| 81. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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GeV OBSERVATIONS OF STAR-FORMING GALAXIES WITH THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 755:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent detections of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253 by gamma-ray telescopes suggest that galaxies rapidly forming massive stars are more luminous at gamma-ray energies compared to their quiescent relatives. Building upon those results, we examine a sample of 69 dwarf, spiral, and luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies at photon energies 0.1-100 GeV using 3 years of data collected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). Measured fluxes from significantly detected sources and flux upper limits for the remaining galaxies are used to explore the physics of cosmic rays in galaxies. We find further evidence for quasi-linear scaling relations between gamma-ray luminosity and both radio continuum luminosity and total infrared luminosity which apply both to quiescent galaxies of the Local Group and low-redshift starburst galaxies (conservative P-values less than or similar to 0.05 accounting for statistical and systematic uncertainties). The normalizations of these scaling relations correspond to luminosity ratios of log(L0.1-100GeV/L-1.4GHz) = 1.7 +/- 0.1((statistical)) +/- 0.2((dispersion)) and log(L0.1-100GeV/L8-1000 (mu m)) = -4.3 +/- 0.1((statistical)) +/- 0.2((dispersion)) for a galaxy with a star formation rate of 1 M-circle dot yr(-1), assuming a Chabrier initial mass function. Using the relationship between infrared luminosity and gamma-ray luminosity, the collective intensity of unresolved star-forming galaxies at redshifts 0 < z < 2.5 above 0.1 GeV is estimated to be 0.4-2.4 x 10(-6) ph cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) (4%-23% of the intensity of the isotropic diffuse component measured with the LAT). We anticipate that similar to 10 galaxies could be detected by their cosmic-ray-induced gamma-ray emission during a 10 year Fermi mission.
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| 82. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of Separate Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Spectra with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
- 2012
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 108:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We measured separate cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Because the instrument does not have an onboard magnet, we distinguish the two species by exploiting Earth's shadow, which is offset in opposite directions for opposite charges due to Earth's magnetic field. We estimate and subtract the cosmic-ray proton background using two different methods that produce consistent results. We report the electron-only spectrum, the positron-only spectrum, and the positron fraction between 20 and 200 GeV. We confirm that the fraction rises with energy in the 20-100 GeV range. The three new spectral points between 100 and 200 GeVare consistent with a fraction that is continuing to rise with energy.
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| 83. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF BLAZAR AO 0235+164 IN THE 2008-2009 FLARING STATE
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 751:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The blazarAO 0235+164 (z=0.94) has been one of the most active objects observed by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) since its launch in Summer 2008. In addition to the continuous coverage by Fermi, contemporaneous observations were carried out from the radio to gamma-ray bands between 2008 September and 2009 February. In this paper, we summarize the rich multi-wavelength data collected during the campaign (including F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, Kanata, OVRO, RXTE, SMARTS, Swift, and other instruments), examine the cross-correlation between the light curves measured in the different energy bands, and interpret the resulting spectral energy distributions in the context of well-known blazar emission models. We find that the gamma-ray activity is well correlated with a series of near-IR/optical flares, accompanied by an increase in the optical polarization degree. On the other hand, the X-ray light curve shows a distinct 20 day high state of unusually soft spectrum, which does not match the extrapolation of the optical/UV synchrotron spectrum. We tentatively interpret this feature as the bulk Compton emission by cold electrons contained in the jet, which requires an accretion disk corona with an effective covering factor of 19% at a distance of 100 R-g. We model the broadband spectra with a leptonic model with external radiation dominated by the infrared emission from the dusty torus.
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| 84. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER SATELLITES USING FERMI-LAT
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 747:2, s. 121-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Numerical simulations based on the ACDM model of cosmology predict a large number of as yet unobserved Galactic dark matter satellites. We report the results of a Large Area Telescope (LAT) search for these satellites via the gamma-ray emission expected from the annihilation of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. Some dark matter satellites are expected to have hard gamma-ray spectra, finite angular extents, and a lack of counterparts at other wavelengths. We sought to identify LAT sources with these characteristics, focusing on gamma-ray spectra consistent with WIMP annihilation through the b (b) over bar channel. We found no viable dark matter satellite candidates using one year of data, and we present a framework for interpreting this result in the context of numerical simulations to constrain the velocity-averaged annihilation cross section for a conventional 100 GeV WIMP annihilating through the b (b) over bar channel.
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| 85. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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SEARCH FOR GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM X-RAY-SELECTED SEYFERT GALAXIES WITH FERMI-LAT
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 747:2, s. 104-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on a systematic investigation of the gamma-ray properties of 120 hard X-ray-selected Seyfert galaxies classified as radio-quiet objects, utilizing the three-year accumulation of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. Our sample of Seyfert galaxies is selected using the Swift Burst Alert Telescope 58 month catalog, restricting the analysis to the bright sources with average hard X-ray fluxes F14-195 keV >= 2.5 x 10(-11) erg cm(-2) s(-1) at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 10 degrees). In order to remove radio-loud objects from the sample, we use the hard X-ray radio loudness parameter, RrX, defined as the ratio of the total 1.4 GHz radio to 14-195 keV hard X-ray energy fluxes. Among 120 X-ray bright Seyfert galaxies with RrX < 10(-4), we did not find a statistically significant g-ray excess (TS > 25) positionally coincident with any target Seyferts, with possible exceptions of ESO 323-G077 and NGC 6814. The mean value of the 95% confidence level gamma-ray upper limit for the integrated photon flux above 100 MeV from the analyzed Seyferts is similar or equal to 4 x 10(-9) photons cm(-2) s(-1), and the upper limits derived for several objects reach similar or equal to 1 x 10(-9) photons cm(-2) s(-1). Our results indicate that no prominent gamma-ray emission component related to active galactic nucleus activity is present in the spectra of Seyferts around GeV energies. The Fermi-LAT upper limits derived for our sample probe the ratio of gamma-ray to X-ray luminosities L-gamma/L-X < 0.1, and even <0.01 in some cases. The obtained results impose novel constraints on the models for high-energy radiation of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies.
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| 86. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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Search for gamma-ray spectral lines with the Fermi Large Area Telescope and dark matter implications
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physical Review D. - 1550-7998 .- 1550-2368. ; 88:8, s. 082002-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are a theoretical class of particles that are excellent dark matter candidates. WIMP annihilation or decay may produce essentially monochromatic gamma rays detectable by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) against the astrophysical gamma-ray emission of the Galaxy. We have searched for spectral lines in the energy range 5-300 GeV using 3.7 years of data, reprocessed with updated instrument calibrations and an improved energy dispersion model compared to the previous Fermi-LAT Collaboration line searches. We searched in five regions selected to optimize sensitivity to different theoretically motivated dark matter density distributions. We did not find any globally significant lines in our a priori search regions and present 95% confidence limits for annihilation cross sections of self-conjugate WIMPs and decay lifetimes. Our most significant fit occurred at 133 GeV in our smallest search region and had a local significance of 3.3 standard deviations, which translates to a global significance of 1.5 standard deviations. We discuss potential systematic effects in this search, and examine the feature at 133 GeV in detail. We find that the use both of reprocessed data and of additional
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| 87. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
-
The cosmic-ray and gas content of the Cygnus region as measured in gamma-rays by the Fermi Large Area Telescope
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 538, s. A71-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The Cygnus region hosts a giant molecular-cloud complex that actively forms massive stars. Interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar gas and radiation fields make it shine at gamma-ray energies. Several gamma-ray pulsars and other energetic sources are seen in this direction. Aims. In this paper we analyze the gamma-ray emission measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the energy range from 100 MeV to 100 GeV in order to probe the gas and cosmic-ray content on the scale of the whole Cygnus complex. The gamma-ray emission on the scale of the central massive stellar clusters and from individual sources is addressed elsewhere. Methods. The signal from bright pulsars is greatly reduced by selecting photons in their off-pulse phase intervals. We compare the diffuse gamma-ray emission with interstellar gas maps derived from radio/mm-wave lines and visual extinction data. A general model of the region, including other pulsars and gamma-ray sources, is sought. Results. The integral HI emissivity above 100 MeV averaged over the whole Cygnus complex amounts to [2.06 +/- 0.11 (stat.) (+0.15)(-0.84) (syst.)] x 10(-26) photons s(-1) sr(-1) H-atom(-1), where the systematic error is dominated by the uncertainty on the HI opacity to calculate its column densities. The integral emissivity and its spectral energy distribution are both consistent within the systematics with LAT measurements in the interstellar space near the solar system. The average X-CO = N(H-2)/W-CO ratio is found to be [1.68 +/- 0.05 (stat.) (+0.87)(-0.10) (H I opacity)] x 10(20) molecules cm(-2) (K km s(-1))(-1), consistent with other LAT measurements in the Local Arm. We detect significant gamma-ray emission from dark neutral gas for a mass corresponding to similar to 40% of what is traced by CO. The total interstellar mass in the Cygnus complex inferred from its gamma-ray emission amounts to 8 (+5)(-1) x 10(6) M-circle dot at a distance of 1.4 kpc. Conclusions. Despite the conspicuous star formation activity and high masses of the interstellar clouds, the cosmic-ray population in the Cygnus complex averaged over a few hundred parsecs is similar to that of the local interstellar space.
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| 88. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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THE FIRST FERMI-LAT CATALOG OF SOURCES ABOVE 10 GeV
- 2013
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 209:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a catalog of gamma-ray sources at energies above 10 GeV based on data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) accumulated during the first 3 yr of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. The first Fermi catalog of > 10 GeV sources (1FHL) has 514 sources. For each source we present location, spectrum, a measure of variability, and associations with cataloged sources at other wavelengths. We found that 449 (87%) could be associated with known sources, of which 393 (76% of the 1FHL sources) are active galactic nuclei. Of the 27 sources associated with known pulsars, we find 20 (12) to have significant pulsations in the range > 10 GeV (> 25 GeV). In this work we also report that, at energies above 10 GeV, unresolved sources account for 27% +/- 8% of the isotropic. gamma-ray background, while the unresolved Galactic population contributes only at the few percent level to the Galactic diffuse background. We also highlight the subset of the 1FHL sources that are best candidates for detection at energies above 50-100 GeV with current and future ground-based gamma-ray observatories.
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| 89. |
- Lister, M. L., et al.
(författare)
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gamma-RAY AND PARSEC-SCALE JET PROPERTIES OF A COMPLETE SAMPLE OF BLAZARS FROM THE MOJAVE PROGRAM
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 742:1, s. 27-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigate the Fermi Large Area Telescope gamma-ray and 15 GHz Very Long Baseline Array radio properties of a joint gamma-ay and radio-selected sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) obtained during the first 11 months of the Fermi mission (2008 August 4-2009 July 5). Our sample contains the brightest 173 AGNs in these bands above declination -30 degrees during this period, and thus probes the full range of gamma-ray loudness (gamma-ray to radio band luminosity ratio) in the bright blazar population. The latter quantity spans at least 4 orders of magnitude, reflecting a wide range of spectral energy distribution (SED) parameters in the bright blazar population. The BL Lac objects, however, display a linear correlation of increasing gamma-ray loudness with synchrotron SED peak frequency, suggesting a universal SED shape for objects of this class. The synchrotron self-Compton model is favored for the gamma-ray emission in these BL Lac objects over external seed photon models, since the latter predict a dependence of Compton dominance on Doppler factor that would destroy any observed synchrotron SED-peak-gamma-ray-loudness correlation. The high-synchrotron peaked (HSP) BL Lac objects are distinguished by lower than average radio core brightness temperatures, and none display large radio modulation indices or high linear core polarization levels. No equivalent trends are seen for the flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in our sample. Given the association of such properties with relativistic beaming, we suggest that the HSP BL Lac objects have generally lower Doppler factors than the lower-synchrotron peaked BL Lac objects or FSRQs in our sample.
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