Examinando por Autor "Ghisellini, G."

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    GRAWITA: VLT Survey Telescope observations of the gravitational wave sources GW150914 and GW151226
    (Oxford University Press, 2018-02) Brocato, E.; Branchesi, M.; Cappellaro, E.; Covino, S.; Grado, A.; Greco, G.; Limatola, L.; Stratta, G.; Yang, S.; Campana, S.; D'Avanzo, P.; Getman, F.; Melandri, A.; Nicastro, L.; Palazzi, E.; Pian, E.; Piranomonte, S.; Pulone, L.; Rossi, A.; Tomasella, L.; Amati, L.; Antonelli, L.A.; Ascenzi, S.; Benetti, S.; Bulgarelli, A.; Capaccioli, M.; Cella, G.; Dadina, M.; De Cesare, G.; D'Elia, V.; Ghirlanda, G.; Ghisellini, G.; Giuffrida, G.; Iannicola, G.; Israel, G.; Lisi, M.; Longo, F.; Mapelli, M.; Marinoni, S.; Marrese, P.; Masetti, N.; Patricelli, B.; Possenti, A.; Radovich, M.; Razzano, M.; Salvaterra, R.; Schipani, P.; Spera, M.; Stamerra, A.; Stella, L.; Tagliaferri, G.; Testa, V.
    We report the results of deep optical follow-up surveys of the first two gravitational-wave sources, GW150914 and GW151226, done by the GRAvitationalWave Inaf TeAm Collaboration (GRAWITA). The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) responded promptly to the gravitational wave alerts sent by the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations, monitoring a region of 90 and 72 deg 2 for GW150914 and GW151226, respectively, and repeated the observations over nearly two months. Both surveys reached an average limiting magnitude of about 21 in the r band. The paper describes the VST observational strategy and two independent procedures developed to search for transient counterpart candidates in multi-epoch VST images. Several transients have been discovered but no candidates are recognized to be related to the gravitational wave events. Interestingly, among many contaminant supernovae, we find a possible correlation between the supernova VSTJ57.77559-59.13990 and GRB150827A detected by Fermi-GBM. The detection efficiency of VST observations for different types of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events is evaluated for the present and future follow-up surveys. © 2017 The Author(s).
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    Restarting activity in the nucleus of PBC J2333.9-2343 An extreme case of jet realignment
    (EDP Sciences, 2017-07) Hernández-García, L.; Panessa, F.; Giroletti, M.; Ghisellini, G.; Bassani, L.; Masetti, N.; Pović, M.; Bazzano, A.; Ubertini, P.; Malizia, A.; Chavushyan, V.
    Context. The giant radio galaxy PBC J2333.9-2343 shows different characteristics at different wavebands that are difficult to explain within the actual generic schemes of unification of active galactic nuclei (AGN). It is therefore a good candidate host for different phases of nuclear activity. Aims. We aim at disentangling the nature of this AGN by using simultaneous multiwavelength data. Methods. We obtained data in 2015 from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), the San Pedro Mártir telescope, and the XMM-Newton observatories. This allows the study of the nuclear parts of the galaxy through its morphology and spectra and the analysis of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We also reanalysed previously-presented optical data from the San Pedro Mártir telescope from 2009 to provide a homogeneous comparison. Results. At X-ray frequencies the source is unabsorbed. The optical spectra are of a type 1.9 AGN, both in 2009 and 2015, although showing a broader component in 2015. The VLBA radio images show an inverted spectrum with a self-absorbed, optically thick compact core (αc = 0.40, where Sν ∝ ν+ α) and a steep-spectrum, optically thin jet (αj,8−15 = −0.5). The SED resembles that of typical blazars and is best represented by an external Compton (EC) model with a viewing angle of approximately 3–6°. The apparent size of the large-scale structure of PBC J2333.9-2343 must correspond to an intrinsic deprojected value of approximately 7 Mpc for θv < 10°, and to >13 Mpc for θv < 5°, a value much larger than the biggest giant radio galaxy known, which is 4.5 Mpc. Conclusions. The above arguments suggest that PBC J2333.9-2343 has undergone a new episode of nuclear activity and that the direction of the new jet has changed in the plane of the sky and is now pointing towards us. This changes this source from a radio galaxy to a blazar, a very exceptional case of restarting activity.
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    Spectroscopic identification of r-process nucleosynthesis in a double neutron-star merger
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2017-11) Pian, E.; D'Avanzo, P.; Benetti, S.; Branchesi, M.; Brocato, Campana S.; Cappellaro, E.; Covino, S.; D'Elia, V.; Fynbo, J.P.U.; Getman, F.; Ghirlanda, G.; Ghisellini, G.; Grado, A.; Greco, G.; Hjorth, J.; Kouveliotou, C.; Levan, A.; Limatola, L.; Malesani, D.; Mazzali, P.A.; Melandri, A.; Møller, P.; Nicastro, L.; Palazzi, E.; Piranomonte, S.; Rossi, A.; Salafia, O.S.; Selsing, J.; Stratta, G.; Tanaka, M.; Tanvir, N.R.; Tomasella, L.; Watson, D.; Yang, S.; Amati, L.; Antonelli, L.A.; Ascenzi, S.; Bernardini, M.G.; Boër, M.; Bufano, F.; Bulgarelli, A.; Capaccioli, M.; Casella, P.; Castro-Tirado, A.J.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Ciolfi, R.; Copperwheat, C.M.; Dadina, M.; De Cesare, G.; Di Paola, A.; Fan, Y.Z.; Gendre, B.; Giuffrida, G.; Giunta, A.; Hunt, L.K.; Israel, G.L.; Jin, Z.-P.; Kasliwal, M.M.; Klose, S.; Lisi, M.; Longo, F.; Maiorano, E.; Mapelli, M.; Masetti, N.; Nava, L.; Patricelli, B.; Perley, D.; Pescalli, A.; Piran, T.; Possenti, A.; Pulone, L.; Razzano, M.; Salvaterra, R.; Schipani, P.; Spera, M.; Stamerra, A.; Stella, L.; Tagliaferri, G.; Testa, V.; Troja, E.; Turatto, M.; Vergani, S.D.; Vergani, D.
    The merger of two neutron stars is predicted to give rise to three major detectable phenomena: a short burst of γ-rays, a gravitational-wave signal, and a transient optical-near-infrared source powered by the synthesis of large amounts of very heavy elements via rapid neutron capture (the r-process)1-3. Such transients, named 'macronovae' or 'kilonovae'4-7, are believed to be centres of production of rare elements such as gold and platinum8. The most compelling evidence so far for a kilonova was a very faint near-infrared rebrightening in the afterglow of a short γ-ray burst9,10 at redshift z = 0.356, although findings indicating bluer events have been reported11. Here we report the spectral identification and describe the physical properties of a bright kilonova associated with the gravitational-wave source12 GW170817 and γ-ray burst13,14 GRB 170817A associated with a galaxy at a distance of 40 megaparsecs from Earth. Using a series of spectra from ground-based observatories covering the wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, we find that the kilonova is characterized by rapidly expanding ejecta with spectral features similar to those predicted by current models15,16. The ejecta is optically thick early on, with a velocity of about 0.2 times light speed, and reaches a radius of about 50 astronomical units in only 1.5 days. As the ejecta expands, broad absorption-like lines appear on the spectral continuum, indicating atomic species produced by nucleosynthesis that occurs in the post-merger fast-moving dynamical ejecta and in two slower (0.05 times light speed) wind regions. Comparison with spectral models suggests that the merger ejected 0.03 to 0.05 solar masses of material, including high-opacity lanthanides. © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature.