1. |
- Abdollahi, S., et al.
(author)
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Fermi Large Area Telescope Fourth Source Catalog
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 247:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the fourth Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog (4FGL) of gamma-ray sources. Based on the first eight years of science data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission in the energy range from 50 MeV to 1 TeV, it is the deepest yet in this energy range. Relative to the 3FGL catalog, the 4FGL catalog has twice as much exposure as well as a number of analysis improvements, including an updated model for the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, and two sets of light curves (one-year and two-month intervals). The 4FGL catalog includes 5064 sources above 4 sigma significance, for which we provide localization and spectral properties. Seventy-five sources are modeled explicitly as spatially extended, and overall, 358 sources are considered as identified based on angular extent, periodicity, or correlated variability observed at other wavelengths. For 1336 sources, we have not found plausible counterparts at other wavelengths. More than 3130 of the identified or associated sources are active galaxies of the blazar class, and 239 are pulsars.
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2. |
- Abdollahi, S., et al.
(author)
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Incremental Fermi Large Area Telescope Fourth Source Catalog
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 260:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present an incremental version (4FGL-DR3, for Data Release 3) of the fourth Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) catalog of γ-ray sources. Based on the first 12 years of science data in the energy range from 50 MeV to 1 TeV, it contains 6658 sources. The analysis improves on that used for the 4FGL catalog over eight years of data: more sources are fit with curved spectra, we introduce a more robust spectral parameterization for pulsars, and we extend the spectral points to 1 TeV. The spectral parameters, spectral energy distributions, and associations are updated for all sources. Light curves are rebuilt for all sources with 1 yr intervals (not 2 month intervals). Among the 5064 original 4FGL sources, 16 were deleted, 112 are formally below the detection threshold over 12 yr (but are kept in the list), while 74 are newly associated, 10 have an improved association, and seven associations were withdrawn. Pulsars are split explicitly between young and millisecond pulsars. Pulsars and binaries newly detected in LAT sources, as well as more than 100 newly classified blazars, are reported. We add three extended sources and 1607 new point sources, mostly just above the detection threshold, among which eight are considered identified, and 699 have a plausible counterpart at other wavelengths. We discuss the degree-scale residuals to the global sky model and clusters of soft unassociated point sources close to the Galactic plane, which are possibly related to limitations of the interstellar emission model and missing extended sources.
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3. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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Fermi and Swift Observations of GRB 190114C : Tracing the Evolution of High-energy Emission from Prompt to Afterglow
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 890:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 190114C by the Fermi Gamma -ray Space Telescope and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The prompt gamma-ray emission was detected by the Fermi GRB Monitor (GBM), the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), and the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) and the long-lived afterglow emission was subsequently observed by the GBM, LAT, Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT), and Swift UV Optical Telescope. The early -time observations reveal multiple emission components that evolve independently, with a delayed power-law component that exhibits significant spectral attenuation above 40 MeV in the first few seconds of the burst. This power-law component transitions to a harder spectrum that is consistent with the afterglow emission observed by the XRT at later times. This afterglow component is clearly identifiable in the GBM and BAT light curves as a slowly fading emission component on which the rest of the prompt emission is superimposed. As a result, we are able to observe the transition from internal-shock- to external-shock-dominated emission. We find that the temporal and spectral evolution of the broadband afterglow emission can be well modeled as synchrotron emission from a forward shock propagating into a wind -like circumstellar environment. We estimate the initial bulk Lorentz factor using the observed high-energy spectral cutoff. Considering the onset of the afterglow component, we constrain the deceleration radius at which this forward shock begins to radiate in order to estimate the maximum synchrotron energy as a function of time. We find that even in the LAT energy range, there exist high-energy photons that are in tension with the theoretical maximum energy that can be achieved through synchrotron emission from a shock. These violations of the maximum synchrotron energy are further compounded by the detection of very high-energy (VHE) emission above 300 GeV by MAGIC concurrent with our observations. We conclude that the observations of VHE photons from GRB 190114C necessitates either an additional emission mechanism at very high energies that is hidden in the synchrotron component in the LAT energy range, an acceleration mechanism that imparts energy to the particles at a rate that is faster than the electron synchrotron energy -loss rate, or revisions of the fundamental assumptions used in estimating the maximum photon energy attainable through the synchrotron process.
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4. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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Fermi Large Area Telescope Performance after 10 Years of Operation
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 256:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) mission, is an imaging, wide field-of-view, high-energy gamma-ray telescope, covering the energy range from 30 MeV to more than 300 GeV. We describe the performance of the instrument at the 10 yr milestone. LAT performance remains well within the specifications defined during the planning phase, validating the design choices and supporting the compelling case to extend the duration of the Fermi mission. The details provided here will be useful when designing the next generation of high-energy gamma-ray observatories.
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5. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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Gamma Rays from Fast Black-hole Winds
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 921:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Massive black holes at the centers of galaxies can launch powerful wide-angle winds that, if sustained over time, can unbind the gas from the stellar bulges of galaxies. These winds may be responsible for the observed scaling relation between the masses of the central black holes and the velocity dispersion of stars in galactic bulges. Propagating through the galaxy, the wind should interact with the interstellar medium creating a strong shock, similar to those observed in supernovae explosions, which is able to accelerate charged particles to high energies. In this work we use data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for the gamma-ray emission from galaxies with an ultrafast outflow (UFO): a fast (v similar to 0.1 c), highly ionized outflow, detected in absorption at hard X-rays in several nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Adopting a sensitive stacking analysis we are able to detect the average gamma-ray emission from these galaxies and exclude that it is due to processes other than UFOs. Moreover, our analysis shows that the gamma-ray luminosity scales with the AGN bolometric luminosity and that these outflows transfer similar to 0.04% of their mechanical power to gamma-rays. Interpreting the observed gamma-ray emission as produced by cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated at the shock front, we find that the gamma-ray emission may attest to the onset of the wind-host interaction and that these outflows can energize charged particles up to the transition region between galactic and extragalactic CRs.
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6. |
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7. |
- Baldini, L., et al.
(author)
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Catalog of Long-term Transient Sources in the First 10 yr of Fermi-LAT Data
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 256:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the first Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) catalog of long-term gamma-ray transient sources (1FLT). This comprises sources that were detected on monthly time intervals during the first decade of Fermi-LAT operations. The monthly timescale allows us to identify transient and variable sources that were not yet reported in other Fermi-LAT catalogs. The monthly data sets were analyzed using a wavelet-based source detection algorithm that provided the candidate new transient sources. The search was limited to the extragalactic regions of the sky to avoid the dominance of the Galactic diffuse emission at low Galactic latitudes. The transient candidates were then analyzed using the standard Fermi-LAT maximum likelihood analysis method. All sources detected with a statistical significance above 4 sigma in at least one monthly bin were listed in the final catalog. The 1FLT catalog contains 142 transient gamma-ray sources that are not included in the 4FGL-DR2 catalog. Many of these sources (102) have been confidently associated with active galactic nuclei (AGNs): 24 are associated with flat-spectrum radio quasars, 1 with a BL Lac object, 70 with blazars of uncertain type, 3 with radio galaxies, 1 with a compact steep-spectrum radio source, 1 with a steep-spectrum radio quasar, and 2 with AGNs of other types. The remaining 40 sources have no candidate counterparts at other wavelengths. The median gamma-ray spectral index of the 1FLT-AGN sources is softer than that reported in the latest Fermi-LAT AGN general catalog. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that detection of the softest gamma-ray emitters is less efficient when the data are integrated over year-long intervals.
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8. |
- Abdollahi, S., et al.
(author)
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Search for New Cosmic-Ray Acceleration Sites within the 4FGL Catalog Galactic Plane Sources
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 933:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cosmic rays are mostly composed of protons accelerated to relativistic speeds. When those protons encounter interstellar material, they produce neutral pions, which in turn decay into gamma-rays. This offers a compelling way to identify the acceleration sites of protons. A characteristic hadronic spectrum, with a low-energy break around 200 MeV, was detected in the gamma-ray spectra of four supernova remnants (SNRs), IC 443, W44, W49B, and W51C, with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This detection provided direct evidence that cosmic-ray protons are (re-)accelerated in SNRs. Here, we present a comprehensive search for low-energy spectral breaks among 311 4FGL catalog sources located within 5° from the Galactic plane. Using 8 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope between 50 MeV and 1 GeV, we find and present the spectral characteristics of 56 sources with a spectral break confirmed by a thorough study of systematic uncertainty. Our population of sources includes 13 SNRs for which the proton–proton interaction is enhanced by the dense target material; the high-mass gamma-ray binary LS I+61 303; the colliding wind binary η Carinae; and the Cygnus star-forming region. This analysis better constrains the origin of the gamma-ray emission and enlarges our view to potential new cosmic-ray acceleration sites.
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9. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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High-energy emission from a magnetar giant flare in the Sculptor galaxy
- 2021
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In: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3366. ; 5:4, s. 385-391
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Magnetars are the most highly magnetized neutron stars in the cosmos (with magnetic field 1013–1015 G). Giant flares from magnetars are rare, short-duration (about 0.1 s) bursts of hard X-rays and soft γ rays1,2. Owing to the limited sensitivity and energy coverage of previous telescopes, no magnetar giant flare has been detected at gigaelectronvolt (GeV) energies. Here, we report the discovery of GeV emission from a magnetar giant flare on 15 April 2020 (refs. 3,4 and A. J. Castro-Tirado et al., manuscript in preparation). The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected GeV γ rays from 19 s until 284 s after the initial detection of a signal in the megaelectronvolt (MeV) band. Our analysis shows that these γ rays are spatially associated with the nearby (3.5 megaparsecs) Sculptor galaxy and are unlikely to originate from a cosmological γ-ray burst. Thus, we infer that the γ rays originated with the magnetar giant flare in Sculptor. We suggest that the GeV signal is generated by an ultra-relativistic outflow that first radiates the prompt MeV-band photons, and then deposits its energy far from the stellar magnetosphere. After a propagation delay, the outflow interacts with environmental gas and produces shock waves that accelerate electrons to very high energies; these electrons then emit GeV γ rays as optically thin synchrotron radiation. This observation implies that a relativistic outflow is associated with the magnetar giant flare, and suggests the possibility that magnetars can power some short γ-ray bursts.
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10. |
- Ajello, M., et al.
(author)
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First Fermi-LAT Solar Flare Catalog
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 252:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the first Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) solar flare catalog covering the 24th solar cycle. This catalog contains 45 Fermi-LAT solar flares (FLSFs) with emission in the gamma-ray energy band (30 MeV-10 GeV) detected with a significance of >= 5 sigma over the years 2010-2018. A subsample containing 37 of these flares exhibits delayed emission beyond the prompt-impulsive hard X-ray phase, with 21 flares showing delayed emission lasting more than two hours. No prompt-impulsive emission is detected in four of these flares. We also present in this catalog observations of GeV emission from three flares originating from active regions located behind the limb of the visible solar disk. We report the lightcurves, spectra, best proton index, and localization (when possible) for all FLSFs. The gamma-ray spectra are consistent with the decay of pions produced by >300 MeV protons. This work contains the largest sample of high-energy gamma-ray flares ever reported and provides a unique opportunity to perform population studies on the different phases of the flare and thus allowing a new window in solar physics to be opened.
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11. |
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12. |
- Moskalenko, S. A., et al.
(author)
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Two-Dimensional Electron-Hole System under the Influence of the Chern-Simons Gauge Field Created by the Quantum Point Vortices
- 2021
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In: Semiconductors (Woodbury, N.Y.). - : Pleiades Publishing Ltd. - 1063-7826 .- 1090-6479. ; 55:SUPPL 1, s. S35-S48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Chern-Simons (CS) gauge field theory was widely used to explain and to deeper understand the fractional quantum Hall effects. In this work, we apply the Chern-Simons gauge field theory to a two-dimensional (2D) electron-hole (e-h) system in a strong perpendicular magnetic field under the influence of the quantum point vortices creating by the Chern-Simons (CS) gauge field. The composite electron-hole particles with equal integer positive numbers phi of the attached quantum point vortices are described by the dressed field operators that obey to either the Fermi or Bose statistics depending on the even or odd numbers phi. It is shown that the phase operators, as well as the vector and scalar potentials of the CS gauge field, depend on the difference between the electron and the hole density operators. They vanish in the mean field approximation, when the average values of the electron and of the hole densities coincide. Nevertheless, even in this case, quantum fluctuations of the CS gauge field lead to new properties of the 2D e-h system. It is found that the numbers of vortices attached to each electron and hole are the same. This result is not obvious, and a different distribution of vortices in the environment of electron-hole pairs could be expected. A simple analytical formula is obtained for the shift of the magnetoexciton energy level at the point k = 0 due to the influence of the CS gauge field.
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13. |
- Boschini, M. J., et al.
(author)
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A Hint of a Low-energy Excess in Cosmic-Ray Fluorine
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 925:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since its launch, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer–02 (AMS-02) has delivered outstanding quality measurements of the spectra of cosmic-ray (CR) species (, e±) and nuclei (H–O, Ne, Mg, Si, Fe), which resulted in a number of breakthroughs. The most recent AMS-02 result is the measurement of the spectrum of CR fluorine up to ∼2 TV. Given its very low solar system abundance, fluorine in CRs is thought to be mostly secondary, produced in fragmentations of heavier species, predominantly Ne, Mg, and Si. Similar to the best-measured secondary-to-primary boron to carbon nuclei ratio that is widely used to study the origin and propagation of CR species, the precise fluorine data would allow the origin of Si-group nuclei to be studied independently. Meanwhile, the secondary origin of CR fluorine has never been tested in a wide energy range due to the lack of accurate CR data. In this paper, we use the first ever precise measurements of the fluorine spectrum by AMS-02 together with ACE-CRIS and Voyager 1 data to actually test this paradigm. Our detailed modeling shows an excess below 10 GV in the fluorine spectrum that may hint at a primary fluorine component. We also provide an updated local interstellar spectrum (LIS) of fluorine in the rigidity range from a few MV to ∼2 TV. Our calculations employ the self-consistent GalProp–HelMod framework that has proved to be a reliable tool in deriving the LIS of CR and e−, and nuclei Z ≤ 28.
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14. |
- Boschini, M. J., et al.
(author)
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Spectra of Cosmic-Ray Sodium and Aluminum and Unexpected Aluminum Excess
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 933:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since its launch, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMS-02) has delivered outstanding quality measurements of the spectra of cosmic-ray (CR) species, , e±, and nuclei (H–Si, Fe), which resulted in a number of breakthroughs. The most recent AMS-02 result is the measurement of the spectra of CR sodium and aluminum up to ∼2 TV. Given their low solar system abundances, a significant fraction of each element is produced in fragmentations of heavier species, predominantly Ne, Mg, and Si. In this paper, we use precise measurements of the sodium and aluminum spectra by AMS-02 together with ACE-CRIS and Voyager 1 data to test their origin. We show that the sodium spectrum agrees well with the predictions made with the GalProp-HelMod framework, while the aluminum spectrum shows a significant excess in the rigidity range from 2–7 GV. In this context, we discuss the origin of other low-energy excesses in Li, F, and Fe found earlier. The observed excesses in Li, F, and Al appear to be consistent with the local Wolf-Rayet stars hypothesis, invoked to reproduce anomalous 22Ne/20Ne, 12C/16O, and 58Fe/56Fe ratios in CRs, while excess in Fe is likely connected with a past supernova activity in the solar neighborhood. We also provide updated local interstellar spectra (LIS) of sodium and aluminum in the rigidity range from a few megavolts to ∼2 TV. Our calculations employ the self-consistent GalProp-HelMod framework, which has proved to be a reliable tool in deriving the LIS of CR , e−, and nuclei Z ≤ 28.
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16. |
- Denysenko, A.P., et al.
(author)
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A comprehensive study of dura mater biomineralization : morphological, crystallographic, and immunohistochemical aspects
- 2023
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In: Reports of Morphology. - : Vinnytsia National Pyrogov Memorial Medical University. - 1818-1295 .- 2616-6194. ; 29:4, s. 50-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biomineralization is a process of formation of biominerals widespread among living organisms. This phenomenon occurs in the central nervous system in normal and pathological conditions. Typically, this can manifest age-related changes, and the prevalence of biominerals increases with age. At the same time, it can be a sign of pathology-tumour growth, dystrophy, metabolic disorders, etc. This work aims to study the morphological features of the dura mater with signs of biomineralization. In this work, we examined 30 samples of the dura mater with signs of biomineralization (group I) and 30 samples without these signs (group II) obtained during autopsies in the pathology department of the Sumy Regional Clinical Hospital. For the morphological charact erist ics of the dura mat er, we used hi stologi cal, hi stochemi cal and immunohistochemical methods, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Statistical processing of the results of the immunohistochemical study was carried out in the GraphPad Prism 8.0 statistical package using parametric and non-parametric research methods. To divide the samples into groups, we relied on the histological method-staining with hematoxylin-eosin. Histochemical methods (alizarin red staining, von Koss method) confirmed the presence of calcium compounds in the studied group. Van Gieson staining visualized the collagen fibres of the dura mater, and the PAS reaction di d not reveal the presence of gl ycosaminogl ycans in the mineral deposit s. Immunohistochemical examination of the dura mater with antibodies against osteopontin revealed a significant difference between the study and control groups (p<0.001), confirming the critical role of osteopontin in the biomineralization process in this tissue. With the help of scanning electron microscopy, it was found that biominerals in the dura mater are represented by tens to hundreds of formations of various shapes (rounded, oval and irregular), varying from tens of nanometers to 50 micrometres. Their composition was analyzed using maps and spectra of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and most probably corresponded to calcium hydroxyapatite. So, the dura mater is characterized by biomineralization, manifested by the formation of microscopic calcium hydroxyapatite composites.
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17. |
- von Doetinchem, P., et al.
(author)
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Cosmic-ray antinuclei as messengers of new physics : status and outlook for the new decade
- 2020
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In: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1475-7516. ; :8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The precise measurement of cosmic-ray antinuclei serves as an important means for identifying the nature of dark matter and other new astrophysical phenomena, and could be used with other cosmic-ray species to understand cosmic-ray production and propagation in the Galaxy. For instance, low-energy antideuterons would provide a "smoking gun" signature of dark matter annihilation or decay, essentially free of astrophysical background. Studies in recent years have emphasized that models for cosmic-ray antideuterons must be considered together with the abundant cosmic antiprotons and any potential observation of antihelium. Therefore, a second dedicated Antideuteron Workshop was organized at UCLA in March 2019, bringing together a community of theorists and experimentalists to review the status of current observations of cosmic-ray antinuclei, the theoretical work towards understanding these signatures, and the potential of upcoming measurements to illuminate ongoing controversies. This review aims to synthesize this recent work and present implications for the upcoming decade of antinuclei observations and searches. This includes discussion of a possible dark matter signature in the AMS-02 antiproton spectrum, the most recent limits from BESS Polar-II on the cosmic antideuteron flux, and reports of candidate antihelium events by AMS-02; recent collider and cosmic-ray measurements relevant for antinuclei production models; the state of cosmic-ray transport models in light of AMS-02 and Voyager data; and the prospects for upcoming experiments, such as GAPS. This provides a roadmap for progress on cosmic antinuclei signatures of dark matter in the coming years.
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