Results from the Whole Earth Telescope — Indian contributions

The Indian team at ISRO has been part of the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) team since 1988 when we first participated in the campaign on V471 Tau. We have been part of many other observing campaigns over the last decade. This presentation traces the circumstances leading to our joining the WET team and how useful the coverage from the Indian longitude has been. The results of several pulsators from the WET runs during which we participated are also described. These include PG1159-035 the prototype of the GW Vir type of stars, RE J 0751+14 a cataclysmic variable, PG 1336-018 a binary with an sdB pulsator and finally HR 1217 a roAp star. The paper concludes with what the limitations are in our observations and how we can overcome them in the future.     

The relationship between star formation rate and radio synchrotron luminosity at 0 < z < 2

We probe the relationship between star formation rate (SFR) and radio synchrotron luminosity in galaxies at  0 < z < 2  within the northern Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic survey (SWIRE) fields, in order to investigate some of the assumptions that go into calculating the star formation history of the Universe from deep radio observations. We present new 610-MHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations of the European Large-Area ISO Survey-North 2 (ELAIS-N2) field, and using this data, along with previous GMRT surveys carried out in the ELAIS-N1 (North 1) and Lockman Hole regions, we construct a sample of galaxies which have redshift and SFR information available from the SWIRE survey. We test whether the local relationship between SFR and radio luminosity is applicable to   z = 2  galaxies, and look for evolution in this relationship with both redshift and SFR in order to examine whether the physical processes which lead to synchrotron radiation have remained the same since the peak of star formation in the Universe. We find that the local calibration between radio luminosity and star formation can be successfully applied to radio-selected high-redshift, high-SFR galaxies, although we identify a small number of sources where this may not be the case; these sources show evidence for inaccurate estimations of their SFR, but there may also be some contribution from physical effects such as the recent onset of starburst activity, or suppression of the radio luminosity within these galaxies.     

Search for transiting exoplanets and variable stars in the open cluster NGC 7243

We report results of the first five observing campaigns for the open stellar cluster NGC 7243 in the frame of project Young Exoplanet Transit Initiative (YETI). The project focuses on the monitoring of young and nearby stellar clusters, with the aim to detect young transiting exoplanets and to study other variability phenomena on time‐scales from minutes to years. After five observing campaigns and additional observations during 2013 and 2014, a clear and repeating transit‐like signal was detected in the light curve of J221550.6+495611. Furthermore, we detected and analysed 37 new eclipsing binary stars in the studied region. The best fit parameters and light curves of all systems are given. Finally, we detected and analysed 26 new, presumably pulsating variable stars in the studied region. The follow‐up investigation of these objects, including spectroscopic measurements of the exoplanet candidate, is currently planned. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Geodynamic implications of astrometry

The transition from local horizon and terrestrial BIH-systems to celestial reference frames is well known to be affected by various geodetic parameters such as polar motion (x_p(t), y_p(t)), UT1-TUC (where UT1 is basically dependent on variations in UT0 and t=time), plumb line deflections (, ) of observation stations, global and local tidal deformations etc. Variations of such quantities with (relative) resolution of the order of 0.001 and better, such as VLBI, demand the application of continuous high-precision (world-wide) geodynamic surveys whenever global theories and sufficient models are not available and the introduction of improved local and global models (geophysical and relativistic) is needed in order to match astrometric observations related to different reference frames. Prediction of parameters for immediate transformation from one system of reference into the other is sometimes of interest.The paperreviews recent results of different observations,points out a number of still open and unresolved problems in observations and modeling, anddiscusses related consequences. Conclusions for geodynamics drawn from comparison of observed data with models based on astronomical and geophysical observations give way to new understanding of basic phenomena of relevance for various disciplines.     

A photometric and spectroscopic study of the hottest pulsating extreme helium star, V2076 Oph (HD 160641)

We present results from a three-site photometric and high-resolution spectroscopic campaign on the hottest known extreme helium star V2076 Oph (HD 160641). A core programme of intensive observations covered two weeks and a much lower sampling rate extended over another two months. Despite the fact that the data seem to indicate periodicity near half a day (though the light curves are clearly not formed by a single periodicity), conventional Fourier analysis of the data fails to reveal coherent frequencies. Furthermore, we are unable to recover frequencies which were apparently clear in an earlier campaign on the star. Evidence of monotonic pulsation amplitude changes is seen at the higher frequencies from a wavelet analysis, but more data are needed before this study can be extended to lower frequencies. The application of linear stochastic differential equation (LSDE) methods indicates that the observed light variations could be a result of random variations giving the appearance of intermittent periodicity. High-resolution spectroscopic observations were obtained during the campaign and additional observations were made three years later. Complex line profile variations were observed. It is proposed that the different behaviour of the emission line studied may indicate it is associated with a stellar wind or resident circumstellar material. The frequencies that are extracted from the velocity data do not conform to those identified in the current or previous photometric campaigns.     

Analysis of instrumental observations of the Jesenice meteorite fall on April 9, 2009

Abstract– We report an analysis of instrumental observations of a very bright fireball which terminated with a meteorite fall near the town of Jesenice in Slovenia on April 9, 2009, at 0h59m46s UT. The fireball designated EN090409 was recorded photographically and photoelectrically by two southern stations of the Czech part of the European Fireball Network (EN). Simultaneously, a part of the luminous trajectory was also captured by two all‐sky CCD systems and one video camera of the Slovenian meteor network. In addition to these optical recordings, the sonic booms produced by the Jesenice fireball were detected at 16 seismic stations located within 150 km of the trajectory. From all these records, we reconstructed the fireball’s atmospheric trajectory, basic geophysical data, the possible impact area, and the original heliocentric orbit of the meteoroid. Using a detailed fireball light curve, we modeled the atmospheric fragmentation of the meteoroid. Both the atmospheric behavior and the heliocentric orbit proved to be quite normal in comparison with other observed meteorite falls. The Jesenice orbit is markedly different from the P?íbram and Neuschwanstein orbital meteorite pair, which fell on similar dates (April 7, 1959, and April 6, 2002, respectively). Three meteorites with a total weight of 3.6 kg (until April 2010) were found in a high mountain area near the town of Jesenice. They are classified as L6 ordinary chondrites ( Bischoff et al. 2010 ).     

Wind Ionization Structure of the Short-Period Eclipsing LMC Wolf-Rayet Binary BAT99-129: Preliminary Results

BAT99-129 is a rare, short-period eclipsing Wolf-Rayet binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We present here medium-resolution NTT/EMMI spectra that allow us to disentangle the spectra of the two components and find the orbital parameters of the binary. We also present VLT/FORS1 spectra of this binary taken during the secondary eclipse, i.e. when the companion star passes in front of the Wolf-Rayet star. With these data we are able to extract, for the first time in absolute units for a WR + O binary, the sizes of the line emitting regions.Based on observations obtained at the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, European Southern Observatory (Chile).     

lbb-用于射电天文VLBI基带数据读写的库

Library for Baseband (lbb)是一个自研的用于读取解析甚长基线干涉测量(Very Long Baseline Interferometry, VLBI)基带数据的工具库,主要用于VLBI观测中对终端基带数据的读取、解析及输出结果分析.该软件库通过对基带数据的自动判断,自动实现读取不同数据格式的功能,并提供了各种各样的API (Application Programming Interface)功能供用户调用.目前lbb软件库已经成功应用在了探月工程VLBI测轨任务中的硬件相关处理机配置项和测地VLBI观测数据的预处理.文章详细介绍了lbb软件库的设计、功能及用法.     

The Gaia spectrophotometric standard stars survey: II. Instrumental effects of six ground‐based observing campaigns

The Gaia SpectroPhotometric Standard Stars (SPSS) survey started in 2006, was awarded almost 450 observing nights and accumulated almost 100000 raw data frames with both photometric and spectroscopic observations. Such large observational effort requires careful, homogeneous, and automatic data reduction and quality control procedures. In this paper, we quantitatively evaluate instrumental effects that might have a significant (i.e., ≥1 %) impact on the Gaia SPSS flux calibration. The measurements involve six different instruments, monitored over the eight years of observations dedicated to the Gaia flux standards campaigns: DOLORES@TNG in La Palma, EFOSC2@NTT and ROSS@REM in La Silla, CAFOS@2.2m in Calar Alto, BFOSC@Cassini in Loiano, and LaRuca@1.5m in San Pedro Mártir. We examine and quantitatively evaluate the following effects: CCD linearity and shutter times, calibration frames stability, lamp flexures, second order contamination, light polarization, and fringing. We present methods to correct for the relevant effects which can be applied to a wide range of observational projects at similar instruments. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

STAGES: the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey

We present an overview of the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). STAGES is a multiwavelength project designed to probe physical drivers of galaxy evolution across a wide range of environments and luminosity. A complex multicluster system at   z ∼ 0.165  has been the subject of an 80-orbit F606W Hubble Space Telescope (HST) /Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) mosaic covering the full     span of the supercluster. Extensive multiwavelength observations with XMM–Newton , GALEX, Spitzer , 2dF, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the 17-band COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey complement the HST imaging. Our survey goals include simultaneously linking galaxy morphology with other observables such as age, star formation rate, nuclear activity and stellar mass. In addition, with the multiwavelength data set and new high-resolution mass maps from gravitational lensing, we are able to disentangle the large-scale structure of the system. By examining all aspects of an environment we will be able to evaluate the relative importance of the dark matter haloes, the local galaxy density and the hot X-ray gas in driving galaxy transformation. This paper describes the HST imaging, data reduction and creation of a master catalogue. We perform the Sérsic fitting on the HST images and conduct associated simulations to quantify completeness. In addition, we present the COMBO-17 photometric redshift catalogue and estimates of stellar masses and star formation rates for this field. We define galaxy and cluster sample selection criteria, which will be the basis for forthcoming science analyses, and present a compilation of notable objects in the field. Finally, we describe the further multiwavelength observations and announce public access to the data and catalogues.     

Some results of geodetic referring of the radio telescope and SLR stations to GPS markers in the Crimean geodynamical test area Simeiz-Katsyveli

Positions of space-geodetic instruments are calculated in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2000) by referring the instrument reference points to the local geodetic network and GPS markers. The eccentricities of the SLR stations CrAO and CLO and the permanent GPS station CrAO with respect to the reference point of the radio telescope RT-22 are determined. The local relative deformations of the Earth’s surface are presented as shifts of the instrument reference points with respect to the nearest points of the local geodetic network and with respect to each other.     

Rapid optical variability in radio-quiet QSOs

We report results of the observations at the Vainu Bappu Observatory and the Uttar Pradesh State Observatory of eight radio-quiet quasi-stellar objects (RQQSOs) during 1996–99. This is a part of our ongoing programme to search for intranight optical variability in RQQSOs. Additional evidence for very rapid variability in three of the five optically bright and very luminous RQQSOs we had observed earlier, 1049−006, 1444+408 and 1630+377, was found. Of the three newly observed RQQSOs, the data for 0043+039 are too noisy to allow conclusions about variability to be drawn, but 0748+294 and 0824+098 show strong hints of microvariability. We also present a summary of the results from our entire programme to date, which includes observations of 16 radio-quiet QSOs and one radio-weak QSO, and compare the general properties of rapid variability in radio-quiet versus radio-loud AGN as determined from our work and that of several other groups. Observations of this kind are likely to play a key role in understanding the relative contributions of accretion discs and relativistic plasma jets to rapid optical fluctuations of AGN.     

A search for H i in some peculiar faint dwarf galaxies

We present a deep Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) search for H  i 21-cm emission from three dwarf galaxies, viz. POX 186, SC 24 and KKR 25. Based, in part, on previous single-dish H  i observations, these galaxies have been classified as a blue compact dwarf (BCD), a dwarf irregular and a transition galaxy, respectively. However, in conflict with previous single-dish detections, we do not detect H  i in SC 24 or KKR 25. We suggest that the previous single-dish measurements were probably confused with the local Galactic emission. In the case of POX 186, we confirm the previous non-detection of H  i but with substantially improved limits on its H  i mass. Our derived upper limits on the H  i mass of SC 24 and KKR 25 are similar to the typical H  i mass limit for dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies, whereas in the case of POX 186, we find that its gas content is somewhat smaller than is typical of BCD galaxies.     

FAUST observations of ultraviolet sources in the directions of NGC 4038–39 and 6752

Analysis of ultraviolet (UV) observations with the FAUST shuttle-borne telescope toward the Antennae and NGC 6752 celestial regions resulted in the detection of 46 and 221 candidate sources respectively, for a signal-to-noise ratio of 8. We discuss the source detection process and the identification of UV sources with optical counterparts. Using correlations with existing catalogues, we present reliable identifications for approximately 60 per cent of the sources. We find that most identified objects are B, A and F stars. The remaining identified objects are galaxies, a white dwarf in a binary system, and two K-type stars. Nearly all of the remaining unidentified objects have assigned optical counterparts but, lacking additional information, we give these only as best estimates. With help from new diagnostic diagrams, we suggest that these unclassified objects are main-sequence (or giant) stars within the local spiral arm or halo; or other hot evolved objects within the local spiral arm. We discuss the nature of the objects found and compare our results with those predicted from spectral and Galactic models.     

Vlbi study of the sio maser emission at 43 GHZ in the circumstellar envelope of R cas

We discuss the European effort in the study of millimeter-wave circumstellar masers with very long baseline interferometry. We show some results of the first observations, and discuss present and future work.     

The Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey – II. A H i view of the Abell cluster 1367 and its outskirts

We present 21 cm H  i line observations of 5 × 1 deg² centred on the local Abell cluster 1367 obtained as part of the Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey. One hundred sources are detected (79 new H  i measurements and 50 new redshifts), more than half belonging to the cluster core and its infalling region. Combining the H  i data with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) optical imaging, we show that our H  i selected sample follows scaling relations similar to the ones usually observed in optically selected samples. Interestingly, all galaxies in our sample appear to have nearly the same baryon fraction independently of their size, surface brightness and luminosity. The most striking difference between H  i and optically selected samples resides in their large-scale distribution: whereas optical and X-ray observations trace the cluster core very well, in H  i there is almost no evidence of the presence of the cluster. Some implications on the determination of the cluster luminosity function and H  i distribution for samples selected at different wavelength are also discussed.     

Collaborative research of open star clusters

Preliminary results on observations of open clusters are presented. The project has been initiated in the framework of the Uzbek-Taiwan and Taiwan-Baltic collaboration, mainly to upgrade and make use of facilities at Maidanak Observatory. We present detailed, multiwavelength studies of the young cluster NGC 6823 and the associated complex nebulosity, to diagnose the young stellar population and star formation history in the region. In addition, 7 compact open clusters have been monitored for stellar variability. We show how observations like these could feasibly be used to look for exoplanet transit events. We also expect to join the Whole-Earth Telescope effort in future campaigns for asteroseismology.     

Gas in early-type galaxies: cross-fuelling in late-type–early-type pairs?

We present  ¹²CO ( J = 1–0)  and  ¹²CO ( J = 2–1)  observations of eight early-type galaxies, forming part of a sample of interacting galaxies, each consisting of one late- and one early-type system. All of the early-type galaxies observed are undetected in CO to low levels, allowing us to place tight constraints on their molecular gas content. Additionally, we present H  i absorption data for one system. The implications for possible gas transfer from the late- to the early-type galaxy during the interaction are discussed.     

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations of NGC 3079

We present new observations at three frequencies (326, 615 and 1281 MHz) of the radio lobe spiral galaxy, NGC 3079, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. These observations are consistent with previous data obtained at other telescopes and reveal the structure of the nuclear radio lobes in exquisite detail. In addition, new features are observed, some with H  i counterparts, showing broad-scale radio continuum emission and extensions. The galaxy is surrounded by a radio halo that is at least 4.8 kpc in height. Two giant radio extensions/loops are seen on either side of the galaxy out to ∼11 kpc from the major axis, only slightly offset from the direction of the smaller nuclear radio lobes. If these are associated with the nuclear outflow, then the galaxy has experienced episodic nuclear activity. Emission along the southern major axis suggests motion through a local intergalactic medium (not yet detected), and it may be that NGC 3079 is itself creating this local intergalactic gas via outflows. We also present maps of the minimum energy parameters for this galaxy, including cosmic ray energy density, electron diffusion length, magnetic field strength, particle lifetime and power.