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Hubble Space Telescope Observations (hubble + space_telescope_observation)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Physics and Astronomy100%

Selected Abstracts

Optical gravitational lensing experiment: OGLE-1999-BUL-19 , the first multipeak parallax event

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2002
Martin C. Smith
Abstract We describe a highly unusual microlensing event, OGLE-1999-BUL-19. Unlike most standard microlensing events, this event exhibits multiple peaks in its light curve. The Einstein radius crossing time for this event is approximately 1 yr, which is unusually long. We show that the additional peaks in the light curve can be caused by the very small value for the relative transverse velocity of the lens projected on to the observer plane (). Since this value is significantly less than the speed of the orbit of the Earth around the Sun (v,, 30km s,1), the motion of the Earth induces these multiple peaks in the light curve. This value for is the lowest velocity so far published and we believe that this is the first multiple-peak parallax event ever observed. We also found that the event can be somewhat better fitted by a rotating binary-source model, although this is to be expected since every parallax microlensing event can be exactly reproduced by a suitable binary-source model. A face-on rotating binary-lens model was also identified, but this provides a significantly worse fit. We conclude that the most likely cause for this multipeak behaviour is parallax microlensing rather than microlensing by a binary source. However, this event may be exhibiting a slight binary-source signature in addition to these parallax-induced multiple peaks. With spectroscopic observations it is possible to test this ,parallax plus binary-source' hypothesis and (in the instance that the hypothesis turns out to be correct) to simultaneously fit both models and obtain a measurement of the lens mass. Furthermore, spectroscopic observations could also supply information regarding the lens properties, possibly providing another avenue for determining the lens mass. We also investigated the nature of the blending for this event, and found that the majority of the I -band blending is contributed by a source roughly aligned with the lensed source. This implies that most of the I -band blending is caused by light from the lens or a binary companion to the source. However, in the V band, there appears to be a second blended source 0.35 arcsec away from the lensed source. Hubble Space Telescope observations will be very useful for understanding the nature of the blends. We also suggest that a radial velocity survey of all parallax events will be very useful for further constraining the lensing kinematics and understanding the origins of these events and the excess of long events toward the bulge. [source]

The distance to Supernova 1998aq in NGC 3982

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001
Peter B. Stetson
The distance to NGC 3982, host galaxy to the Type Ia supernova SN 1998aq, is derived using 32 Cepheids discovered in archival multi-epoch Hubble Space Telescope observations. Employing recent Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheid period,luminosity relations and absolute zero-point, we find a distance to NGC 3982 of , including both random (r) and systematic (s) uncertainties, and ignoring any metallicity dependence in the Cepheid period,luminosity relation. Still unpublished light curve photometry promises to make SN 1998aq one of the most important calibrators for the Type Ia supernova decline rate,peak luminosity relationship. [source]

H i kinematics in a massive spiral galaxy at z= 0.89

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2005
L. V. E. Koopmans
ABSTRACT We present a kinematic model of the neutral hydrogen in the spiral galaxy of the lens system PKS 1830,211, based on a Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) 1.4-GHz radio map and the integrated and redshifted 21-cm hydrogen absorption-line profile as measured with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT). Degeneracies in the models do not allow a unique determination of the kinematic centre, and forthcoming deeper Hubble Space Telescope observations with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) are required to break this degeneracy. Even so, we measure the inclination of the hydrogen disc: i= 17°,32°, indicating a close to face-on spiral galaxy. The optical depth increases with radius over the extent of the Einstein ring, suggesting H i depletion towards the lens centre. The latter could be due to star formation or conversion of H i into molecular hydrogen because of a higher metalicity/dust content in the galaxy centre. The neutral hydrogen optical depth gives NH I= 2 × 1021 cm,2 at r= 5.0 h,170 kpc in the disc (Ts= 100 K), comparable to local spiral galaxies. [source]

Mass segregation in young compact clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud , III.

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2002
Implications for the initial mass function
ABSTRACT The distribution of core radii of rich clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) systematically increases in both upper limit and spread with increasing cluster age. Cluster-to-cluster variations in the stellar initial mass function (IMF) have been suggested as an explanation. We discuss the implications of the observed degree of mass segregation in our sample clusters for the shape of the initial mass function. Our results are based on Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 observations of six rich star clusters in the LMC, selected to include three pairs of clusters of similar age, metallicity and distance from the LMC centre, and exhibiting a large spread in core radii between the clusters in each pair. All clusters show clear evidence of mass segregation: (i) their luminosity function slopes steepen with increasing cluster radius, and (ii) the brighter stars are characterized by smaller core radii. For all sample clusters, both the slope of the luminosity function in the cluster centres and the degree of mass segregation are similar to each other, within observational errors of a few tenths of power-law slope fits to the data. This implies that their initial mass functions must have been very similar, down to ,0.8,1.0 M,. We therefore rule out variations in the IMF of the individual sample clusters as the main driver of the increasing spread of cluster core radii with cluster age. [source]