Laura A. Lopez

Discovery of an active galactic nucleus driven molecular outflow in the local early-type galaxy NGC 1266

We report the discovery of a powerful molecular wind from the nucleus of the non-interacting nearby S0 field galaxy NGC 1266. The single-dish CO profile exhibits emission to ?400?km?s?1 and requires a nested Gaussian fit to be properly described. Interferometric observations reveal a massive, centrally concentrated molecular component with a mass of 1.1 ? 109 M ? and a molecular outflow with a molecular mass of 2.4 ? 107 M ?. The molecular gas close to the systemic velocity consists of a rotating, compact nucleus with a mass of about 4.1 ? 108 M ? within a radius of 60?pc. This compact molecular nucleus has a surface density of 2.7 ? 104 M ??pc?2, more than two orders of magnitude larger than that of giant molecular clouds in the disk of the Milky Way, and it appears to sit on the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation despite its extreme kinematics and energetic activity. We interpret this nucleus as a disk that confines the outflowing wind. A mass outflow rate of 13 M ? yr?1 leads to a depletion timescale of 85 Myr. The star formation in NGC 1266 is insufficient to drive the outflow, and thus it is likely driven by the active galactic nucleus. The concentration of the majority of the molecular gas in the central 100?pc requires an extraordinary loss of angular momentum, but no obvious companion or interacting galaxy is present to enable the transfer. NGC 1266 is the first known outflowing molecular system that does not show any evidence of a recent interaction.

THE FIRST POSITIVE DETECTION OF MOLECULAR GAS IN A GRB HOST GALAXY

We report on strong H2 and CO absorption from gas within the host galaxy of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 080607. Analysis of our Keck/LRIS afterglow spectrum reveals a very large H I column density () and strong metal-line absorption at z GRB = 3.0363 with a roughly solar metallicity. We detect a series of A - X bandheads from CO and estimate N(CO) = 10 16.50.3 cm-2 and T COex > 100 K. We argue that the high excitation temperature results from UV pumping of the CO gas by the GRB afterglow. Similarly, we observe H2 absorption via the Lyman-Werner bands and estimate with -300 K. The afterglow photometry suggests an extinction law with RV 4 and AV 3.2 mag and requires the presence of a modest 2175 bump. Additionally, modeling of the Swift XRT X-ray spectrum confirms a large column density with N H = 1022.580.04 cm-2. Remarkably, this molecular gas has extinction properties, metallicity, and a CO/H2 ratio comparable to those of translucent molecular clouds of the Milky Way, suggesting that star formation at high z proceeds in similar environments as today. However, the integrated dust-to-metals ratio is sub-Galactic, suggesting the dust is primarily associated with the molecular phase while the atomic gas has a much lower dust-to-gas ratio. Sightlines like GRB 080607 serve as powerful probes of nucleosynthesis and star-forming regions in the young universe and contribute to the population of dark GRB afterglows.

WHAT DRIVES THE EXPANSION OF GIANT H II REGIONS?: A STUDY OF STELLAR FEEDBACK IN 30 DORADUS

Observations show that star formation is an inefficient and slow process. This result can be attributed to the injection of energy and momentum by stars that prevents free-fall collapse of molecular clouds. The mechanism of this stellar feedback is debated theoretically; possible sources of pressure include the classical warm H II gas, the hot gas generated by shock heating from stellar winds and supernovae, direct radiation of stars, and the dust-processed radiation field trapped inside the H II shell. In this paper, we measure observationally the pressures associated with each component listed above across the giant H II region 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We exploit high-resolution, multi-wavelength images (radio, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray) to map these pressures as a function of position. We find that radiation pressure dominates within 75 pc of the central star cluster, R136, while the H II gas pressure dominates at larger radii. By contrast, the dust-processed radiation pressure and hot gas pressure are generally weak and not dynamically important, although the hot gas pressure may have played a more significant role at early times. Based on the low X-ray gas pressures, we demonstrate that the hot gas is only partially confined and must be leaking out the H II shell. Additionally, we consider the implications of a dominant radiation pressure on the early dynamics of 30 Doradus.

USING THE X-RAY MORPHOLOGY OF YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANTS TO CONSTRAIN EXPLOSION TYPE, EJECTA DISTRIBUTION, AND CHEMICAL MIXING

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are a complex class of sources, and their heterogeneous nature has hindered the characterization of their general observational properties. To overcome this challenge, in this paper, we use statistical tools to analyze the Chandra X-ray images of Galactic and Large Magellanic Cloud SNRs. We apply two techniques, a power-ratio method (a multipole expansion) and wavelet-transform analysis, to measure the global and local morphological properties of the X-ray line and thermal emission in 24 SNRs. We find that Type Ia SNRs have statistically more spherical and mirror-symmetric thermal X-ray emission than core-collapse (CC) SNRs. The ability to type SNRs based on thermal emission morphology alone enables, for the first time, the typing of SNRs with weak X-ray lines and those with low-resolution spectra. Based on our analyses, we identify one source (SNR G344.7-0.1) as originating from a CC explosion that was of unknown origin previously; we also confirm the tentative Type Ia classifications of G337.2-0.7 and G272.2-3.2. Although the global morphology is indicative of the explosion type, the relative morphology of the X-ray line emission within SNRs is not: all sources in our sample have well-mixed ejecta, irrespective of stellar origin. In particular, we find that 90% ofmorexa0» the bright metal-line-emitting substructures are spatially coincident and have similar scales, even if the metals arise from different burning processes. Moreover, the overall X-ray line morphologies within each SNR are the same, with <6% differences. These findings reinforce observationally that hydrodynamical instabilities can efficiently mix ejecta in Type Ia and CC SNRs. The only exception is W49B, which can be attributed to its jet-driven/bipolar explosive origin. Based on comparative analyses across our sample, we describe several observational constraints that can be used to test hydrodynamical models of SNR evolution; notably, the filling factor of X-ray emission decreases with SNR age.«xa0less

TYPING SUPERNOVA REMNANTS USING X-RAY LINE EMISSION MORPHOLOGIES

We present a new observational method to type the explosions of young supernova remnants (SNRs). By measuring the morphology of the Chandra X-ray line emission in 17 Galactic and Large Magellanic Cloud SNRs with a multipole expansion analysis (using power ratios), we find that the core-collapse SNRs are statistically more asymmetric than the Type Ia SNRs. We show that the two classes of supernovae can be separated naturally using this technique because X-ray line morphologies reflect the distinct explosion mechanisms and structure of the circumstellar material. These findings are consistent with recent spectropolarimetry results showing that core-collapse supernovae explosions are intrinsically more asymmetric.

Tools for Dissecting Supernova Remnants Observed with Chandra: Methods and Application to the Galactic Remnant W49B

We introduce methods to quantify the X-ray morphologies of supernova remnants (SNRs) observed with the Chandra X-ray Telescope. These include a power-ratio technique to measure morphological asymmetries, correlation-length analysis to probe chemical segregation and distribution, and wavelet-transform analysis to quantify the X-ray substructure. We demonstrate the utility and accuracy of these techniques on relevant synthetic data. Additionally, we show the methods capabilities by applying them to the 55 ks Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer observation of the galactic SNR W49B. We analyze the images of prominent emission lines in W49B and use the results to discern physical properties. We find that the iron morphology is very distinct from the other elements: it is statistically more asymmetric, more segregated, and has 25% larger emitting substructures than the lighter ions. Comparatively, the silicon, sulfur, argon, and calcium are well mixed, more isotropic, and have smaller, equally sized emitting substructures. Based on fits of XMM-Newton spectra in regions identified as iron rich and iron poor, we determine that the iron in W49B must have been anisotropically ejected. We measure the abundance ratios in many regions, and we find that large, local variations are persistent throughout the remnant. We compare the mean, global abundance ratios to those predicted by spherical and bipolar core-collapse explosions; the results are consistent with a bipolar origin from a ~25 M ☉ progenitor. We calculate the filling factor of iron from the volume of its emitting substructures, enabling more precise mass estimates than previous studies. Overall, this work is a first step toward rigorously describing the physical properties of SNRs for comparison within and between sources.

UNUSUALLY LUMINOUS GIANT MOLECULAR CLOUDS IN THE OUTER DISK OF M33

We use high spatial resolution ({approx}7 pc) observations from the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter Wave Astronomy (CARMA) to derive detailed properties for eight giant molecular clouds (GMCs) at a galactocentric radius corresponding to approximately two CO scale lengths, or {approx}0.5 optical radii (r{sub 25}), in the Local Group spiral galaxy M33. At this radius, molecular gas fraction, dust-to-gas ratio, and metallicity are much lower than in the inner part of M33 or in a typical spiral galaxy. This allows us to probe the impact of environment on GMC properties by comparing our measurements to previous data from the inner disk of M33, the Milky Way, and other nearby galaxies. The outer disk clouds roughly fall on the size-linewidth relation defined by extragalactic GMCs, but are slightly displaced from the luminosity-virial mass relation in the sense of having high CO luminosity compared to the inferred virial mass. This implies a different CO-to-H{sub 2} conversion factor, which is on average a factor of 2 lower than the inner disk and the extragalactic average. We attribute this to significantly higher measured brightness temperatures of the outer disk clouds compared to the ancillary sample of GMCs, which is likely an effect ofmorexa0» enhanced radiation levels due to massive star formation in the vicinity of our target field. Apart from brightness temperature, the properties we determine for the outer disk GMCs in M33 do not differ significantly from those of our comparison sample. In particular, the combined sample of inner and outer disk M33 clouds covers roughly the same range in size, line width, virial mass, and CO luminosity than the sample of Milky Way GMCs. When compared to the inner disk clouds in M33, however, we find even the brightest outer disk clouds to be smaller than most of their inner disk counterparts. This may be due to incomplete sampling or a potentially steeper cloud mass function at larger radii.«xa0less

The X-Ray Properties of Typical High-redshift Radio-loud Quasars

We report spectral, imaging, and variability results from four new XMM-Newton observations and two new Chandra observations of high-redshift (z {approx}> 4) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). Our targets span lower, and more representative, values of radio loudness than those of past samples of high-redshift RLQs studied in the X-ray regime. Our spectral analyses show power-law X-ray continua with a mean photon index, ({Gamma}) = 1.74 {+-} 0.11, that is consistent with measurements of lower redshift RLQs. These continua are likely dominated by jet-linked X-ray emission, and they follow the expected anticorrelation between photon index and radio loudness. We find no evidence of iron K{alpha} emission lines or Compton-reflection continua. Our data also constrain intrinsic X-ray absorption in these RLQs. We find evidence for significant absorption (N{sub H} {approx} 1.7 x 10{sup 22}cm{sup -2}) in one RLQ of our sample (SDSS J0011+1446); the incidence of X-ray absorption in our sample appears plausibly consistent with that for high-redshift RLQs that have higher values of radio loudness. In the Chandra observation of PMN J2219-2719 we detect apparent extended ({approx}14 kpc) X-ray emission that is most likely due to a jet; the X-ray luminosity of this putative jet is {approx}2% that of the core. Themorexa0» analysis of a 4.9 GHz Very Large Array image of PMN J2219-2719 reveals a structure that matches the X-ray extension found in this source. We also find evidence for long-term (450-460 days) X-ray variability by 80%-100% in two of our targets.«xa0less

Supernova Remnants in High Definition

Supernova remnants (SNRs) offer the means to study SN explosions, dynamics, and shocks at sub-parsec scales. X-ray observations probe the hot metals synthesized in the explosion and the TeV electrons accelerated by the shocks, and thus they are key to test recent, high-fidelity three-dimensional SN simulations. In this white paper, we discuss the major advances possible with X-ray spectro-imaging at arcsecond scales, with a few eV spectral resolution and a large effective area. These capabilities would revolutionize SN science, offering a three-dimensional view of metals synthesized in explosions and enabling population studies of SNRs in Local Group galaxies. Moreover, this future X-ray mission could detect faint, narrow synchrotron filaments and shock precursors that will constrain the diffusive shock acceleration process.