arXiv subjects

F. Finet

Publications and source records attributed to F. Finet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

XXL Survey XXI. The environment and clustering of X-ray AGN in the XXL-South field

This work is part of a series of studies focusing on the environment and the properties of the X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) population from the XXL survey. The present survey, given its large area, continuity, extensive multiwavelength coverage, and large-scale structure information, is ideal for this kind of study. Here, we focus on the XXL-South (XXL-S) field. Our main aim is to study the environment of the various types of X-ray selected AGN and investigate its possible role in AGN triggering and evolution. We studied the large-scale (>1 Mpc) environment up to redshift z=1 using the nearest neighbour distance method to compare various pairs of AGN types. We also investigated the small-scale environment (<0.4 Mpc) by calculating the local overdensities of optical galaxies. In addition, we built a catalogue of AGN concentrations with two or more members using the hierarchical clustering method and we correlated them with the X-ray galaxy clusters detected in the XXL survey. It is found that radio detected X-ray sources are more obscured than non-radio ones, though not all radio sources are obscured AGN. We did not find any significant differences in the large-scale clustering between luminous and faint X-ray AGN, or between obscured and unobscured ones, or between radio and non-radio sources. At local scales (<0.4 Mpc), AGN typically reside in overdense regions, compared to non-AGN; however, no differences were found between the various types of AGN. A majority of AGN concentrations with two or more members are found in the neighbourhood of X-ray galaxy clusters within <25-45 Mpc. Our results suggest that X-ray AGN are typically located in supercluster filaments, but they are also found in over- and underdense regions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The Hyper Suprime-Cam SSP Survey: Overview and Survey Design

Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) is a wide-field imaging camera on the prime focus of the 8.2m Subaru telescope on the summit of Maunakea in Hawaii. A team of scientists from Japan, Taiwan and Princeton University is using HSC to carry out a 300-night multi-band imaging survey of the high-latitude sky. The survey includes three layers: the Wide layer will cover 1400 deg$^2$ in five broad bands ($grizy$), with a $5\,\sigma$ point-source depth of $r \approx 26$. The Deep layer covers a total of 26~deg$^2$ in four fields, going roughly a magnitude fainter, while the UltraDeep layer goes almost a magnitude fainter still in two pointings of HSC (a total of 3.5 deg$^2$). Here we describe the instrument, the science goals of the survey, and the survey strategy and data processing. This paper serves as an introduction to a special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, which includes a large number of technical and scientific papers describing results from the early phases of this survey.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

MiNDSTEp differential photometry of the gravitationally lensed quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756: Microlensing and a new time delay

We present V and R photometry of the gravitationally lensed quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756. The data were taken by the MiNDSTEp collaboration with the 1.54 m Danish telescope at the ESO La Silla observatory from 2008 to 2012. Differential photometry has been carried out using the image subtraction method as implemented in the HOTPAnTS package, additionally using GALFIT for quasar photometry. The quasar WFI2033-4723 showed brightness variations of order 0.5 mag in V and R during the campaign. The two lensed components of quasar HE0047-1756 varied by 0.2-0.3 mag within five years. We provide, for the first time, an estimate of the time delay of component B with respect to A of $\Delta t= 7.6\pm1.8$ days for this object. We also find evidence for a secular evolution of the magnitude difference between components A and B in both filters, which we explain as due to a long-duration microlensing event. Finally we find that both quasars WFI2033-4723 and HE0047-1756 become bluer when brighter, which is consistent with previous studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

The XXL survey XIV. AAOmega redshifts for the southern XXL field

We present a catalogue containing the redshifts of 3,660 X-ray selected targets in the XXL southern field. The redshifts were obtained with the AAOmega spectrograph and 2dF fibre positioner on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The catalogue contains 1,515 broad line AGN, 528 stars, and redshifts for 41 out of the 49 brightest X-ray selected clusters in the XXL southern field.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

The XXL Survey: I. Scientific motivations - XMM-Newton observing plan - Follow-up observations and simulation programme

We present the XXL Survey, the largest XMM programme totaling some 6.9 Ms to date and involving an international consortium of roughly 100 members. The XXL Survey covers two extragalactic areas of 25 deg2 each at a point-source sensitivity of ~ 5E-15 erg/sec/cm2 in the [0.5-2] keV band (completeness limit). The survey's main goals are to provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state from the space-time distribution of clusters of galaxies and to serve as a pathfinder for future, wide-area X-ray missions. We review science objectives, including cluster studies, AGN evolution, and large-scale structure, that are being conducted with the support of approximately 30 follow-up programmes. We describe the 542 XMM observations along with the associated multi-lambda and numerical simulation programmes. We give a detailed account of the X-ray processing steps and describe innovative tools being developed for the cosmological analysis. The paper provides a thorough evaluation of the X-ray data, including quality controls, photon statistics, exposure and background maps, and sky coverage. Source catalogue construction and multi-lambda associations are briefly described. This material will be the basis for the calculation of the cluster and AGN selection functions, critical elements of the cosmological and science analyses. The XXL multi-lambda data set will have a unique lasting legacy value for cosmological and extragalactic studies and will serve as a calibration resource for future dark energy studies with clusters and other X-ray selected sources. With the present article, we release the XMM XXL photon and smoothed images along with the corresponding exposure maps. The XMM XXL observation list (Table B.1) is available in electronic form at the CDS. The present paper is the first in a series reporting results of the XXL-XMM survey.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Predicted multiply-imaged X-ray AGNs in the XXL survey

We estimate the incidence of multiply-imaged AGNs among the optical counterparts of X-ray selected point-like sources in the XXL field. We also derive the expected statistical properties of this sample, such as the redshift distribution of the lensed sources and of the deflectors that lead to the formation of multiple images, modelling the deflectors using both spherical (SIS) and ellipsoidal (SIE) singular isothermal mass distributions. We further assume that the XXL survey sample has the same overall properties as the smaller XMM-COSMOS sample restricted to the same flux limits and taking into account the detection probability of the XXL survey. Among the X-ray sources with a flux in the [0.5-2] keV band larger than 3.0x10$^{-15}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ and with optical counterparts brighter than an r-band magnitude of 25, we expect ~20 multiply-imaged sources. Out of these, ~16 should be detected if the search is made among the seeing-limited images of the X-ray AGN optical counterparts and only one of them should be composed of more than two lensed images. Finally, we study the impact of the cosmological model on the expected fraction of lensed sources.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2015

Transits and starspots in the WASP-6 planetary system

We present updates to \textsc{prism}, a photometric transit-starspot model, and \textsc{gemc}, a hybrid optimisation code combining MCMC and a genetic algorithm. We then present high-precision photometry of four transits in the WASP-6 planetary system, two of which contain a starspot anomaly. All four transits were modelled using \textsc{prism} and \textsc{gemc}, and the physical properties of the system calculated. We find the mass and radius of the host star to be $0.836\pm 0.063\,{\rm M}_\odot$ and $0.864\pm0.024\,{\rm R}_\odot$, respectively. For the planet we find a mass of $0.485\pm 0.027\,{\rm M}_{\rm Jup}$, a radius of $1.230\pm0.035\,{\rm R}_{\rm Jup}$ and a density of $0.244\pm0.014\,\rho_{\rm Jup}$. These values are consistent with those found in the literature. In the likely hypothesis that the two spot anomalies are caused by the same starspot or starspot complex, we measure the stars rotation period and velocity to be $23.80 \pm 0.15$\,d and $1.78 \pm 0.20$\,km\,s$^{-1}$, respectively, at a co-latitude of 75.8$^\circ$. We find that the sky-projected angle between the stellar spin axis and the planetary orbital axis is $\lambda = 7.2^{\circ} \pm 3.7^{\circ}$, indicating axial alignment. Our results are consistent with and more precise than published spectroscopic measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. These results suggest that WASP-6\,b formed at a much greater distance from its host star and suffered orbital decay through tidal interactions with the protoplanetary disc.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2014

High-precision photometry by telescope defocussing. VI. WASP-24, WASP-25 and WASP-26

We present time-series photometric observations of thirteen transits in the planetary systems WASP-24, WASP-25 and WASP-26. All three systems have orbital obliquity measurements, WASP-24 and WASP-26 have been observed with Spitzer, and WASP-25 was previously comparatively neglected. Our light curves were obtained using the telescope-defocussing method and have scatters of 0.5 to 1.2 mmag relative to their best-fitting geometric models. We used these data to measure the physical properties and orbital ephemerides of the systems to high precision, finding that our improved measurements are in good agreement with previous studies. High-resolution Lucky Imaging observations of all three targets show no evidence for faint stars close enough to contaminate our photometry. We confirm the eclipsing nature of the star closest to WASP-24 and present the detection of a detached eclipsing binary within 4.25 arcmin of WASP-26.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

MOA-2010-BLG-328Lb: a sub-Neptune orbiting very late M dwarf ?

We analyze the planetary microlensing event MOA-2010-BLG-328. The best fit yields host and planetary masses of Mh = 0.11+/-0.01 M_{sun} and Mp = 9.2+/-2.2M_Earth, corresponding to a very late M dwarf and sub-Neptune-mass planet, respectively. The system lies at DL = 0.81 +/- 0.10 kpc with projected separation r = 0.92 +/- 0.16 AU. Because of the host's a-priori-unlikely close distance, as well as the unusual nature of the system, we consider the possibility that the microlens parallax signal, which determines the host mass and distance, is actually due to xallarap (source orbital motion) that is being misinterpreted as parallax. We show a result that favors the parallax solution, even given its close host distance. We show that future high-resolution astrometric measurements could decisively resolve the remaining ambiguity of these solutions.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

Search for gravitational lens candidates in the XMM-LSS/CFHTLS common field

Our aim was to identify gravitational lens candidates among some 5500 optical counterparts of the X-ray point-like sources in the medium-deep ~11 sq. deg. XMM-LSS survey. We have visually inspected the optical counterparts of each QSOs/AGN using CFHTLS T006 images. We have selected compact pairs and groups of sources which could be multiply imaged QSO/AGN. We have measured the colors and characterized the morphological types of the selected sources using the multiple PSF fitting technique. We found three good gravitational lens candidates: J021511.4-034306, J022234.3-031616 and J022607.0-040301 which consist of pairs of point-like sources having similar colors. On the basis of a color-color diagram and X-ray properties we could verify that all these sources are good QSO/AGN candidates rather than stars. Additional secondary gravitational lens candidates are also reported.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Physical properties, transmission and emission spectra of the WASP-19 planetary system from multi-colour photometry

We present new ground-based, multi-colour, broad-band photometric measurements of the physical parameters, transmission and emission spectra of the transiting extrasolar planet WASP-19b. The measurements are based on observations of 8 transits and four occultations using the 1.5m Danish Telescope, 14 transits at the PEST observatory, and 1 transit observed simultaneously through four optical and three near-infrared filters, using the GROND instrument on the ESO 2.2m telescope. We use these new data to measure refined physical parameters for the system. We find the planet to be more bloated and the system to be twice as old as initially thought. We also used published and archived datasets to study the transit timings, which do not depart from a linear ephemeris. We detected an anomaly in the GROND transit light curve which is compatible with a spot on the photosphere of the parent star. The starspot position, size, spot contrast and temperature were established. Using our new and published measurements, we assembled the planet's transmission spectrum over the 370-2350 nm wavelength range and its emission spectrum over the 750-8000 nm range. By comparing these data to theoretical models we investigated the theoretically-predicted variation of the apparent radius of WASP-19b as a function of wavelength and studied the composition and thermal structure of its atmosphere. We conclude that: there is no evidence for strong optical absorbers at low pressure, supporting the common idea that the planet's atmosphere lacks a dayside inversion; the temperature of the planet is not homogenized, because the high warming of its dayside causes the planet to be more efficient in re-radiating than redistributing energy to the night side; the planet seems to be outside of any current classification scheme.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

High-precision photometry by telescope defocussing. V. WASP-15 and WASP-16

We present new photometric observations of WASP-15 and WASP-16, two transiting extrasolar planetary systems with measured orbital obliquities but without photometric follow-up since their discovery papers. Our new data for WASP-15 comprise observations of one transit simultaneously in four optical passbands using GROND on the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope, plus coverage of half a transit from DFOSC on the Danish 1.54m telescope, both at ESO La Silla. For WASP-16 we present observations of four complete transits, all from the Danish telescope. We use these new data to refine the measured physical properties and orbital ephemerides of the two systems. Whilst our results are close to the originally-determined values for WASP-15, we find that the star and planet in the WASP-16 system are both larger and less massive than previously thought.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

Flux and color variations of the doubly imaged quasar UM673

With the aim of characterizing the flux and color variations of the multiple components of the gravitationally lensed quasar UM673 as a function of time, we have performed multi-epoch and multi-band photometric observations with the Danish 1.54m telescope at the La Silla Observatory. The observations were carried out in the VRi spectral bands during four seasons (2008--2011). We reduced the data using the PSF (Point Spread Function) photometric technique as well as aperture photometry. Our results show for the brightest lensed component some significant decrease in flux between the first two seasons (+0.09/+0.11/+0.05 mag) and a subsequent increase during the following ones (-0.11/-0.11/-0.10 mag) in the V/R/i spectral bands, respectively. Comparing our results with previous studies, we find smaller color variations between these seasons as compared with previous ones. We also separate the contribution of the lensing galaxy from that of the fainter and close lensed component.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Microlensing Discovery of a Population of Very Tight, Very Low-mass Binary Brown Dwarfs

Although many models have been proposed, the physical mechanisms responsible for the formation of low-mass brown dwarfs are poorly understood. The multiplicity properties and minimum mass of the brown-dwarf mass function provide critical empirical diagnostics of these mechanisms. We present the discovery via gravitational microlensing of two very low-mass, very tight binary systems. These binaries have directly and precisely measured total system masses of 0.025 Msun and 0.034 Msun, and projected separations of 0.31 AU and 0.19 AU, making them the lowest-mass and tightest field brown-dwarf binaries known. The discovery of a population of such binaries indicates that brown dwarf binaries can robustly form at least down to masses of ~0.02 Msun. Future microlensing surveys will measure a mass-selected sample of brown-dwarf binary systems, which can then be directly compared to similar samples of stellar binaries.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

MOA-2010-BLG-523: "Failed Planet" = RS CVn Star

The Galactic bulge source MOA-2010-BLG-523S exhibited short-term deviations from a standard microlensing lightcurve near the peak of an Amax ~ 265 high-magnification microlensing event. The deviations originally seemed consistent with expectations for a planetary companion to the principal lens. We combine long-term photometric monitoring with a previously published high-resolution spectrum taken near peak to demonstrate that this is an RS CVn variable, so that planetary microlensing is not required to explain the lightcurve deviations. This is the first spectroscopically confirmed RS CVn star discovered in the Galactic bulge.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

The Transiting System GJ1214: High-Precision Defocused Transit Observations and a Search for Evidence of Transit Timing Variation

Aims: We present 11 high-precision photometric transit observations of the transiting super-Earth planet GJ1214b. Combining these data with observations from other authors, we investigate the ephemeris for possible signs of transit timing variations (TTVs) using a Bayesian approach. Methods: The observations were obtained using telescope-defocusing techniques, and achieve a high precision with random errors in the photometry as low as 1mmag per point. To investigate the possibility of TTVs in the light curve, we calculate the overall probability of a TTV signal using Bayesian methods. Results: The observations are used to determine the photometric parameters and the physical properties of the GJ1214 system. Our results are in good agreement with published values. Individual times of mid-transit are measured with uncertainties as low as 10s, allowing us to reduce the uncertainty in the orbital period by a factor of two. Conclusions: A Bayesian analysis reveals that it is highly improbable that the observed transit times is explained by TTV, when compared with the simpler alternative of a linear ephemeris.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2011

I. Flux and color variations of the quadruply imaged quasar HE 0435-1223

aims: We present VRi photometric observations of the quadruply imaged quasar HE 0435-1223, carried out with the Danish 1.54m telescope at the La Silla Observatory. Our aim was to monitor and study the magnitudes and colors of each lensed component as a function of time. methods: We monitored the object during two seasons (2008 and 2009) in the VRi spectral bands, and reduced the data with two independent techniques: difference imaging and PSF (Point Spread Function) fitting.results: Between these two seasons, our results show an evident decrease in flux by ~0.2-0.4 magnitudes of the four lensed components in the three filters. We also found a significant increase (~0.05-0.015) in their V-R and R-i color indices. conclusions: These flux and color variations are very likely caused by intrinsic variations of the quasar between the observed epochs. Microlensing effects probably also affect the brightest "A" lensed component.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

A much lower density for the transiting extrasolar planet WASP-7

We present the first high-precision photometry of the transiting extrasolar planetary system WASP-7, obtained using telescope defocussing techniques and reaching a scatter of 0.68 mmag per point. We find that the transit depth is greater and that the host star is more evolved than previously thought. The planet has a significantly larger radius (1.330 +/- 0.093 Rjup versus 0.915 +0.046 -0.040 Rjup) and much lower density (0.41 +/- 0.10 rhojup versus 1.26 +0.25 -0.21 rhojup) and surface gravity (13.4 +/- 2.6 m/s2 versus 26.4 +4.4 -4.0 m/s2) than previous measurements showed. Based on the revised properties it is no longer an outlier in planetary mass--radius and period--gravity diagrams. We also obtain a more precise transit ephemeris for the WASP-7 system.

astro-ph.EP↗