr ed i t: A questions posed to Ramsey. -
Pdf/44/4/905/5386708/44-4-905.Pdf
MI-TH-214 INT-PUB-21-004 Axions: From Magnetars and Neutron Star Mergers to Beam Dumps and BECs Jean-François Fortin∗ Département de Physique, de Génie Physique et d’Optique, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada Huai-Ke Guoy and Kuver Sinhaz Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA Steven P. Harrisx Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Doojin Kim{ Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA Chen Sun∗∗ School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel (Dated: February 26, 2021) We review topics in searches for axion-like-particles (ALPs), covering material that is complemen- tary to other recent reviews. The first half of our review covers ALPs in the extreme environments of neutron star cores, the magnetospheres of highly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars), and in neu- tron star mergers. The focus is on possible signals of ALPs in the photon spectrum of neutron stars and gravitational wave/electromagnetic signals from neutron star mergers. We then review recent developments in laboratory-produced ALP searches, focusing mainly on accelerator-based facilities including beam-dump type experiments and collider experiments. We provide a general-purpose discussion of the ALP search pipeline from production to detection, in steps, and our discussion is straightforwardly applicable to most beam-dump type and reactor experiments. We end with a selective look at the rapidly developing field of ultralight dark matter, specifically the formation of Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs). -
Magnetars: Explosive Neutron Stars with Extreme Magnetic Fields
Magnetars: explosive neutron stars with extreme magnetic fields Nanda Rea Institute of Space Sciences, CSIC-IEEC, Barcelona 1 How magnetars are discovered? Soft Gamma Repeaters Bright X-ray pulsars with 0.5-10keV spectra modelled by a thermal plus a non-thermal component Anomalous X-ray Pulsars Bright X-ray transients! Transients No more distinction between Anomalous X-ray Pulsars, Soft Gamma Repeaters, and transient magnetars: all showing all kind of magnetars-like activity. Nanda Rea CSIC-IEEC Magnetars general properties 33 36 Swift-XRT COMPTEL • X-ray pulsars Lx ~ 10 -10 erg/s INTEGRAL • strong soft and hard X-ray emission Fermi-LAT • short X/gamma-ray flares and long outbursts (Kuiper et al. 2004; Abdo et al. 2010) • pulsed fractions ranging from ~2-80 % • rotating with periods of ~0.3-12s • period derivatives of ~10-14-10-11 s/s • magnetic fields of ~1013-1015 Gauss (Israel et al. 2010) • glitches and timing noise (Camilo et al. 2006) • faint infrared/optical emission (K~20; sometimes pulsed and transient) • transient radio pulsed emission (see Woods & Thompson 2006, Mereghetti 2008, Rea & Esposito 2011 for a review) Nanda Rea CSIC-IEEC How magnetar persistent emission is believed to work? • Magnetars have magnetic fields twisted up, inside and outside the star. • The surface of a young magnetar is so hot that it glows brightly in X-rays. • Magnetar magnetospheres are filled by charged particles trapped in the twisted field lines, interacting with the surface thermal emission through resonant cyclotron scattering. (Thompson, Lyutikov & Kulkarni 2002; Fernandez & Thompson 2008; Nobili, Turolla & Zane 2008a,b; Rea et al. -
Pos(INTEGRAL 2010)091
A candidate former companion star to the Magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216 in the massive Galactic cluster Westerlund 1 PoS(INTEGRAL 2010)091 P.J. Kavanagh 1 School of Physical Sciences and NCPST, Dublin City University Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] E.J.A. Meurs School of Cosmic Physics, DIAS, and School of Physical Sciences, DCU Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] L. Norci School of Physical Sciences and NCPST, Dublin City University Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] Besides carrying the distinction of being the most massive young star cluster in our Galaxy, Westerlund 1 contains the notable Magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216. While this is the only collapsed stellar remnant known for this cluster, a further ~10² Supernovae may have occurred on the basis of the cluster Initial Mass Function, possibly all leaving Black Holes. We identify a candidate former companion to the Magnetar in view of its high proper motion directed away from the Magnetar region, viz. the Luminous Blue Variable W243. We discuss the properties of W243 and how they pertain to the former Magnetar companion hypothesis. Binary evolution arguments are employed to derive a progenitor mass for the Magnetar of 24-25 M Sun , just within the progenitor mass range for Neutron Star birth. We also draw attention to another candidate to be member of a former massive binary. 8th INTEGRAL Workshop “The Restless Gamma-ray Universe” Dublin, Ireland September 27-30, 2010 1 Speaker Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence. -
Undergraduate Thesis on Supermassive Black Holes
Into the Void: Mass Function of Supermassive Black Holes in the local universe A Thesis Presented to The Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Reed College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts Farhanul Hasan May 2018 Approved for the Division (Physics) Alison Crocker Acknowledgements Writing a thesis is a long and arduous process. There were times when it seemed further from my reach than the galaxies I studied. It’s with great relief and pride that I realize I made it this far and didn’t let it overpower me at the end. I have so many people to thank in very little space, and so much to be grateful for. Alison, you were more than a phenomenal thesis adviser, you inspired me to believe that Astro is cool. Your calm helped me stop freaking out at the end of February, when I had virtually no work to show for, and a back that ached with every step I took. Thank you for pushing me forward. Working with you in two different research projects were very enriching experiences, and I appreciate you not giving up on me, even after all the times I blanked on how to proceed forward. Thank you Johnny, for being so appreciative of my work, despite me bringing in a thesis that I myself barely understood when I brought it to your table. I was overjoyed when I heard you wanted to be on my thesis board! Thanks to Reed, for being the quirky, intellectual community that it prides itself on being. -
Nearby Dwarf Galaxies and Imbh Mini-Spikes
SF2A 2008 C. Charbonnel, F. Combes and R. Samadi (eds) DARK MATTER SEARCHES WITH H.E.S.S: NEARBY DWARF GALAXIES AND IMBH MINI-SPIKES Moulin, E.1, Vivier, M. 1 , Brun, P.1 , Glicenstein, J-F.1 and the H.E.S.S. Collaboration2 Abstract. WIMP pair annihilations produce high energy gamma-rays, which can be detected by IACTs such as the H.E.S.S. array of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Nearby dwarf galaxies and mini- spikes around intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in the Galactic halo are possible targets for the ob- servation of these annihilations. H.E.S.S. observations on the nearby dwarf galaxy candidate Canis Major is reported. Using a modelling of the unknown dark matter density profile, constraints on the velocity-weighted annihilation cross section of DM particles are derived in the framework of Supersymmetric (pMSSM) and Kaluza-Klein (KK) models. Next, a search for DM mini-spikes around IMBHs is described and constraints on the particle physics parameters in various scenarios are given. 1 Introduction WIMPS (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) are among the best motivated particle dark matter candidates. The WIMP annihilation rate is proportional to the square of the DM density integrated along the line of sight. Celestial objects with enhanced DM density are thus primary targets for indirect DM searches. Among these are the Galactic Center, nearby external galaxies and substructures in galactic haloes. In this paper, we report on H.E.S.S. results towards a dwarf galaxy candidate, Canis Major, and on a search for DM mini-spikes around IMBHs. -
Chapter 22 Neutron Stars and Black Holes Units of Chapter 22 22.1 Neutron Stars 22.2 Pulsars 22.3 Xxneutron-Star Binaries: X-Ray Bursters
Chapter 22 Neutron Stars and Black Holes Units of Chapter 22 22.1 Neutron Stars 22.2 Pulsars 22.3 XXNeutron-Star Binaries: X-ray bursters [Look at the slides and the pictures in your book, but I won’t test you on this in detail, and we may skip altogether in class.] 22.4 Gamma-Ray Bursts 22.5 Black Holes 22.6 XXEinstein’s Theories of Relativity Special Relativity 22.7 Space Travel Near Black Holes 22.8 Observational Evidence for Black Holes Tests of General Relativity Gravity Waves: A New Window on the Universe Neutron Stars and Pulsars (sec. 22.1, 2 in textbook) 22.1 Neutron Stars According to models for stellar explosions: After a carbon detonation supernova (white dwarf in binary), little or nothing remains of the original star. After a core collapse supernova, part of the core may survive. It is very dense—as dense as an atomic nucleus—and is called a neutron star. [Recall that during core collapse the iron core (ashes of previous fusion reactions) is disintegrated into protons and neutrons, the protons combine with the surrounding electrons to make more neutrons, so the core becomes pure neutron matter. Because of this, core collapse can be halted if the core’s mass is between 1.4 (the Chandrasekhar limit) and about 3-4 solar masses, by neutron degeneracy.] What do you get if the core mass is less than 1.4 solar masses? Greater than 3-4 solar masses? 22.1 Neutron Stars Neutron stars, although they have 1–3 solar masses, are so dense that they are very small. -
A Hidden Population of Exotic Neutron Stars 23 May 2013
A hidden population of exotic neutron stars 23 May 2013 times stronger than for the average neutron star. New observations show that the magnetar known as SGR 0418+5729 (SGR 0418 for short) doesn't fit that pattern. It has a surface magnetic field similar to that of mainstream neutron stars. "We have found that SGR 0418 has a much lower surface magnetic field than any other magnetar," said Nanda Rea of the Institute of Space Science in Barcelona, Spain. "This has important consequences for how we think neutron stars evolve in time, and for our understanding of Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CSIC-IEEC/N.Rea et al; supernova explosions." Optical: Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/WHT; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Illustration: The researchers monitored SGR 0418 for over NASA/CXC/M.Weiss three years using Chandra, ESA's XMM-Newton as well as NASA's Swift and RXTE satellites. They were able to make an accurate estimate of the strength of the external magnetic field by (Phys.org) —Magnetars – the dense remains of measuring how its rotation speed changes during dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of an X-ray outburst. These outbursts are likely high-energy radiation - are some of the most caused by fractures in the crust of the neutron star extreme objects known in the Universe. A major precipitated by the buildup of stress in a relatively campaign using NASA's Chandra X-ray strong, wound-up magnetic field lurking just Observatory and several other satellites shows beneath the surface. magnetars may be more diverse - and common - than previously thought. -
BLACK HOLES: the OTHER SIDE of INFINITY General Information
BLACK HOLES: THE OTHER SIDE OF INFINITY General Information Deep in the middle of our Milky Way galaxy lies an object made famous by science fiction—a supermassive black hole. Scientists have long speculated about the existence of black holes. German astronomer Karl Schwarzschild theorized that black holes form when massive stars collapse. The resulting gravity from this collapse would be so strong that the matter would become more and more dense. The gravity would eventually become so strong that nothing, not even radiation moving at the speed of light, could escape. Schwarzschild’s theories were predicted by Einstein and then borne out mathematically in 1939 by American astrophysicists Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Snyder. WHAT EXACTLY IS A BLACK HOLE? First, it’s not really a hole! A black hole is an extremely massive concentration of matter, created when the largest stars collapse at the end of their lives. Astronomers theorize that a point with infinite density—called a singularity—lies at the center of black holes. SO WHY IS IT CALLED A HOLE? Albert Einstein’s 1915 General Theory of Relativity deals largely with the effects of gravity, and in essence predicts the existence of black holes and singularities. Einstein hypothesized that gravity is a direct result of mass distorting space. He argued that space behaves like an invisible fabric with an elastic quality. Celestial bodies interact with this “fabric” of space-time, appearing to create depressions termed “gravity wells” and drawing nearby objects into orbit around them. Based on this principle, the more massive a body is in space, the deeper the gravity well it will create. -
Active Galactic Nuclei
Active Galactic Nuclei • Optical spectra, distance, line width • Varieties of AGN and unified scheme • Variability and lifetime • Black hole mass and growth • Geometry: disk, BLR, NLR • Reverberation mapping • Jets and blazars • AGN spectra Optical spectrum of an AGN • Variety of different emission lines • Each line has centroid, area, width • There is also continuum emission Emission lines • Shift of line centroid gives recession velocity v/c = Δλ/λ. • The width is usually characterized by the “Full Width at Half Maximum”. For a Gaussian FHWM = 2.35σ. • The line width is determined by the velocity distribution of the line emitting gas, Δv/c = σ/λ. • Area is proportional to the number of detected line photons or the line flux. • Usually characterized by “equivalent width” or range in wavelength over which integration of the continuum produces the same flux as the line. Early observations of AGN • Very wide emission lines have been known since 1908. • In 1959, Woltjer noted that if the profiles are due to Doppler motion and the gas is gravitationally bound then v2 ~ GM/r. For v ~ 2000 km/s, we have 10 r M ≥10 ( 100 pc ) M Sun • So AGN, known at the time as Seyfert galaxies, must either have a very compact and luminous nucleus or be very massive. Quasars • Early radio telescopes found radio emission from stars, nebulae, and some galaxies. • There were also point-like, or star-like, radio sources which varied rapidly these are the `quasi-stellar’ radio sources or quasars. • In visible light quasars appear as points, like stars. Quasar optical spectra Redshift of 3C273 is 0.16. -
Gamma-Ray Bursts and Magnetars
GAMMA-RAY BURSTS AND MAGNETARS How USRA scientists helped make major advancements in high-energy astrophysics. During the 1960s, the second Administrator Frank J. Kerr (1918 - 2000) of the University of NASA, James E. Webb, sought a university- of Maryland was appointed by USRA to based organization that could serve the manage its programs in astronomy and needs of NASA as well as the space research astrophysics. Kerr was a highly-regarded radio community. In particular, Webb sought to astronomer, originally from Australia. He had have university researchers assist NASA in been the Director of the Astronomy Program the planning and execution of large, complex at the University projects. The result of Webb’s vision was of Maryland, the Universities Space Research Association and at the time (USRA), which was incorporated as a non- of his USRA proft association of research universities on appointment 12 March 1969. in 1983, he was Provost of As described in the previous essay, USRA’s the Division of frst major collaboration with NASA was the Physical and Apollo Exploration of the Moon. The vehicle Mathematical by which USRA assisted NASA and the space Sciences and research community was the Lunar Science Engineering at Institute, later renamed the Lunar and the University. Frank Kerr Planetary Institute. In support of Another major project was undertaken in MSFC and NRL, USRA brought astronomers 1983, when USRA began to support NASA to work closely with NASA researchers in in the development of the Space Telescope the development of instrumentation and Project at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight the preparation for analyses of data for Center (MSFC).