Near-infrared polarimetry of the Red Rectangle

Imaging polarimetry through J and H broad-band filters and a 3.4 μm narrow-band filter is used to highlight the regions of scattered light in the Red Rectangle. We find that the scattered light identifies the circumbinary dust component of the molecular disc seen in CO emission. This region also appears to be the origin of the recently discovered Blue Luminescence. We find that the degrees of polarization are consistent with the amorphous carbon dust model invoked by Men'shchikov. Spectropolarimetry from 1.4 to 2.5 μm confirms that the degree of polarization in the central arcsecond region is very low. This suggests that the central bicone seen in the near-infrared is predominantly due to emission from hot dust and/or from stochastically heated nanoparticles, rather than due to scattering by large grains.     

RAT J1953+1859: a dwarf nova discovered through high amplitude QPOs in quiescence

We report the discovery of an accreting binary, RAT J1953+1859, made during the RApid Temporal Survey (RATS) on the Isaac Newton Telescope. It showed high amplitude (0.3 mag) quasi-periodic oscillations on a time-scale of ∼20 min. Further observations made using the Nordic Optical Telescope showed it to be ∼4 mag brighter than in the discovery images. These photometric observations, together with radial velocity data taken using the William Herschel Telescope, point to an orbital period of ∼90 min. These data suggest that RAT J1953+1859 is a dwarf novae of the SU UMa type. What makes RAT J1953+1859 unusual is that it is the first such system to be discovered as a result of high amplitude QPOs during quiescence. This suggests that high-cadence wide-field surveys could be another means to discover cataclysmic variables as a result of their short period variability.     

WASP-10b: a 3MJ, gas-giant planet transiting a late-type K star

We report the discovery of WASP-10b, a new transiting extrasolar planet (ESP) discovered by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) Consortium and confirmed using Nordic Optical Telescope FIbre-fed Echelle Spectrograph and SOPHIE radial velocity data. A 3.09-d period, 29 mmag transit depth and 2.36 h duration are derived for WASP-10b using WASP and high-precision photometric observations. Simultaneous fitting to the photometric and radial velocity data using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedure leads to a planet radius of  1.28 R _J   , a mass of  2.96 M _J   and eccentricity of ≈0.06. WASP-10b is one of the more massive transiting ESPs, and we compare its characteristics to the current sample of transiting ESP, where there is currently little information for masses greater than ≈  2 M _J   and non-zero eccentricities. WASP-10's host star, GSC 2752−00114 (USNO-B1.0 1214−0586164) is among the fainter stars in the WASP sample, with   V = 12.7  and a spectral type of K5. This result shows promise for future late-type dwarf star surveys.     

WASP-14b: 7.3 MJ transiting planet in an eccentric orbit

We report the discovery of a 7.3 M _J exoplanet WASP-14b, one of the most massive transiting exoplanets observed to date. The planet orbits the 10th-magnitude F5V star USNO-B1 11118−0262485 with a period of 2.243 752 d and orbital eccentricity   e = 0.09  . A simultaneous fit of the transit light curve and radial velocity measurements yields a planetary mass of 7.3 ± 0.5 M _J and a radius of 1.28 ± 0.08 R _J. This leads to a mean density of about 4.6 g cm⁻³ making it the densest transiting exoplanets yet found at an orbital period less than 3 d. We estimate this system to be at a distance of  160 ± 20  pc. Spectral analysis of the host star reveals a temperature of  6475 ± 100 K, log  g = 4.07  cm s⁻² and   v sin  i = 4.9 ± 1.0  km s⁻¹, and also a high lithium abundance,  log  N (Li) = 2.84 ± 0.05  . The stellar density, effective temperature and rotation rate suggest an age for the system of about 0.5–1.0 Gyr.     

Near-infrared observations of the novae V2491 Cygni and V597 Puppis

We present results obtained from near-infrared JHK spectroscopic observations of novae V2491 Cygni and V597 Puppis in the early declining phases of their 2007 and 2008 outbursts, respectively. In both objects, the spectra displayed emission lines of H  i , O  i , He  i and N  i . In V597 Pup, the He  i lines were found to strengthen rapidly with time. Based on the observed spectral characteristics, both objects are classified as He/N novae. We have investigated the possibility of V2491 Cyg being a recurrent nova as has been suggested. By studying the temporal evolution of the linewidths in V2491 Cyg, it appears unlikely that the binary companion is a giant star with heavy wind as in recurrent novae of the RS Oph type. Significant deviations from that of recombination case B conditions are observed in the strengths of the H  i lines. This indicates that the H  i lines, in both novae, are optically thick during the span of our observations. The slope of the continuum spectra in both cases was found to have a  λ^−(3−3.5)  dependence which deviates from a Rayleigh–Jeans spectral distribution. Both novae were detected in the post-outburst supersoft X-ray phase; V2491 Cyg being very bright in X-rays has been the target of several observations. We discuss and correlate our infrared observations with the observed X-ray properties of these novae.     

A photometric study of the southern Blazhko star SS For: unambiguous detection of quintuplet components

We present our analysis of photometric data in the Johnson B and V filter of the southern Blazhko star SS For. In parallel, we analysed the V observations obtained with the All Sky Automated Survey-3 photometry of the star gathered between 2000 and 2008. In the frequency spectra resulting from a Fourier analysis of our data, the triplet structure is detectable up to high order, both in the B and V data. Moreover, we find evidence for quintuplet components. We confirm from our data that the modulation components decrease less steeply than the harmonics of the main frequency. We derived the variations of the Fourier parameters quantifying the light-curve shape over the Blazhko cycle. There is good agreement between the spectroscopic abundance and the metallicity determined from the Fourier parameters of the average light curve. SS For is peculiar as a Blazhko star because of its strong variations around minimum light.     

The spatial distribution of galaxies within the cosmic microwave background cold spot in the Corona Borealis supercluster

We study the spatial distribution and colours of galaxies within the region covered by the cold spot in the cosmic microwave background recently detected by the Very Small Array interpherometer (VSA) towards the Corona Borealis supercluster (CrB-SC). The spot is in the northern part of a region with a radius  ∼1° (∼5 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) enclosing the clusters Abell 2056, 2065, 2059 and 2073, and where the density of galaxies, excluding the contribution from those clusters, is approximately two times higher than the mean value in typical intercluster regions of the CrB-SC. Two of such clusters (Abell 2056 and 2065) are members of the CrB-SC, while the other two are in the background. This high-density intercluster region is quite inhomogeneous, being the most remarkable feature a large concentration of galaxies in a narrow filament running from Abell 2065 with a length of ∼35 arcmin (  ∼3 Mpc  at the redshift of CrB-SC) in the SW–NE direction. This intercluster population of galaxies probably results from the interaction of clusters Abell 2065 and 2056. The area subtended by the VSA cold spot shows an excess of faint  (21 < r < 22)  and red  (1.1 < r − i < 1.3)  galaxies as compared with typical values within the CrB-SC intercluster regions. This overdensity of galaxies shows a radial dependence and extends out to ∼15 arcmin. This could be the signature of a previously unnoted cluster in the background.     

Probing the 2D kinematic structure of early-type galaxies out to three effective radii

We detail an innovative new technique for measuring the two-dimensional (2D) velocity moments (rotation velocity, velocity dispersion and Gauss–Hermite coefficients h ₃ and h ₄) of the stellar populations of galaxy haloes using spectra from Keck DEIMOS (Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph) multi-object spectroscopic observations. The data are used to reconstruct 2D rotation velocity maps.
Here we present data for five nearby early-type galaxies to ∼three effective radii. We provide significant insights into the global kinematic structure of these galaxies, and challenge the accepted morphological classification in several cases. We show that between one and three effective radii the velocity dispersion declines very slowly, if at all, in all five galaxies. For the two galaxies with velocity dispersion profiles available from planetary nebulae data we find very good agreement with our stellar profiles. We find a variety of rotation profiles beyond one effective radius, i.e. rotation speed remaining constant, decreasing and increasing with radius. These results are of particular importance to studies which attempt to classify galaxies by their kinematic structure within one effective radius, such as the recent definition of fast- and slow-rotator classes by the Spectrographic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae project. Our data suggest that the rotator class may change when larger galactocentric radii are probed. This has important implications for dynamical modelling of early-type galaxies. The data from this study are available on-line.     

The VOISE algorithm: a versatile tool for automatic segmentation of astronomical images

The auroras on Jupiter and Saturn can be studied with a high sensitivity and resolution by the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) ultraviolet (UV) and far-ultraviolet Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instruments. We present results of automatic detection and segmentation of Jupiter's auroral emissions as observed by the HST ACS instrument with the VOronoi Image SEgmentation (VOISE). VOISE is a dynamic algorithm for partitioning the underlying pixel grid of an image into regions according to a prescribed homogeneity criterion. The algorithm consists of an iterative procedure that dynamically constructs a tessellation of the image plane based on a Voronoi diagram, until the intensity of the underlying image within each region is classified as homogeneous. The computed tessellations allow the extraction of quantitative information about the auroral features, such as mean intensity, latitudinal and longitudinal extents and length-scales. These outputs thus represent a more automated and objective method of characterizing auroral emissions than manual inspection.     

空间观测技术在地震监测中的应用

当前地面地震监测系统主要观测单点的相对变化,由于观测台站密度低,观测资料覆盖面小,不能满足地震预测所需的信息。空间观测技术的发展提供了新的地震监测技术和方法,卫星空间监测技术具有覆盖面广、信息量大、动态性好以及分辨率高等优势,因而可提供更为丰富的地震前兆信息。岩石实验的结果和一些应用研究的结果显示,空间观测技术在地震监测中具有优越的应用前景。