scholarly journals A quantitative analysis of systematic differences in the positions and proper motions of Gaia DR2 with respect to VLBI

2018 ◽  
Vol 482 (3) ◽  
pp. 3023-3031 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Petrov ◽  
Y Y Kovalev ◽  
A V Plavin

ABSTRACT We have analysed the differences in positions of 9081 matched sources between the Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) catalogues. The median position uncertainty of matched sources in the VLBI catalogue is a factor of two larger than the median position uncertainty in Gaia DR2. There are 9 per cent matched sources with statistically significant offsets between both catalogues. We found that the reported positional errors should be rescaled by a factor of 1.3 for VLBI and 1.06 for Gaia and, in addition, the Gaia errors should be multiplied by the square root of chi squared per degree of freedom in order to best fit the normalized position differences to the Rayleigh distribution. We have established that the major contributor to statistically significant position offsets is the presence of optical jets. Among the sources for which the jet direction was determined, the position offsets are parallel to the jet directions for 62 per cent of the outliers. Among the matched sources with significant proper motion, the fraction of objects with proper motion directions parallel to jets is a factor of three greater than on average. Such sources have systematically higher chi squared per degree of freedom. We explain these proper motions as a manifestation of the source position jitter caused by flares, which we predicted earlier. Therefore, the assumption that quasars are fixed points, and thus that differential proper motions determined with respect to quasar photocentres can be regarded as absolute proper motions, should be treated with great caution.

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A78 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Lennon ◽  
C. J. Evans ◽  
R. P. van der Marel ◽  
J. Anderson ◽  
I. Platais ◽  
...  

A previous spectroscopic study identified the very massive O2 III star VFTS 16 in the Tarantula Nebula as a runaway star based on its peculiar line-of-sight velocity. We use the Gaia DR2 catalog to measure the relative proper motion of VFTS 16 and nearby bright stars to test if this star might have been ejected from the central cluster, R136, via dynamical ejection. We find that the position angle and magnitude of the relative proper motion (0.338±0.046 mas yr−1, or approximately 80±11 km s−1) of VFTS 16 are consistent with ejection from R136 approximately 1.5±0.2 Myr ago, very soon after the cluster was formed. There is some tension with the presumed age of VFTS 16 that, from published stellar parameters, cannot be greater than 0.9+0.3−0.2 Myr. Older ages for this star would appear to be prohibited due to the absence of He I lines in its optical spectrum, since this sets a firm lower limit on its effective temperature. The dynamical constraints may imply an unusual evolutionary history for this object, perhaps indicating it is a merger product. Gaia DR2 also confirms that another very massive star in the Tarantula Nebula, VFTS 72 (alias BI 253; O2 III-V(n)((f*)), is also a runaway on the basis of its proper motion as measured by Gaia. While its tangential proper motion (0.392±0.062 mas yr−1 or 93±15 km s−1) would be consistent with dynamical ejection from R136 approximately 1 Myr ago, its position angle is discrepant with this direction at the 2σ level. From their Gaia DR2 proper motions we conclude that the two ∼100 M⊙ O2 stars, VFTS 16 and VFTS 72, are fast runaway stars, with space velocities of around 100 km s−1 relative to R136 and the local massive star population. The dynamics of VFTS 16 are consistent with it having been ejected from R136, and this star therefore sets a robust lower limit on the age of the central cluster of ∼1.3 Myr.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A175 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Klüter ◽  
U. Bastian ◽  
M. Demleitner ◽  
J. Wambsganss

Context. Astrometric gravitational microlensing is an excellent tool to determine the mass of stellar objects. Using precise astrometric measurements of the lensed position of a background source in combination with accurate predictions of the positions of the lens and the unlensed source it is possible to determine the mass of the lens with an accuracy of a few percent. Aims. Making use of the recently published Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) catalogue, we want to predict astrometric microlensing events caused by foreground stars with high proper motion passing a background source in the coming decades. Results. We selected roughly 148 000 high-proper-motion stars from Gaia DR2 with μtot > 150 mas yr−1 as potential lenses. We then searched for background sources close to their paths. Using the astrometric parameters of Gaia DR2, we calculated the future positions of source and lens. With a nested-intervals algorithm we determined the date and separation of the closest approach. Using Gaia DR2 photometry we determined an approximate mass of the lens, which we used to calculate the expected microlensing effects. Conclusions. We predict 3914 microlensing events caused by 2875 different lenses between 2010 and 2065, with expected shifts larger than 0.1 mas between the lensed and unlensed positions of the source. Of those, 513 events are expected to happen between 2014.5 and 2026.5 and might be measured by Gaia. For 127 events we also expect a magnification between 1 mmag and 3 mag.


2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872093937
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sumair ◽  
Tauseef Aized ◽  
Syed Asad Raza Gardezi ◽  
Muhammad Mahmood Aslam Bhutta ◽  
Syed Muhammad Sohail Rehman ◽  
...  

Application of Weibull distribution in a generalized way to estimate wind potential cannot always be advisable. The novelty of this work is to estimate wind potential using Normal probability density function. A comparison of five probability distributions namely Normal, Gamma, Chi-Squared, Weibull, and Rayleigh was done using three performance evaluation criteria. Four years (2015–2018) hourly wind data at 50 m height at five stations near the coastline of Pakistan was used. It was found that normal distribution gives the best fit at each of these stations and against each evaluation criterion followed by Weibull distribution while Rayleigh distribution gives the poorest fit. Further energy generation by fifteen turbine models was calculated and GE 45.7 was found the best in terms of amount of energy generation and capacity factors while Vestas V42 shows the worst. However, GE/1.5 SL is the most economical while Vestas V63 is the least. Among five locations, Shahbandar is the best potential site while Manora is the least.


2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A45
Author(s):  
R.-D. Scholz

Aims. The Gaia data release 2 (DR2) contains > 6000 objects with parallaxes (Plx + 3 × e_Plx) > 50 mas, placing them within 20 pc from the Sun. Because the expected numbers based on extrapolating the well-known 10 pc census are much lower, nearby Gaia stars need a quality assessment. The 20 pc sample of white dwarfs (WDs) has been verified and completed with Gaia DR2. We here confirm and complete the 20 pc sample of ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) with spectral types ≳M7 and given Gaia DR2 parallaxes. Methods. Dividing the Gaia DR2 20 pc sample into subsamples of various astrometric and photometric quality, we studied their distribution on the sky, in the MG versus G − RP colour-magnitude diagram (CMD), and as a function of G magnitude and total proper motion. After excluding 139 known WDs and 263 known UCDs from the CMD, we checked all remaining ≈3500 candidates with MG >  14 mag (used to define UCDs in this study) for the correctness of their Gaia DR2 proper motions by visual inspection of finder charts, comparison with proper motion catalogues, and comparison with our own proper motion measurements. For confirmed UCD candidates we estimated spectral types photometrically using Gaia and near-infrared absolute magnitudes and colours. Results. We failed to confirm new WDs, but found 50 new UCD candidates that are not mentioned in three previous studies using Gaia DR2. They have relatively small proper motions and low tangential velocities and are concentrated towards the Galactic plane. Half of them have spectral types in SIMBAD and/or previous non-Gaia distance estimates that placed them already within 20 pc. For 20 of the 50 objects, we estimated photometric spectral types of M6−M6.5, slightly below the classical UCD spectral type limit. However, seven L4.5−L6.5, four L0−L1, five M8.5−M9.5, and three M7−M8 dwarfs can be considered as completely new UCDs discoveries within 20 pc based on Gaia DR2. Four M6.5 and two L4.5 dwarfs have high membership probabilities (64%−99%) in the ARGUS, AB Doradus, or Carina Near young moving groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (3) ◽  
pp. 3232-3242
Author(s):  
Tatiana Pavlidou ◽  
Aleks Scholz ◽  
Paula S Teixeira

ABSTRACT We use photometric and kinematic data from Gaia DR2 to explore the structure of the star-forming region associated with the molecular cloud of Perseus. Apart from the two well-known clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, we present five new clustered groups of young stars, which contain between 30 and 300 members, named Autochthe, Alcaeus, Heleus, Electryon, and Mestor. We demonstrate that these are co-moving groups of young stars, based on how the candidate members are distributed in position, proper motion, parallax, and colour–magnitude space. By comparing their colour–magnitude diagrams to isochrones, we show that they have ages between 1 and 5 Myr. Using 2MASS and WISE colours, we find that the fraction of stars with discs in each group ranges from 10 to ∼50 per cent. The youngest of the new groups is also associated with a reservoir of cold dust, according to the Planck map at 353 GHz. We compare the ages and proper motions of the five new groups to those of IC 348 and NGC 1333. Autochthe is clearly linked with NGC 1333 and may have formed in the same star formation event. The seven groups separate roughly into two sets that share proper motion, parallax, and age: Heleus, Electryon, and Mestor as the older set, and NGC 1333 and Autochthe as the younger set. Alcaeus is kinematically related to the younger set, but at a more advanced age, while the properties of IC 348 overlap with both sets. All older groups in this star-forming region are located at higher galactic latitude.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S342) ◽  
pp. 252-253
Author(s):  
Krisztina Perger ◽  
Sándor Frey ◽  
Krisztina É. Gabányi

AbstractWe constrained the jet proper motion of PMN J2134–0419 at z = 4.33 to μ = 0.035±0.023mas yr−1 using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). This is the second most distant source where such a measurement could be made. Another distant blazar SDSS J1026+2542 (z = 5.27) shows jet component proper motions up to μ = 0.112 ± 0.031 mas yr−1. In both cases, the measured values are consistent with the expectations of current ΛCDM cosmological models.


2022 ◽  
Vol 163 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
S. B. Bian ◽  
Y. Xu ◽  
J. J. Li ◽  
Y. W. Wu ◽  
B. Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Using the Very Long Baseline Array, we measured the trigonometric parallax and proper motions toward a 6.7 GHz methanol maser in the distant high-mass star-forming region G027.22+0.14. The distance of this source is determined to be 6.3 − 0.5 + 0.6 kpc. Combining its Galactic coordinates, radial velocity, and proper motion, we assign G027.22+0.14 to the far portion of the Norma arm. The low peculiar motion and lower luminosity of G027.22+0.14 support the conjecture by Immer et al. that low-luminosity sources tend to have low peculiar motions.


Author(s):  
C J Clarke

Abstract We examine the distribution of on-sky relative velocities for wide binaries previously assembled from GAIA DR2 data and focus on the origin of the high velocity tail of apparently unbound systems which may be interpreted as evidence for non-Newtonian gravity in the weak field limit. We argue that this tail is instead explicable in terms of a population of hidden triples, i.e. cases where one of the components of the wide binary is itself a close binary unresolved in the GAIA data. In this case the motion of the photocentre of the inner pair relative to its barycentre affects the apparent relative proper motion of the wide pair and can make pairs that are in fact bound appear to be unbound. We show that the general shape of the observed distributions can be reproduced using simple observationally motivated assumptions about the population of hidden triples.


2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A103 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. K. Fritz ◽  
G. Battaglia ◽  
M. S. Pawlowski ◽  
N. Kallivayalil ◽  
R. van der Marel ◽  
...  

A proper understanding of the Milky Way (MW) dwarf galaxies in a cosmological context requires knowledge of their 3D velocities and orbits. However, proper motion (PM) measurements have generally been of limited accuracy and are available only for more massive dwarfs. We therefore present a new study of the kinematics of the MW dwarf galaxies. We use the Gaia DR2 for those dwarfs that have been spectroscopically observed in the literature. We derive systemic PMs for 39 galaxies and galaxy candidates out to 420 kpc, and generally find good consistency for the subset with measurements available from other studies. We derive the implied Galactocentric velocities, and calculate orbits in canonical MW halo potentials of low (0.8 × 1012 M⊙) and high mass (1.6 × 1012 M⊙). Comparison of the distributions of orbital apocenters and 3D velocities to the halo virial radius and escape velocity, respectively, suggests that the satellite kinematics are best explained in the high-mass halo. Tuc III, Crater II, and additional candidates have orbital pericenters small enough to imply significant tidal influences. Relevant to the missing satellite problem, the fact that fewer galaxies are observed to be near apocenter than near pericenter implies that there must be a population of distant dwarf galaxies yet to be discovered. Of the 39 dwarfs: 12 have orbital poles that do not align with the MW plane of satellites (given reasonable assumptions about its intrinsic thickness); 10 have insufficient PM accuracy to establish whether they align; and 17 satellites align, of which 11 are co-orbiting and (somewhat surprisingly, in view of prior knowledge) 6 are counter-orbiting. Group infall might have contributed to this, but no definitive association is found for the members of the Crater-Leo group.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S245) ◽  
pp. 351-354
Author(s):  
Katherine Vieira ◽  
Dana Cassetti-Dinescu ◽  
René A. Méndez ◽  
R. Michael Rich ◽  
Terrence M. Girard ◽  
...  

AbstractA proper motion study of a field of 20′ × 20′ inside Plaut's low extinction window (l,b)=(0o, −8o), has been completed. Relative proper motions and photographicBVphotometry have been derived for ~ 21,000 stars reaching toV~ 20.5 mag, based on the astrometric reduction of 43 photographic plates, spanning over 21 years of epoch difference. Proper motion errors are typically 1 mas yr−1. Cross-referencing with the 2MASS catalog yielded a sample of ~ 8700 stars, from which predominantly disk and bulge subsamples were selected photometrically from theJHcolor-magnitude diagram. The two samples exhibited different proper-motion distributions, with the disk displaying the expected reflex solar motion. Galactic rotation was also detected for stars between ~2 and ~3 kpc from us. The bulge sample, represented by red giants, has an intrinsic proper motion dispersion of (σl, σb) = (3.39, 2.91)±(0.11, 0.09) mas yr−1, which is in good agreement with previous results. A mean distance of$6.37^{+0.87}_{-0.77}$kpc has been estimated for the bulge sample, based on the observedKmagnitude of the horizontal branch red clump. The metallicity [M/H] distribution was also obtained for a subsample of 60 bulge giants stars, based on calibrated photometric indices. The observed [M/H] shows a peak value at [M/H] ~ −0.1 with an extended metal poor tail and around 30% of the stars with supersolar metallicity. No change in proper motion dispersion was observed as a function of [M/H]. We are currently in the process of obtaining CCDUBV RIphotometry for the entire proper-motion sample of ~ 21,000 stars.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document