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Articles by S. Smartt
Quasi-periodic X-ray eruptions years after a nearby tidal disruption event - Nature
Abstract Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks1,2,3,4,5. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) undergoing instabilities6,7,8 or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit9,10,11.
A kilonova as the electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave source
The host galaxy NGC 4993 has been identified as a member of a group of ten galaxies (LGG 332)34. The heliocentric recessional velocity of 2,951?±?26?km s?1, or z?=?0.009843?±?0.000087, is from optical data35. The kinematic distance (correcting for various infall models and using H ?=?71?±?2?km s?1?Mpc?1) and the Tully Fisher distances to the group containing NGC 499336 are in good agreement within the uncertainty of d?=?40?±?4?Mpc (distance modulus???=?33.01?±?0.20), and we adopt this value.
A kilonova as the electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave source
Gravitational waves were discovered with the detection of binary black hole mergers1 and they should also be detectable from lower-mass neutron-star mergers. These are predicted to eject material rich in heavy radioactive isotopes that can power an electromagnetic signal called a kilonova2–5. The gravitational-wave source GW170817 arose from a binary neutron-star merger in the nearby Universe with a relatively well confined sky position and distance estimate6.
Corrigendum: Slowly fading super-luminous supernovae that are not pair-instability explosions
In this Letter, we have identified an important error affecting Fig. 4 and Extended Data Fig. 6, as well as the values of some parameters derived from our model fits. We stress that this error in no way affects the discussion or the conclusions. In building the bolometric light curve of the superluminous supernova PTF 12dam, our code assumed that photometry from the Swift satellite was calibrated in the Vega magnitude system.
Week’s Best Space Pictures: Erupting Superstar Gets Siblings
Using three of NASA’s space telescopes, astronomers made the most detailed study yet of IDCS 1426, one of the most massive young galaxy clusters ever observed. Some 90 percent of its mass—about 500 trillion suns—is dark matter.
Week's Best Space Pictures: Saturn's Rings and Ice Moon Glimmer
By Michael Greshko, National Geographic PUBLISHED Fri Dec 04 07:00:00 EST 2015
How Big Are the Biggest Planets?
When a star is born, it is the result of immense pressure on hydrogen atoms until fusion reactions begin. And for many stars, a pancake-shaped glob of gas and dust particles—a feature called a circumstellar disk—ends up hanging around for a few million years after formation.
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