X

Your email was sent successfully. Check your inbox.

An error occurred while sending the email. Please try again.

Proceed reservation?

Export
  • 1
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    First light for GRAVITY: Phase referencing optical interferometry for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer
    EDP Sciences ; 2017
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 602 ( 2017-6), p. A94-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 602 ( 2017-6), p. A94-
    Abstract: GRAVITY is a new instrument to coherently combine the light of the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope Interferometer to form a telescope with an equivalent 130 m diameter angular resolution and a collecting area of 200 m 2 . The instrument comprises fiber fed integrated optics beam combination, high resolution spectroscopy, built-in beam analysis and control, near-infrared wavefront sensing, phase-tracking, dual-beam operation, and laser metrology. GRAVITY opens up to optical/infrared interferometry the techniques of phase referenced imaging and narrow angle astrometry, in many aspects following the concepts of radio interferometry. This article gives an overview of GRAVITY and reports on the performance and the first astronomical observations during commissioning in 2015/16. We demonstrate phase-tracking on stars as faint as m K ≈ 10 mag, phase-referenced interferometry of objects fainter than m K ≈ 15 mag with a limiting magnitude of m K ≈ 17 mag, minute long coherent integrations, a visibility accuracy of better than 0.25%, and spectro-differential phase and closure phase accuracy better than 0.5°, corresponding to a differential astrometric precision of better than ten microarcseconds ( μ as). The dual-beam astrometry, measuring the phase difference of two objects with laser metrology, is still under commissioning. First observations show residuals as low as 50 μ as when following objects over several months. We illustrate the instrument performance with the observations of archetypical objects for the different instrument modes. Examples include the  Galactic center supermassive black hole and its fast orbiting star S2 for phase referenced dual-beam observations and infrared wavefront sensing, the high mass X-ray binary BP Cru and the active galactic nucleus of PDS 456 for a few μ as spectro-differential astrometry, the T Tauri star S CrA for a spectro-differential visibility analysis, ξ  Tel and 24 Cap for high accuracy visibility observations, and η Car for interferometric imaging with GRAVITY.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201730838
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2017
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 2
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    The flux distribution of Sgr A*
    EDP Sciences ; 2020
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 638 ( 2020-06), p. A2-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 638 ( 2020-06), p. A2-
    Abstract: The Galactic center black hole Sagittarius A* is a variable near-infrared (NIR) source that exhibits bright flux excursions called flares. When flux from Sgr A* is detected, the light curve has been shown to exhibit red noise characteristics and the distribution of flux densities is non-linear, non-Gaussian, and skewed to higher flux densities. However, the low-flux density turnover of the flux distribution is below the sensitivity of current single-aperture telescopes. For this reason, the median NIR flux has only been inferred indirectly from model fitting, but it has not been directly measured. In order to explore the lowest flux ranges, to measure the median flux density, and to test if the previously proposed flux distributions fit the data, we use the unprecedented resolution of the GRAVITY instrument at the VLTI. We obtain light curves using interferometric model fitting and coherent flux measurements. Our light curves are unconfused, overcoming the confusion limit of previous photometric studies. We analyze the light curves using standard statistical methods and obtain the flux distribution. We find that the flux distribution of Sgr A* turns over at a median flux density of (1.1 ± 0.3) mJy. We measure the percentiles of the flux distribution and use them to constrain the NIR K -band spectral energy distribution. Furthermore, we find that the flux distribution is intrinsically right-skewed to higher flux density in log space. Flux densities below 0.1 mJy are hardly ever observed. In consequence, a single powerlaw or lognormal distribution does not suffice to describe the observed flux distribution in its entirety. However, if one takes into account a power law component at high flux densities, a lognormal distribution can describe the lower end of the observed flux distribution. We confirm the rms–flux relation for Sgr A* and find it to be linear for all flux densities in our observation. We conclude that Sgr A* has two states: the bulk of the emission is generated in a lognormal process with a well-defined median flux density and this quiescent emission is supplemented by sporadic flares that create the observed power law extension of the flux distribution.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202037717
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 3
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Where intermediate-mass black holes could hide in the Galactic Centre : A full parameter study with the S2 orbit (Corrigendum)
    EDP Sciences ; 2023
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 677 ( 2023-09), p. C2-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 677 ( 2023-09), p. C2-
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202245132e
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 4
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    GRAVITY chromatic imaging of η Car’s core : Milliarcsecond resolution imaging of the wind-wind collision zone (Br γ , He I)
    EDP Sciences ; 2018
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 618 ( 2018-10), p. A125-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 618 ( 2018-10), p. A125-
    Abstract: Context . η Car is one of the most intriguing luminous blue variables in the Galaxy. Observations and models of the X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and infrared emission suggest a central binary in a highly eccentric orbit with a 5.54 yr period residing in its core. 2D and 3D radiative transfer and hydrodynamic simulations predict a primary with a dense and slow stellar wind that interacts with the faster and lower density wind of the secondary. The wind-wind collision scenario suggests that the secondary’s wind penetrates the primary’s wind creating a low-density cavity in it, with dense walls where the two winds interact. However, the morphology of the cavity and its physical properties are not yet fully constrained. Aims . We aim to trace the inner ∼5–50 au structure of η Car’s wind-wind interaction, as seen through Br γ and, for the first time, through the He  I 2s-2p line. Methods . We have used spectro-interferometric observations with the K -band beam-combiner GRAVITY at the VLTI. The analyses of the data include (i) parametrical model-fitting to the interferometric observables, (ii) a CMFGEN model of the source’s spectrum, and (iii) interferometric image reconstruction. Results . Our geometrical modeling of the continuum data allows us to estimate its FWHM angular size close to 2 mas and an elongation ratio ϵ = 1.06 ± 0.05 over a PA = 130° ± 20°. Our CMFGEN modeling of the spectrum helped us to confirm that the role of the secondary should be taken into account to properly reproduce the observed Br γ and He  I lines. Chromatic images across the Br γ line reveal a southeast arc-like feature, possibly associated to the hot post-shocked winds flowing along the cavity wall. The images of the He  I 2s-2p line served to constrain the 20 mas (∼50 au) structure of the line-emitting region. The observed morphology of He  I suggests that the secondary is responsible for the ionized material that produces the line profile. Both the Br γ and the He  I 2s-2p maps are consistent with previous hydrodynamical models of the colliding wind scenario. Future dedicated simulations together with an extensive interferometric campaign are necessary to refine our constraints on the wind and stellar parameters of the binary, which finally will help us predict the evolutionary path of η Car.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201832977
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2018
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 5
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Accretion-ejection morphology of the microquasar SS 433 resolved at sub-au scale
    EDP Sciences ; 2017
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 602 ( 2017-6), p. L11-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 602 ( 2017-6), p. L11-
    Abstract: We present the first optical observation of the microquasar SS 433 at sub-milliarcsecond (mas) scale obtained with the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope interferometer (VLTI). The 3.5-h exposure reveals a rich K -band spectrum dominated by hydrogen Br γ and He  i lines, as well as (red-shifted)emission lines coming from the jets. The K -band-continuum-emitting region is dominated by a marginally resolved point source ( 〈 1 mas) embedded inside a diffuse background accounting for 10% of the total flux. The jet line positions agree well with the ones expected from the jet kinematic model, an interpretation also supported by the consistent sign (i.e., negative/positive for the receding/approaching jet component) of the phase shifts observed in the lines. The significant visibility drop across the jet lines, together with the small and nearly identical phases for all baselines, point toward a jet that is offset by less than 0.5 mas from the continuum source and resolved in the direction of propagation, with a typical size of 2 mas. The jet position angle of ~80° is consistent with the expected one at the observation date. Jet emission so close to the central binary system would suggest that line locking, if relevant to explain the amplitude and stability of the 0.26 c jet velocity, operates on elements heavier than hydrogen. The Br γ profile is broad and double peaked. It is better resolved than the continuum and the change of the phase signal sign across the line on all baselines suggests an East-West-oriented geometry similar to the jet direction and supporting a (polar) disk wind origin.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731038
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2017
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 6
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Using the motion of S2 to constrain scalar clouds around Sgr A*
    Oxford University Press (OUP) ; 2023
    In:  Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 524, No. 1 ( 2023-07-04), p. 1075-1086
    Details
    In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 524, No. 1 ( 2023-07-04), p. 1075-1086
    Abstract: The motion of S2, one of the stars closest to the Galactic Centre, has been measured accurately and used to study the compact object at the centre of the Milky Way. It is commonly accepted that this object is a supermassive black hole, but the nature of its environment is open to discussion. Here, we investigate the possibility that dark matter in the form of an ultralight scalar field ‘cloud’ clusters around Sgr A*. We use the available data for S2 to perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis and find the best-fit estimates for a scalar cloud structure. Our results show no substantial evidence for such structures. When the cloud size is on the order of the size of the orbit of S2, we are able to constrain its mass to be smaller than 0.1 % of the central mass, setting a strong bound on the presence of new fields in the galactic centre.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0035-8711 , 1365-2966
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1939
    Language: English
    Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2016084-7
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 7
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Where intermediate-mass black holes could hide in the Galactic Centre : A full parameter study with the S2 orbit
    EDP Sciences ; 2023
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 672 ( 2023-04), p. A63-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 672 ( 2023-04), p. A63-
    Abstract: Context. In the Milky Way the central massive black hole, Sgr A * , coexists with a compact nuclear star cluster that contains a sub-parsec concentration of fast-moving young stars called S-stars. Their location and age are not easily explained by current star formation models, and in several scenarios the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) has been invoked. Aims. We use GRAVITY astrometric and SINFONI, KECK, and GNIRS spectroscopic data of S2, the best known S-star, to investigate whether a second massive object could be present deep in the Galactic Centre (GC) in the form of an IMBH binary companion to Sgr A * . Methods. To solve the three-body problem, we used a post-Newtonian framework and consider two types of settings: (i) a hierarchical set-up where the star S2 orbits the Sgr A * –IMBH binary and (ii) a non-hierarchical set-up where the IMBH trajectory lies outside the S2 orbit. In both cases we explore the full 20-dimensional parameter space by employing a Bayesian dynamic nested sampling method. Results. For the hierarchical case we find the strongest constraints: IMBH masses 〉 2000 M ⊙ on orbits with smaller semi-major axes than S2 are largely excluded. For the non-hierarchical case, the chaotic nature of the problem becomes significant: the parameter space contains several pockets of valid IMBH solutions. However, a closer analysis of their impact on the resident stars reveals that IMBHs on semi-major axes larger than S2 tend to disrupt the S-star cluster in less than a million years. This makes the existence of an IMBH among the S-stars highly unlikely. Conclusions. The current S2 data do not formally require the presence of an IMBH. If an IMBH hides in the GC, it has to be either a low-mass IMBH inside the S2 orbit that moves on a short and significantly inclined trajectory or an IMBH with a semi-major axis 〉 1″. We provide the parameter maps of valid IMBH solutions in the GC and discuss the general structure of our results and how future observations can help to put even stronger constraints on the properties of IMBHs in the GC.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202245132
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 8
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    First light for GRAVITY Wide : Large separation fringe tracking for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer
    EDP Sciences ; 2022
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 665 ( 2022-9), p. A75-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 665 ( 2022-9), p. A75-
    Abstract: GRAVITY+ is the upgrade for GRAVITY and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) with wide-separation fringe tracking, new adaptive optics, and laser guide stars on all four 8 m Unit Telescopes (UTs) to enable ever-fainter, all-sky, high-contrast, milliarcsecond interferometry. Here we present the design and first results of the first phase of GRAVITY+, known as GRAVITY Wide. GRAVITY Wide combines the dual-beam capabilities of the VLTI and the GRAVITY instrument to increase the maximum separation between the science target and the reference star from 2 arcseconds with the 8 m UTs up to several 10 arcseconds, limited only by the Earth’s turbulent atmosphere. This increases the sky-coverage of GRAVITY by two orders of magnitude, opening up milliarcsecond resolution observations of faint objects and, in particular, the extragalactic sky. The first observations in 2019–2022 include the first infrared interferometry of two redshift z ~ 2 quasars, interferometric imaging of the binary system HD 105913A, and repeat observations of multiple star systems in the Orion Trapezium Cluster. We find the coherence loss between the science object and fringe-tracking reference star well described by the turbulence of the Earth’s atmosphere. We confirm that the larger apertures of the UTs result in higher visibilities for a given separation due to the broader overlap of the projected pupils on the sky and provide predictions for visibility loss as a function of separation to be used for future planning.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243941
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2022
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 9
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Toward measuring supermassive black hole masses with interferometric observations of the dust continuum
    EDP Sciences ; 2023
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 669 ( 2023-01), p. A14-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 669 ( 2023-01), p. A14-
    Abstract: This work focuses on active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and on the relation between the sizes of the hot dust continuum and the broad-line region (BLR). We find that the continuum size measured using optical/near-infrared interferometry (OI) is roughly twice that measured by reverberation mapping (RM). Both OI and RM continuum sizes show a tight relation with the H β BLR size, with only an intrinsic scatter of 0.25 dex. The masses of supermassive black holes (BHs) can hence simply be derived from a dust size in combination with a broad line width and virial factor. Since the primary uncertainty of these BH masses comes from the virial factor, the accuracy of the continuum-based BH masses is close to those based on the RM measurement of the broad emission line. Moreover, the necessary continuum measurements can be obtained on a much shorter timescale than those required monitoring for RM, and they are also more time efficient than those needed to resolve the BLR with OI. The primary goal of this work is to demonstrate a measuring of the BH mass based on the dust-continuum size with our first calibration of the R BLR – R d relation. The current limitation and caveats are discussed in detail. Future GRAVITY observations are expected to improve the continuum-based method and have the potential of measuring BH masses for a large sample of AGNs in the low-redshift Universe.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244655
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
  • 10
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Constraining particle acceleration in Sgr A ⋆ with simultaneous GRAVITY, Spitzer , NuSTAR , and Chandra observations
    EDP Sciences ; 2021
    In:  Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 654 ( 2021-10), p. A22-
    Details
    In: Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 654 ( 2021-10), p. A22-
    Abstract: We report the time-resolved spectral analysis of a bright near-infrared and moderate X-ray flare of Sgr A ⋆ . We obtained light curves in the M , K , and H bands in the mid- and near-infrared and in the 2 − 8 keV and 2 − 70 keV bands in the X-ray. The observed spectral slope in the near-infrared band is νL ν  ∝  ν 0.5 ± 0.2 ; the spectral slope observed in the X-ray band is νL ν  ∝  ν −0.7 ± 0.5 . Using a fast numerical implementation of a synchrotron sphere with a constant radius, magnetic field, and electron density (i.e., a one-zone model), we tested various synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton scenarios. The observed near-infrared brightness and X-ray faintness, together with the observed spectral slopes, pose challenges for all models explored. We rule out a scenario in which the near-infrared emission is synchrotron emission and the X-ray emission is synchrotron self-Compton. Two realizations of the one-zone model can explain the observed flare and its temporal correlation: one-zone model in which the near-infrared and X-ray luminosity are produced by synchrotron self-Compton and a model in which the luminosity stems from a cooled synchrotron spectrum. Both models can describe the mean spectral energy distribution (SED) and temporal evolution similarly well. In order to describe the mean SED, both models require specific values of the maximum Lorentz factor γ max , which differ by roughly two orders of magnitude. The synchrotron self-Compton model suggests that electrons are accelerated to γ max  ∼ 500, while cooled synchrotron model requires acceleration up to γ max  ∼ 5 × 10 4 . The synchrotron self-Compton scenario requires electron densities of 10 10 cm −3 that are much larger than typical ambient densities in the accretion flow. Furthermore, it requires a variation of the particle density that is inconsistent with the average mass-flow rate inferred from polarization measurements and can therefore only be realized in an extraordinary accretion event. In contrast, assuming a source size of 1  R S , the cooled synchrotron scenario can be realized with densities and magnetic fields comparable with the ambient accretion flow. For both models, the temporal evolution is regulated through the maximum acceleration factor γ max , implying that sustained particle acceleration is required to explain at least a part of the temporal evolution of the flare.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0004-6361 , 1432-0746
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202140981
    RVK:
    UA 1000
    RVK:
    US 1090
    Language: English
    Publisher: EDP Sciences
    Publication Date: 2021
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1458466-9
    SSG: 16,12
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    Online Resource
    Open Access Request
    Availability (electronic / print)
Nothing or not found what you are looking for? Please check your search query or use the Interlibrary Loan Search.
Close ⊗
This website uses cookies and the analysis tool Matomo. Further information can be found on the KOBV privacy pages