| 1. |
- Abramowski, A., et al.
(författare)
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The 2010 very high energy gamma-RAY flare and 10 years of multi-wavelength observations of M 87
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 746:2, s. 151-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The giant radio galaxy M 87 with its proximity (16 Mpc), famous jet, and very massive black hole ((3-6) x 10(9) M-circle dot) provides a unique opportunity to investigate the origin of very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission generated in relativistic outflows and the surroundings of supermassive black holes. M 87 has been established as a VHE gamma-ray emitter since 2006. The VHE gamma-ray emission displays strong variability on timescales as short as a day. In this paper, results from a joint VHE monitoring campaign on M 87 by the MAGIC and VERITAS instruments in 2010 are reported. During the campaign, a flare at VHE was detected triggering further observations at VHE (H.E.S.S.), X-rays (Chandra), and radio (43 GHz Very Long Baseline Array, VLBA). The excellent sampling of the VHE gamma-ray light curve enables one to derive a precise temporal characterization of the flare: the single, isolated flare is well described by a two-sided exponential function with significantly different flux rise and decay times of tau(rise)(d) = (1.69 +/- 0.30) days and tau(decay)(d) = (0.611 +/- 0.080) days, respectively. While the overall variability pattern of the 2010 flare appears somewhat different from that of previous VHE flares in 2005 and 2008, they share very similar timescales (similar to day), peak fluxes (Phi(>0.35 TeV) similar or equal to (1-3) x 10(-11) photons cm(-2) s(-1)), and VHE spectra. VLBA radio observations of 43 GHz of the inner jet regions indicate no enhanced flux in 2010 in contrast to observations in 2008, where an increase of the radio flux of the innermost core regions coincided with a VHE flare. On the other hand, Chandra X-ray observations taken similar to 3 days after the peak of the VHE gamma-ray emission reveal an enhanced flux from the core (flux increased by factor similar to 2; variability timescale <2 days). The long-term (2001-2010) multi-wavelength (MWL) light curve of M 87, spanning from radio to VHE and including data from Hubble Space Telescope, Liverpool Telescope, Very Large Array, and European VLBI Network, is used to further investigate the origin of the VHE gamma-ray emission. No unique, common MWL signature of the three VHE flares has been identified. In the outer kiloparsec jet region, in particular in HST-1, no enhanced MWL activity was detected in 2008 and 2010, disfavoring it as the origin of the VHE flares during these years. Shortly after two of the three flares (2008 and 2010), the X-ray core was observed to be at a higher flux level than its characteristic range (determined from more than 60 monitoring observations: 2002-2009). In 2005, the strong flux dominance of HST-1 could have suppressed the detection of such a feature. Published models for VHE gamma-ray emission from M 87 are reviewed in the light of the new data.
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| 2. |
- Adare, A., et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of K-S(0) and K*(0) in p plus p, d plus Au, and Cu plus Cu collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 90:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has performed a systematic study of K-S(0) and K*(0) meson production at midrapidity in p + p, d + Au, and Cu + Cu collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons are reconstructed via their K-S(0) -> pi(0)(-> gamma gamma) pi(0)(-> gamma gamma) and K*(0) -> K-+/-pi(-/+) decay modes, respectively. The measured transverse-momentum spectra are used to determine the nuclear modification factor of K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons in d + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at different centralities. In the d + Au collisions, the nuclear modification factor of K-S(0) and K*(0) mesons is almost constant as a function of transverse momentum and is consistent with unity, showing that cold-nuclear-matter effects do not play a significant role in the measured kinematic range. In Cu + Cu collisions, within the uncertainties no nuclear modification is registered in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, both mesons show suppression relative to the expectations from the p + p yield scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions in the Cu + Cu system. In the p(T) range 2-5 GeV/c, the strange mesons (K-S(0), K*(0)) similarly to the phi meson with hidden strangeness, showan intermediate suppression between the more suppressed light quark mesons (pi(0)) and the nonsuppressed baryons (p, (p) over bar). At higher transverse momentum, p(T) > 5 GeV/c, production of all particles is similarly suppressed by a factor of approximate to 2.
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| 3. |
- Adare, A., et al.
(författare)
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Cross section and transverse single-spin asymmetry of eta mesons in p up arrow plus p collisions at root s=200 GeV at forward rapidity
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Review D (Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology). - 1550-2368. ; 90:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a measurement of the cross section and transverse single-spin asymmetry (AN) for. mesons at large pseudorapidity from root s = 200 GeV p up arrow + p collisions. The measured cross section for 0.5 < p(T) < 5.0 GeV/c and 3.0 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 3.8 is well described by a next-to-leading-order perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics calculation. The asymmetries A(N) have been measured as a function of Feynman-x (x(F)) from 0.2 < vertical bar x(F)vertical bar < 0.7, as well as transverse momentum (p(T)) from 1.0 < p(T) < 4.5 GeV/c. The asymmetry averaged over positive x(F) is < A(N)> = 0.061 +/- 0.014. The results are consistent with prior transverse single-spin measurements of forward eta and pi(0) mesons at various energies in overlapping x(F) ranges. Comparison of different particle species can help to determine the origin of the large observed asymmetries in p up arrow + p collisions.
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| 4. |
- Adare, A., et al.
(författare)
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Low-mass vector-meson production at forward rapidity in p plus p collisions at root s=200 GeV
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Physical Review D (Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology). - 1550-2368. ; 90:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured low-mass vector-meson ,omega, rho, and phi, production through the dimuon decay channel at forward rapidity (1.2 < vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.2) in p + p collisions at root s = 200 GeV. The differential cross sections for these mesons are measured as a function of both p(T) and rapidity. We also report the integrated differential cross sections over 1 < p(T) < 7 GeV/c and 1.2 < vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.2: d sigma/dy(omega + rho rho -> mu mu) = 80 +/- 6(stat) +/- 12(syst)nb and d sigma/dy(phi -> mu mu) = 27 +/- 3(stat) +/- 4(syst)nb. These results are compared with midrapidity measurements and calculations.
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| 5. |
- Adare, A., et al.
(författare)
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Medium Modification of Jet Fragmentation in Au plus Au Collisions at root S-NN=200 GeV Measured in Direct Photon-Hadron Correlations
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 111:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The jet fragmentation function is measured with direct photon-hadron correlations in p + p and Au + Au collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV. The P-T of the photon is an excellent approximation to the initial P-T of the jet and the ratio Z(T) = P-T(h)/P-T(gamma) is used as a proxy for the jet fragmentation function. A statistical subtraction is used to extract the direct photon-hadron yields in Au + Au collisions while a photon isolation cut is applied in p + p. I-AA, the ratio of hadron yield opposite the photon in Au + Au to that in p + p, indicates modification of the jet fragmentation function. Suppression, most likely due to energy loss in the medium, is seen at high Z(T). The associated hadron yield at low Z(T) is enhanced at large angles. Such a trend is expected from redistribution of the lost energy into increased production of low-momentum particles.
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| 6. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Multi-wavelength observations of the flaring gamma-ray blazar 3C 66A in 2008 October
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 726:1, s. 43-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The BL Lacertae object 3C 66A was detected in a flaring state by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and VERITAS in 2008 October. In addition to these gamma-ray observations, F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, PAIRITEL, MDM, ATOM, Swift, and Chandra provided radio to X-ray coverage. The available light curves show variability and, in particular, correlated flares are observed in the optical and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray band. The resulting spectral energy distribution can be well fitted using standard leptonic models with and without an external radiation field for inverse Compton scattering. It is found, however, that only the model with an external radiation field can accommodate the intra-night variability observed at optical wavelengths.
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| 7. |
- Adare, A., et al.
(författare)
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Nuclear matter effects on J/psi production in asymmetric Cu plus Au collisions at root S-NN=200 GeV
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 90:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on J/psi production from asymmetric Cu + Au heavy-ion collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at both forward (Cu-going direction) and backward (Au-going direction) rapidities. The nuclear modification of J/psi yields in Cu + Au collisions in the Au-going direction is found to be comparable to that inAu + Au collisions when plotted as a function of the number of participating nucleons. In the Cu-going direction, J/psi production shows a stronger suppression. This difference is comparable in magnitude and has the same sign as the difference expected from shadowing effects due to stronger low-x gluon suppression in the larger Au nucleus.
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| 8. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
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The large observatory for x-ray timing
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE. - 9780819496126
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final downselection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supranuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1° collimated field of view) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g. GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the status of the mission at the end of its Phase A study.
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| 9. |
- Acciari, V. A., et al.
(författare)
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Discovery of very high energy gamma rays from PKS 1424+240 and multiwavelength constraints on ITS redshift
- 2010
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Ingår i: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS. - 2041-8205. ; 708:2, s. L100-L106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the first detection of very high energy(83) (VHE) gamma-ray emission above 140 GeV from PKS 1424+240, a BL Lac object with an unknown redshift. The photon spectrum above 140 GeV measured by VERITAS is well described by a power law with a photon index of 3.8 +/- 0.5(stat) +/- 0.3(syst) and a flux normalization at 200 GeV of (5.1 +/- 0.9(stat) +/- 0.5(syst)) x 10(-11) TeV-1 cm(-2) s(-1), where stat and syst denote the statistical and systematical uncertainties, respectively. The VHE flux is steady over the observation period between MJD 54881 and 55003 (from 2009 February 19 to June 21). Flux variability is also not observed in contemporaneous high-energy observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Contemporaneous X-ray and optical data were also obtained from the Swift XRT and MDM observatory, respectively. The broadband spectral energy distribution is well described by a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model favoring a redshift of less than 0.1. Using the photon index measured with Fermi in combination with recent extragalactic background light absorption models it can be concluded from the VERITAS data that the redshift of PKS 1424+240 is less than 0.66.
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| 10. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
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LOFT - The large observatory for x-ray timing
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9780819491442 ; , s. 84432D-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The LOFT mission concept is one of four candidates selected by ESA for the M3 launch opportunity as Medium Size missions of the Cosmic Vision programme. The launch window is currently planned for between 2022 and 2024. LOFT is designed to exploit the diagnostics of rapid X-ray flux and spectral variability that directly probe the motion of matter down to distances very close to black holes and neutron stars, as well as the physical state of ultradense matter. These primary science goals will be addressed by a payload composed of a Large Area Detector (LAD) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a collimated (<1 degree field of view) experiment operating in the energy range 2-50 keV, with a 10 m2 peak effective area and an energy resolution of 260 eV at 6 keV. The WFM will operate in the same energy range as the LAD, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a few-steradian wide field of view, with an angular resolution of <5 arcmin. The LAD and WFM experiments will allow us to investigate variability from submillisecond QPO's to yearlong transient outbursts. In this paper we report the current status of the project.
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