| 1. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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An extreme particle accelerator in the Galactic plane : HESS J1826-130
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 644, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The unidentified very-high-energy (VHE; E > 0.1 TeV) gamma -ray source, HESS J1826-130, was discovered with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) in the Galactic plane. The analysis of 215 h of HESS data has revealed a steady gamma -ray flux from HESS J1826-130, which appears extended with a half-width of 0.21 degrees +/- 0.02 (stat)degrees stat degrees +/- 0.05 (sys)degrees sys degrees . The source spectrum is best fit with either a power-law function with a spectral index Gamma = 1.78 +/- 0.10(stat) +/- 0.20(sys) and an exponential cut-off at 15.2 (+5.5)(-3.2) -3.2+5.5 TeV, or a broken power-law with Gamma (1) = 1.96 +/- 0.06(stat) +/- 0.20(sys), Gamma (2) = 3.59 +/- 0.69(stat) +/- 0.20(sys) for energies below and above E-br = 11.2 +/- 2.7 TeV, respectively. The VHE flux from HESS J1826-130 is contaminated by the extended emission of the bright, nearby pulsar wind nebula, HESS J1825-137, particularly at the low end of the energy spectrum. Leptonic scenarios for the origin of HESS J1826-130 VHE emission related to PSR J1826-1256 are confronted by our spectral and morphological analysis. In a hadronic framework, taking into account the properties of dense gas regions surrounding HESS J1826-130, the source spectrum would imply an astrophysical object capable of accelerating the parent particle population up to greater than or similar to 200 TeV. Our results are also discussed in a multiwavelength context, accounting for both the presence of nearby supernova remnants, molecular clouds, and counterparts detected in radio, X-rays, and TeV energies.
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| 2. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the colliding wind binary eta Car with HESS
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 635, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Colliding wind binary systems have long been suspected to be high-energy (HE; 100 MeV < E < 100 GeV) gamma-ray emitters. eta Car is the most prominent member of this object class and is confirmed to emit phase-locked HE gamma rays from hundreds of MeV to 100 GeV energies. This work aims to search for and characterise the very-high-energy (VHE; E >100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from eta Car around the last periastron passage in 2014 with the ground-based High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.).Methods. The region around eta Car was observed with H.E.S.S. between orbital phase p = 0.78-1.10, with a closer sampling at p approximate to 0.95 and p approximate to 1.10 (assuming a period of 2023 days). Optimised hardware settings as well as adjustments to the data reduction, reconstruction, and signal selection were needed to suppress and take into account the strong, extended, and inhomogeneous night sky background (NSB) in the eta Car field of view. Tailored run-wise Monte-Carlo simulations (RWS) were required to accurately treat the additional noise from NSB photons in the instrument response functions.Results. H.E.S.S. detected VHE gamma-ray emission from the direction of eta Car shortly before and after the minimum in the X-ray light-curve close to periastron. Using the point spread function provided by RWS, the reconstructed signal is point-like and the spectrum is best described by a power law. The overall flux and spectral index in VHE gamma rays agree within statistical and systematic errors before and after periastron. The gamma-ray spectrum extends up to at least 400 GeV. This implies a maximum magnetic field in a leptonic scenario in the emission region of 0.5 Gauss. No indication for phase-locked flux variations is detected in the H.E.S.S. data.
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| 3. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Evidence of 100 TeV gamma-ray emission from HESS J1702-420 : A new PeVatron candidate
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 653
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. The identification of PeVatrons, hadronic particle accelerators reaching the knee of the cosmic ray spectrum (few x 10(15) eV), is crucial to understand the origin of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. We provide an update on the unidentified source HESS J1702-420, a promising PeVatron candidate. Methods. We present new observations of HESS J1702-420 made with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), and processed using improved analysis techniques. The analysis configuration was optimized to enhance the collection area at the highest energies. We applied a threedimensional likelihood analysis to model the source region and adjust non thermal radiative spectral models to the gamma-ray data. We also analyzed archival Fermi Large Area Telescope data to constrain the source spectrum at gamma-ray energies >10 GeV. Results. We report the detection of gamma-rays up to 100 TeV from a specific region of HESS J1702-420, which is well described by a new source component called HESS J1702-420A that was separated from the bulk of TeV emission at a 5:4 sigma confidence level. The power law gamma-ray spectrum of HESS J1702-420A extends with an index of Gamma = 1:53 +/- 0:19(stat) +/- 0:20(sys) and without curvature up to the energy band 64 113 TeV, in which it was detected by H.E.S.S. at a 4:0 sigma confidence level. This makes HESS J1702-420A a compelling candidate site for the presence of extremely high energy cosmic rays. With a flux above 2 TeV of (2:08 +/- 0:49(stat) +/- 0:62(sys)) x 10(-13) cm(-2) s(-1) and a radius of (0:06 +/- 0:02(stat) +/- 0:03(sys))degrees, HESS J1702-420A is outshone - below a few tens of TeV - by the companion HESS J1702-420B. The latter has a steep spectral index of = 2:62 +/- 0:10(stat) +/- 0:20(sys) and an elongated shape, and it accounts for most of the low-energy HESS J1702-420 flux. Simple hadronic and leptonic emission models can be well adjusted to the spectra of both components. Remarkably, in a hadronic scenario, the cut-o ff energy of the particle distribution powering HESS J1702-420A is found to be higher than 0:5 PeV at a 95% confidence level. Conclusions. For the first time, H.E.S.S. resolved two components with significantly di fferent morphologies and spectral indices, both detected at >5 sigma confidence level, whose combined emissions result in the source HESS J1702-420. We detected HESS J1702-420A at a 4:0 sigma confidence level in the energy band 64 113 TeV, which brings evidence for the source emission up to 100 TeV. In a hadronic emission scenario, the hard gamma-ray spectrum of HESS J1702-420A implies that the source likely harbors PeV protons, thus becoming one of the most solid PeVatron candidates detected so far in H.E.S.S. data. However, a leptonic origin of the observed TeV emission cannot be ruled out either.
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| 4. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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H.E.S.S. Follow-up Observations of Binary Black Hole Coalescence Events during the Second and Third Gravitational-wave Observing Runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 923:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the observations of four well-localized binary black hole (BBH) mergers by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) during the second and third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, O2 and O3. H.E.S.S. can observe 20 deg(2) of the sky at a time and follows up gravitational-wave (GW) events by "tiling" localization regions to maximize the covered localization probability. During O2 and O3, H.E.S.S. observed large portions of the localization regions, between 35% and 75%, for four BBH mergers (GW170814, GW190512_180714, GW190728_064510, and S200224ca). For these four GW events, we find no significant signal from a pointlike source in any of the observations, and we set upper limits on the very high energy (>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission. The 1-10 TeV isotropic luminosity of these GW events is below 10(45) erg s(-1) at the times of the H.E.S.S. observations, around the level of the low-luminosity GRB 190829A. Assuming no changes are made to how follow-up observations are conducted, H.E.S.S. can expect to observe over 60 GW events per year in the fourth GW observing run, O4, of which eight would be observable with minimal latency.
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| 5. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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HESS and Fermi-LAT observations of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 during its 2014 and 2017 periastron passages
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 633, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 is a gamma-ray binary system consisting of a pulsar in an eccentric orbit around a bright Oe stellar-type companion star that features a dense circumstellar disc. The bright broad-band emission observed at phases close to periastron offers a unique opportunity to study particle acceleration and radiation processes in binary systems. Observations at gamma-ray energies constrain these processes through variability and spectral characterisation studies. Aims. The high- and very-high-energy (HE, VHE) gamma-ray emission from PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 around the times of its periastron passage are characterised, in particular, at the time of the HE gamma-ray flares reported to have occurred in 2011, 2014, and 2017. Short-term and average emission characteristics of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 are determined. Super-orbital variability is searched for in order to investigate possible cycle-to-cycle VHE flux changes due to different properties of the companion star's circumstellar disc and/or the conditions under which the HE gamma-ray flares develop. Methods. Spectra and light curves were derived from observations conducted with the H.E.S.S-II array in 2014 and 2017. Phase-folded light curves are compared with the results obtained in 2004, 2007, and 2011. Fermi-LAT observations from 2010/11, 2014, and 2017 are analysed. Results. A local double-peak profile with asymmetric peaks in the VHE light curve is measured, with a flux minimum at the time of periastron t(p) and two peaks coinciding with the times at which the neutron star crosses the companion's circumstellar disc (similar to t(p) 16 d). A high VHE gamma-ray flux is also observed at the times of the HE gamma-ray flares (similar to t(p) + 30 d) and at phases before the first disc crossing (similar to t(p) - 35 d). The spectral energy range now extends to below 200 GeV and up to similar to 45 TeV. Conclusions. PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 displays periodic flux variability at VHE gamma-rays without clear signatures of super-orbital modulation in the time span covered by the monitoring of the source with the H.E.S.S. telescopes. This flux variability is most probably caused by the changing environmental conditions, particularly at times close to periastron passage at which the neutron star is thought to cross the circumstellar disc of the companion star twice. In contrast, the photon index remains unchanged within uncertainties for about 200 d around periastron. At HE gamma-rays, PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 has now been detected also before and after periastron, close to the disc crossing times. Repetitive flares with distinct variability patterns are detected in this energy range. Such outbursts are not observed at VHEs, although a relatively high emission level is measured. The spectra obtained in both energy regimes displays a similar slope, although a common physical origin either in terms of a related particle population, emission mechanism, or emitter location is ruled out.
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| 6. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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HESS and MAGIC observations of a sudden cessation of a very-high-energy gamma-ray flare in PKS 1510-089 in May 2016
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 648
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1510-089 is known for its complex multiwavelength behaviour and it is one of only a few FSRQs detected in very-high-energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma rays. The VHE gamma -ray observations with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC in late May and early June 2016 resulted in the detection of an unprecedented flare, which revealed, for the first time, VHE gamma -ray intranight variability for this source. While a common variability timescale of 1.5 h has been found, there is a significant deviation near the end of the flare, with a timescale of similar to 20 min marking the cessation of the event. The peak flux is nearly two orders of magnitude above the low-level emission. For the first time, a curvature was detected in the VHE gamma -ray spectrum of PKS 1510-089, which can be fully explained by the absorption on the part of the extragalactic background light. Optical R-band observations with ATOM revealed a counterpart of the gamma -ray flare, even though the detailed flux evolution differs from the VHE gamma -ray light curve. Interestingly, a steep flux decrease was observed at the same time as the cessation of the VHE gamma -ray flare. In the high-energy (HE, E> 100 MeV) gamma -ray band, only a moderate flux increase was observed with Fermi-LAT, while the HE gamma -ray spectrum significantly hardens up to a photon index of 1.6. A search for broad-line region (BLR) absorption features in the gamma -ray spectrum indicates that the emission region is located outside of the BLR. Radio very-long-baseline interferometry observations reveal a fast-moving knot interacting with a standing jet feature around the time of the flare. As the standing feature is located similar to 50 pc from the black hole, the emission region of the flare may have been located at a significant distance from the black hole. If this is indeed a true correlation, the VHE gamma rays must have been produced far down in the jet, where turbulent plasma crosses a standing shock.
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| 7. |
- 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
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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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| 8. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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LMC N132D : A mature supernova remnant with a power-law gamma-ray spectrum extending beyond 8 TeV
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 655
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Supernova remnants (SNRs) are commonly thought to be the dominant sources of Galactic cosmic rays up to the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum at a few PeV. Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes have revealed young SNRs as very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) gamma-ray sources, but for only a few SNRs the hadronic cosmic-ray origin of their gamma-ray emission is indisputably established. In all these cases, the gamma-ray spectra exhibit a spectral cutoff at energies much below 100 TeV and thus do not reach the PeVatron regime. Aims. The aim of this work was to achieve a firm detection for the oxygen-rich SNR LMC N132D in the VHE gamma-ray domain with an extended set of data, and to clarify the spectral characteristics and the localization of the gamma-ray emission from this exceptionally powerful gamma-ray-emitting SNR. Methods. We analyzed 252 h of High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) observations towards SNR N132D that were accumulated between December 2004 and March 2016 during a deep survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud, adding 104 h of observations to the previously published data set to ensure a > 5 sigma detection. To broaden the gamma-ray spectral coverage required for modeling the spectral energy distribution, an analysis of Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data was also included. Results. We unambiguously detect N132D at VHE with a significance of 5.7 sigma. We report the results of a detailed analysis of its spectrum and localization based on the extended H.E.S.S. data set. The joint analysis of the extended H.E.S.S and Fermi-LAT data results in a spectral energy distribution in the energy range from 1.7 GeV to 14.8 TeV, which suggests a high luminosity of N132D at GeV and TeV energies. We set a lower limit on a gamma-ray cutoff energy of 8 TeV with a confidence level of 95%. The new gamma-ray spectrum as well as multiwavelength observations of N132D when compared to physical models suggests a hadronic origin of the VHE gamma-ray emission. Conclusions. SNR N132D is a VHE gamma-ray source that shows a spectrum extending to the VHE domain without a spectral cutoff at a few TeV, unlike the younger oxygen-rich SNR Cassiopeia A. The gamma-ray emission is best explained by a dominant hadronic component formed by diffusive shock acceleration. The gamma-ray properties of N132D may be affected by an interaction with a nearby molecular cloud that partially lies inside the 95% confidence region of the source position.
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| 9. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Magnetic Field in the GW170817 Outflow Using HESS Observations
- 2020
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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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| 10. |
- Abdalla, H., et al.
(författare)
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Resolving acceleration to very high energies along the jet of Centaurus A
- 2020
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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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