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Margon, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Margon, B..

At least 37 records · Page 2
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NASA NTRS1982

Nodding motions of accretion rings and disks - A short-term period in SS 433

It is pointed out that accretion disks and rings in mass transfer binaries have been observed spectroscopically and calculated theoretically for many years. The present investigation is partly based on the availability of several years of spectroscopic observations of the Doppler shifts of the moving lines in SS433. A formalism is presented to compute frequencies and amplitudes of short-term 'nodding' motions in precessing accretion disks in close binary systems. This formalism is applied to an analysis of the moving-line Doppler shifts in SS433. The 35d X-ray cycle of Hercules X-1 is also discussed. In the considered model, the companion star exerts a gravitational torque on the disk rim. Averaged over the binary orbit, this yields a steady torque which results in the mean driven counterprecession of the disk.

Katz, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Detection of neutral hydrogen emission and optical nebulosity in the low redshift QSO 0351+026

Spectroscopy, photometry, and imaging of the X-ray source 0351+026 are consistent with an active nucleus with the spectrum of a QSO or type I Seyfert, embedded in a low luminosity host galaxy of colors similar to M31. The H I observations reveal a tremendous amount of neutral gas associated with the system, M(H I)/L(B) = 15 in solar units, and the velocity width of the feature is 1500 km/s. Both parameters substantially exceed those seen in other galaxies and interacting pairs. The unique H I properties of the system combined with the presence of an active nucleus with QSO-like features is a tantalizing, but poorly understood, combination. At slightly larger redshift and thus inferior angular scale, this object would be indistinguishable from a QSO in its optical and X-ray characteristics.

Bothun, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The luminosity of serendipitous X-ray QSOs

The optical counterparts of 47 X-ray sources with previously unreported quasi-stellar objects are identified. The mean ratio of X-ray to optical luminosity of the sample agrees with that derived from X-ray observations of previously known QSOs, although the mean redshift of the sample is z=0.42, and thus the main luminosity of the objects (Mv=24) differs significantly from that of previous QSO surveys with similar optical thresholds. The steep luminosity function inferred indirectly from optical counts is confirmed. Reconciliation of the observed QSO luminosity function with optically and radio-selected QSO samples requires one of two significant stipulations. Either the space and luminosity distributions of QSOs become quite well specified, or the X-ray luminosity of the typical QSO falls short of that inferred by Zamorani et al. (1981).

Margon, B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Infrared properties of serendipitous X-ray quasars

Near infrared measurements were obtained of 30 quasars originally found serendipitously as X-ray sources in fields of other objects. The observations show that the infrared characteristics of these quasars do not differ significantly from those of quasars selected by other criteria. Because this X-ray selected sample is subject to different selection biases than previous radio and optical surveys, this conclusion is useful in validating previous inferences regarding the infrared colors of 'typical' quasars.

Neugebauer, G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The extragalactic nature of CL4

The variable, unresolved radio source CL4 (2048 + 312) is identified as a quasar, in light of spectroscopy of its faint optical counterpart which shows a single, broad emission line at 6480 A. Although candidate redshifts of 1.31, 2.39, and 3.18 are proposed for identification of the emission feature as Mg II, semiforbidden C III, and C IV, respectively, the precise redshift cannot be determined without an extension of the current spectral coverage of this red object into the blue. CL4, together with the radio source 1910 + 052, which shows similar properties and for which an optical identification search was unsuccessfully conducted, is part of a group of eight compact, variable radio sources which may be related to SS 433. A compilation of evidence for this association shows that none of the eight objects are good candidates for an SS 433 analog.

Margon, B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Lanning 14, a new DO white dwarf - Spectrophotometry and atmospheric parameters

Optical spectrophotometric observations are presented and analyzed for Lanning 14, which was recently classified as a DO white dwarf and has one of the strongest He II 4868 absorption lines of any known star, with strong He Bracket lines and weak He I. An effective temperature of 55,000 plus or minus 2500 K, log g near 8, and He/H ratio equal to or greater than 100, have been derived by means of a new grid of hot, high-gravity, mixed-composition models. It is concluded that Lanning 14 is both hotter and more helium-rich than the prototype DO star HZ 21.

Liebert, J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

M5 V101 - A close binary system in a globular cluster

Spectrophotometric and photographic observations of the large amplitude variable V101 in the globular cluster M5 show it to have the characteristics of a dwarf nova. In particular, a spectrum obtained with the Hale 5 m reflector of the object in quiescence (V approximately equal to 20) shows strong, broad Balmer and He I emission. It is suggested that M5 V101 is the strongest case for the existence of close binary systems in globular clusters.

Margon, B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The Ophiuchus cluster - A bright X-ray cluster of galaxies at low galactic latitude

The discovery of an extended X-ray source identified with a cluster of galaxies at low galactic latitude is reported. The source, designated the Ophiuchus cluster, was detected near 4U 1708-23 with the HEAO 1 Scanning Modulation Collimator, and identified with the cluster on the basis of extended X-ray size and positional coincidence on the ESO/SRC (J) plate of the region. An X-ray flux density in the region 2-10 keV of approximately 25 microJ was measured, along with an X-ray luminosity of 1.6 x 10 to the 45th ergs/sec and an X-ray core radius of approximately 4 arcmin (0.2 Mpc) for an assumed isothermal sphere surface brightness distribution. The X-ray spectrum in the range 2-10 keV obtained with the HEAO 1 A-2 instrument is well fit by a thermal bremsstrahlung model with kT = 8 keV and a 6.7-keV iron line of equivalent width 450 eV. The steep-spectrum radio source MSH 17-203 also appears to be associated with the cluster, which is the closest and brightest representative of the class of X-ray clusters with a dominant central galaxy.

Johnston, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A companion quasar to 3C345

The discovery of a new quasistellar object (QSO) which presents the strongest evidence to date for the membership of quasars in rich clusters is reported. During X-ray observations of quasar 3C345, a serendipitous X-ray source located 8 arcmin northeast of the quasar was discovered. The observed flux of the new source is 3.2 x 10 to the -13th erg/sq cm/sec in the 0.5-4.5 keV band. Three separate observations over a six-month period failed to show intensity variability in excess of the statistical uncertainty in the count rate. The spectrum shows a modest signal-to-noise ratio but four strong emission lines. It is suggested that the redshift agreement between the two QSOs indicates a common membership in a cluster of galaxies which may well be a rich cluster.

Margon, B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A UBV photometric study of the 5.2 hour X-ray binary 4U 2129+47

The paper presents results derived from UBV photometric observations of the 5.2 X-ray binary 4U 2129+47 which were made on 11 nights between 1978 October and 1979 August. The light curves observed during this period are relatively stable in shape and amplitude (Delta B = 1.5 mag) and are a surprisingly close match to the time-averaged light curves observed for HZ Her. There is a significant asymmetry in their shape which is independent of color and varies in amplitude by a factor of approximately 2. The UBV colors at minimum light suggest a considerably earlier spectral type (G or earlier) than is inferred by assuming that the star fills its Roche lobe (late K or early M). Optical pulsations were studied, and a 3 sigma limit of 0.5% was set on the fraction of the flux which is pulsed for periods between 60 ms and 300 s. Assuming that the optical companion is a normal main-sequence star filling its Roche lobe, its mass is approximately 0.65 solar mass. Assuming also that the compact object has a mass of 1.3 solar masses and that the orbital inclination of the system is approximately 90 deg, it is found that the orbital separation is approximately 1.9 solar radii and K-opt is approximately 300 km/s.

Mcclintock, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Optical identification of serendipitous Einstein sources - 19 X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei

The identification of counterparts to 19 serendipitous Einstein Observatory X-ray sources at high galactic latitude is reported. The counterparts are identified as previously uncataloged active galactic nuclei (AGNs) - quasars or Seyfert galaxies - with redshifts varying from z = 0.036 through z = 1.40. The success rate, that is, the fraction of X-ray sources that are identified as AGNs, is approximately 50%, an order of magnitude larger than for traditional ultraviolet surveys. It is expected that this method will produce a large number of X-ray-selected AGNs for statistical studies. For the 19 AGNs in this sample, which is free from the radio selection effects that have complicated previous studies, the X-ray-to-optical-flux slope is found to be 1.30 + or - 0.05.

Chanan, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

HR 4453 - An anomalously bright UV source

Crawford et al. (1979) reported that HR 4453 has an anomalously large UV flux in the 1350-1600 A band. This paper reports results of the UV spectrophotometry of HR 4453 obtained with the Copernicus satellite. Portions of the spectrum from 1120 to 2660 A were scanned, but no stellar signal was detected in any wavelength interval. This result is consistent with both components of the binary being normal A2A stars. UV variability or a source other than HR 4453 must be invoked to explain the observations of Crawford et al.

Polidan, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A lower limit on the magnitude of the companion to HDE 226868 /Cygnus X-1/

High-precision digital spectra of the HDE 226868/Cygnus X-1 system have been obtained at a variety of orbital phases, using a Digicon photon counting array at the coude focus of the Lick Shane reflector. The spectra have been cross-correlated to search for evidence for the existence of a luminous stellar companion to HDE 226868, as has been suggested by several models where the secondary star is not a black hole. We find no evidence for such a star and place a lower limit on the difference between HDE 226868 and its companion of 4 magnitudes. This limit rules out all of the models for the Cygnus X-1 system calculated by Avni and Bahcall which include main-sequence stars as secondaries rather than black holes. A merit function generally useful for cross-correlation of digital spectra is described.

Shafter, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Discovery of optical molecular emission from the bipolar nebula surrounding HD 44179

Spectrophotometry and spectropolarimetry with HD 44179 are presented. These measurements reveal that the very broad bump evident in previous low-resolution spectra possesses a large amount of structure, including groups of narrow emission lines and several diffuse features. A reduction in polarization, but constant position angle, through the bump indicates that this emission originates within the nebula itself and merely dilutes the polarized scattered starlight. A few very weak atomic emission lines are detected, but the overall feature, which strongly resembles the emission spectra of some molecules, remains unidentified. Constraints on the excitation mechanism are discussed.

Schmidt, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Gamma-ray burst source locations

Instrumentation for observing cosmic gamma-ray bursts has been provided for widely separated spacecraft, including the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, ISEE-3, Helios-B, Venera 10 and 11, and Prognoz 7. Simultaneous observations have been made of several gamma bursts with various combinations of these spacecraft and near-earth satellites. Locations of the gamma-burst sources have been calculated for those events where precise timing and ephemeris data are available. The results of optical and HEAO-B observations of the resultant error boxes will be discussed.

Evans, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Observations of the cosmic background radiation at 1440 angstroms

A survey of the summer night sky in the 1350-1550-A band at 2.5-deg angular resolution was carried out with a far-ultraviolet channel of the Berkeley Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) telescope on the Apollo-Soyuz mission. The large collecting area and small field of view of this telescope permitted the identification and removal from the data of individual stars of spectral type A2 or earlier with visual magnitude brighter than about 6.5. A residual signal significantly above background remains which is not of terrestrial or interplanetary origin and varies with view direction between approximately 30 and 2000 counts/s. The source of the emission is observed to be highly concentrated to the galactic plane with a distribution of half-width about 10 deg centered on the plane and a roughly constant-intensity tail extending out to both galactic poles. The minimum signal detected at high and moderate latitudes corresponds to 300 + or - 60 photons/sq cm-s-sr-A. This minimum flux may be due to scattering from interstellar dust, or it may be extragalactic in origin.

Paresco, F.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Far ultraviolet photometry of intermediate brightness stars from Apollo-Soyuz

We present photoelectric photometry in the 1350-1600 A band of 52 stars of intermediate brightness, using data obtained in 1975 July with a grazing incidence telescope aboard the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Upper or lower limits on the brightness of 106 additional objects which were spatially blended with one or more companions were also obtained. The data sample consists of stars with V not greater than 7.5 and spectral types from O6 through A5. When corrected for interstellar extinction, the ultraviolet photometry on a two-color diagram agrees very well with the predictions of the revised blanketed model atmospheres by Kurucz. Attention is also drawn to an anomalously UV-bright object which is probably associated with HD 100493.

Crawford, R.↗