Search

The expected gamma-ray flux coming from dark matter annihilation in dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies depends on the so-called J-factor, the integral of the squared dark matter density along the line of sight. We examine the degree to which estimates of J are sensitive to contamination (by foreground Milky Way stars and stellar streams) of the stellar-kinematic samples that are used to infer dark matter densities in 'ultrafaint' dSphs. Applying standard kinematic analyses to hundreds of mock data sets that include varying levels of contamination, we find that misclassified contaminants can cause J-factors to be overestimated by orders of magnitude. Stellar-kinematic data sets for which we obtain such biased estimates tend (1) to include relatively large fractions of stars with ambiguous membership status, and (2) to give estimates for J that are sensitive to specific choices about how to weight and/or to exclude stars with ambiguous status. Comparing publicly available stellar-kinematic samples for the nearby dSphs Reticulum II and Segue I, we find that only the latter displays both of these characteristics. Estimates of Segue I's J-factor should therefore be regarded with a larger degree of caution when planning and interpreting gamma-ray observations. Moreover, robust interpretations regarding dark matter annihilation in dSph galaxies in general will require explicit examination of how interlopers might affect the inferred dark matter density profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a search for steep spectrum radio sources within the 95 per cent confidence error ellipses of the Fermi unassociated sources from the Large Area Telescope (LAT). Using existing catalogues and the newly released Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope all-sky survey at 150 MHz, we identify compact radio sources that are bright at MHz frequencies but faint or absent at GHz frequencies. Such steep spectrum radio sources are rare and constitute a sample of pulsar candidates, selected independently of period, dispersion measure, interstellar scattering and orbital parameters. We find point-like, steep spectrum candidates towards 11 Fermi sources. Based on the gamma-ray/radio positional coincidence, the rarity of such radio sources, and the properties of the 3FGL sources themselves, we argue that many of these sources could be pulsars. They may have been missed by previous radio periodicity searches due to interstellar propagation effects or because they lie in an unusually tight binary. If this hypothesis is correct, then renewed gamma-ray and radio periodicity searches at the positions of the steep spectrum radio sources may reveal pulsations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BL Lacertae object 1ES 1440+122 was observed in the energy range from 85 GeV to 30 TeV by the VERITAS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The observations, taken between 2008 May and 2010 June and totalling 53 h, resulted in the discovery of γ -ray emission from the blazar, which has a redshift z = 0.163. 1ES 1440+122 is detected at a statistical significance of 5.5 standard deviations above the background with an integral flux of (2.8 ± 0.7stat ± 0.8sys) × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 (1.2 per cent of the Crab Nebula's flux) above 200 GeV. The measured spectrum is described well by a power law from 0.2 to 1.3 TeV with a photon index of 3.1 ± 0.4stat ± 0.2sys. Quasi-simultaneous multiwavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (0.3-300 GeV) and the Swift X-ray Telescope (0.2- 10 keV) are additionally used to model the properties of the emission region. A synchrotron self-Compton model produces a good representation of the multiwavelength data. Adding an external-Compton or a hadronic component also adequately describes the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a mysterious flash phenomenon detected in radio wavelengths with a duration of only a few milliseconds, and they may also have prompted gamma-ray flashes. Here, we carry out a blind search for ms-duration gamma-ray flashes using the 7-yr Fermi Large Area Telescope all-sky gamma-ray data. About 100 flash candidates are detected, but after removing those associated with bright steady point sources, we find no flash events at high Galactic latitude region (|b| > 20°). Events at lower latitude regions are consistent with statistical flukes originating from the diffuse gamma-ray background. From these results, we place an upper limit on the GeV gamma-ray to radio flux ratio of FRBs as ξ ≡ (νLν)γ/(νLν)radio ≲ (4.2-12) ? 107, depending on the assumed FRB rate evolution index β = 0-4 [cosmic FRB rate ΦFRB ∝ (1 + z)β]. This limit is comparable with the largest value found for pulsars, though ξ of pulsars is distributed in a wide range. We also compare this limit with the spectral energy distribution of the 2004 giant flare of the magnetar SGR 1806-20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy dissipation mechanism within gamma-ray burst (GRB) outflows, driving their extremely luminous prompt γ-ray emission is still uncertain. The leading candidates are internal shocks and magnetic reconnection. While the emission from internal shocks has been extensively studied, that from reconnection still has few quantitative predictions. We study the expected prompt-GRB emission from magnetic reconnection and compare its temporal and spectral properties to observations. The main difference from internal shocks is that for reconnection one expects relativistic bulk motions with Lorentz factors Γ′≳ a few in the jet's bulk frame. We consider such motions of the emitting material in two antiparallel directions (e.g. of the reconnecting magnetic-field lines) within an ultrarelativistic (with Γ ≫ 1) thin spherical reconnection layer. The emission's relativistic beaming in the jet's frame greatly affects the light curves. For emission at radii R0 < R < R0 + ΔR (with Γ = const), the observed pulse width is ΔT ∼ (R0/2cΓ2) max (1/Γ′, ΔR/R0), i.e. up to ∼Γ′ times shorter than for isotropic emission in the jet's frame. We consider two possible magnetic reconnection modes: a quasi-steady state with continuous plasma flow into and out of the reconnection layer, and sporadic reconnection in relativistic turbulence that produces relativistic plasmoids. Both of these modes can account for many observed prompt-GRB properties: variability, pulse asymmetry, the very rapid declines at their end and pulse evolutions that are either hard to soft (for Γ′ ≲ 2) or intensity tracking (for Γ′ > 2). However, the relativistic turbulence mode is more likely to be relevant for the prompt sub-MeV emission and can naturally account also for the peak luminosity – peak frequency correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two classes of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been confidently identified thus far and are prescribed to different physical scenarios - neutron star-neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers, and collapse of massive stars, for short and long GRBs, respectively. A third, intermediate in duration class,was suggested to be present in previous catalogues, such as Burst Alert and Transient Source Explorer (BATSE) and Swift, based on statistical tests regarding a mixture of two or three lognormal distributions of T90. However, this might possibly not be an adequate model. This paper investigates whether the distributions of log T90 from BATSE, Swift, and Fermi are described better by a mixture of skewed distributions rather than standard Gaussians. Mixtures of standard normal, skew-normal, sinh-arcsinh and alpha-skew-normal distributions are fitted using a maximum likelihood method. The preferred model is chosen based on the Akaike information criterion. It is found that mixtures of two skew-normal or two sinh-arcsinh distributions are more likely to describe the observed duration distribution of Fermi than a mixture of three standard Gaussians, and that mixtures of two sinh-arcsinh or two skew-normal distributions are models competing with the conventional three-Gaussian in the case of BATSE and Swift. Based on statistical reasoning, and it is shown that other phenomenological models may describe the observed Fermi, BATSE, and Swift duration distributions at least as well as a mixture of standard normal distributions, and the existence of a third (intermediate) class of GRBs in Fermi data is rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a method to search for pair haloes around active galactic nuclei (AGN) through a temporal analysis of γ -ray data. The basis of our method is an analysis of the spatial distributions of photons coming from AGN flares and from AGN quiescent states and a further comparison of these two spatial distributions. This method can also be used for a reconstruction of a point spread function (PSF). We found no evidence for a pair halo component through this method by applying it to the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) data in the energy bands of 4.5-6, 6-10, and >10 GeV and set upper limits on the fraction of photons attributable to a pair halo component. An illustration of how to reconstruct the PSF of Fermi-LAT is given. We demonstrate that the PSF reconstructed by using this method is in good agreement with that which was obtained by using the γ -ray data taken by LAT in the direction of the Crab pulsar and nebula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TeV gamma-ray point source HESS J1832-093 remains unidentified despite extensive multiwavelength studies. The gamma-ray emission could originate in a very compact pulsar wind nebula or an X-ray binary system composed of the X-ray source XMMU J183245-0921539, and a companion star (2MASS J18324516-0921545). To unveil the nature of XMMU J183245-0921539 and its relation to HESS J1832-093, we performed deeper follow-up observations in X-rays with Chandra and Swift to improve source localization and to investigate time variability. We observed an increase of the X-ray flux by a factor of ~6 in the Chandra data compared to previous observations. The source is point-like for Chandra and its updated position is only 0.3 arcsec offset from 2MASS J18324516-0921545, confirming the association with this infrared source. Subsequent Swift target of opportunity observations resulted in a lower flux, again compatible with the one previously measured with XMM-Newton, indicating a variability time-scale of the order of two months or shorter. The now-established association of XMMU J183245-0921539 and 2MASS J18324516-0921545, and the observed variability in X-rays are strong evidence for binary nature of HESS J1832-093. Furthermore, observations to characterize the optical counterpart as well as to search for orbital periodicity are needed to confirm this scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied time variability and spectral evolution of the Galactic black hole transient Swift J174510.8-262411 during the first phase of its outburst. INTEGRAL and Swift observations collected from 2012 September 16 until October 30 have been used. The total squared fractional rms values did not drop below 5 per cent and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), when present, were type-C, indicating that the source never made the transition to the soft-intermediate state. Even though the source was very bright (up to 1 Crab in hard X-rays), it showed a so called failed outburst as it never reached the soft state. XRT and IBIS broad-band spectra, well represented by a hybrid thermal/non-thermal Comptonization model, showed physical parameters characteristic of the hard and intermediate states. In particular, the derived temperature of the geometrically thin disc blackbody was about 0.6 keV at maximum. We found a clear decline of the optical depth of the corona electrons (close to values of 0.1), as well as of the total compactness ratio lh/ls. The hard-to-hard/intermediate state spectral transition is mainly driven by the increase in the soft photon flux in the corona, rather than small variations of the electron heating. This, associated with the increasing of the disc temperature, is consistent with a disc moving towards the compact object scenario, i.e. the truncated-disc model. Moreover, this scenario is consistent with the decreasing fractional squared rms and increasing of the noise and QPO frequency. In our final group of observations, we found that the contribution from the non-thermal Comptonization to the total power supplied to the plasma is 0.59+0.02 -0.05 and that the thermal electrons cool to kTe < 26 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the γ -ray and X-ray properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 2149-306 at redshift z = 2.345. A strong γ -ray flare from this source was detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope satellite in 2013 January, reaching on January 20 a daily peak flux of (301 ± 36) × 10-8 ph cm-2 s-1 in the 0.1-100 GeV energy range. This flux corresponds to an apparent isotropic luminosity of (1.5 ± 0.2) × 1050 erg s-1, comparable to the highest values observed by a blazar so far. During the flare the increase of flux was accompanied by a significant change of the spectral properties. Moreover significant flux variations on a 6-h time-scale were observed, compatible with the light crossing time of the event horizon of the central black hole. The broad-band X-ray spectra of PKS 2149-306 observed by Swift-XRT and NuSTAR are well described by a broken power-law model, with a very hard spectrum (Γ1 ~ 1) below the break energy, at Ebreak = 2.5-3.0 keV, and Γ2 ~ 1.4-1.5 above the break energy. The steepening of the spectrum below ~3 keV may indicate that the soft X-ray emission is produced by the low-energy relativistic electrons. This is in agreement with the small variability amplitude and the lack of spectral changes in that part of the X-ray spectrum observed between the two NuSTAR and Swift joint observations. As for the other high-redshift FSRQ detected by both Fermi-LAT and Swift-BAT, the photon index of PKS 2149-306 in hard X-ray is 1.6 or lower and the average γ -ray luminosity higher than 2 × 1048 erg s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analysed the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data on the SNR G73.9+0.9. We have confirmed a previous detection of high-energy γ -rays from this source at a high significance of ≃12σ. The observed spectrum shows a significant curvature, peaking in EFE at ~1 GeV. We have also calculated the flux upper limits in the mm-wavelength and X-ray ranges from Planck and XMM-Newton, respectively. We have inspected the intensity of the CO (1→0) emission line and found a large peak at a velocity range corresponding to the previously estimated source distance of ~4 kpc, which may indicate an association between a molecular cloud and the supernova remnant (SNR). The γ -ray emission appears due to interaction of accelerated particles within the SNR with the matter of the cloud. The most likely radiative process responsible for the γ -ray emission is decay of neutral pions produced in ion-ion collisions. While a dominant leptonic origin of this emission can be ruled out, the relativistic electron population related to the observed radio flux will necessarily lead to a certain level of bremsstrahlung γ -ray emission. Based on this broad-band modelling, we have developed a method to estimate the magnetic field, yielding B ≳ 80 µG at our best estimate of the molecular cloud density (or less at a lower density). G73.9+0.9 appears similar, though somewhat weaker, to other SNRs interacting with a local dense medium detected by the LAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two classes of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), short and long, have been determined without any doubts, and are usually ascribed to different progenitors, yet these classes overlap for a variety of descriptive parameters. A subsample of 46 long and 22 short Fermi GRBs with estimated Hurst Exponents (HEs), complemented by minimum variability time-scales (MVTS) and durations (T90) is used to perform a supervised machine learning and Monte Carlo simulation using a support vector machine algorithm. It is found that while T90 itself performs very well in distinguishing short and long GRBs, the overall success ratio is higher when the training set is complemented by MVTS and HE. These results may allow us to introduce a new (non-linear) parameter that might provide less ambiguous classification of GRBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results on multiband observations from radio to Y -rays of the two radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies PKS 2004-447 and J1548+3511. Both sources show a core-jet structure on parsec scale, while they are unresolved at the arcsecond scale. The high core dominance and the high variability brightness temperature make these NLSy1 galaxies good γ-ray source candidates. Fermi-Large Area Telescope detected γ-ray emission only from PKS 2004-447, with a γ-ray luminosity comparable to that observed in blazars. No γ-ray emission is observed for J1548+3511. Both sources are variable in X-rays. J1548+3511 shows a hardening of the spectrum during high activity states, while PKS 2004-447 has no spectral variability. A spectral steepening likely related to the soft excess is hinted below 2 keV for J1548+3511, while the X-ray spectra of PKS 2004-447 collected by XMM-Newton in 2012 are described by a single power law without significant soft excess. No additional absorption above the Galactic column density or the presence of an Fe line is detected in the X-ray spectra of both sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies are prime targets for present and future γ-ray telescopes hunting for indirect signals of particle dark matter. The interpretation of the data requires careful assessment of their dark matter content in order to derive robust constraints on candidate relic particles. Here, we use an optimized spherical Jeans analysis to reconstruct the 'astrophysical factor' for both annihilating and decaying dark matter in 21 known dSphs. Improvements with respect to previous works are: (i) the use of more flexible luminosity and anisotropy profiles to minimize biases, (ii) the use of weak priors tailored on extensive sets of contamination-free mock data to improve the confidence intervals, (iii) systematic cross-checks of binned and unbinned analyses on mock and real data, and (iv) the use of mock data including stellar contamination to test the impact on reconstructed signals. Our analysis provides updated values for the dark matter content of 8 'classical' and 13 'ultrafaint' dSphs, with the quoted uncertainties directly linked to the sample size; the more flexible parametrization we use results in changes compared to previous calculations. This translates into our ranking of potentially-brightest and most robust targets - namely Ursa Minor, Draco, Sculptor - and of the more promising, but uncertain targets - namely Ursa Major 2, Coma - for annihilating dark matter. Our analysis of Segue 1 is extremely sensitive to whether we include or exclude a few marginal member stars, making this target one of the most uncertain. Our analysis illustrates challenges that will need to be addressed when inferring the dark matter content of new 'ultrafaint' satellites that are beginning to be discovered in southern sky surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse Compton catastrophe is defined as a dramatic rise in the luminosity of inverse Compton scattered photons. It is described by a non-linear loop of radiative processes that sets in for high values of the electron compactness and is responsible for the efficient transfer of energy from electrons to photons, predominantly through inverse Compton scatterings. We search for the conditions that drive a magnetized non-thermal source to the inverse Compton catastrophe regime and study its multiwavelength (MW) photon spectrum. We develop a generic analytical framework and use numerical calculations as a backup to the analytical predictions. We find that the escaping radiation from a source in the Compton catastrophe regime bears some unique features. The MW photon spectrum is a broken power law with a break at ~mec² due to the onset of the Klein Nishina suppression. The spectral index below the break energy depends on the electron and magnetic compactnesses logarithmically, while it is independent of the electron power-law index (s). The maximum radiating power emerges typically in the γ-ray regime, at energies ~mec² (~γmaxmec²) for s > 2 (s ≲ 2), where γmax is the maximum Lorentz factor of the injected electron distribution. We apply the principles of the inverse Compton catastrophe to blazars and γ-ray bursts using the analytical framework we developed, and show how these can be used to impose robust constraints on the source parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the discovery of γ -ray emission from the narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxy FBQS J1644+2619 by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi satellite. The Third Fermi LAT Source catalogue reports an unidentified γ -ray source, detected over the first four years of Fermi operation, 0.◦23 from the radio position of the NLSy1. Analysing 76 months of γ -ray data (2008 August 4-2014 December 31) we are able to better constrain the localization of the γ -ray source. The new position of the γ -ray source is 0.◦05 from FBQS J1644+2619, suggesting a spatial association with the NLSy1. This is the sixth NLSy1 detected at high significance by Fermi-LAT so far. Notably, a significant increase of activity was observed in γ -rays from FBQS J1644+2619 during 2012 July-October, and an increase of activity in the V band was detected by the Catalina Real-Time Sky Survey in the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the results of a γ-ray study of IceCube's extraterrestrial neutrino candidates detected as track-like events. Using 70 months of Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) observations, a likelihood analysis of all 1-300 GeV photons within 5° of the track-like neutrino candidates' origin was undertaken, to search for spatially coincident γ-ray emission. One of IceCube's HESE (High Energy Starting Event) track events was found to be spatially coincident with a γ-ray bright active galactic nucleus (AGN), PKS 0723-008. We find however that the chance probability for Fermi-LAT detected AGN to be spatially coincident with a single HESE track-like event is high (~37 per cent). We therefore find no evidence of γ-ray emission associated with the detection of IceCube's HESE track-like neutrino candidates. Upper limits were calculated in the energy range of 1-300 GeV, assuming a point source origin for the neutrino events considered. The implications for the non-detection of γ-ray emission from the source of the HESE track-like events are briefly discussed. The large time period analysed in our study did however reveal two new γ-ray point sources. With a flux of (1.28 ± 0.08) x 10-9 photons cm-2 s-1, in the 1-300 GeV energy range, and an associated TS value of 220.6, one of these new point sources is positionally coincident with the AGN PKS 1346-112. The other point source has a 1-300 GeV flux of (7.95 ± 1.23) x 10-10 photons cm-2 s-1 and an associated TS value of 92.4. This new point source is spatially coincident with the radio source NVSS J072534 + 021645 suggesting that it too is an AGN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PKS 0521-36 is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with uncertain classification. We investigate the properties of this source from radio to γ-rays. The broad emission lines in the optical and ultraviolet bands and steep radio spectrum indicate a possible classification as an intermediate object between broad-line radio galaxies (BLRG) and steep spectrum radio quasars (SSRQ). On pc-scales PKS 0521-36 shows a knotty structure similar to misaligned AGN. The core dominance and the γ-ray properties are similar to those estimated for other SSRQ and BLRG detected in γ-rays, suggesting an intermediate viewing angle with respect to the observer. In this context the flaring activity detected from this source by Fermi-Large Area Telescope between 2010 June and 2012 February is very intriguing. We discuss the γ-ray emission of this source in the framework of the structured jet scenario, comparing the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the flaring state in 2010 June with that of a low state. We present three alternative models corresponding to three different choices of the viewing angles θv = 6°, 15°, and 20°. We obtain a good fit for the first two cases, but the SED obtained with θv = 15° if observed at a small angle does not resemble that of a typical blazar since the synchrotron emission should dominate by a large factor (γ100) the inverse Compton component. This suggests that a viewing angle between 6° and 15° is preferred, with the rapid variability observed during γ-ray flares favouring a smaller angle. However, we cannot rule out that PKS 0521-36 is the misaligned counterpart of a synchrotron-dominated blazar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By statistically analysing a large sample that includes Fermi-detected blazars (FBs) and non-Fermi-detected blazars (NFBs), we find that there are significant differences between FBs and NFBs in redshift, black hole mass, jet kinetic power from cavity power, broad-line luminosity and the ratio of core luminosity to absolute V-band magnitude (Rv), but not in the ratio of the radio core to extended flux (Rc) and the Eddington ratio. Compared with NFBs, FBs have larger mean jet power, Rc and Rv, while having smaller mean redshift, black hole mass and broad-line luminosity. These results support the fact that the beaming effect is the main reason for differences between FBs and NFBs, and that FBs are likely to have a more powerful jet. For both FBs and NFBs, there are significant correlations between the jet power and the accretion rate (traced by the broad-emission line luminosity), and between the jet power and the black hole mass. For FBs, the black hole mass does not have a significant influence on jet power, while for NFBs, both the accretion rate and black hole mass contribute to the jet power. Our results support the ‘blazar sequence’ and show that the synchrotron peak frequency (νpeak) is associated with the accretion rate but not with the black hole mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globular clusters (GCs) are the oldest stellar systems in the Galaxy, in which millisecond pulsars are widely believed to be the only steady γ-ray emitters. So far, nine γ-ray GCs have been identified and a few candidates, such as 2MS-GC01 and IC 1257, have been suggested. In this work, after analysing the publicly available Fermi Large Area Telescope data, we confirm the significant γ-ray emission from 2MS-GC01 and IC 1257 and report the discovery of γ-ray emission from NGC 5904 and 6656 within their tidal radii. Also, strong evidence of significant γ-ray emission is found from FSR 1735. From the observed γ-ray luminosities, we estimate the numbers of millisecond pulsars that are expected to be present in these GCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies are among the most promising targets for the indirect detection of dark matter (DM) from annihilation and/or decay products. Empirical estimates of their DM content - and hence the magnitudes of expected signals - rely on inferences from stellar-kinematic data. However, various kinematic analyses can give different results and it is not obvious which are most reliable. Using extensive sets of mock data of various sizes (mimicking 'ultrafaint' and 'classical' dSphs) and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo engine, here we investigate biases, uncertainties and limitations of analyses based on parametric solutions to the spherical Jeans equation. For a variety of functional forms for the tracer and DM density profiles, as well as the orbital anisotropy profile, we examine reliability of estimates for the astrophysical J- and D-factors for annihilation and decay, respectively. For large (N ≳ 1000) stellar-kinematic samples, typical of 'classical' dSphs, errors tend to be dominated by systematics, which can be reduced through the use of sufficiently general and flexible functional forms. For small (N ≲ 100) samples typical of 'ultrafaints', statistical uncertainties tend to dominate systematic errors and flexible models are less necessary. We define an optimal strategy that would mitigate sensitivity to priors and other aspects of analyses based on the spherical Jeans equation. We also find that the assumption of spherical symmetry can bias estimates of J (with the 95?per?cent credibility intervals not encompassing the true J-factor) when the object is mildly triaxial (axis ratios b/a = 0.8, c/a = 0.6). A concluding table summarizes the typical error budget and biases for the different sample sizes considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on multifrequency observations performed during 2012 December-2013 August of the first narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy detected in γ-rays, PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846). A γ-rays flare was observed by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi during 2012 December-2013 January, reaching a daily peak flux in the 0.1-100 GeV energy range of (155 ± 31) ×10-8 ph cm-2 s-1 on 2013 January 1, corresponding to an apparent isotropic luminosity of ~ 1.5×1048 erg s-1. The γ-rays flaring period triggered Swift and VERITAS observations in addition to radio and optical monitoring by OVRO, MOJAVE, and CRTS. A strong flare was observed in optical, UV, and X-rays on 2012 December 30, quasi-simultaneously to the γ-rays flare, reaching a record flux for this source from optical to γ-rays. VERITAS observations at very high energy (E > 100 GeV) during 2013 January 6-17 resulted in an upper limit of F> 0.2 TeV < 4.0×10-12 ph cm-2 s-1. We compared the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the flaring state in 2013 January with that of an intermediate state observed in 2011. The two SEDs, modelled as synchrotron emission and an external Compton scattering of seed photons from a dust torus, can be modelled by changing both the electron distribution parameters and the magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the conditions within a Poynting-flux-dominated gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission region. Because of the enormous magnetic energy density, relativistic electrons will cool in such a region extremely rapidly via synchrotron. As there is no known mechanism that can compete in these magnetic environments with synchrotron it must be the source of the prompt sub-MeV emission. This sets strong limits on the size and Lorentz factor of the outflow. Furthermore, synchrotron cooling is too efficient. It overproduces optical and X-ray as compared with the observations. This overproduction of low-energy emission can be avoided if the electrons are re-accelerated many times (≳ 5 × 104) during each pulse (or are continuously heated) or if they escape the emitting region before cooling down. We explore the limitations of both models practically ruling out the later and demonstrating that the former requires two different acceleration mechanisms as well as an extremely large magnetic energy to Baryonic energy ratio. To be viable, any GRB model based on an emission region that is Poynting flux dominated must demonstrate how these conditions are met. We conclude that if GRB jets are launched magnetically dominated they must dissipate somehow most of their magnetic energy before they reach the emission region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globular clusters (GCs) contain huge number of low-mass stars and also large number of millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Due to the number of stars, the stellar and MSP winds mix efficiently within the GC. Such mixture of winds leaves GC and interacts with the galactic medium creating a bow shock nebula around GC. The bow shock nebula is filled with relativistic leptons accelerated in the pulsar magnetospheres and/or wind regions. We argue that nebulae around GCs, immersed in relatively dense medium close to the galactic plane, should have complicated morphology due to interaction with the surrounding gas. Therefore, TeV γ-ray sources, related to these nebulae, are expected to be misaligned in respect to GC cores, as observed in the case of GC Ter 5. On the other hand, GCs in low-density medium, i.e. far away from the galactic disc, should produce bow shocks at large distances from the GC cores. The TeV γ-ray sources around such nebulae are expected to be almost spherical and centred on the GC cores. We perform numerical calculations of the TeV γ-ray emission produced by leptons escaping from the GC Ter 5. It is shown that TeV γ-ray source related to Ter 5 should be misaligned in respect to the core of GC as observed by the HESS Collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High redshift blazars are among the most powerful objects in the Universe. Although they represent a significant fraction of the extragalactic hard X-ray sky, they are not commonly detected in γ-rays. High redshift ( z > 2 ) objects represent < 10 per cent of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) population observed by Fermi so far, and γ-ray flaring activity from these sources is even more uncommon. The characterization of the radio-to-γ-ray properties of high redshift blazars represents a powerful tool for the study of the energetics of such extreme objects and the Extragalactic Background Light. This contribution will present results of multi-band campaigns, from radio to γ-rays, on PKS 0836+710, PKS 2149−306, and TXS 0536+145. The latter is the highest redshift detection of a flaring γ-ray blazar so far. At the peaks of their respective flares these sources reached an apparent isotropic gamma-ray luminosity of about 10 50 erg·s − 1 , which is comparable with the luminosity observed from the most powerful blazars. The physical properties derived from the multi-wavelength observations of these sources are then compared with those shown by the high redshift population.

This paper discusses the spectral energy distribution (SED) of all blazars with redshift detected by the Fermi satellite and listed in the 3LAC catalog. The so called “blazar sequence” from the phenomenological point of view will be updated, with no theory or modelling. It will be shown that: (i) pure data show that jet and accretion power are related; (ii) the updated blazar sequence maintains the properties of the old version, albeit with a less pronounced dominance of the γ-ray emission; (iii) at low bolometric luminosities, two different types of objects have the same high energy power: low black hole mass flat spectrum radio quasars and high mass BL Lacs. Therefore, at low luminosities, there is a very large dispersion of SED shapes; (iv) in low power BL Lacs, the contribution of the host galaxy is important. Remarkably, the luminosity distribution of the host galaxies of BL Lacs are spread in a very narrow range; (v) a simple sum of two smoothly joining power laws can describe the blazar SEDs very well.

The discovery by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi of variable γ-ray emission from radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies revealed the presence of a possible third class of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with relativistic jets in addition to blazars and radio galaxies. Considering that NLSy1 are usually hosted in spiral galaxies, this finding poses intriguing questions about the nature of these objects and the formation of relativistic jets. We report on a systematic investigation of the γ-ray properties of a sample of radio-loud NLSy1, including the detection of new objects, using 7 years of Fermi-LAT data with the new Pass 8 event-level analysis. In addition we discuss the radio-to-very-high-energy properties of the γ-ray emitting NLSy1, their host galaxy, and black hole mass in the context of the blazar scenario and the unification of relativistic jets at different scales.

We present our latest results on the connection between accretion rate and relativistic jet power in active galactic nuclei (AGN), by using a large sample which includes mostly blazars, but contains also some radio galaxies. The jet power can be traced by γ-ray luminosity in the case of blazars, and radio luminosity for both classes. The accretion-disc luminosity is instead traced by the broad emission lines. Among blazars, we find a correlation between broad line emission and the γ-ray or radio luminosities, suggesting a direct tight connection between jet power and accretion rate. We confirm that the observational differences between blazar subclasses reflect differences in the accretion regime, but with blazars only we cannot properly access the low-accretion regime. By introducing radio galaxies, we succeed in observing the fingerprint of the transition between radiatively efficient and inefficient accretion discs in the jetted AGN family. The transition occurs at the standard critical value Ld/LEdd ∼ 10−2 and it appears smooth. Below this value, the ionizing luminosity emitted by the accretion structure drops significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We report results of a multiband monitoring campaign of the flat spectrum radio quasar TXS 0536+145 at redshift 2.69. This source was detected during a very high γ-ray activity state in 2012 March by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi, becoming the γ-ray flaring blazar at the highest redshift detected so far. At the peak of the flare the source reached an apparent isotropic γ-ray luminosity of 6.6 × 1049 erg s−1 which is comparable to the values achieved by the most luminous blazars. This activity triggered radio-to-X-rays monitoring observations by Swift, Very Long Baseline Array, European VLBI Network, and Medicina single-dish telescope. Significant variability was observed from radio to X-rays supporting the identification of the γ-ray source with TXS 0536+145. Both the radio and γ-ray light curves show a similar behaviour, with the γ-rays leading the radio variability with a time lag of about 4-6 months. The luminosity increase is associated with a flattening of the radio spectrum. No new superluminal component associated with the flare was detected in high-resolution parsec-scale radio images. During the flare the γ-ray spectrum seems to deviate from a power law, showing a curvature that was not present during the average activity state. The γ-ray properties of TXS 0536+145 are consistent with those shown by the high-redshift γ-ray blazar population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical origin of the >0.1 GeV emission detected from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by the Fermi satellite has not yet been completely understood. In this work, we consider the GeV light curves of 10 GRBs with measured redshift detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). These light curves are characterized by a long-lived (≳102 seconds) emission, whose luminosity decays in time as a power law. While the decay rate is similar for all GRBs (i.e. LLAT ∝ t−1.2), the normalization spans about two orders of magnitude in luminosity. However, after re-normalizing the luminosities to the prompt energetics Eprompt the light curves overlap. We consider the scenario in which the temporally extended LAT emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated at the forward external shock. According to this model, at high energies (i.e. above the typical synchrotron frequencies) a small dispersion of the Eprompt-normalized light curves is expected. The fact that the LAT temporally extended emission follows this behaviour reinforces its interpretation in terms of afterglow radiation from external shocks. Assuming this scenario, we argue that the parameters ϵe and ηγ (i.e. the fraction of shock-dissipated energy gained by the electrons, and the efficiency of the mechanism producing the prompt radiation, respectively) must be narrowly distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We discuss the γ-ray emission of the radiogalaxy NGC 1275 (the central galaxy of the Perseus Cluster), detected by Fermi-LAT (very-high energies) and MAGIC, in the framework of the ‘spine-layer’ scenario, in which the jet is assumed to be characterized by a velocity structure, with a fast spine surrounded by a slower layer. The existence of such a structure in the parsec scale jet of NGC 1275 has been recently proved through VLBI observations. We discuss the constraints that the observed spectral energy distribution imposes to the parameters and we present three alternative models, corresponding to three different choices of the angles between the jet and the line of sight (θv = 6°, 18° and 25°). While for the case with θv = 6° we obtain an excellent fit, we consider this solution unlikely, since such small angles seem to be excluded by radio observations of the large-scale jet. For θv = 25° the required large intrinsic luminosity of the soft (IR-optical) component of the spine determines a large optical depth for γ-rays through the pair production scattering γγ → e+e−, implying a narrow cut-off at ∼50 GeV. We conclude that intermediate angles are required. In this case the low frequency and the high-energy emissions are produced by two separate regions and, in principle, a full variety of correlations is expected. The correlation observed between the optical and the γ-ray flux, close to linearity, is likely linked to variations of the emissivity of the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Under conservative assumptions about the Galaxy, the derived velocity of the Smith Cloud indicates that it will have undergone at least one passage of the Galactic disc. Using hydrodynamic simulations, we examine the present-day structure of the Smith Cloud and find that a dark matter supported cloud is able to reproduce the observed present-day neutral hydrogen mass, column density distribution and morphology. In this case, the dark matter halo becomes elongated owing to the tidal interaction with the Galactic disc. Clouds in models neglecting dark matter confinement are destroyed upon disc passage, unless the initial cloud mass is well in excess of what is observed today. We then determine integrated flux upper limits to the gamma-ray emission around such a hypothesized dark matter core in the Smith Cloud. No statistically significant core or extended gamma-ray emission are detected down to a 95 per cent confidence level upper limit of 1.4 × 10−10 ph cm−2 s−1 in the 1–300 GeV energy range. For the derived distance of 12.4 kpc, the Fermi upper limits set the first tentative constraints on the dark matter cross-sections annihilating into τ+τ− and $b\bar{b}$ for a high-velocity cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present a carefully selected sample of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) observed by the Swift satellite up to 2013 June. Inspired by the criteria we used to build a similar sample of bright long GRBs (the BAT6 sample), we selected SGRBs with favourable observing conditions for the redshift determination on ground, ending up with a sample of 36 events, almost half of which with a redshift measure. The redshift completeness increases up to about 70 per cent (with an average redshift value of z = 0.85) by restricting to those events that are bright in the 15–150 keV Swift Burst Alert Telescope energy band. Such flux-limited sample minimizes any redshift-related selection effects, and can provide a robust base for the study of the energetics, redshift distribution and environment of the Swift bright population of SGRBs. For all the events of the sample, we derived the prompt and afterglow emission in both the observer and (when possible) rest frame and tested the consistency with the correlations valid for long GRBs. The redshift and intrinsic X-ray absorbing column density distributions we obtain are consistent with the scenario of SGRBs originated by the coalescence of compact objects in primordial binaries, with a possible minor contribution (∼10–25 per cent) of binaries formed by dynamical capture (or experiencing large natal kicks). This sample is expected to significantly increase with further years of Swift activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analysed a large sample of clean blazars detected by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Using the literature and calculation, we obtained intrinsic γ-ray luminosity excluding beaming effect, black hole mass, broad-line luminosity (used as a proxy for disc luminosity), jet kinetic power from ‘cavity’ power and bulk Lorentz factor for parsec-scale radio emission, and studied the distributions of these parameters and relations between them. Our main results are as follows. (i) After excluding beaming effect and redshift effect, intrinsic γ-ray luminosity with broad-line luminosity, black hole mass and Eddington ratio have significant correlations. Our results confirm the physical distinction between BL Lacs and FSRQs. (ii) The correlation between broad-line luminosity and jet power is significant which supports that jet power has a close link with accretion. Jet power depends on both the Eddington ratio and black hole mass. We also obtain logLBLR ∼ (0.98 ± 0.07)logPjet for all blazars, which is consistent with the theoretical predicted coefficient. These results support that jets are powered by energy extraction from both accretion and black hole spin (i.e. not by accretion only). (iii) For almost all BL Lacs, Pjet > Ldisc; for most of FSRQs, Pjet < Ldisc. The ‘jet-dominance’ (parametrized as $\frac{P_{\rm jet}}{L_{\rm disc}}$) is mainly controlled by the bolometric luminosity. Finally, the radiative efficiency of γ-ray and properties of TeV blazars detected by Fermi LAT were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the spectral properties of blazars detected with the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the high-energy regime 100 MeV–100 GeV. We find that over long time-scales a log-parabola provides an adequate description of the spectrum in almost all objects and in most cases is significantly better than a simple power law or broken power law description. Broken power law descriptions appear to arise from two causes: confusion with nearby sources and as an artefact of older LAT instrument response functions. We create a light curve for 2FGL J2253.9+1609 (3C 454.3), the brightest of the objects investigated. During the quiescent state we find the spectrum to be fairly stable and well described by a log-parabola. There is some evidence that, on average, the peak energy of the inverse Compton emission is lower in the quiescent state than in the time-averaged state, suggesting that increases in flux are due to changing parameters within the jet as opposed to changes in an external photon field. However, no correlation between inverse Compton peak energy and flux is apparent. During high-flux states, deviation of the spectral shape from a simple power law continues. In some cases a log-parabola provides a significantly better fit than a broken power law but in others the reverse is true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad-line region (BLR) is an important component of blazars, especially for flat spectrum radio quasars. The soft photons arising from the BLR will substantially affect the transparency of the γ-ray photons produced in the relativistic jet. We study the effect of the geometrical structure of the BLR on the absorption of γ-rays. We find that the γ-ray optical depth strongly depends on the geometrical structure of the BLR. For a “flat” BLR geometry, γ-ray photons with specified energies could escape transparently even if their emission region is located inside the cavity of the BLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]