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    Discovery of a radio transient in M81

    90135.pdf (1.621Mb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Anderson, Gemma
    Miller-Jones, James
    Middleton, M.J.
    Soria, Roberto
    Swartz, D.A.
    Urquhart, Ryan
    Hurley-Walker, Natasha
    Hancock, Paul
    Fender, R.P.
    Gandhi, P.
    Markoff, S.
    Roberts, T.P.
    Date
    2019
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Anderson, G.E. and Miller-Jones, J.C.A. and Middleton, M.J. and Soria, R. and Swartz, D.A. and Urquhart, R. and Hurley-Walker, N. et al. 2019. Discovery of a radio transient in M81. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 489 (1): pp. 1181-1196.
    Source Title
    Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    DOI
    10.1093/mnras/stz1303
    ISSN
    0035-8711
    Faculty
    Faculty of Science and Engineering
    School
    School of Elec Eng, Comp and Math Sci (EECMS)
    Funding and Sponsorship
    http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT140101082
    http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE180100346
    Remarks

    This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2019 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90311
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    We report the discovery of a radio transient in the spiral galaxy M81. The transient was detected in early 2015 as part of a two-year survey of M81 made up of 12 epochs using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. While undetected on 2014 September 12, the source was first detected on 2015 January 2, from which point it remained visible at an approximately constant luminosity of LR, ν = 1.5 ± 0.1 × 1024 erg s−1 Hz−1 at the observing frequency of 6 GHz for at least 2 months. Assuming this is a synchrotron event with a rise-time between 2.6 and 112 d, the peak luminosity (at equipartition) corresponds to a minimum energy of 1044 ≾ Emin ≾ 1046 erg and jet power of Pmin ∼ 1039 erg s−1, which are higher than most known X-ray binaries. Given its longevity, lack of short-term radio variability, and the absence of any multiwavelength counterpart (X-ray luminosity Lx ≾ 1036 erg s−1), it does not behave like known Galactic or extragalactic X-ray binaries. The M81 transient radio properties more closely resemble the unidentified radio transient 43.78+59.3 discovered in M82, which has been suggested to be a radio nebula associated with an accreting source similar to SS 433. One possibility is that both the new M81 transient and the M82 transient may be the birth of a short-lived radio bubble associated with a discrete accretion event similar to those observed from the ULX Holmberg II X-1. However, it is not possible to rule out other identifications including long-term supernova shockwave interactions with the surrounding medium from a faint supernova or a background active galaxy.

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