ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3101-1808
Current Organisation
University of Amsterdam
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 25-07-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2005
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE03498
Abstract: Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are 'magnetars', a small class of slowly spinning neutron stars with extreme surface magnetic fields, B approximately 10(15) gauss (refs 1 , 2 -3). On 27 December 2004, a giant flare was detected from the magnetar SGR 1806-20 (ref. 2), only the third such event recorded. This burst of energy was detected by a variety of instruments and even caused an ionospheric disturbance in the Earth's upper atmosphere that was recorded around the globe. Here we report the detection of a fading radio afterglow produced by this outburst, with a luminosity 500 times larger than the only other detection of a similar source. From day 6 to day 19 after the flare from SGR 1806-20, a resolved, linearly polarized, radio nebula was seen, expanding at approximately a quarter of the speed of light. To create this nebula, at least 4 x 10(43) ergs of energy must have been emitted by the giant flare in the form of magnetic fields and relativistic particles.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-10-2019
Abstract: The nature of the central engines of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the composition of their relativistic jets are still under debate. If the jets are Poynting flux dominated rather than baryon dominated, a coherent radio flare from magnetic reconnection events might be expected with the prompt gamma-ray emission. There are two competing models for the central engines of GRBs a black hole or a newly formed millisecond magnetar. If the central engine is a magnetar it is predicted to produce coherent radio emission as persistent or flaring activity. In this paper, we present the deepest limits to date for this emission following LOFAR rapid response observations of GRB 180706A. No emission is detected to a 3σ limit of 1.7 mJy beam−1 at 144 MHz in a 2-h LOFAR observation starting 4.5 min after the gamma-ray trigger. A forced source extraction at the position of GRB 180706A provides a marginally positive (1σ) peak flux density of 1.1 ± 0.9 mJy. The data were time sliced into different sets of snapshot durations to search for FRB like emission. No short duration emission was detected at the location of the GRB. We compare these results to theoretical models and discuss the implications of a non-detection.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 10-02-2006
DOI: 10.1086/497680
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-10-2022
Abstract: We present LOFAR imaging observations from the April/May 2020 active episode of magnetar SGR 1935 + 2154. We place the earliest radio limits on persistent emission following the low-luminosity fast radio burst FRB 200428 from the magnetar. We also perform an image-plane search for transient emission and find no radio flares during our observations. We examine post-FRB radio upper limits in the literature and find that all are consistent with the multiwavelength afterglow predicted by the synchrotron maser shock model interpretation of FRB 200428. However, early optical observations appear to rule out the simple versions of the afterglow model with constant-density circumburst media. We show that these constraints may be mitigated by adapting the model for a wind-like environment, but only for a limited parameter range. In addition, we suggest that late-time non-thermal particle acceleration occurs within the afterglow model when the shock is no longer relativistic, which may prove vital for detecting afterglows from other Galactic FRBs. We also discuss future observing strategies for verifying either magnetospheric or maser shock FRB models via rapid radio observations of Galactic magnetars and nearby FRBs.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-04-2020
Abstract: We present low-radio-frequency follow-up observations of AT 2017gfo, the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817, which was the first binary neutron star merger to be detected by Advanced LIGO–Virgo. These data, with a central frequency of 144 MHz, were obtained with LOFAR, the Low-Frequency Array. The maximum elevation of the target is just 13${_{.}^{\\circ}}$7 when observed with LOFAR, making our observations particularly challenging to calibrate and significantly limiting the achievable sensitivity. On time-scales of 130–138 and 371–374 d after the merger event, we obtain 3σ upper limits for the afterglow component of 6.6 and 19.5 mJy beam−1, respectively. Using our best upper limit and previously published, contemporaneous higher frequency radio data, we place a limit on any potential steepening of the radio spectrum between 610 and 144 MHz: the two-point spectral index $\\alpha ^{610}_{144} \\gtrsim$ −2.5. We also show that LOFAR can detect the afterglows of future binary neutron star merger events occurring at more favourable elevations.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
Publisher: AIP
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1063/1.3615150
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-10-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 13-03-2021
Abstract: We introduce the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) rapid-response mode by presenting the first successful trigger on the short-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) 181123B. Early-time radio observations of short GRBs may provide vital insights into the radio afterglow properties of Advanced LIGO- and Virgo-detected gravitational wave events, which will in turn inform follow-up strategies to search for counterparts within their large positional uncertainties. The ATCA was on target within 12.6 h post-burst, when the source had risen above the horizon. While no radio afterglow was detected during the 8.3 h observation, we obtained force-fitted flux densities of 7 ± 12 and $15 \\pm 11\\, \\mu$Jy at 5.5 and 9 GHz, respectively. Afterglow modelling of GRB 181123B showed that the addition of the ATCA force-fitted radio flux densities to the Swift X-ray Telescope detections provided more stringent constraints on the fraction of thermal energy in the electrons (log $\\epsilon _e = -0.75^{+0.39}_{-0.40}$ rather than log $\\epsilon _e = -1.13^{+0.82}_{-1.2}$ derived without the inclusion of the ATCA values), which is consistent with the range of typical ϵe derived from GRB afterglow modelling. This allowed us to predict that the forward shock may have peaked in the radio band ∼10 d post-burst, producing detectable radio emission ≳3–4 d post-burst. Overall, we demonstrate the potential for extremely rapid radio follow-up of transients and the importance of triggered radio observations for constraining GRB blast wave properties, regardless of whether there is a detection, via the inclusion of force-fitted radio flux densities in afterglow modelling efforts.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 08-11-2005
DOI: 10.1086/498643
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 09-01-2008
Publisher: World Scientific Pub Co Pte Ltd
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1142/S2251171716410087
Abstract: The Amsterdam–ASTRON Radio Transients Facility and Analysis Center (AARTFAAC) all-sky monitor is a sensitive, real-time transient detector based on the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). It generates images of the low frequency radio sky with spatial resolution of tens of arcmin, MHz bandwidths, and a time cadence of a few seconds, while simultaneously but independently observing with LOFAR. The image timeseries is then monitored for short and bright radio transients. On detection of a transient, a low latency trigger will be generated for LOFAR, which can interrupt its schedule to carry out follow-up observations of the trigger location at high sensitivity and resolutions. In this paper, we describe our heterogeneous, hierarchical design to manage the 259[Formula: see text]Gbps raw data rate and large scale computing to produce real-time images with minimum latency. We discuss the implementation of the instrumentation, its performance and scalability.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-05-2021
Abstract: We report the experimental set-up and overall results of the AARTFAAC wide-field radio survey, which consists of observing the sky within 50° of Zenith, with a bandwidth of 3.2 MHz, at a cadence of 1 s, for 545 h. This yielded nearly 4 million snapshots, two per second, of on average 4800 square degrees and a sensitivity of around 60 Jy. We find two populations of transient events, one originating from PSR B0950+08 and one from strong ionospheric lensing events, as well as a single strong candidate for an extragalactic transient, with a peak flux density of 80 ± 30 Jy and a dispersion measure of $73\\pm 3\\, \\mathrm{~pc~cm^{-3}}$. We also set a strong upper limit of 1.1 all-sky per day to the rate of any other populations of fast, bright transients. Lastly, we constrain some previously detected types of transient sources by comparing our detections and limits with other low-frequency radio transient surveys.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 04-02-2008
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 12-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-06-2023
Abstract: We observed the rapid radio brightening of GRB 210702A with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) just 11 h post-burst, tracking early-time radio variability over a 5 h period on ∼15 min time-scales at 9.0, 16.7, and 21.2 GHz. A broken power law fit to the 9.0 GHz light curve showed that the 5 h flare peaked at a flux density of 0.4 ± 0.1 mJy at ∼13 h post-burst. The observed temporal and spectral evolution is not expected in the standard internal–external shock model, where forward and reverse shock radio emission evolves on much longer time-scales. The early-time (& d) optical and X-ray light curves from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory demonstrated typical afterglow forward shock behaviour, allowing us to use blast wave physics to determine a likely homogeneous circumburst medium and an emitting electron population power-law index of p = 2.9 ± 0.1. We suggest that the early-time radio flare is likely due to weak interstellar scintillation (ISS), which boosted the radio afterglow emission above the ATCA sensitivity limit on minute time-scales. Using relations for ISS in the weak regime, we were able to place an upper limit on the size of the blast wave of ≲6 × 1016 cm in the plane of the sky, which is consistent with the theoretical forward shock size prediction of 8 × 1016 cm for GRB 210702A at ∼13 h post-burst. This represents the earliest ISS size constraint on a gamma-ray burst (GRB) blast wave to date, demonstrating the importance of rapid (& d) radio follow-up of GRBs using several-hour integrations to capture the early afterglow evolution and to track the scintillation over a broad frequency range.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 20-09-1999
DOI: 10.1086/307740
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2006
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE04552
Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows are the most brilliant transient events in the Universe. Both the bursts themselves and their afterglows have been predicted to be visible out to redshifts of z approximately 20, and therefore to be powerful probes of the early Universe. The burst GRB 000131, at z = 4.50, was hitherto the most distant such event identified. Here we report the discovery of the bright near-infrared afterglow of GRB 050904 (ref. 4). From our measurements of the near-infrared afterglow, and our failure to detect the optical afterglow, we determine the photometric redshift of the burst to be z = 6.39 - 0.12 + 0.11 (refs 5-7). Subsequently, it was measured spectroscopically to be z = 6.29 +/- 0.01, in agreement with our photometric estimate. These results demonstrate that GRBs can be used to trace the star formation, metallicity, and reionization histories of the early Universe.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-06-2023
Abstract: The electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) merger events hold immense scientific value, but are difficult to detect due to the typically large localization errors associated with GW events. The Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is an attractive GW follow-up instrument owing to its high sensitivity, large instantaneous field of view, and ability to automatically trigger on events to probe potential prompt emission within minutes. Here, we report on 144-MHz LOFAR radio observations of three GW merger events containing at least one neutron star that were detected during the third GW observing run. Specifically, we probe 9 and 16 per cent of the location probability density maps of S190426c and S200213t, respectively, and place limits at the location of an interesting optical transient (PS19hgw/AT2019wxt) found within the localization map of S191213g. While these GW events are not particularly significant, we use multi-epoch LOFAR data to devise a sensitive wide-field GW follow-up strategy to be used in future GW observing runs. In particular, we improve on our previously published strategy by implementing direction-dependent calibration and mosaicing, resulting in nearly an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity and more uniform coverage. We achieve a uniform 5σ sensitivity of 870 μJy beam−1 across a single instantaneous LOFAR pointing’s 21 deg2 core, and a median sensitivity of 1.1 mJy beam−1 when including the full 89 deg2 hexagonal beam pattern. We also place the deepest transient surface density limits yet on time-scales of the order of month for surveys between 60 and 340 MHz (0.017 deg−2 above 2.0 mJy beam−1 and 0.073 deg−2 above 1.5 mJy beam−1).
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-09-2022
Abstract: Many transient and variable sources detected at multiple wavelengths are also observed to vary at radio frequencies. However, these s les are typically biased towards sources that are initially detected in wide-field optical, X-ray, or gamma-ray surveys. Many sources that are insufficiently bright at higher frequencies are therefore missed, leading to potential gaps in our knowledge of these sources and missing populations that are not detectable in optical, X-rays, or gamma-rays. Taking advantage of new state-of-the-art radio facilities that provide high-quality wide-field images with fast survey speeds, we can now conduct unbiased surveys for transient and variable sources at radio frequencies. In this paper, we present an unbiased survey using observations obtained by MeerKAT, a mid-frequency (∼GHz) radio array in South Africa’s Karoo Desert. The observations used were obtained as part of a weekly monitoring c aign for X-ray binaries (XRBs) and we focus on the field of MAXI J1820+070. We develop methods to efficiently filter transient and variable candidates that can be directly applied to other data sets. In addition to MAXI J1820+070, we identify four likely active galactic nuclei, one source that could be a Galactic source (pulsar or quiescent XRB) or an AGN, and one variable pulsar. No transient sources, defined as being undetected in deep images, were identified leading to a transient surface density of & .7 × 10−2 deg−2 at a sensitivity of 1 mJy on time-scales of 1 week at 1.4 GHz.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 22-06-2020
Abstract: We present the results of MeerKAT radio observations of 11 nearby nova-like cataclysmic variables (CVs). We have detected radio emission from IM Eri, RW Sex, V3885 Sgr, and V603 Aql. While RW Sex, V3885 Sgr, and V603 Aql had been previously detected, this is the first reported radio detection of IM Eri. Our observations have doubled the s le of non-magnetic CVs with sensitive radio data. We observe that at our radio detection limits, a specific optical luminosity ${\\gtrsim}2.2\\times 10^{18}\\,$ erg s−1 Hz−1 (corresponding to MV ≲ 6.0) is required to produce a radio detection. We also observe that the X-ray and radio luminosities of our detected nova-like CVs are on an extension of the $L_X\\propto L_R^{\\sim 0.7}$ power law originally proposed for non-pulsating neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. We find no other correlations between the radio emission and emission in other wavebands or any other system parameters for the existing s le of radio-detected non-magnetic CVs. We measure in-band (0.9–1.7 GHz) radio spectral indices that are consistent with reports from earlier work. Finally, we constructed broad spectral energy distributions for our s le from published multiwavelength data, and use them to place constraints on the mass transfer rates of these systems.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-07-2021
Abstract: The mergers of two neutron stars are typically accompanied by broad-band electromagnetic emission from either a relativistic jet or a kilonova. It has also been long predicted that coherent radio emission will occur during the merger phase or from a newly formed neutron star remnant however, this emission has not been seen to date. This paper presents the deepest limits for this emission from a neutron star merger, following triggered LOFAR observations of the short gamma-ray burst 181123B, starting 4.4 min after the GRB occurred. During the X-ray plateau phase, a signature of ongoing energy injection, we detect no radio emission to a 3σ limit of 153 mJy at 144 MHz (image integration time of 136 s), which is significantly fainter than the predicted emission from a standard neutron star. At a redshift of 1.8, this corresponds to a luminosity of 2.5 × 1044 erg s−1. Snapshot images were made of the radio observation on a range of time-scales, targeting short-duration radio flashes similar to fast radio bursts. No emission was detected in the snapshot images at the location of GRB 181123B enabling constraints to be placed on the prompt coherent radio emission model and emission predicted to occur when a neutron star collapses to form a black hole. At the putative host redshift of 1.8 for GRB 181123B, the non-detection of the prompt radio emission is two orders of magnitude lower than expected for magnetic reconnection models for prompt GRB emission and no magnetar emission is expected.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 08-1998
DOI: 10.1086/311509
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-09-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-03-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE16976
Abstract: Cosmic rays are the highest-energy particles found in nature. Measurements of the mass composition of cosmic rays with energies of 10(17)-10(18) electronvolts are essential to understanding whether they have galactic or extragalactic sources. It has also been proposed that the astrophysical neutrino signal comes from accelerators capable of producing cosmic rays of these energies. Cosmic rays initiate air showers--cascades of secondary particles in the atmosphere-and their masses can be inferred from measurements of the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum (Xmax the depth of the air shower when it contains the most particles) or of the composition of shower particles reaching the ground. Current measurements have either high uncertainty, or a low duty cycle and a high energy threshold. Radio detection of cosmic rays is a rapidly developing technique for determining Xmax (refs 10, 11) with a duty cycle of, in principle, nearly 100 per cent. The radiation is generated by the separation of relativistic electrons and positrons in the geomagnetic field and a negative charge excess in the shower front. Here we report radio measurements of Xmax with a mean uncertainty of 16 grams per square centimetre for air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies of 10(17)-10(17.5) electronvolts. This high resolution in Xmax enables us to determine the mass spectrum of the cosmic rays: we find a mixed composition, with a light-mass fraction (protons and helium nuclei) of about 80 per cent. Unless, contrary to current expectations, the extragalactic component of cosmic rays contributes substantially to the total flux below 10(17.5) electronvolts, our measurements indicate the existence of an additional galactic component, to account for the light composition that we measured in the 10(17)-10(17.5) electronvolt range.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 04-06-2009
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-02-2011
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 22-10-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 13-06-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2007
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 16-10-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-12-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-11-2021
Abstract: The electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) merger events are highly sought after, but difficult to find owing to large localization regions. In this study, we present a strategy to search for compact object merger radio counterparts in wide-field data collected by the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). In particular, we use multi-epoch LOFAR observations centred at 144 MHz spanning roughly 300 deg2 at optimum sensitivity of a since retracted neutron star–black hole merger candidate detected during O2, the second Advanced Ligo–Virgo GW observing run. The minimum sensitivity of the entire (overlapping) 1809 deg2 field searched is 50 mJy and the false negative rate is 0.1 per cent above 200 mJy. We do not find any transients and thus place an upper limit at 95 per cent confidence of 0.02 transients per square degree above 20 mJy on one, two, and three month time-scales, which are the most sensitive limits available to date. Finally, we discuss the prospects of observing GW events with LOFAR in the upcoming GW observing run and show that a single multibeam LOFAR observation can probe the full projected median localization area of binary neutron star mergers down to a median sensitivity of at least 8 mJy.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 29-01-2016
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 08-11-2005
DOI: 10.1086/491648
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2006
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE05375
Abstract: It is now accepted that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced during the collapse of a massive star. The standard 'collapsar' model predicts that a broad-lined and luminous type Ic core-collapse supernova accompanies every long-duration GRB. This association has been confirmed in observations of several nearby GRBs. Here we report that GRB 060505 (ref. 10) and GRB 060614 (ref. 11) were not accompanied by supernova emission down to limits hundreds of times fainter than the archetypal supernova SN 1998bw that accompanied GRB 980425, and fainter than any type Ic supernova ever observed. Multi-band observations of the early afterglows, as well as spectroscopy of the host galaxies, exclude the possibility of significant dust obscuration and show that the bursts originated in actively star-forming regions. The absence of a supernova to such deep limits is qualitatively different from all previous nearby long-duration GRBs and suggests a new phenomenological type of massive stellar death.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 24-07-2020
Abstract: What the progenitors of fast radio bursts (FRBs) are, and whether there are multiple types of progenitors are open questions. The advent of localized FRBs with host galaxy redshifts allows the various emission models to be directly tested for the first time. Given the recent localizations of two non-repeating FRBs (FRB 180924 and FRB 190523), we discuss a selection of FRB emission models and demonstrate how we can place constraints on key model parameters such as e magnetic field strength and age of the putative FRB-emitting neutron star. In particular, we focus on models related to compact binary merger events involving at least one neutron star, motivated by commonalities between the host galaxies of the FRBs and the hosts of such merger events/short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). We rule out the possibility that either FRB was produced during the final inspiral stage of a merging binary system. Where possible, we predict the light curve of electromagnetic emission associated with a given model and use it to recommend multiwavelength follow-up strategies that may help confirm or rule out models for future FRBs. In addition, we conduct a targeted sub-threshold search in Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor data for potential SGRB candidates associated with either FRB, and show what a non-detection means for relevant models. The methodology presented in this study may be easily applied to future localized FRBs, and adapted to sources with possibly core-collapse supernova progenitors, to help constrain potential models for the FRB population at large.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 13-07-2020
Abstract: We report on the detection of extreme giant pulses (GPs) from one of the oldest known pulsars, the highly variable PSR B0950+08, with the Amsterdam-ASTRON Radio Transient Facility And Analysis Centre (AARTFAAC), a parallel transient detection instrument operating as a subsystem of the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR). During processing of our Northern Hemisphere survey for low-frequency radio transients, a s le of 275 pulses with fluences ranging from 42 to 177 kJy ms were detected in one-second snapshot images. The brightest pulses are an order of magnitude brighter than those previously reported at 42 and 74 MHz, on par with the levels observed in a previous long-term study at 103 MHz. Both their rate and fluence distribution differ between and within the various studies done to date. The GP rate is highly variable, from 0 to 30 per hour, with only two 3-h observations accounting for nearly half of the pulses detected in the 96 h surveyed. It does not vary significantly within a few-hour observation, but can vary strongly one from day to the next. The spectra appear strongly and variably structured, with emission sometimes confined to a single 195.3 kHz subband, and the pulse spectra changing on a time-scale of order 10 min.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 10-11-2007
DOI: 10.1086/521336
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-12-2022
Abstract: We investigate pre-merger coherent radio emission from neutron star mergers arising due to the magnetospheric interaction between compact objects. We consider two plausible radiation mechanisms, and show that if one neutron star has a surface magnetic field Bs ≥ 1012G, coherent millisecond radio bursts with characteristic temporal morphology and inclination angle dependence are observable to Gpc distances with next-generation radio facilities. We explore multi-messenger and multi-wavelength methods of identification of a neutron star merger origin of radio bursts, such as in fast radio burst surveys, triggered observations of gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave events, and optical/radio follow-up of fast radio bursts in search of kilonova and radio afterglow emission. We present our findings for current and future observing facilities, and make recommendations for verifying or constraining the model.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1086/521975
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-06-2020
Abstract: We present high-cadence multifrequency radio observations of the long gamma-ray burst (GRB) 190829A, which was detected at photon energies above 100 GeV by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). Observations with the Meer Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT, 1.3 GHz) and Arcminute Microkelvin Imager – Large Array (AMI-LA, 15.5 GHz) began one day post-burst and lasted nearly 200 d. We used complementary data from Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT), which ran to 100 d post-burst. We detected a likely forward shock component with both MeerKAT and XRT up to over 100 d post-burst. Conversely, the AMI-LA light curve appears to be dominated by reverse shock emission until around 70 d post-burst when the afterglow flux drops below the level of the host galaxy. We also present previously unpublished observations of the other H.E.S.S.-detected GRB, GRB 180720B from AMI-LA, which shows likely forward shock emission that fades in less than 10 d. We present a comparison between the radio emission from the three GRBs with detected very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission and a sensitivity-limited radio afterglow s le. GRB 190829A has the lowest isotropic radio luminosity of any GRB in our s le, but the distribution of luminosities is otherwise consistent, as expected, with the VHE GRBs being drawn from the same parent distribution as the other radio-detected long GRBs.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 23-07-2008
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201732411
Abstract: Context. Cassiopeia A is one of the best-studied supernova remnants. Its bright radio and X-ray emission is due to shocked ejecta. Cas A is rather unique in that the unshocked ejecta can also be studied: through emission in the infrared, the radio-active decay of 44 Ti, and the low-frequency free-free absorption caused by cold ionised gas, which is the topic of this paper. Aims. Free-free absorption processes are affected by the mass, geometry, temperature, and ionisation conditions in the absorbing gas. Observations at the lowest radio frequencies can constrain a combination of these properties. Methods. We used Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Low Band Antenna observations at 30–77 MHz and Very Large Array (VLA) L -band observations at 1–2 GHz to fit for internal absorption as parametrised by the emission measure. We simultaneously fit multiple UV-matched images with a common resolution of 17″ (this corresponds to 0.25 pc for a source at the distance of Cas A). The le frequency coverage allows us separate the relative contributions from the absorbing gas, the unabsorbed front of the shell, and the absorbed back of the shell to the emission spectrum. We explored the effects that a temperature lower than the ~100–500 K proposed from infrared observations and a high degree of clumping can have on the derived physical properties of the unshocked material, such as its mass and density. We also compiled integrated radio flux density measurements, fit for the absorption processes that occur in the radio band, and considered their effect on the secular decline of the source. Results. We find a mass in the unshocked ejecta of M = 2.95 ± 0.48 M ⊙ for an assumed gas temperatureof T = 100 K. This estimate is reduced for colder gas temperatures and, most significantly, if the ejecta are clumped. We measure the reverse shock to have a radius of 114″± 6″ and be centred at 23:23:26, +58:48:54 (J2000). We also find that a decrease in the amount of mass in the unshocked ejecta (as more and more material meets the reverse shock and heats up) cannot account for the observed low-frequency behaviour of the secular decline rate. Conclusions. To reconcile our low-frequency absorption measurements with models that reproduce much of the observed behaviour in Cas A and predict little mass in the unshocked ejecta, the ejecta need to be very clumped or the temperature in the cold gas needs to be low (~10 K). Both of these options are plausible and can together contribute to the high absorption value that we find.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 22-06-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-03-2022
Abstract: Dense aperture arrays provide key benefits in modern astrophysical research. They are flexible, employing cheap receivers, while relying on the ever more sophisticated compute back end to deal with the complexities of signal processing required for optimal use. Their advantage is that they offer very large fields of view and are readily scalable to any size, all other things being equal. Since they represent ‘software telescopes’, the science cases these arrays can be applied to are quite broad. Here, we describe the calibration and performance of the AARTFAAC-12 instrument, which is composed of the twelve centrally located stations of the LOFAR array. We go into the details of the data acquisition and pre-processing, we describe the newly developed calibration pipeline as well as the noise properties of the resulting images and present radio source counts at 41.7 MHz and 61 MHz. We find that AARTFAAC-12 is confusion limited at 0.9 Jy/PSF at 61 MHz with a PSF size of 17 × 11 arcmin and that the normalized source counts agree with the scaled VLSSr and 6C survey counts. The median spectral index of the sources between the two frequencies we observed at is -0.78. Further, we have used the derived source counts to estimate any excess cosmic radio background, and we do not find evidence for it at our observing frequencies compared to published literature values.
Publisher: AIP
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1063/1.1579377
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE07270
Abstract: Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and so provide a window into the process of black hole formation from the collapse of massive stars. Previous early optical observations of even the most exceptional GRBs (990123 and 030329) lacked both the temporal resolution to probe the optical flash in detail and the accuracy needed to trace the transition from the prompt emission within the outflow to external shocks caused by interaction with the progenitor environment. Here we report observations of the extraordinarily bright prompt optical and gamma-ray emission of GRB 080319B that provide diagnostics within seconds of its formation, followed by broadband observations of the afterglow decay that continued for weeks. We show that the prompt emission stems from a single physical region, implying an extremely relativistic outflow that propagates within the narrow inner core of a two-component jet.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 03-2023
Abstract: We present James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the afterglow of GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever observed. This includes the first mid-IR spectra of any GRB, obtained with JWST/Near Infrared Spectrograph (0.6–5.5 micron) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (5–12 micron), 12 days after the burst. Assuming that the intrinsic spectral slope is a single power law, with F ν ∝ ν − β , we obtain β ≈ 0.35, modified by substantial dust extinction with A V = 4.9. This suggests extinction above the notional Galactic value, possibly due to patchy extinction within the Milky Way or dust in the GRB host galaxy. It further implies that the X-ray and optical/IR regimes are not on the same segment of the synchrotron spectrum of the afterglow. If the cooling break lies between the X-ray and optical/IR, then the temporal decay rates would only match a post-jet-break model, with electron index p 2, and with the jet expanding into a uniform ISM medium. The shape of the JWST spectrum is near-identical in the optical/near-IR to X-SHOOTER spectroscopy obtained at 0.5 days and to later time observations with HST. The lack of spectral evolution suggests that any accompanying supernova (SN) is either substantially fainter or bluer than SN 1998bw, the proto-type GRB-SN. Our HST observations also reveal a disk-like host galaxy, viewed close to edge-on, that further complicates the isolation of any SN component. The host galaxy appears rather typical among long-GRB hosts and suggests that the extreme properties of GRB 221009A are not directly tied to its galaxy-scale environment.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-03-2022
Abstract: We present 21 new long-term variable radio sources found commensally in 2 yr of weekly MeerKAT monitoring of the low-mass X-ray binary GX 339−4. The new sources are vary on time-scales of weeks to months and have a variety of light-curve shapes and spectral index properties. Three of the new variable sources are coincident with multiwavelength counterparts and one of these is coincident with an optical source in deep MeerLICHT images. For most sources, we cannot eliminate refractive scintillation of active galactic nuclei as the cause of the variability. These new variable sources represent 2.2 ± 0.5 per cent of the unresolved sources in the field, which is consistent with the 1–2 per cent variability found in past radio variability surveys. However, we expect to find short-term variable sources in the field and these 21 new long-term variable sources. We present the radio light curves and spectral index variability of the new variable sources, as well as the absolute astrometry and matches to coincident sources at other wavelengths.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-10-2020
Abstract: The 21-cm absorption feature reported by the EDGES collaboration is several times stronger than that predicted by traditional astrophysical models. If genuine, a deeper absorption may lead to stronger fluctuations on the 21-cm signal on degree scales (up to 1 K in rms), allowing these fluctuations to be detectable in nearly 50 times shorter integration times compared to previous predictions. We commenced the ‘AARTFAAC Cosmic Explorer’ (ACE) program, which employs the AARTFAAC wide-field image, to measure or set limits on the power spectrum of the 21-cm fluctuations in the redshift range z = 17.9–18.6 (Δν = 72.36–75.09 MHz) corresponding to the deep part of the EDGES absorption feature. Here, we present first results from two LST bins: 23.5–23.75 and 23.75–24.00 h, each with 2 h of data, recorded in ‘semi drift-scan’ mode. We demonstrate the application of the new ACE data-processing pipeline (adapted from the LOFAR-EoR pipeline) on the AARTFAAC data. We observe that noise estimates from the channel and time-differenced Stokes V visibilities agree with each other. After 2 h of integration and subtraction of bright foregrounds, we obtain 2σ upper limits on the 21-cm power spectrum of $\\Delta _{21}^2 \\lt (8139~\\textrm {mK})^2$ and $\\Delta _{21}^2 \\lt (8549~\\textrm {mK})^2$ at $k = 0.144~h\\, \\textrm {cMpc}^{-1}$ for the two LST bins. Incoherently averaging the noise bias-corrected power spectra for the two LST bins yields an upper limit of $\\Delta _{21}^2 \\lt (7388~\\textrm {mK})^2$ at $k = 0.144~h\\, \\textrm {cMpc}^{-1}$. These are the deepest upper limits thus far at these redshifts.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-10-2013
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-2006
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 02-07-2013
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-07-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-04-2013
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STT545
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-09-2021
Abstract: We present a search for transient radio sources on time-scales of 2–9 yr at 150 MHz. This search is conducted by comparing the first Alternative Data Release of the TIFR GMRT Sky Survey (TGSS ADR1) and the second data release of the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS DR2). The overlapping survey area covers 5570 $\\rm {deg}^2$ on the sky, or 14 per cent of the total sky. We introduce a method to compare the source catalogues that involves a pair match of sources, a flux density cutoff to meet the survey completeness limit and a newly developed compactness criterion. This method is used to identify both transient candidates in the TGSS source catalogue that have no counterpart in the LoTSS catalogue and transient candidates in LoTSS without a counterpart in TGSS. We find that imaging artefacts and uncertainties and variations in the flux density scales complicate the transient search. Our method to search for transients by comparing two different surveys, while taking into account imaging artefacts around bright sources and misaligned flux scales between surveys, is universally applicable to future radio transient searches. No transient sources were identified, but we are able to place an upper limit on the transient surface density of & .4 × 10−4 deg−2 at 150 MHz for compact sources with an integrated flux density over 100 mJy. Here we define a transient as a compact source with flux density greater than 100 mJy that appears in the catalogue of one survey without a counterpart in the other survey.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 20-12-2011
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-04-2014
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STU478
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 23-11-2016
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-05-2023
Abstract: We report low-frequency radio observations of the 2021 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. These observations include the lowest frequency observations of this system to date. Detailed light curves are obtained by MeerKAT at 0.82 and 1.28 GHz and LOFAR at 54 and 154 MHz. These low-frequency detections allow us to put stringent constraints on the brightness temperature that clearly favour a non-thermal emission mechanism. The radio emission is interpreted and modelled as synchrotron emission from the shock interaction between the nova ejecta and the circumbinary medium. The light curve shows a plateauing behaviour after the first peak, which can be explained by either a non-uniform density of the circumbinary medium or a second emission component. Allowing for a second component in the light-curve modelling captures the steep decay at late times. Furthermore, extrapolating this model to 15 yr after the outburst shows that the radio emission might not fully disappear between outbursts. Further modelling of the light curves indicates a red giant mass-loss rate of ∼5 × 10−8 M⊙ yr−1. The spectrum cannot be modelled in detail at this stage, as there are likely at least four emission components. Radio emission from stellar wind or synchrotron jets is ruled out as the possible origin of the radio emission. Finally, we suggest a strategy for future observations that would advance our understanding of the physical properties of RS Ophiuchi.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 07-2010
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 11-02-2016
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 22-09-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-019-1086-6
Abstract: Lightning is a dangerous yet poorly understood natural phenomenon. Lightning forms a network of plasma channels propagating away from the initiation point with both positively and negatively charged ends-called positive and negative leaders
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 11-2007
DOI: 10.1086/521546
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-01-2018
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STY081
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201833636
Abstract: Context . Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) give us the chance to study both their extreme physics and the star-forming galaxies in which they form. Aims . GRB 100418A, at a redshift of z = 0.6239, had a bright optical and radio afterglow, and a luminous star-forming host galaxy. This allowed us to study the radiation of the explosion as well as the interstellar medium of the host both in absorption and emission. Methods . We collected photometric data from radio to X-ray wavelengths to study the evolution of the afterglow and the contribution of a possible supernova (SN) and three X-shooter spectra obtained during the first 60 h. Results . The light curve shows a very fast optical rebrightening, with an litude of ∼3 magnitudes, starting 2.4 h after the GRB onset. This cannot be explained by a standard external shock model and requires other contributions, such as late central-engine activity. Two weeks after the burst we detect an excess in the light curve consistent with a SN with peak absolute magnitude M V = −18.5 mag, among the faintest GRB-SNe detected to date. The host galaxy shows two components in emission, with velocities differing by 130 km s −1 , but otherwise having similar properties. While some absorption and emission components coincide, the absorbing gas spans much higher velocities, indicating the presence of gas beyond the star-forming regions. The host has a star formation rate of SFR = 12.2 M ⊙ yr −1 , a metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) = 8.55, and a mass of 1.6 × 10 9 M ⊙ . Conclusions . GRB 100418A is a member of a class of afterglow light curves which show a steep rebrightening in the optical during the first day, which cannot be explained by traditional models. Its very faint associated SN shows that GRB-SNe can have a larger dispersion in luminosities than previously seen. Furthermore, we have obtained a complete view of the host of GRB 100418A owing to its spectrum, which contains a remarkable number of both emission and absorption lines.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-07-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE18936
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 18-06-2009
Publisher: AIP
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1063/1.4772275
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-04-2020
Abstract: The prompt emission in long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) arises from within relativistic outflows created during the collapse of massive stars, and the mechanism by which radiation is produced may be either magnetically or matter dominated. In this work, we suggest an observational test of a magnetically dominated Poynting flux model that predicts both γ-ray and low-frequency radio pulses. A common feature among early light curves of long GRBs are X-ray flares, which have been shown to arise from sites internal to the jet. Ascribing these events to the prompt emission, we take an established Swift XRT flare s le and apply a magnetically dominated wind model to make predictions for the timing and flux density of corresponding radio pulses in the ∼100–200 MHz band observable with radio facilities such as LOFAR. We find that 44 per cent of the X-ray flares studied would have had detectable radio emission under this model, for typical sensitivities reached using LOFAR’s rapid response mode and assuming negligible absorption and scattering effects in the interstellar and intergalactic medium. We estimate the rate of Swift GRBs displaying X-ray flares with detectable radio pulses, accessible to LOFAR, of order seven per year. We determine that LOFAR triggered observations can play a key role in establishing the long debated mechanism responsible for GRB prompt emission.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-09-2023
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 10-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 26-04-2021
Abstract: We report the discovery of bright, fast, radio flashes lasting tens of seconds with the AARTFAAC high-cadence all-sky survey at 60 MHz. The vast majority of these coincide with known, bright radio sources that brighten by factors of up to 100 during such an event. We attribute them to magnification events induced by plasma near the Earth, most likely in the densest parts of the ionosphere. They can occur both in relative isolation, during otherwise quiescent ionospheric conditions, and in large clusters during more turbulent ionospheric conditions. Using a toy model, we show that the likely origin of the more extreme (up to a factor of 100 or so) magnification events likely originate in the region of peak electron density in the ionosphere, at an altitude of 300–400 km. Distinguishing these events from genuine astrophysical transients is imperative for future surveys searching for low frequency radio transient at time-scales below a minute.
Publisher: AIP
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1063/1.3155871
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 03-2002
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-02-2020
Abstract: The radio–X-ray correlation that characterizes accreting black holes at all mass scales – from stellar mass black holes in binary systems to supermassive black holes powering active galactic nuclei – is one of the most important pieces of observational evidence supporting the existence of a connection between the accretion process and the generation of collimated outflows – or jets – in accreting systems. Although recent studies suggest that the correlation extends down to low luminosities, only a handful of stellar mass black holes have been clearly detected, and in general only upper limits (especially at radio wavelengths) can be obtained during quiescence. We recently obtained detections of the black hole X-ray binary (XRB) GX 339–4 in quiescence using the Meer Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) radio telescope and Swift X-ray Telescope instrument on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, probing the lower end of the radio–X-ray correlation. We present the properties of accretion and of the connected generation of jets in the poorly studied low-accretion rate regime for this canonical black hole XRB system.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 16-11-2004
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2005
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE03525
Abstract: Two classes of rotating neutron stars-soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous X-ray pulsars-are magnetars, whose X-ray emission is powered by a very strong magnetic field (B approximately 10(15) G). SGRs occasionally become 'active', producing many short X-ray bursts. Extremely rarely, an SGR emits a giant flare with a total energy about a thousand times higher than in a typical burst. Here we report that SGR 1806-20 emitted a giant flare on 27 December 2004. The total (isotropic) flare energy is 2 x 10(46) erg, which is about a hundred times higher than the other two previously observed giant flares. The energy release probably occurred during a catastrophic reconfiguration of the neutron star's magnetic field. If the event had occurred at a larger distance, but within 40 megaparsecs, it would have resembled a short, hard gamma-ray burst, suggesting that flares from extragalactic SGRs may form a subclass of such bursts.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Ralph Wijers.