No Arabic abstract
A previously unknown optical transient (OT 120926) has been observed in the constellation Bootes. The transient flared to magnitude 4.7, which is comparable to the visual magnitudes of the nearby stars $pi$ Boo and $omicron$ Boo. Database searches do not yield an unambiguous identification of a quiescent counterpart of this transient but do identify several candidates. However, none of the candidate stellar counterparts have shown any credible evidence of previous variability in the All-Sky Automated Survey or the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey. A flare on the nearby high proper motion, probable M dwarf star LP 440-48 could have produced OT 120926, but the amplitude of the flare would be an unprecedented 11.3 magnitudes. The current record amplitude for such flares on M dwarfs is 9.5 magnitudes.
Ghost imaging is usually based on optoelectronic process and eletronic computing. We here propose a new ghost imaging scheme, which avoids any optoelectronic or electronic process. Instead, the proposed scheme exploits all-optical correlation via the light-light interaction and the vision persistence effect to generate images observed by naked eyes. To realize high contrast naked-eye ghost imaging, a special pattern-scanning architecture on a low-speed light-modulation disk is designed, which also enables high-resolution imaging with lower-order Hadamard vectors and boosts the imaging speed. With this approach, we realize high-contrast real-time ghost imaging for moving colored objects.
The Milky Way hosts on average a few supernova explosions per century, yet in the past millennium only five supernovae have been identified confidently in the historical record. This deficit of naked-eye supernovae is at least partly due to dust extinction in the Galactic plane. We explore this effect quantitatively, developing a formalism for the supernova probability distribution, accounting for dust and for the observers flux limit. We then construct a fiducial axisymmetric model for the supernova and dust densities, featuring an exponential dependence on galactocentric radius and height, with core-collapse events in a thin disk and Type Ia events including a thick disk component. When no flux limit is applied, our model predicts supernovae are intrinsically concentrated in the Galactic plane, with Type Ia events extending to higher latitudes reflecting their thick disk component. We then apply a flux limit and include dust effects, to predict the sky distribution of historical supernovae. We use well-observed supernovae as light-curve templates, and introduce naked-eye discovery criteria. The resulting sky distributions are strikingly inconsistent with the locations of confident historical supernovae, none of which lie near our models central peaks. Indeed, SN 1054 lies off the plane almost exactly in the anticenter, and SN 1181 is in the 2nd Galactic quadrant. We discuss possible explanations for these discrepancies. We calculate the percentage of all supernovae bright enough for historical discovery: $simeq 13%$ of core-collapse and $simeq 33%$ of Type Ia events. Using these and the confident historical supernovae, we estimate the intrinsic Galactic supernova rates, finding general agreement with other methods. Finally, we urge searches for supernovae in historical records from civilizations in the southern hemisphere.
Several dozen optical echelle spectra demonstrate that HR 6819 is a hierarchical triple. A classical Be star is in a wide orbit with an unconstrained period around an inner 40 d binary consisting of a B3 III star and an unseen companion in a circular orbit. The radial-velocity semi-amplitude of 61.3 km/s of the inner star and its minimum (probable) mass of 5.0 Msun (6.3 +- 0.7 Msun) imply a mass of the unseen object of >= 4.2 Msun (>= 5.0 +- 0.4 Msun), that is, a black hole (BH). The spectroscopic time series is stunningly similar to observations of LB-1. A similar triple-star architecture of LB-1 would reduce the mass of the BH in LB-1 from ~70 Msun to a level more typical of Galactic stellar remnant BHs. The BH in HR 6819 probably is the closest known BH to the Sun, and together with LB-1, suggests a population of quiet BHs. Its embedment in a hierarchical triple structure may be of interest for models of merging double BHs or BH + neutron star binaries. Other triple stars with an outer Be star but without BH are identified; through stripping, such systems may become a source of single Be stars.
We have detected transits of the innermost planet e orbiting 55 Cnc (V=6.0), based on two weeks of nearly continuous photometric monitoring with the MOST space telescope. The transits occur with the period (0.74 d) and phase that had been predicted by Dawson & Fabrycky, and with the expected duration and depth for the crossing of a Sun-like star by a hot super-Earth. Assuming the stars mass and radius to be 0.963_{-0.029}^{+0.051} M_sun and 0.943 +/- 0.010 R_sun, the planets mass, radius, and mean density are 8.63 +/- 0.35 Mearth, 2.00 +/- 0.14 Rearth, and 5.9_{-1.1}^{+1.5} g/cm^3. The mean density is comparable to that of Earth, despite the greater mass and consequently greater compression of the interior of 55 Cnc e. This suggests a rock-iron composition supplemented by a significant mass of water, gas, or other light elements. Outside of transits, we detected a sinusoidal signal resembling the expected signal due to the changing illuminated phase of the planet, but with a full range (168 +/- 70 ppm) too large to be reflected light or thermal emission. This signal has no straightforward interpretation and should be checked with further observations. The host star of 55 Cnc e is brighter than that of any other known transiting planet, which will facilitate future investigations.
Based on optical correlations, ghost imaging is usually reconstructed by computer algorithm from the acquired data. We here proposed an alternatively high contrast naked-eye ghost imaging scheme which avoids computer algorithm processing. Instead, the proposed scheme uses a photoelectric feedback loop to realize the multiplication process of traditional ghost imaging. Meanwhile, it exploits the vision persistence effect to implement integral process and to generate negative images observed by naked eyes. To realize high contrast naked-eye ghost imaging, a special pattern-scanning architecture on a low-speed light-modulation mask is designed, which enables high-resolution imaging with lower-order Hadamard vectors and boosts the imaging speed as well. Moreover, two kinds of feedback circuits, the digital circuit and the analog circuit, are presented respectively, which can achieve high-speed feedback operation on the light intensity. With this approach, we demonstrate high-contrast real-time imaging for moving objects.