Suchergebnisse

[Context]: The origin of broad-absorption-line quasi-stellar objects (BAL QSOs) remains unclear. Accounting for ∼20% of the QSO population, these objects have broad absorption lines in their optical spectra generated from outflows with velocities of up to 0.2 c. In this work, we present the results of a multi-frequency study of a well-defined radio-loud BAL QSO sample, and a comparison sample of radio-loud non-BAL QSOs, both selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). [Aims]: We aim to test which of the currently popular models of the BAL phenomenon - >orientation> or > evolutionary> - best accounts for the radio properties of BAL quasars. We also consider a third model in which BALs are produced by polar jets driven by radiation pressure. [Methods]: Observations from 1.4 to 43 GHz have been obtained with the VLA and Effelsberg telescopes, and data from 74 to 408 MHz have been compiled from the literature. The spectral indices give clues about the orientation, while the determination of the peak frequency can constrain the age, and test the evolutionary scenario, in which BAL QSOs are young QSOs. The fractional polarisation and the rotation measure in part reflect the local magnetic field strength and particle density. [Results]: The fractions of resolved sources in the BAL and non-BAL QSO samples are similar (16% versus (vs.) 12%). The resolved sources in the two samples have similar linear sizes (20 to 400 kpc) and morphologies. There is weak evidence that the fraction of variable sources amongst BAL QSOs is smaller. The fractions of candidate GHz-peaked sources are similar in the two samples (36 ± 12% vs. 23 ± 8%), suggesting that BAL QSOs are not generally younger than non-BAL QSOs. Both BAL and non-BAL QSOs have a wide range of spectral indices, including flat-spectrum and steep-spectrum sources, consistent with a broad range of orientations. There is weak evidence (91% confidence) that the spectral indices of the BAL QSOs are steeper than those of non-BAL QSOs, mildly favouring edge-on orientations. At a higher level of significance (≥97%), the spectra of BAL QSOs are no flatter than those of non-BAL QSOs, which suggests that a polar orientation is not preferred. The distributions of fractional polarisation in the two samples have similar median values (1-3%). The distributions of rotation measure are also similar, the only outlier being the BAL QSO 1624+37, which has an extreme rest-frame rotation measure (from the literature) of -18 350 ± 570 rad m-2. © ESO 2012. ; Part of this work was supported by a grant of the Italian Programme for Research of Relevant National Interest (PRIN No. 18/2007, PI: K.-H. Mack) The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under project AYA2008-06311-C02-02. This work has benefited from research funding from the European Union's sixth framework programme under RadioNet grant agreement No. 227290. ; Peer Reviewed

Context. One-opposition near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are growing in number, and they must be recovered to prevent loss and mismatch risk, and to improve their orbits, as they are likely to be too faint for detection in shallow surveys at future apparitions. Aims. We aimed to recover more than half of the one-opposition NEAs recommended for observations by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) using the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in soft-override mode and some fractions of available D-nights. During about 130 h in total between 2013 and 2016, we targeted 368 NEAs, among which 56 potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), observing 437 INT Wide Field Camera (WFC) fields and recovering 280 NEAs (76% of all targets). Methods. Engaging a core team of about ten students and amateurs, we used the THELI, Astrometrica, and the FindOrb software to identify all moving objects using the blink and track-And-stack method for the faintest targets and plotting the positional uncertainty ellipse from NEODyS. Results. Most targets and recovered objects had apparent magnitudes centered around V ~ 22.8 mag, with some becoming as faint as V ~ 24 mag. One hundred and three objects (representing 28% of all targets) were recovered by EURONEAR alone by Aug. 2017. Orbital arcs were prolonged typically from a few weeks to a few years; our oldest recoveries reach 16 years. The O-C residuals for our 1854 NEA astrometric positions show that most measurements cluster closely around the origin. In addition to the recovered NEAs, 22 000 positions of about 3500 known minor planets and another 10 000 observations of about 1500 unknown objects (mostly main-belt objects) were promptly reported to the MPC by our team. Four new NEAs were discovered serendipitously in the analyzed fields and were promptly secured with the INT and other telescopes, while two more NEAs were lost due to extremely fast motion and lack of rapid follow-up time. They increase the counting to nine NEAs discovered by the EURONEAR in 2014 and 2015. Conclusions. Targeted projects to recover one-opposition NEAs are efficient in override access, especially using at least two-meter class and preferably larger field telescopes located in good sites, which appear even more efficient than the existing surveys.© ESO, 2018. ; I.O. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) in the form of Advanced Grant, cosmicism. R.T. acknowledges funding for her La Palma trip to Armagh Observatory, which is core-funded by the Northern Ireland Government. The research led by BTG, CJM, and NPGF has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement No. 320964 (WDTracer). ; Peer Reviewed