Abstracts of Interest
Selected by:
Abstract: 1807.02469
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Astrometric Detection of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes At the Galactic Centre
(Submitted on 6 Jul 2018)
Abstract: We assess the astrometric detectability of intermediate-mass black holes populating the inner parsec of the Milky Way Galaxy. The presence of these objects induces dynamical effects on Sgr A* and the star S2, which could be detected by next generation astrometric instruments that enable micro-arcsecond astrometry. An allowed population of ten $10^4~M_{\odot}$ IMBHs within one parsec induces an angular shift of about 65 $\mu$as yr$^{-1}$ on the position of Sgr A*, corresponding to a perpendicular velocity component magnitude of 1.6 km s$^{-1}$. It also induces changes in the orbit of S2 that surpass those induced by general relativity but lie within observational constraints, generating a mean angular shift in periapse and apoapse of 62 $\mu$as and 970 $\mu$as respectively.
Abstract: 1807.02366
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Identifying rotating core-collapse supernovae with a neutrino gyroscope
(Submitted on 6 Jul 2018)
Abstract: Measuring the rotation of core-collapse supernovae (SN) and of their progenitor stars is extremely challenging. Here it is demonstrated that neutrinos can be employed as stellar gyroscopes. This is shown by comparing the neutrino emission properties of self-consistent, three-dimensional (3D) SN simulations of a 15 M_sun progenitor without rotation as well as slow and fast rotation compatible with observational constraints. The explosion of the fast rotating model gives rise to long-lasting, massive polar accretion downflows with stochastic time-variability. This creates power uniformly spread over all frequencies of the Fourier spectrum of the neutrino event rate, e.g. detectable in the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. In contrast, the non-rotating model is characterized by the well-known sharp peak due to the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) and lower-amplitude, high-frequency convective activity in the Fourier spectrum; the SASI and convective peaks exhibit a pronounced broadening in the slowly rotating model. These distinct rotational imprints will be detectable even for a SN at the edge of our Galaxy and for all observer directions.
Abstract: 1807.01820
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Differential limit on the extremely-high-energy cosmic neutrino flux in the presence of astrophysical background from nine years of IceCube data
(Submitted on 5 Jul 2018)
Abstract: We report a quasi-differential upper limit on the extremely-high-energy (EHE) neutrino flux above $5\times 10^{6}$ GeV based on an analysis of nine years of IceCube data. The astrophysical neutrino flux measured by IceCube extends to PeV energies, and it is a background flux when searching for an independent signal flux at higher energies, such as the cosmogenic neutrino signal. We have developed a new method to place robust limits on the EHE neutrino flux in the presence of an astrophysical background, whose spectrum has yet to be understood with high precision at PeV energies. A distinct event with a deposited energy above $10^{6}$ GeV was found in the new two-year sample, in addition to the one event previously found in the seven-year EHE neutrino search. These two events represent a neutrino flux that is incompatible with predictions for a cosmogenic neutrino flux and are considered to be an astrophysical background in the current study. The obtained limit is the most stringent to date in the energy range between $5 \times 10^{6}$ and $5 \times 10^{10}$ GeV. This result constrains neutrino models predicting a three-flavor neutrino flux of $E_\nu^2\phi_{\nu_e+\nu_\mu+\nu_\tau}\simeq2\times 10^{-8}\ {\rm GeV}/{\rm cm}^2\ \sec\ {\rm sr}$ at $10^9\ {\rm GeV}$. A significant part of the parameter-space for EHE neutrino production scenarios assuming a proton-dominated composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is excluded.
Abstract: 1807.01460
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: High-Energy Emission from Interacting Supernovae: New Constraints on Cosmic-Ray Acceleration in Dense Circumstellar Environments
(Submitted on 4 Jul 2018)
Abstract: Supernovae (SNe) with strong interactions with circumstellar material (CSM) are promising candidate sources of high-energy neutrinos and gamma rays, and have been suggested as an important contributor to Galactic cosmic rays beyond 1 PeV. Taking into account the shock dissipation by a fast velocity component of SN ejecta, we present comprehensive calculations of the non-thermal emission from SNe powered by shock interactions with a dense wind or CSM. Remarkably, we consider electromagnetic cascades in the radiation zone and subsequent attenuation in the pre-shock CSM. A new time-dependent phenomenological prescription provided by this work enables us to calculate gamma-ray, hard X-ray, radio, and neutrino signals, which originate from cosmic rays accelerated by the diffusive shock acceleration mechanism. We apply our results to SN IIn 2010jl and SN Ibn 2014C, for which the model parameters can be determined from the multi-wavelength data. For SN 2010jl, the more promising case, by using the the latest Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) Pass 8 data release, we derive new constraints on the cosmic-ray energy fraction, <0.05-0.1. We also find that the late-time radio data of these interacting SNe are consistent with our model. Further multi-messenger and multi-wavelength observations of nearby interacting SNe should give us new insights into the diffusive shock acceleration in dense environments as well as pre-SN mass-loss mechanisms.
Abstract: 1807.00786
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Probing the Universe through the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background
(Submitted on 2 Jul 2018)
Abstract: Stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds, predicted in many models of the early universe and also generated by various astrophysical processes, are a powerful probe of the Universe. The spectral shape is key information to distinguish the origin of the background since different production mechanisms predict different shapes of the spectrum. In this paper, we investigate how precisely future gravitational wave detectors can determine the spectral shape using single and broken power-law templates. We consider the detector network of Advanced-LIGO, Advanced-Virgo and KAGRA and the space-based gravitational-wave detector DECIGO, and estimate the parameter space which could be explored by these detectors. We find that, when the spectrum changes its slope in the frequency range of the sensitivity, the broken power-law templates dramatically improve the $\chi^2$ fit compared with the single power-law templates and help to measure the shape with a good precision.
Abstract: 1807.00437
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Gravitational waves induced by the asymmetric jets of gamma-ray bursts
(Submitted on 2 Jul 2018)
Abstract: We study the gravitational wave (GW) production induced by the asymmetric jets of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The asymmetric jets result in a recoil force acted on the central compact object, whose motion leads to emission of GW. Under reasonable assumptions and simplifications, we derive the analytic form of the produce GWs. The amplitude of emitted GWs is estimated to be relatively low, but possibility exists that they can be detected by future experiments such as the Einstein Telescope. We find the dynamical properties of the central object, which is difficult to be studied via the electromagnetic (EW) channel, can be inferred by measuring the emitted GWs. Moreover, we find the emitted GWs can be used determine whether the relativistic jets is launched by the neutrino annihilation process or the Blandford-Znajek process, which cannot be clearly distinguished by the current GRB observations. Our work manifests the importance of the GW channel in multi-messenger astronomy. The physical information encoded in the GW and EW emissions of an astrophysical object is complementary to each other; in case some physics can not be effectively investigated using the EW channel alone, including the GW channel can be very helpful.
Abstract: 1807.00241
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: The three-parameter correlations about optical plateaus of gamma-ray bursts
(Submitted on 30 Jun 2018)
Abstract: Well-sampled optical light curves of 50 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with plateau features are compiled from the literature. By empirical fitting, we obtained the parameters of the optical plateaus, such as the decay slopes ($\alpha_{\rm 1}$ and $\alpha_{\rm 2}$), the break times ($T_{\rm b}$), and the corresponding optical fluxes ($F_{\rm b}$) at the break times. The break time of optical plateaus ranges from tens of seconds to $10^6$ seconds, with a typical value about $10^4$ seconds. We have calculated the break luminosity, and it mainly ranges from $10^{44}$ erg $s^{-1}$ to $10^{47}$ erg $s^{-1}$, which is generally two or three orders of magnitude less than the corresponding break luminosity of the X-ray afterglow plateaus. We reanalyzed the optical plateaus and also found that a significantly tighter correlation exists when we added the isotropic equivalent energy of GRBs $E_{\rm \gamma,iso}$ into the $L_{\rm b,z}-T_{\rm b,z}$ relation. The best fit correlation is obtained to be $L_{\rm b,z}\propto T_{\rm b,z}^{-0.9}E_{\rm \gamma,iso}^{0.4}$. We next explored the possible correlations among $L_{\rm b,z}$, $T_{\rm b,z}$ and $E_{\rm p,i}$, and found there is also a tight correlation between them, which takes the form of $L_{\rm b,z}\propto T_{\rm b,z}^{-0.9}E_{\rm p,i}^{0.5}$. We argue that these two tight $L_{\rm b,z}-T_{\rm b,z}-E_{\rm \gamma,iso}$ and $L_{\rm b,z}-T_{\rm b,z}-E_{\rm p,i}$ correlations are more physical, and it may be directly related to radiation physics of GRBs. The tight correlations are possible to be used as standard candles.
Abstract: 1807.00554
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Dark Matter Casts Light on the Early Universe
(Submitted on 2 Jul 2018)
Abstract: We show how knowledge of the cold dark matter (CDM) density can be used, in conjunction with measurements of the parameters of a scenario for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics, to provide information about the evolution of the Universe before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). As examples of non-standard evolution, we consider models with a scalar field that may decay into BSM particles, and quintessence models. We illustrate our calculations using various supersymmetric models as representatives of classes of BSM scenarios in which the CDM density is either larger or smaller than the observed density when the early Universe is assumed to be radiation-dominated. In the case of a decaying scalar field, we show how the CDM density can constrain the initial scalar density and the reheating temperature after it decays in BSM scenarios that would yield overdense dark matter in standard radiation-dominated cosmology, and how the decays of the scalar field into BSM particles can be constrained in scenarios that would otherwise yield underdense CDM. We also show how the early evolution of the quintessence field can be constrained in BSM scenarios.
Abstract: 1807.02166
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Oscillation modes of hybrid stars within the relativistic Cowling approximation
(Submitted on 5 Jul 2018)
Abstract: The first direct detection of gravitational waves has opened a new window to study the Universe and would probably start a new era: the gravitational wave Astronomy. Gravitational waves emitted by compact objects like neutron stars could provide significant information about their structure, composition and evolution.
In this paper we calculate, using the relativistic Cowling approximation, the oscillations of compact stars focusing on hybrid stars, with and without a mixed phase in their cores. We study the existence of a possible hadron-quark phase transition in the central regions of neutron stars and the changes it produces on the gravitational modes frequencies emitted by these stars. We pay particular attention to the $g$-modes, which are extremely important as they could signal the existence of pure quark matter inside neutron stars. Our results show a relationship between the frequency of the $g$-modes and the constant speed of sound parametrization for the quark matter phase. We also show that the inclusion of colour superconductivity produces an increase on the oscillation frequencies.
We propose that observations of $g$-modes with frequencies $f_{\rm g}$ between $1$ kHz and $1.5$ kHz should be interpreted as an evidence of a sharp hadron-quark phase transition in the core of a compact object.
Abstract: 1807.02123
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Measuring stochastic gravitational-wave energy beyond general relativity
(Submitted on 5 Jul 2018)
Abstract: Gravity theories beyond general relativity (GR) can change the properties of gravitational waves: their polarizations, dispersion, speed, and, importantly, energy content are all heavily theory- dependent. All these corrections can potentially be probed by measuring the stochastic gravitational- wave background. However, most existing treatments of this background beyond GR overlook modifications to the energy carried by gravitational waves, or rely on GR assumptions that are invalid in other theories. This may lead to mistranslation between the observable cross-correlation of detector outputs and gravitational-wave energy density, and thus to errors when deriving observational constraints on theories. In this article, we lay out a generic formalism for stochastic gravitational- wave searches, applicable to a large family of theories beyond GR. We explicitly state the (often tacit) assumptions that go into these searches, evaluating their generic applicability, or lack thereof. Examples of problematic assumptions are: statistical independence of linear polarization amplitudes; which polarizations satisfy equipartition; and which polarizations have well-defined phase velocities. We also show how to correctly infer the value of the stochastic energy density in the context of any given theory. We demonstrate with specific theories in which some of the traditional assumptions break down: Chern-Simons gravity, scalar-tensor theory, and Fierz-Pauli massive gravity. In each theory, we show how to properly include the beyond-GR corrections, and how to interpret observational results.
Abstract: 1807.01781
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Double dark-matter admixed neutron star
(Submitted on 4 Jul 2018)
Abstract: The dark matter in neutron stars can exist from the lifetime of the progenitor or captured by this compact object. The properties of dark matter entered the neutron stars through each step could be different from each other. Here, we investigate the structure of neutron stars which are influenced by the dark matter in two processes. Applying a generalization of two-fluid formalism to three-fluid one and the equation of state from the rotational curves of galaxies, we explore the structure of double dark-matter admixed neutron stars. The behavior of the neutron and dark matter portions for these stars is considered. In addition, the influence of the dark matter equations of state on the stars with different contributions of visible and dark matter is studied. The gravitational redshift of these stars in different cases of dark matter equations of state is investigated.
Abstract: 1807.01435
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Search for GeV Gamma-ray Counterparts of Gravitational Wave Events by CALET
(Submitted on 4 Jul 2018)
Abstract: We present results on searches for gamma-ray counterparts of the LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave events using CALorimetric Electron Telescope ({\sl CALET}) observations. The main instrument of {\sl CALET}, CALorimeter (CAL), observes gamma-rays from $\sim1$ GeV up to 10 TeV with a field of view of nearly 2 sr. In addition, the {\sl CALET} gamma-ray burst monitor (CGBM) views $\sim$3 sr and $\sim2\pi$ sr of the sky in the 7 keV -- 1 MeV and the 40 keV -- 20 MeV bands, respectively, by using two different crystal scintillators. The {\sl CALET} observations on the International Space Station started in October 2015, and here we report analyses of events associated with the following gravitational wave events: GW151226, GW170104, GW170608, GW170814 and GW170817. Although only upper limits on gamma-ray emission are obtained, they correspond to a luminosity of $10^{49}\sim10^{53}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the GeV energy band depending on the distance and the assumed time duration of each event, which is approximately the order of luminosity of typical short gamma-ray bursts. This implies there will be a favorable opportunity to detect high-energy gamma-ray emission in further observations if additional gravitational wave events with favorable geometry will occur within our field-of-view. We also show the sensitivity of {\sl CALET} for gamma-ray transient events which is the order of $10^{-7}$~erg\,cm$^{-2}$\,s$^{-1}$ for an observation of 100~s duration.
Abstract: 1807.01360
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Full Text: [ PostScript, PDF]
Title: Understanding X-ray Irradiation in Low-Mass X-ray Binaries directly from their Light-Curves
(Submitted on 3 Jul 2018)
Abstract: The X-ray light-curves of the recurring outbursts observed in low-mass X-ray binaries provide strong test beds for constraining (still) poorly understood disc-accretion processes. These light-curves act as a powerful diagnostic to probe the physics behind the mechanisms driving mass inflow and outflow in these binary systems. We have thus developed an innovative methodology, combining a foundation of Bayesian statistics, observed X-ray light-curves, and accretion disc theory. With this methodology, we characterize the angular-momentum (and mass) transport processes in an accretion disc, as well as the properties of the X-ray irradiation-heating that regulates the decay from outburst maximum in low-mass X-ray transients. We recently applied our methodology to the Galactic black-hole low-mass X-ray binary population, deriving from their lightcurves the first-ever quantitative measurements of the $\alpha$-viscosity parameter in these systems \citep{tetarenko2018}. In this paper, we continue the study of these binaries, using Bayesian methods to investigate the X-ray irradiation of their discs during outbursts of strong accretion. We find that the predictions of the disc-instability model, assuming a source of X-ray irradiation proportional to the central accretion rate throughout outburst, do not adequately describe the later stages of BH-LMXB outburst light-curves. We postulate that the complex and varied light-curve morphology observed across the population is evidence for irradiation that varies in time and space within the disc, throughout individual transient outbursts. Lastly, we demonstrate the robustness of our methodology, by accurately reproducing the synthetic model light-curves computed from numerical codes built to simulate accretion flows in binary systems.
This page created: Tue Jul 10 10:21:33 ACST 2018 by bmanning
For a printable title listing click here
For details on generating this page see the instructions. If there are problems with this page (and I expect there will be from time to time) contact Jose.
For previous lists of abstracts of interest click Previous abstracts of interest