Gamma-ray bursts from stellar remnants: probing the Universe at high redshift

A gamma-ray burst (GRB) releases an amount of energy similar to that of a supernova explosion, which combined with its rapid variability suggests an origin related to neutron stars or black holes. Since these compact stellar remnants form from the most massive stars not long after their birth, GRBs should trace the star formation rate in the Universe; we show that the GRB flux distribution is consistent with this. Because of the strong evolution of the star formation rate with redshift, it follows that the dimmest known bursts have z  ∼ 6, much above the value usually quoted and beyond the most distant quasars. This explains the absence of bright galaxies in well-studied GRB error boxes. The increased distances imply a peak luminosity of 8.3 × 10⁵¹ erg s⁻¹ and a rate density of 0.025 per million years per galaxy. These values are 20 times higher and 150 times lower, respectively, than are implied by fits with non-evolving GRB rates. This means either that GRBs are caused by a much rarer phenomenon than mergers of binary neutron stars, or that their gamma-ray emission is often invisible to us due to beaming. Precise burst locations from optical transients will discriminate between the various models for GRBs from stellar deaths, because the distance between progenitor birth place and burst varies greatly among them. The dimmest GRBs are then the most distant known objects, and may probe the Universe at an age when the first stars were forming.     

Distribution of compact object mergers around galaxies

Compact object mergers are one of the currently favoured models for the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The discovery of optical afterglows and identification of the nearest, presumably host, galaxies allow the analysis of the distribution of burst sites with respect to these galaxies. Using a model of stellar binary evolution we synthesize a population of compact binary systems which merge within the Hubble time. We include the kicks in the supernovae explosions and calculate orbits of these binaries in galactic gravitational potentials. We present the resulting distribution of merger sites and discuss the results in the framework of the observed GRB afterglows.     

The growth and assembly of a massive galaxy at z∼ 2

We study the stellar mass assembly of the Spiderweb galaxy  (MRC 1138−262)  , a massive   z = 2.2  radio galaxy in a protocluster and the probable progenitor of a brightest cluster galaxy. Nearby protocluster galaxies are identified and their properties are determined by fitting stellar population models to their rest-frame ultraviolet to optical spectral energy distributions. We find that within 150 kpc of the radio galaxy the stellar mass is centrally concentrated in the radio galaxy, yet most of the dust-uncorrected, instantaneous star formation occurs in the surrounding low-mass satellite galaxies. We predict that most of the galaxies within 150 kpc of the radio galaxy will merge with the central radio galaxy by   z = 0  , increasing its stellar mass by up to a factor of ≃2. However, it will take several hundred Myr for the first mergers to occur, by which time the large star formation rates are likely to have exhausted the gas reservoirs in the satellite galaxies. The tidal radii of the satellite galaxies are small, suggesting that stars and gas are being stripped and deposited at distances of tens of kpc from the central radio galaxy. These stripped stars may become intracluster stars or form an extended stellar halo around the radio galaxy, such as those observed around cD galaxies in cluster cores.     

Long gamma-ray burst progenitors: boundary conditions and binary models

The observed association of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (LGRBs) with peculiar Type Ic supernovae gives support to Woosley‘s collapsar/hypernova model, in which the GRB is produced by the collapse of the rapidly rotating core of a massive star to a black hole. The association of LGRBs with small star-forming galaxies suggests low-metallicity to be a condition for a massive star to evolve to the collapsar stage. Both completely-mixed single star models and binary star models are possible. In binary models the progenitor of the GRB is a massive helium star with a close companion. We find that tidal synchronization during core-helium burning is reached on a short timescale (less than a few millennia). However, the strong core-envelope coupling in the subsequent evolutionary stages is likely to rule out helium stars with main-sequence companions as progenitors of hypernovae/GRBs. On the other hand, helium stars in close binaries with a neutron-star or black-hole companion can, despite the strong core-envelope coupling in the post-helium burning phase, retain sufficient core angular momentum to produce a hypernova/GRB.     

Kinematics of Gas and Stars in 20 Disc Galaxies

In this paper we present the kinematics of the gas and/or the stars of a sample of 20 disc galaxies. We investigate whether there is any relation between the kinematics of the gas and stars and the classical morphological type of the galaxies in the sample. We deduce that, in most of the late-type spirals we have studied, the stars and the ionized gas are moving with virtually circular velocity, except when the spectroscopic slit crosses a bar region. On the other hand, we found in the central parts of early-type disc galaxies a wider variety of different behaviour of stars and gas. We find many possible factors that complicate the classification of the kinematical properties of the galaxies by their morphological type: the presence of counter-rotations (star vs. stars or star vs. gas), misalignment between the different kinematic components present in the galaxy, the presence of a bar structure and its orientation with respect to the line of nodes of the galaxy, and interactions and mergers or external accretion processes are some of the problems we find in the study of the kinematics of a galaxy.     

X-ray plateaus followed by sharp drops in GRBs 060413, 060522, 060607A and 080330： Further evidences for central engine afterglow from gamma-ray bursts

The X-ray afterglows of GRBs 060413, 060522, 060607A and 080330 are characterized by a plateau followed by a very sharp drop. The plateau could be explained within the framework of the external forward shock model but the sharp drop can not.We interpret the plateau as the afterglows of magnetized central engines, plausibly magnetars. In this model, the X-ray afterglows are powered by the internal magnetic energy dissipation and the sudden drop is caused by the collapse of the magnetar. Accordingly,the X-ray plateau photons should have a high linear polarization, which can be tested by future X-ray polarimetry.     

GRB host galaxies studies with X‐shooter

Gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions since the formation of the Universe, associated with the death of massive stars or mergers of compact stellar objects. Several recent striking results strongly support the idea that host galaxies of GRBs are opening a new view on our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution, back to the very primordial universe at z ∼ 8. They form a unique sample of galaxies which cover a wide range of redshift, they are typically weak with low mass and unlike other methods they are not selected on luminosity. In recent years, thanks to the support of new generation instruments, multi‐band photometry and spectroscopy allow us to better investigate the properties of these host galaxies (e.g., stellar mass, age, SFR, metallicity), to study their possible evolution and to compare them with field galaxies and other classes of galaxies. GRB host spectroscopy is one of the main science drivers behind the X‐shooter spectrograph. In this paper, we present the first results of the program devoted to Italian‐French GTO multiband spectroscopy of GRB host galaxies with X‐shooter (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dwarf galaxies: Important clues to galaxy formation

The smallest dwarf galaxies are the most straight forward objects in which to study star formation processes on a galactic scale. They are typically single cell star forming entities, and as small potentials in orbit around a much larger one they are unlikely to accrete much (if any) extraneous matter during their lifetime (either intergalactic gas, or galaxies) because they will typically lose the competition with the much larger galaxy. We can utilise observations of stars of a range of ages to measure star formation and enrichment histories back to the earliest epochs. The most ancient objects we have ever observed in the Universe are stars found in and around our Galaxy. Their proximity allows us to extract from their properties detailed information about the time in the early Universe into which they were born. A currently fashionable conjecture is that the earliest star formation in the Universe occurred in the smallest dwarf galaxy sized objects. Here I will review some recent observational highlights in the study of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and the implications for understanding galaxy formation and evolution. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Neighbourhoods of isolated star forming dwarf galaxies

We report the discovery of small groups of uncatalogued, compact, star forming (SF) dwarf galaxies (DGs) by Hα mapping of the neighbourhoods of apparently isolated, catalogued, SF DGs. Our sample consists of dwarf  ( M ≥−18 mag)  galaxies at least 2 Mpc away from any other catalogued galaxy. The galaxies were selected to exhibit Hα emission of any intensity, i.e. not selecting only strong starbursts, as an indicator of recent or on-going star formation with the goal of understanding why are they presently forming stars. We identified possible neighbours by imaging the galaxies and their surroundings through Hα filters centred at or near the redshift of the galaxy, and searching for localized Hα emission with the characteristics of the line emission from the sample galaxies.
We identified 20 possible SF neighbour galaxies, 17 of them not previously catalogued, in three of the five search fields where we had good quality data, and present here their positions and, images and morphology, as well as some indications of binarity. The relatively large number of possible neighbour candidates, combined with their relative faintness, argue that it would be virtually impossible to identify truly isolated galaxies. It seems that the objects we selected as extremely isolated are probably the brightest members of sparse groups of galaxies, where the other members are also DGs that are presently forming stars. In order to enhance the confidence of this statement regular redshifts are required for our candidate neighbours.     

UVES Abundances of Stars in Nearby Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a galaxy in possession of a good quantity of gas must want to form stars. It is the details of how and why that baffle us all. The simplest theories either would have this process a carefully self-regulated affair, or one that goes completely out of control and is capable of wrecking the galaxy which hosts it. Of course the majority of galaxies seem to amble along somewhere between these two extremes, and the mean properties tend to favour a quiescent self-regulated evolutionary scenario. But there area variety of observations which require us to invoke transitory ‘bursts’ of star-formation at one time or another in most galaxy types. Several nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies have clearly determined star-formation histories with apparent periods of zero star formation followed by periods of fairly active star formation. If we are able to understand what separated these bursts we would understand several important phenomena in galaxy evolution. Were these galaxies able to clear out their gas reservoir in a burst of star formation? How did this gas return? or did it? Have these galaxies receieved gas from the IGM instead? Could stars from these types of galaxy contribute significantly to the halo population in our Galaxy? To answer these questions we need to combine accurate stellar photometry and Colour-Magnitude Diagram interpretation with detailed metal abundances to combine a star-formation rate versus time with a range of element abundances with time. Different elements trace different evolutionary process (e.g., relative contributions of type I and II supernovae). We often aren't even sure of the abundance spread in these galaxies. We have collected detailed high resolution UVES spectra of four nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies (Sculptor, Fornax, Leo I &; Carina) to begin to answer these questions. This is a precursor study to a more complete study with FLAMES. We presented at this meeting the initial results for the Sculptor and Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxies which have been previously had single element (low resolution) calcium abundance studies (Tolstoy et al., 2001). See Figures 1 and 2.     

The effects of photoionization on galaxy formation – I. Model and results at z=0

We develop a coupled model for the evolution of the global properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the formation of galaxies, in the presence of a photoionizing background due to stars and quasars. We use this model to predict the thermodynamic history of the IGM when photoionized by galaxies forming in a cold dark matter (CDM) universe. The evolution of the galaxies is calculated using a semi-analytical model, including a detailed treatment of the effects of tidal stripping and dynamical friction on satellite galaxies orbiting inside larger dark matter haloes. We include in the model the negative feedback on galaxy formation from the photoionizing background. Photoionization inhibits galaxy formation in low-mass dark matter haloes in two ways: (i) heating of the IGM and inhibition of the collapse of gas into dark haloes by the IGM pressure, and (ii) reduction in the rate of radiative cooling of gas within haloes. The result of our method is a self-consistent model of galaxy formation and the IGM. The IGM is reheated twice (during reionization of H  i and He  ii ), and we find that the star formation rate per unit volume is slightly suppressed after each episode of reheating. We find that galaxies brighter than L _★ are mostly unaffected by reionization, while the abundance of faint galaxies is significantly reduced, leading to present-day galaxy luminosity functions with shallow faint-end slopes, in good agreement with recent observational data. Reionization also affects other properties of these faint galaxies, in a readily understandable way.     

贫金属富碳天琴RR变星的形成

贫金属富碳恒星(Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor, CEMP)是研究宇宙早期恒星性质和化学演化的极佳样本,通常认为来自双星.目前发现的贫金属富碳星中有9颗天琴RR变星(RR Lyrae star, RRL),其中至少7颗未表现出任何双星特征.传统双星物质转移模型不足以充分解释贫金属富碳天琴RR变星(CEMP-RR Lyrae)单星的形成.之前研究表明氦白矮星和赫氏空隙星(HG)的并合模型可以解释部分富碳红巨星单星的碳增丰现象,因此贫金属富碳星单星也可能来自氦白矮星和赫氏空隙星的并合模型渠道.通过详细计算的氦白矮星和赫氏空隙星并合模型来检验这一演化渠道,结果表明:该并合模型在后续的演化过程中,其重力加速度、温度、表面碳丰度均能与观测符合较好.由此,氦白矮星和赫氏空隙星并合模型极有可能是贫金属富碳天琴RR变星的形成渠道之一.     

A magnetically driven origin for the low luminosity GRB 170817A associated with GW170817

The gamma-ray burst GR170817 A associated with GW170817 is subluminous and subenergetic compared with other typical short gamma-ray bursts. It may be due to a relativistic jet viewed off-axis, or a structured jet or cocoon emission. Giant flares from magnetars may possibly be ruled out.However, the luminosity and energetics of GRB 170817 A are coincident with those of magnetar giant flares. After the coalescence of a binary neutron star, a hypermassive neutron star may be formed. The hypermassive neutron star may have a magnetar-strength magnetic field. During the collapse of this hypermassive neutron star, magnetic field energy will also be released. This giant-flare-like event may explain the luminosity and energetics of GRB 170817 A. Bursts with similar luminosity and energetics are expected in future neutron star-neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers.     

Galaxy groups at 0.3 ≤z≤ 0.55 – II. Evolution to z∼ 0

We compare deep Magellan spectroscopy of 26 groups at  0.3 ≤ z ≤ 0.55  , selected from the Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology 2 field survey, with a large sample of nearby groups from the 2PIGG catalogue. We find that the fraction of group galaxies with significant [O  ii ]λ3727 emission (≥5 Å) increases strongly with redshift, from ∼29 per cent in 2dFGRS to ∼58 per cent in CNOC2, for all galaxies brighter than  ∼ M _*+ 1.75  . This trend is parallel to the evolution of field galaxies, where the equivalent fraction of emission-line galaxies increases from ∼53 to ∼75 per cent. The fraction of emission-line galaxies in groups is lower than in the field, across the full redshift range, indicating that the history of star formation in groups is influenced by their environment. We show that the evolution required to explain the data is inconsistent with a quiescent model of galaxy evolution; instead, discrete events in which galaxies cease forming stars (truncation events) are required. We constrain the probability of truncation ( P _trunc) and find that a high value is required in a simple evolutionary scenario neglecting galaxy mergers  ( P _trunc≳ 0.3 Gyr⁻¹)  . However, without assuming significant density evolution, P _trunc is not required to be larger in groups than in the field, suggesting that the environmental dependence of star formation was embedded at redshifts   z ≳ 0.45  .     

Progenitors with enhanced rotation and the origin of magnetars

Among the dozen known magnetar candidates, there are no binary objects. Given that the fraction of binary neutron stars is estimated to be about 3–10 per cent, it is reasonable to address the question of solitarity of magnetars, to estimate theoretically the fraction of binary objects among them, and to identify the most probable companions. We present population synthesis calculations of massive binary systems. In this study, we adopt the hypothesis that magnetic field of a magnetar is generated at the protoneutron star stage due to a dynamo mechanism, so rapid rotation of the core of a progenitor star is essential. Our goal is to estimate the number of neutron stars originated from progenitors with enhanced rotation. In our calculations, the fraction of neutron stars originating from such progenitors is about 8–9 per cent. This should be considered as an upper limit to the fraction of magnetars, as some of the progenitors can lose momentum. Most of these objects are isolated due to coalescences of components prior to neutron star formation, or due to system disruption after the second supernova explosion. The fraction of such neutron stars in surviving binaries is about 1 per cent or lower. Their most numerous companions are black holes.     

Cooling Flow Star Formation and the Apparent Stellar Ages of Elliptical Galaxies

Simple theoretical arguments indicate that cooled interstellar gas in bright elliptical galaxies forms into a young stellar population having a bottom-heavy but optically luminous initial mass function extending to approximately 2 M middle dot in circle. When the colors and spectral features of this young population are combined with those of the underlying old stellar population, the apparent ages are significantly reduced, similar to the relatively young apparent ages observed in many elliptical galaxies. Galactic mergers are not required to resupply young stars. The sensitivity of continuous star formation to LB and LX&solm0;LB is likely to account for the observed spread in apparent ages among elliptical galaxies. Local star formation is accompanied by enhanced stellar Hbeta equivalent widths, stronger optical emission lines, more thermal X-ray emission, and lower apparent temperatures in the hot gas. The young stars should cause M&solm0;L to vary with galactic radius, perturbing the fundamental plane of the old stars alone.     

Search for nearby host galaxies of short gamma-ray bursts detected and well localized by BATSE/IPN

We have collected the observational data accumulated before the Swift experiment to check the possible connection of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with low-redshift galaxies. The BATSE/IPN experimental data on well-localized short GRBs and the SDSS DR5 and PSCz catalogs of galaxies are used. The PSCz sky coverage has allowed us to search for host galaxies for a sample of 34 short GRBs. One or more galaxies have been found in the error boxes of six bursts, but the probability of a chance coincidence for each of them is high. No excess of nearby galaxies in the total sample has been detected. The 90% confidence limit corresponds to the fact that no more than 7%of the short GRBs could originate in nearby galaxies of the PSCz sample. The estimated upper limit of several percent may be considered to be valid in the volume z = 0.015–0.025. Based on the results of our search, we have estimated the lower limits for the isotropic energies E _γiso of 31 short bursts from our sample. Their values lie within the range 1.0 × 10⁴⁷–2.7 × 10⁴⁹ erg. The possible fraction of the flares from magnetars in our sample of short GRBs is discussed. The SDSS sky coverage is currently insufficient to perform a similar analysis.     

The UV Upturn in Elliptical Galaxies

The hot stellar component in elliptical galaxies offers clues to both stellar evolution and galaxy evolution. Current observations suggest that extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars dominate the far-UV emission from galaxies with the strongest "UV upturns," while post asymptotic giant branch (PAGB) stars are probably significant contributors for weaker galaxies. Spectra near the Lyman limit indicate that a rather narrow range of temperature (and hence EHB star mass) is required. However, other arguments suggest that most of the helium-burning stars in elliptical galaxies are in the red clump. The HB star mass distribution therefore appears to be strongly bimodal. Such bimodality is qualitatively reproduced by two radically different stellar population models, (those of Lee and Bressan et al., 1994), both of which require that the galaxies be very old. However, the Galactic open cluster NGC 6791 also contains EHB stars and exhibits strong bimodality, indicating that old age may not necessarily be a requirement for the UV upturn phenomenon. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Star clusters around recoiled black holes in the Milky Way halo

Gravitational wave emission by coalescing black holes (BHs) kicks the remnant BH with a typical velocity of hundreds of  km s⁻¹  . This velocity is sufficiently large to remove the remnant BH from a low-mass galaxy but is below the escape velocity from the Milky Way (MW) galaxy. If central BHs were common in the galactic building blocks that merged to make the MW, then numerous BHs that were kicked out of low-mass galaxies should be freely floating in the MW halo today. We use a large statistical sample of possible merger tree histories for the MW to estimate the expected number of recoiled BH remnants present in the MW halo today. We find that hundreds of BHs should remain bound to the MW halo after leaving their parent low-mass galaxies. Each BH carries a compact cluster of old stars that populated the core of its original host galaxy. Using the time-dependent Fokker–Planck equation, we find that the present-day clusters are  ≲1 pc  in size, and their central bright regions should be unresolved in most existing sky surveys. These compact systems are distinguishable from globular clusters by their internal (Keplerian) velocity dispersion greater than 100 km s⁻¹ and their high mass-to-light ratio owing to the central BH. An observational discovery of this relic population of star clusters in the MW halo would constrain the formation history of the MW and the dynamics of BH mergers in the early Universe. A similar population should exist around other galaxies and may potentially be detectable in M31 and M33.     

Stellar content of the interacting galaxies IC 1727 and NGC 672

Based on archival Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC images, we have performed stellar photometry for an isolated pair of interacting galaxies, IC 1727 and NGC 672, and constructed their Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams. The galaxy IC 1727 exhibits a strong asymmetry in the apparent distribution of young stars. The distribution of old stars is smoother and less asymmetric. In the galaxy NGC672, there is no noticeable asymmetry in the distribution of stars of different ages. Based on the TRGB method, we have determined an accurate distance to each galaxy for the first time: D = 7.14 ± 0.10 Mpc for IC 1727 and D = 7.22 ± 0.10 Mpc for NGC 672, confirming that these galaxies are closely spaced. The luminosity functions of red supergiants and peripheral AGB stars in both galaxies have positionally coincident local maxima, suggesting the simultaneous enhancement of star formation in the two galaxies occurred in the intervals 20–30 and 450–700 Myr ago. The results obtained point to an enhancement of star formation processes in the interacting galaxies.