| 51. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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HESS detection of very high-energy gamma-ray emission from the quasar PKS 0736+017
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 633, s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Flat-spectrum radio-quasars (FSRQs) are rarely detected at very high energies (E& x2004;>=& x2004;100 GeV) due to their low-frequency-peaked spectral energy distributions. At present, only six FSRQs are known to emit very high-energy (VHE) photons, representing only 7% of the VHE extragalactic catalog, which is largely dominated by high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae objects. Aims. Following the detection of MeV-GeV gamma-ray flaring activity from the FSRQ PKS 0736+017 (z& x2004;=& x2004;0.189) with Fermi-LAT, the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes triggered target-of-opportunity (ToO) observations on February 18, 2015, with the goal of studying the gamma-ray emission in the VHE band. Methods. H.E.S.S. ToO observations were carried out during the nights of February 18, 19, 21, and 24, 2015. Together with Fermi-LAT, the multi-wavelength coverage of the flare includes Swift observations in soft X-ray and optical-UV bands, and optical monitoring (photometry and spectro-polarimetry) by the Steward Observatory, and the ATOM, the KAIT, and the ASAS-SN telescopes. Results. VHE emission from PKS 0736+017 was detected with H.E.S.S. only during the night of February 19, 2015. Fermi-LAT data indicate the presence of a gamma-ray flare, peaking at the time of the H.E.S.S. detection, with a flux doubling timescale of around six hours. The gamma-ray flare was accompanied by at least a 1 mag brightening of the non-thermal optical continuum. No simultaneous observations at longer wavelengths are available for the night of the H.E.S.S. detection. The gamma-ray observations with H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT are used to put constraints on the location of the gamma-ray emitting region during the flare: it is constrained to be just outside the radius of the broad-line region r(BLR) with a bulk Lorentz factor Gamma& x2004;similar or equal to& x2004;20, or at the level of the radius of the dusty torus r(torus) with Gamma& x2004;similar or equal to& x2004;60. Conclusions. PKS 0736+017 is the seventh FSRQ known to emit VHE photons, and at z& x2004;=& x2004;0.189 is the nearest so far. The location of the gamma-ray emitting region during the flare can be tightly constrained thanks to opacity, variability, and collimation arguments.
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| 52. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Magnetic Field in the GW170817 Outflow Using HESS Observations
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 894:2, s. 1-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The detection of the first electromagnetic counterpart to the binary neutron star (BNS) merger remnant GW170817 established the connection between short gamma-ray bursts and BNS mergers. It also confirmed the forging of heavy elements in the ejecta (a so-called kilonova) via the r-process nucleosynthesis. The appearance of nonthermal radio and X-ray emission, as well as the brightening, which lasted more than 100 days, were somewhat unexpected. Current theoretical models attempt to explain this temporal behavior as either originating from a relativistic off-axis jet or a kilonova-like outflow. In either scenario, there is some ambiguity regarding how much energy is transported in the nonthermal electrons versus the magnetic field of the emission region. Combining the Very Large Array (radio) and Chandra (X-ray) measurements with observations in the GeV-TeV domain can help break this ambiguity, almost independently of the assumed origin of the emission. Here we report for the first time on deep H.E.S.S. observations of GW170817/GRB 170817A between 124 and 272 days after the BNS merger with the full H.E.S.S. array of telescopes, as well as on an updated analysis of the prompt (<5 days) observations with the upgraded H.E.S.S. phase-I telescopes. We discuss implications of the H.E.S.S. measurement for the magnetic field in the context of different source scenarios.
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| 53. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Search for Dark Matter Annihilation Signals from Unidentified Fermi-LAT Objects with HESS
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 918:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cosmological N-body simulations show that Milky Way-sized galaxies harbor a population of unmerged dark matter (DM) subhalos. These subhalos could shine in gamma-rays and eventually be detected in gamma-ray surveys as unidentified sources. We performed a thorough selection among unidentified Fermi-Large Area Telescope Objects (UFOs) to identify them as possible tera-electron-volt-scale DM subhalo candidates. We search for very-high-energy (E greater than or similar to 100 GeV) gamma-ray emissions using H.E.S.S. observations toward four selected UFOs. Since no significant very-high-energy gamma-ray emission is detected in any data set of the four observed UFOs or in the combined UFO data set, strong constraints are derived on the product of the velocity-weighted annihilation cross section sigma v by the J factor for the DM models. The 95% confidence level observed upper limits derived from combined H.E.S.S. observations reach sigma vJ values of 3.7 x 10(-5) and 8.1 x 10(-6) GeV(2 )cm(-2 )s(-1) in the W (+) W (-) and tau (+) tau (-) channels, respectively, for a 1 TeV DM mass. Focusing on thermal weakly interacting massive particles, the H.E.S.S. constraints restrict the J factors to lie in the range 6.1 x 10(19)-2.0 x 10(21) GeV(2 )cm(-5) and the masses to lie between 0.2 and 6 TeV in the W (+) W (-) channel. For the tau (+) tau (-) channel, the J factors lie in the range 7.0 x 10(19)-7.1 x 10(20) GeV(2 )cm(-5) and the masses lie between 0.2 and 0.5 TeV. Assuming model-dependent predictions from cosmological N-body simulations on the J-factor distribution for Milky Way-sized galaxies, the DM models with masses >0.3 TeV for the UFO emissions can be ruled out at high confidence level.
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| 54. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous observations of the blazar PKS 2155-304 from ultra-violet to TeV energies
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 639, s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we report the results of the first ever contemporaneous multi-wavelength observation campaign on the BL Lac object PKS 2155-304 involving Swift, NuSTAR, Fermi-LAT, and H.E.S.S. The use of these instruments allows us to cover a broad energy range, which is important for disentangling the different radiative mechanisms. The source, observed from June 2013 to October 2013, was found in a low flux state with respect to previous observations but exhibited highly significant flux variability in the X-rays. The high-energy end of the synchrotron spectrum can be traced up to 40 keV without significant contamination by high-energy emission. A one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model was used to reproduce the broadband flux of the source for all the observations presented here but failed for previous observations made in April 2013. A lepto-hadronic solution was then explored to explain these earlier observational results.
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| 55. |
- Abdallah, H., et al.
(författare)
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Search for dark matter signals towards a selection of recently detected DES dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way with HESS
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Physical Review D. - : American Physical Society. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 102:6, s. 1-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dwarf spheroidal galaxy satellites of the Milky Way are prime targets for indirect detection of dark matter with gamma rays due to their proximity, high dark matter content, and absence of nonthermal emission processes. Recently, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) revealed the existence of new ultrafaint dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the southern-hemisphere sky, therefore ideally located for ground-based observations with the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array H.E.S.S. We present a search for very-high-energy (E greater than or similar to 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission using H.E.S.S. observations carried out recently towards Reticulum II, Tucana II, Tucana III, Tucana IV, and Grus II satellites. No significant very-high-energy gamma-ray excess is found from the observations on any individual object nor in the combined analysis of all the datasets. Using the most recent modeling of the dark matter distribution in the dwarf galaxy halo, we compute for the first time on DES satellites individual and combined constraints from Cherenkov telescope observations on the annihilation cross section of dark matter particles in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. The combined 95% C.L. observed upper limits reach similar or equal to 1 x 10(-23) cm(3) s(-1) in the W+W- channel and 4 x 10(-26) cm(3) s(-1) in the gamma gamma channels for a dark matter mass of 1.5 TeV. The H.E.S.S. constraints well complement the results from Fermi-LAT, HAWC, MAGIC, and VERITAS and are currently the most stringent in the gamma gamma channels in the multi-GeV/multi-TeV mass range.
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| 56. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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A very-high-energy component deep in the gamma-ray burst afterglow
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 575:7783, s. 464-467
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are brief flashes of gamma-rays and are considered to be the most energetic explosive phenomena in the Universe(1). The emission from GRBs comprises a short (typically tens of seconds) and bright prompt emission, followed by a much longer afterglow phase. During the afterglow phase, the shocked outflow-produced by the interaction between the ejected matter and the circumburst medium-slows down, and a gradual decrease in brightness is observed(2). GRBs typically emit most of their energy via.-rays with energies in the kiloelectronvolt-to-megaelectronvolt range, but a few photons with energies of tens of gigaelectronvolts have been detected by space-based instruments(3). However, the origins of such high-energy (above one gigaelectronvolt) photons and the presence of very-high-energy (more than 100 gigaelectronvolts) emission have remained elusive(4). Here we report observations of very-high-energy emission in the bright GRB 180720B deep in the GRB afterglow-ten hours after the end of the prompt emission phase, when the X-ray flux had already decayed by four orders of magnitude. Two possible explanations exist for the observed radiation: inverse Compton emission and synchrotron emission of ultrarelativistic electrons. Our observations show that the energy fluxes in the X-ray and gamma-ray range and their photon indices remain comparable to each other throughout the afterglow. This discovery places distinct constraints on the GRB environment for both emission mechanisms, with the inverse Compton explanation alleviating the particle energy requirements for the emission observed at late times. The late timing of this detection has consequences for the future observations of GRBs at the highest energies.
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| 57. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
-
Constraints on the emission region of 3C 279 during strong flares in 2014 and 2015 through VHE gamma-ray observations with HESS
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 627, s. 1-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 is known to exhibit pronounced variability in the high-energy (100MeV < E < 100 GeV) gamma-ray band, which is continuously monitored with Fermi-LAT. During two periods of high activity in April 2014 and June 2015 target-of-opportunity observations were undertaken with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) in the very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray domain. While the observation in 2014 provides an upper limit, the observation in 2015 results in a signal with 8 : 7 sigma significance above an energy threshold of 66 GeV. No VHE variability was detected during the 2015 observations. The VHE photon spectrum is soft and described by a power-law index of 4.2 +/- 0.3. The H.E.S.S. data along with a detailed and contemporaneous multiwavelength data set provide constraints on the physical parameters of the emission region. The minimum distance of the emission region from the central black hole was estimated using two plausible geometries of the broad-line region and three potential intrinsic spectra. The emission region is confidently placed at r greater than or similar to 1 : 7 X 1017 cm from the black hole, that is beyond the assumed distance of the broad-line region. Time-dependent leptonic and lepto-hadronic one-zone models were used to describe the evolution of the 2015 flare. Neither model can fully reproduce the observations, despite testing various parameter sets. Furthermore, the H.E.S.S. data were used to derive constraints on Lorentz invariance violation given the large redshift of 3C 279.
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| 58. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
-
Resolving acceleration to very high energies along the jet of Centaurus A
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 582:7812, s. 356-359
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A belongs to a class of active galaxies that are luminous at radio wavelengths. Most show collimated relativistic outflows known as jets, which extend over hundreds of thousands of parsecs for the most powerful sources. Accretion of matter onto the central supermassive black hole is believed to fuel these jets and power their emission(1). Synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons causes the radio emission, and it has been suggested that the X-ray emission from Centaurus A also originates in electron synchrotron processes(2-4). Another possible explanation is inverse Compton scattering with cosmic microwave background (CMB) soft photons(5-7). Synchrotron radiation needs ultrarelativistic electrons (about 50 teraelectronvolts) and, given their short cooling times, requires some continuous re-acceleration mechanism(8). Inverse Compton scattering, on the other hand, does not require very energetic electrons, but the jets must stay highly relativistic on large scales (exceeding 1 megaparsec). Some recent evidence disfavours inverse Compton-CMB models(9-12), although other work seems to be compatible with them(13,14). In principle, the detection of extended gamma-ray emission, which directly probes the presence of ultrarelativistic electrons, could distinguish between these options. At gigaelectronvolt energies there is also an unusual spectral hardening(15,16)in Centaurus A that has not yet been explained. Here we report observations of Centaurus A at teraelectronvolt energies that resolve its large-scale jet. We interpret the data as evidence for the acceleration of ultrarelativistic electrons in the jet, and favour the synchrotron explanation for the X-rays. Given that this jet is not exceptional in terms of power, length or speed, it is possible that ultrarelativistic electrons are commonplace in the large-scale jets of radio-loud active galaxies. Observations of the radio galaxy Centaurus A at teraelectronvolt energies resolve its large-scale jet and favour electron synchrotron processes as the source of its X-ray emission.
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| 59. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Upper limits on very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from core-collapse supernovae observed with HESS
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 626, s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Young core-collapse supernovae with dense-wind progenitors may be able to accelerate cosmic-ray hadrons beyond the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum, and this may result in measurable gamma-ray emission. We searched for gamma-ray emission from ten super- novae observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) within a year of the supernova event. Nine supernovae were observed serendipitously in the H.E.S.S. data collected between December 2003 and December 2014, with exposure times ranging from 1.4 to 53 h. In addition we observed SN 2016adj as a target of opportunity in February 2016 for 13 h. No significant gamma-ray emission has been detected for any of the objects, and upper limits on the >1 TeV gamma-ray flux of the order of similar to 10(-13) cm(-)(2)s(-1) are established, corresponding to upper limits on the luminosities in the range similar to 2 x 10(39) to similar to 1 x 10(42) erg s(-1). These values are used to place model-dependent constraints on the mass-loss rates of the progenitor stars, implying upper limits between similar to 2 x 10(-5) and similar to 2 x 10(-3) M-circle dot yr(-1) under reasonable assumptions on the particle acceleration parameters.
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| 60. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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PHENIX detector overview
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 469-479
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX detector is designed to perform a broad study of A-A, p-A, and p-p collisions to investigate nuclear matter under extreme conditions. A wide variety of probes, sensitive to all timescales, are used to study systematic variations with species and energy as well as to measure the spin structure of the nucleon. Designing for the needs of the heavy-ion and polarized-proton programs has produced a detector with unparalleled capabilities. PHENIX measures electron and muon pairs, photons, and hadrons with excellent energy and momentum resolution. The detector consists of a large number of subsystems that are discussed in other papers in this volume. The overall design parameters of the detector are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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