Browsing by Author "Lira, P."
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- ItemAT 2021hdr: A candidate tidal disruption of a gas cloud by a binary super massive black hole system(EDP Sciences, 2024) Hernández-García, L.; Muñoz-Arancibia, A. M.; Lira, P.; Bruni, G.; Cuadra, J.; Arévalo, P.; Sánchez-Sáez, P.; Bernal, S.; Bauer, Franz Erik; Catelan, Márcio; Panessa, F.; Pávez-Herrera, M.; Ricci, C.; Reyes-Jainaga, I.; Ailawadhi, B.; Chavushyan, V.; Dastidar, R.; Deconto-Machado, A.; Forster, F.; Gangopadhyay, A.; García-Pérez, A.; Márquez, I.; Masegosa, J.; Misra, K.; Patiño-Alvarez, V. M.; Puig-Subira, M.; Rodi, J.; Singh, M.With a growing number of facilities able to monitor the entire sky and produce light curves with a cadence of days, in recent years there has been an increased rate of detection of sources whose variability deviates from standard behavior, revealing a variety of exotic nuclear transients. The aim of the present study is to disentangle the nature of the transient AT 2021hdr, whose optical light curve used to be consistent with a classic Seyfert 1 nucleus, which was also confirmed by its optical spectrum and high-energy properties. From late 2021, AT 2021hdr started to present sudden brightening episodes in the form of oscillating peaks in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) alert stream, and the same shape is observed in X-rays and UV from Swift data. The oscillations occur every ≈60-90 days with amplitudes of ≈0.2 mag in the g and r bands. Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations show no radio emission at milliarcseconds scale. It is argued that these findings are inconsistent with a standard tidal disruption event (TDE), a binary supermassive black hole (BSMBH), or a changing-look active galactic nucleus (AGN); neither does this object resemble previous observed AGN flares, and disk or jet instabilities are an unlikely scenario. Here, we propose that the behavior of AT 2021hdr might be due to the tidal disruption of a gas cloud by a BSMBH. In this scenario, we estimate that the putative binary has a separation of ≈0.83 mpc and would merge in ≈7 × 104 years. This galaxy is located at 9 kpc from a companion galaxy, and in this work we report this merger for the first time. The oscillations are not related to the companion galaxy.
- ItemExperiencia de 22 años de trasplante autólogo de células hematopoyéticas en pacientes con mieloma múltiple o amiloidosis sistémica. 1992-2014(2014) Sarmiento Maldonado, Mauricio; Lira, P.; Ocqueteau Tachini, Mauricio; Rodriguez, M.; Garcia, M.; Jara, V.; Bertín Cortes Monroy, Pablo; Ramirez, P.
- ItemGalaxy Clusters in the Line of Sight to Background Quasars. I. Survey Design and Incidence of Mg II Absorbers at Cluster Redshifts(2008) Lopez, S.; Barrientos, L. F.; Lira, P.; Padilla, N.; Gilbank, D. G.; Gladders, M. D.; Maza, J.; Tejos, N.; Vidal, M.; Yee, H. K. C.
- ItemSwift monitoring of NGC 5548: X-ray reprocessing and short-term UV/optical variability(2014) McHardy, I. M.; Cameron, D. T.; Dwelly, T.; Connolly, S.; Lira, P.; Emmanoulopoulos, D.; Gelbord, J.; Breedt, E.; Arevalo, P.; Uttley, P.Lags measured from correlated X-ray/UV/optical monitoring of AGN allow us to determine whether UV/optical variability is driven by reprocessing of X-rays or X-ray variability is driven by UV/optical seed photon variations. We present the results of the largest study to date of the relationship between the X-ray, UV and optical variability in an AGN with 554 observations, over a 750 d period, of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 with Swift. There is a good overall correlation between the X-ray and UV/optical bands, particularly on short time-scales (tens of days). The UV/optical bands lag the X-ray band with lags which are proportional to wavelength raised to the power 1.23 +/- 0.31. This power is very close to the power (4/3) expected if short time-scale UV/optical variability is driven by reprocessing of X-rays by a surrounding accretion disc. The observed lags, however, are longer than expected from a standard Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disc with X-ray heating, given the currently accepted black hole mass and accretion rate values, but can be explained with a slightly larger mass and accretion rate, and a generally hotter disc. Some long-term UV/optical variations are not paralleled exactly in the X-rays, suggesting an additional component to the UV/optical variability arising perhaps from accretion rate perturbations propagating inwards through the disc.
- ItemMultiwavelength monitoring of the nucleus in PBC?J2333.9-2343: the giant radio galaxy with a blazar-like core(2023) Hernandez-Garcia, L.; Panessa, F.; Bruni, G.; Bassani, L.; Arevalo, P.; Patino-Alvarez, V. M.; Tramacere, A.; Lira, P.; Sanchez-Saez, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Chavushyan, V; Carraro, R.; Forster, F.; Arancibia, A. M. Munoz; Ubertini, P.PBC J2333.9-2343 is a giant radio galaxy at z = 0.047 with a bright central core associated to a blazar nucleus. If the nuclear blazar jet is a new phase of the jet activity, then the small orientation angle suggests a dramatic change of the jet direction. We present observations obtained between 2018 September and 2019 January (cadence larger than three days) with Effeslberg, SMARTS-1.3m, ZTF, ATLAS, Swift, and Fermi-LAT, and between 2019 April and 2019 July (daily cadence) with SMARTS-1.3 m and ATLAS. Large (>2 x) flux increases are observed on time-scales shorter than a month, which are interpreted as flaring events. The cross correlation between the SMARTS-1.3 m monitoring in the NIR and optical shows that these data do not show significant time lag within the measured errors. A comparison of the optical variability properties between non-blazars and blazars AGN shows that PBC J2333.9-2343 has properties more comparable to the latter. The SED of the nucleus shows two peaks, that were fitted with a one-zone leptonic model. Our data and modelling show that the high energy peak is dominated by External Compton from the dusty torus with mild contribution from Inverse Compton from the jet. The derived jet angle of 3 deg is also typical of a blazar. Therefore, we confirm the presence of a blazar-like core in the centre of this giant radio galaxy, likely a Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar with peculiar properties.
- ItemPersistent and occasional: Searching for the variable population of the ZTF/4MOST sky using ZTF Data Release 11(2023) Sánchez-Sáez, P.; Arredondo, J.; Bayo, A.; Arévalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Cabrera-Vives, G.; Catelan, Márcio; Coppi, P.; Estévez, P. A.; Förster, F.; Hernández-García, L.; Huijse, P.; Kurtev, R.; Lira, P.; Muñoz Arancibia. A. M.; Pignata, G.
- ItemSDSS1335+0728: The awakening of a ∼106 M⊙ black hole(2024) Sanchez-Saez, P.; Hernandez-Garcia, L.; Bernal, S.; Bayo, A.; Calistro Rivera, G.; Bauer, F. E.; Ricci, C.; Merloni, A.; Graham, M. J.; Cartier, R.; Arevalo, P.; Assef, R. J.; Concas, A.; Homan, D.; Krumpe, M.; Lira, P.; Malyali, A.; Martinez-Aldama, M. L.; Arancibia, A. M. Munoz; Rau, A.; Bruni, G.; Foerster, F.; Pavez-Herrera, M.; Tubin-Arenas, D.; Brightman, M.Context. The early-type galaxy SDSS J133519.91+072807.4 (hereafter SDSS1335+0728), which had exhibited no prior optical variations during the preceding two decades, began showing significant nuclear variability in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) alert stream from December 2019 (as ZTF19acnskyy). This variability behaviour, coupled with the host-galaxy properties, suggests that SDSS1335+0728 hosts a similar to 106 M-circle dot black hole (BH) that is currently in the process of "turning on". Aims. We present a multi-wavelength photometric analysis and spectroscopic follow-up performed with the aim of better understanding the origin of the nuclear variations detected in SDSS1335+0728. Methods. We used archival photometry (from WISE, 2MASS, SDSS, GALEX, eROSITA) and spectroscopic data (from SDSS and LAMOST) to study the state of SDSS1335+0728 prior to December 2019, and new observations from Swift, SOAR/Goodman, VLT/X-shooter, and Keck/LRIS taken after its turn-on to characterise its current state. We analysed the variability of SDSS1335+0728 in the X-ray/UV/optical/mid-infrared range, modelled its spectral energy distribution prior to and after December 2019, and studied the evolution of its UV/optical spectra. Results. From our multi-wavelength photometric analysis, we find that: (a) since 2021, the UV flux (from Swift/UVOT observations) is four times brighter than the flux reported by GALEX in 2004; (b) since June 2022, the mid-infrared flux has risen more than two times, and the W1 - W2 WISE colour has become redder; and (c) since February 2024, the source has begun showing X-ray emission. From our spectroscopic follow-up, we see that (i) the narrow emission line ratios are now consistent with a more energetic ionising continuum; (ii) broad emission lines are not detected; and (iii) the [OIII] line increased its flux similar to 3.6 years after the first ZTF alert, which implies a relatively compact narrow-line-emitting region. Conclusions. We conclude that the variations observed in SDSS1335+0728 could be either explained by a similar to 106 M-circle dot AGN that is just turning on or by an exotic tidal disruption event (TDE). If the former is true, SDSS1335+0728 is one of the strongest cases of an AGN observed in the process of activating. If the latter were found to be the case, it would correspond to the longest and faintest TDE ever observed (or another class of still unknown nuclear transient). Future observations of SDSS1335+0728 are crucial to further understand its behaviour.
- ItemSearching for molecular outflows in hyperluminous infrared galaxies.(2016) Calderon, D.; Kim, Sam; Bauer, Franz Erik; Schulze, Steve.; Veilleux, S.; Gracia-Carpio, J.; Sturm, E.; Lira, P.
- ItemSpace Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project. V. Optical Spectroscopic Campaign and Emission-line Analysis for NGC 5548(IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Pei, L.; Fausnaugh, M. M.; Barth, A. J.; Peterson, B. M.; Bentz, M. C.; De Rosa, G.; Denney, K. D.; Goad, M. R.; Kochanek, C. S.; Korista, K. T.; Kriss, G. A.; Pogge, R. W.; Bennert, V. N.; Brotherton, M.; Clubb, K. I.; Dalla Bonta, E.; Filippenko, A. V.; Greene, J. E.; Grier, C. J.; Vestergaard, M.; Zheng, W.; Adams, Scott M.; Beatty, Thomas G.; Bigley, A.; Brown, Jacob E.; Brown, Jonathan S.; Canalizo, G.; Comerford, J. M.; Coker, Carl T.; Corsini, E. M.; Croft, S.; Croxall, K. V.; Deason, A. J.; Eracleous, Michael; Fox, O. D.; Gates, E. L.; Henderson, C. B.; Holmbeck, E.; Holoien, T. W. S.; Jensen, J. J.; Johnson, C. A.; Kelly, P. L.; Kim, S.; King, A.; Lau, M. W.; Li, Miao; Lochhaas, Cassandra; Ma, Zhiyuan; Manne Nicholas, E. R.; Mauerhan, J. C.; Malkan, M. A.; McGurk, R.; Morelli, L.; Mosquera, Ana; Mudd, Dale; Sanchez, F. Muller; Nguyen, M. L.; Ochner, P.; Ou Yang, B.; Pancoast, A.; Penny, Matthew T.; Pizzella, A.; Poleski, Radoslaw; Runnoe, Jessie; Scott, B.; Schimoia, Jaderson S.; Shappee, B. J.; Shivvers, I.; Simonian, Gregory V.; Siviero, A.; Somers, Garrett; Stevens, Daniel J.; Strauss, M. A.; Tayar, Jamie; Tejos, N.; Treu, T.; Van Saders, J.; Vican, L.; Villanueva, S., Jr.; Yuk, H.; Zakamska, N. L.; Zhu, W.; Anderson, M. D.; Arevalo, P.; Bazhaw, C.; Bisogni, S.; Borman, G. A.; Bottorff, M. C.; Brandt, W. N.; Breeveld, A. A.; Cackett, E. M.; Carini, M. T.; Crenshaw, D. M.; De Lorenzo Caceres, A.; Dietrich, M.; Edelson, R.; Efimova, N. V.; Ely, J.; Evans, P. A.; Ferland, G. J.; Flatland, K.; Gehrels, N.; Geier, S.; Gelbord, J. M.; Grupe, D.; Gupta, A.; Hall, P. B.; Hicks, S.; Horenstein, D.; Horne, Keith; Hutchison, T.; Im, M.; Joner, M. D.; Jones, J.; Kaastra, J.; Kaspi, S.; Kelly, B. C.; Kennea, J. A.; Kim, M.; Kim, S. C.; Klimanov, S. A.; Lee, J. C.; Leonard, D. C.; Lira, P.; MacInnis, F.; Mathur, S.; McHardy, I. M.; Montouri, C.; Musso, R.; Nazarov, S. V.; Netzer, H.; Norris, R. P.; Nousek, J. A.; Okhmat, D. N.; Papadakis, I.; Parks, J. R.; Pott, J. U.; Rafter, S. E.; Rix, H. W.; Saylor, D. A.; Schnuelle, K.; Sergeev, S. G.; Siegel, M.; Skielboe, A.; Spencer, M.; Starkey, D.; Sung, H. I.; Teems, K. G.; Turner, C. S.; Uttley, P.; Villforth, C.; Weiss, Y.; Woo, J. H.; Yan, H.; Young, S.; Zu, Y.We present the results of an optical spectroscopic monitoring program targeting NGC 5548 as part of a larger multiwavelength reverberation mapping campaign. The campaign spanned 6 months and achieved an almost daily cadence with observations from five ground-based telescopes. The H beta and He II lambda 4686 broad emission-line light curves lag that of the 5100 angstrom optical continuum by 4.17(-0.36)(+0.36) days and 0.79(-0.34)(+0.35) days, respectively. The H beta lag relative to the 1158 angstrom ultraviolet continuum light curve measured by the Hubble Space Telescope is similar to 50% longer than that measured against the optical continuum, and the lag difference is consistent with the observed lag between the optical and ultraviolet continua. This suggests that the characteristic radius of the broad-line region is similar to 50% larger than the value inferred from optical data alone. We also measured velocity-resolved emission-line lags for H beta and found a complex velocity-lag structure with shorter lags in the line wings, indicative of a broadline region dominated by Keplerian motion. The responses of both the H beta and He II emission lines to the driving continuum changed significantly halfway through the campaign, a phenomenon also observed for C IV, Lya, He II (+ O III]), and Si IV(+ O IV]) during the same monitoring period. Finally, given the optical luminosity of NGC 5548 during our campaign, the measured H beta lag is a factor of five shorter than the expected value implied by the R-BLR-L-AGN relation based on the past behavior of NGC 5548.
- ItemSpace Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project. VII. Understanding the Ultraviolet Anomaly in NGC 5548 with X-Ray Spectroscopy(IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Mathur, S.; Gupta, A.; Page, K.; Pogge, R. W.; Krongold, Y.; Goad, M. R.; Adams, S. M.; Anderson, M. D.; Arevalo, P.; Barth, A. J.; Bazhaw, C.; Beatty, T. G.; Bentz, M. C.; Bigley, A.; Bisogni, S.; Borman, G. A.; Boroson, T. A.; Bottorff, M. C.; Brandt, W. N.; Breeveld, A. A.; Brown, J. E.; Brown, J. S.; Cackett, E. M.; Canalizo, G.; Carini, M. T.; Clubb, K. I.; Comerford, J. M.; Coker, C. T.; Corsini, E. M.; Crenshaw, D. M.; Croft, S.; Croxall, K. V.; Dalla Bonta, E.; Deason, A. J.; Denney, K. D.; De Lorenzo Caceres, A.; De Rosa, G.; Dietrich, M.; Edelson, R.; Ely, J.; Eracleous, M.; Evans, P. A.; Fausnaugh, M. M.; Ferland, G. J.; Filippenko, A. V.; Flatland, K.; Fox, O. D.; Gates, E. L.; Gehrels, N.; Geier, S.; Gelbord, J. M.; Gorjian, V.; Greene, J. E.; Grier, C. J.; Grupe, D.; Hall, P. B.; Henderson, C. B.; Hicks, S.; Holmbeck, E.; Holoien, T. W. S.; Horenstein, D.; Horne, Keith; Hutchison, T.; Im, M.; Jensen, J. J.; Johnson, C. A.; Joner, M. D.; Jones, J.; Kaastra, J.; Kaspi, S.; Kelly, B. C.; Kelly, P. L.; Kennea, J. A.; Kim, M.; Kim, S.; Kim, S. C.; King, A.; Klimanov, S. A.; Kochanek, C. S.; Korista, K. T.; Kriss, G. A.; Lau, M. W.; Lee, J. C.; Leonard, D. C.; Li, M.; Lira, P.; Ma, Z.; MacInnis, F.; Manne Nicholas, E. R.; Malkan, M. A.; Mauerhan, J. C.; McGurk, R.; McHardy, I. M.; Montouri, C.; Morelli, L.; Mosquera, A.; Mudd, D.; Muller Sanchez, F.; Musso, R.; Nazarov, S. V.; Netzer, H.; Nguyen, M. L.; Norris, R. P.; Nousek, J. A.; Ochner, P.; Okhmat, D. N.; Ou Yang, B.; Pancoast, A.; Papadakis, I.; Parks, J. R.; Pei, L.; Peterson, B. M.; Pizzella, A.; Poleski, R.; Pott, J. U.; Rafter, S. E.; Rix, H. W.; Runnoe, J.; Saylor, D. A.; Schimoia, J. S.; Schnuelle, K.; Sergeev, S. G.; Shappee, B. J.; Shivvers, I.; Siegel, M.; Simonian, G. V.; Siviero, A.; Skielboe, A.; Somers, G.; Spencer, M.; Starkey, D.; Stevens, D. J.; Sung, H. I.; Tayar, J.; Tejos, N.; Turner, C. S.; Uttley, P.; Van Saders, J.; Vestergaard, M.; Vican, L.; Villanueva, S., Jr.; Villforth, C.; Weiss, Y.; Woo, J. H.; Yan, H.; Young, S.; Yuk, H.; Zheng, W.; Zhu, W.; Zu, Y.During the Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Project observations of NGC 5548, the continuum and emission-line variability became decorrelated during the second half of the six-month-long observing campaign. Here we present Swift and Chandra X-ray spectra of NGC 5548 obtained as part of the campaign. The Swift spectra show that excess flux (relative to a power-law continuum) in the soft X-ray band appears before the start of the anomalous emission-line behavior, peaks during the period of the anomaly, and then declines. This is a model-independent result suggesting that the soft excess is related to the anomaly. We divide the Swift data into on-and off-anomaly spectra to characterize the soft excess via spectral fitting. The cause of the spectral differences is likely due to a change in the intrinsic spectrum rather than to variable obscuration or partial covering. The Chandra spectra have lower signal-to-noise ratios, but are consistent with the Swift data. Our preferred model of the soft excess is emission from an optically thick, warm Comptonizing corona, the effective optical depth of which increases during the anomaly. This model simultaneously explains all three observations: the UV emission-line flux decrease, the soft-excess increase, and the emission-line anomaly.
- ItemSupernova 2012bu in NGC 3449 = Psn J10525661-3256071(2012) Howerton, S.; Drake, A. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Mahabal, A.; Graham, M. J.; Williams, R.; Prieto, J. L.; Catelan , Marcio; McNaught, R. H.; Garradd, G.; Beshore, E. C.; Larson, S. M.; Christensen, E.; Elenin, L.; Morrell, N.; Lopez, P.; Lira, P.; Pignata, G.; Bufano, F.Report the discovery of an apparent supernova in public images from the Siding Spring Survey (SSS). SN 2012 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2012bu Jan. 16.69 10 52 56.61 -32 56 07.1 18.4 37".2 E, 27".7 S The variable was designated PSN J10525661-3256071 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012bu based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below. Further CCD magnitudes for 2012bu: 2010 June 26.40 UT, [19.2 (SSS); 2012 Jan. 18.436, 17.9 (Joseph Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; 51-cm RCOS telescope + STL11K camera + luminance filter at the New Mexico Skies Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; position end figures 56s.53, 07".7); 18.45, 18.3 (L. Elenin, Lyubertsy, Russia; remotely taken at the ISON-NM Observatory near Mayhill with a 0.45-m f/2.8 telescope; position end figures 56s.52, 07".7; UCAC3 reference stars; limiting mag about 20.0). The image by Brimacombe is posted at the following website URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/6722843895/. N. Morrell, Las Campanas Observatory; P. Lopez and P. Lira, Universidad de Chile; and G. Pignata and F. Bufano, Universidad Andres Bello, report that an optical spectrogram (range 370-910 nm) of PSN J10525661-3256071 = SN 2012bu, obtained on Mar. 30.14 UT with the du Pont 2.5-m telescope (+ WFCCD) at Las Campanas Observatory, shows it to be a type-II supernova. Adopting a recession velocity of 3274 km/s for NGC 3449 (Theureau et al., 1998, A.Ap. Suppl. 130, 333; via NED), the best fits to this spectrum found by GELATO (Harutyunyan et al. 2008, A.Ap. 488,383; publicly available at website URL https://gelato.tng.iac.es) is with spectra of evolved type-II-plateau supernovae.
- ItemThe QUEST-La Silla AGN Variability Survey: Selection of AGN Candidates through Optical Variability(2019) Sanchez-Saez, P.; Lira, P.; Cartier, R.; Miranda, N.; Ho, L. C.; Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Coppi, P.; Yovaniniz, C.We used data from the QUEST-La Silla Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) variability survey to construct light curves for 208,583 sources over similar to 70 deg(2), with a limiting magnitude r similar to 21. Each light curve has at least 40 epochs and a length of >= 200 days. We implemented a random forest algorithm to classify our objects as either AGN or non-AGN according to their variability features and optical colors, excluding morphology cuts. We tested three classifiers, one that only includes variability features (RF1), one that includes variability features and also r - i and i - z colors (RF2), and one that includes variability features and also g - r, r - i, and i - z colors (RF3). We obtained a sample of high-probability candidates (hp-AGN) for each classifier, with 5941 candidates for RF1, 5252 candidates for RF2, and 4482 candidates for RF3. We divided each sample according to their g - r colors, defining blue (g - r <= 0.6) and red subsamples (g - r > 0.6). We find that most of the candidates known from the literature belong to the blue subsample, which is not necessarily surprising given that, unlike many literature studies, we do not cut our sample to point-like objects. This means that we can select AGNs that have a significant contribution from redshifted starlight in their host galaxies. In order to test the efficiency of our technique, we performed spectroscopic follow-up, confirming the AGN nature of 44 among 54 observed sources (81.5% efficiency). From the campaign, we concluded that RF2 provides the purest sample of AGN candidates.