ALBERT

Description: The HST Treasury Program Advanced Spectral Library Project: Cool Stars was designed to collect representative, high-quality UV spectra of eight evolved FM type cool stars. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)echelle spectra of these objects enable investigations of a broad range of topics, including stellar and interstellar astrophysics. This paper provides a guide to the spectra of the two evolved M stars, the M2 Iab supergiant Oriand the M3.4 giant Cru, with comparisons to the prototypical K1.5 giant Boo. It includes identifications of the significant atomic and molecular emission and absorption features and discusses the character of the photospheric and chromospheric continua and line spectra. The fluorescent processes responsible for a large portion of the emission-line spectrum, the characteristics of the stellar winds, and the available diagnostics for hot and cool plasmas are also summarized. This analysis will facilitate the future study of the spectra, outer atmospheres, and winds, not only of these objects but of numerous other cool, low-gravity stars, for years to come.

Description: An analytical and experimental investigation has been made to provide a space shuttle orbiter wing design that met the guideline requirements of landing performance, stability, and hypersonic trim for a specified center-of-gravity envelope. The analytical study was facilitated by the use of the Optimal Design Integration system (ODIN) and the experimental part of the investigation was conducted in the Langley low-turbulence pressure tunnel and the Langley continuous-flow hypersonic tunnel.

Description: The photon-scattering winds of M giants absorb parts of the chromospheric emission lines and produce self-reversed spectral features in high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/GHRS spectra. These spectra provide an opportunity to assess fundamental parameters of the wind, including flow and turbulent velocities, the optical depth of the wind above the region of photon creation, and the stars mass-loss rate. This paper is the last paper in the series GHRS Observations of Cool, Low-Gravity Stars; the last several have compared empirical measurements of spectral emission lines with models of the winds and mass loss of K giants and supergiants. We have used the Sobolev with Exact Integration radiative transfer code, along with simple models of the outer atmosphere and wind, to determine and compare the wind characteristics of the two M-giant stars, gamma Cru (M3.5III) and mu Gem (M3IIIab), with previously derived values for low-gravity K-stars. The analysis specifies the wind parameters and calculates line profiles for the Mg II resonance lines, in addition to a range of unblended Fe II lines. Our line sample covers a large range of wind opacities and, therefore, probes a range of heights in the atmosphere. Our results show that mu Gem has a slower and more turbulent wind than gamma Cru. Also, mu Gem has a weaker chromosphere, in terms of surface flux, with respect to gamma Cru. This suggests that mu Gem is more evolved than gamma Cru. Comparing the two M giants in this work with previously studied K-giant and supergiant stars (alpha Tau, gamma Dra, and lambda Vel) reveals that the M giants have slower winds than the earlier giants, but exhibit higher mass-loss rates. Our results are interpreted in the context of the winds being driven by Alfvn waves.

Description: The HST (Hubble Space Telescope) Treasury Program Advanced Spectral Library Project: Cool Stars was designed to collect representative, high-quality ultraviolet spectra of eight evolved F-M type cool stars. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) echelle spectra of these objects enable investigations of a broad range of topics, including stellar and interstellar astrophysics. This paper provides a guide to the spectra of the two evolved M stars, the M2 Iab super giant alpha Ori and the M3.4 giant gamma Cru, with comparisons to the prototypical K1.5 giant alpha Boo. It includes identifications of the significant atomic and molecular emission and absorption features and discusses the character of the photospheric and chromospheric continua and line spectra. The fluorescent processes responsible for a large portion of the emission-line spectrum, the characteristics of the stellar winds, and the available diagnostics for hot and cool plasmas are also summarized. This analysis will facilitate the future study of the spectra, outer atmospheres, and winds, not only of these objects but of numerous other cool, low-gravity stars, for years to come.

Description: The association of a supernova with GRB 030329l strongly supports the collapsar model of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), where a relativistic jet forms after the progenitor star collapses. Such jets cannot be spatially resolved because of their cosmological distances. Their existence is conjectured based on breaks in GRB afterglow light curves and the theoretical desire to reduce the GRB energy requirements. Temporal evolution of polarization may provide independent evidence for the jet structure of the relativistic outflow. Small-level polarization (approx. 1-3%) has been reported for a few bursts, but the temporal evolution of polarization properties could not be established. Here, we report polarimetric observations of the afterglow of GRB 030329 with high signal-to-noise and high sampling frequency. We establish the polarization light curve, detect sustained polarization at the percent level, and find significant variability. The data imply that the afterglow magnetic field has small coherence length and is mostly random, probably generated by turbulence, in contrast with the high polarization detected in the prompt gamma-rays from GRB 02120618. Our results suggest a different structure and origin of the magnetic field in the prompt vs. afterglow emission regions.

Description: Abstract. We report on optical and near-infrared (NIR) follow-up observations of the afterglow of GRB 030226, mainly performed with the telescopes at ESO La Silla and Paranal, with additional data obtained at other places. Our first observations started 0.2 days after the burst when the afterglow was at a magnitude of R approximately equal to 19 . One week later the magnitude of the afterglow had fallen to R=25, and at two weeks after the burst it could no longer be detected (R 〉 26). Our VLT blueband spectra show two absorption line systems at redshifts z = 1.962 +/- 0.001 and at z = 1.986 +/- 0.001, placing the redshift of the burster close to 2. Within our measurement errors no evidence for variations in the line strengths has been found between 0.2 and 1.2 days after the burst. An overabundance of alpha-group elements might indicate that the burst occurred in a chemically young interstellar region shaped by the nucleosynthesis from type II supernovae. The spectral slope of the afterglow shows no signs for cosmic dust along the line of sight in the GRB host galaxy, which itself remained undetected (R 〉 26.2). At the given redshift no supernova component affected the light from the GRB afterglow, so that the optical transient was essentially only powered by the radiation from the GRB fireball, allowing for a detailed investigation of the color evolution of the afterglow light. In our data set no obvious evidence for color changes has been found before, during, or after the smooth break in the light curve approximately 1 day after the burst. In comparison with investigations by others, our data favor the interpretation that the afterglow began to develop into a homogeneous interstellar medium before the break in the light curve became apparent.

Description: We present observations of the extremely long GRB 080704 obtained with the instruments of the Interplanetary Network (IPN). The observations reveal two distinct emission episodes, separated by a approx.1500 s long period of quiescence. The total burst duration is about 2100 s. We compare the temporal and spectral characteristics of this burst with those obtained for other ultra-long GRBs and discuss these characteristics in the context of different models.

Description: Optimal payload lifting and nonlifting trajectories of winged boost-launch vehicle

Description: Context. Observations of the gamma-ray sky with Fermi led to significant advances towards understanding blazars, the most extreme class of Active Galactic Nuclei. A large fraction of the population detected by Fermi is formed by BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects, whose sample has always suffered from a severe redshift incompleteness due to the quasi-featureless optical spectra. Aims. Our goal is to provide a significant increase of the number of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac objects contained in the 2 LAC Fermi/LAT catalog. Methods. For 103 Fermi/LAT blazars, photometric redshifts using spectral energy distribution fitting have been obtained. The photometry includes 13 broad-band filters from the far ultraviolet to the near-IR observed with Swift/UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. Data have been taken quasi-simultaneously and the remaining source-intrinsic variability has been corrected for. Results. We release the UV-to-near-IR 13-band photometry for all 103 sources and provide redshift constraints for 75 sources without previously known redshift. Out of those, eight have reliable photometric redshifts at z 〉 or approx. 1.3, while for the other 67 sources we provide upper limits. Six of the former eight are BL Lac objects, which quadruples the sample of confirmed high-redshift BL Lac. This includes three sources with redshifts higher than the previous record for BL Lac, including CRATES J0402-2615, with the best-fit solution at z approx. = 1.9.

Description: The first observational evidence of a connection between supernovae (SNe) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) was found about a decade ago. Since then, only half a dozen spectroscopically confirmed associations have been discovered and XRF 1003160 associated with the type-Ic SN 20lObh is among the latest. Aims. We constrain the progenitor radius, the host-galaxy extinction, and the physical parameters of the explosion of XRF l00316D/SN 20lObh at z 0.059. We study the SN brightness and colours in the context of GRB-SNe. Methods. We began observations with the Gamma-Ray burst Optical and Near-infrared Detector (GROND) 12 hours after the GRB trigger and continued until 80 days after the burst. GROND provided excellent photometric data in six filter bands covering a wavelength range from approximately 350 to 1800 nm, significantly expanding the pre-existing data set for this event. Combining GROND and Swift data, the early broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) is modelled with a blackbody and afterglow component attenuated by dust and gas absorption. The temperature and radius evolution of the thermal component are analysed and combined with earlier measurements available from the literature. Templates of SN 1998bw are fitted to the SN itself to directly compare the lightcurve properties. Finally, a two-component parametrized model is fitted to the quasi-bolometric light curve. which delivers physical parameters of the explosion. Results. The best-fit models to the broad-band SEDs imply moderate reddening along the line of sight through the host galaxy (A(sub v.host = 1.2 +/- 0.1 mag). Furthermore, the parameters of the blackbody component reveal a cooling envelope at an apparent initial radius of 7 x 10(exp 11) cm, which is compatible with a dense wind surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star. A multicolor comparison shows that SN 2010bh is 60 - 70% as bright as SN 1998bw. Reaching maximum brightness at 8 - 9 days after the burst in the blue bands, SN 20lObh proves to be the most rapidly evolving GRB-SNe to date. Modelling of the quasi-bolometric light curve yields M(sub Ni) = 0.21 +/- 0.03 solar M and M(sub ej) = 2.6 +/- 0.2 solar M, typical of values within the GRB-SN population. The kinetic energy is E(sub k) = (2.4 +/- 0.7) x 10(exp 52) erg, which is making this SN the second most energetic GRB-SN after SN 1998bw. Conclusions. This supernova has one of the earliest peaks ever recorded and thereafter fades more rapidly than other GRB-SNe, hypernovae, or typical type-Ic SNe. This could be explained by a thin envelope expanding at very high velocities, which is therefore unable to retain the gamma-rays that would prolong the duration of the SN event.