Vox Charta » High Energy

Significance of tension for gravitating masses in Kaluza-Klein models [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:59:26 +0000

In this report, we consider the six-dimensional Kaluza-Klein models with spherical compactification of the internal space. Here, we investigate the case of bare gravitating compact objects with the dustlike equation of state $\hat p_0=0$ in the external (our) space and an arbitrary equation of state $\hat p_1=\Omega \hat \varepsilon$ in the internal space. These models satisfy the classical gravitational tests. However, we show that gravitating masses acquire effective relativistic pressure in the external space. Such pressure contradicts the observations of compact astrophysical objects (e.g., the Sun). The equality $\Omega =-1/2$ (i.e. tension) is the only possibility to preserve the dustlike equation of state in the external space. Therefore, tension plays a crucial role for the considered models.

Transition Radiation from the Neutrino-Photon Interaction in Matter [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:54:16 +0000

We show that, because of their effective electromagnetic interaction in matter, transition radiation is emitted whenever neutrinos goes across the boundary between two media with different indices of refraction. This effect occurs in the context of the standard model and does not depend on any exotic neutrino property. We examine such a phenomena and compare it with the transition radiation of a neutrino endowed with an intrinsic dipole moment.

The Unusual Temporal and Spectral Evolution of the Type IIn Supernova 2011ht

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:53:09 +0000

We present very early UV to optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the peculiar Type IIn supernova (SN) 2011ht in UGC 5460. The UV observations of the rise to peak are only the second ever recorded for a Type IIn SN and are by far the most complete. The SN, first classified as a SN impostor, slowly rose to a peak of M_V \sim -17 in \sim55 days. In contrast to the \sim2 magnitude increase in the v-band light curve from the first observation until peak, the UV flux increased by >7 magnitudes. The optical spectra are dominated by strong, Balmer emission with narrow peaks (FWHM\sim600 km/s), very broad asymmetric wings (FWHM\sim4200 km/s), and blue shifted absorption (\sim300 km/s) superposed on a strong blue continuum. The UV spectra are dominated by FeII, MgII, SiII, and SiIII absorption lines broadened by \sim1500 km/s. Merged X-ray observations reveal a L_(0.2-10)=(1.0+/-0.2)x10^(39) erg/s. Some properties of SN 2011ht are similar to SN impostors, while others are comparable to Type IIn SNe. Early spectra showed features typical of luminous blue variables at maximum and during giant eruptions. However, the broad emission profiles coupled with the strong UV flux have not been observed in previous SN impostors. The absolute magnitude and energetics (~2.5×10^(49) ergs in the first 112 days) are reminiscent of normal Type IIn SN, but the spectra are of a dense wind. We suggest that the mechanism for creating this unusual profile could be a shock interacting with a shell of material that was ejected a year before the discovery of the SN.

Effect of a Weak Electromagnetic Field on Particle Acceleration by a Rotating Black Hole [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:52:28 +0000

We study high energy charged particle collisions near the horizon in an electromagnetic field around a rotating black hole and reveal the condition of the fine-tuning to obtain arbitrarily large center-of-mass (CM) energy. We demonstrate that the CM energy can be arbitrarily large as the uniformly magnetized rotating black hole arbitrarily approaches maximal rotation under the situation that a charged particle plunges from the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and collides with another particle near the horizon. Recently, Frolov [Phys. Rev. D 85, 024020 (2012)] proposed that the CM energy can be arbitrarily high if the magnetic field is arbitrarily strong, when a particle collides with a charged particle orbiting the ISCO with finite energy near the horizon of a uniformly magnetized Schwarzschild black hole. We show that the charged particle orbiting the ISCO around a spinning black hole needs arbitrarily high energy in the strong field limit. This suggests that Frolov’s process is unstable against the black hole spin. Nevertheless, we see that magnetic fields may substantially promote the capability of rotating black holes as particle accelerators in astrophysical situations.

Joint spectral-timing modelling of the hard lags in GX 339-4: constraints on reflection models

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:50:44 +0000

The X-ray variations of hard state black hole X-ray binaries above 2 keV show ‘hard lags’, in that the variations at harder energies follow variations at softer energies, with a time-lag \tau depending on frequency \nu approximately as \tau \propto \nu^{-0.7}. Several models have so far been proposed to explain this time delay, including fluctuations propagating through an accretion flow, spectral variations during coronal flares, Comptonisation in the extended hot corona or a jet, or time-delays due to large-scale reflection from the accretion disc. In principle these models can be used to predict the shape of the energy spectrum as well as the frequency-dependence of the time-lags, through the construction of energy-dependent response functions which map the emission as a function of time-delay in the system. Here we use this approach to test a simple reflection model for the frequency-dependent lags seen in the hard state of GX 339-4, by simultaneously fitting the model to the frequency-dependent lags and energy spectrum measured by XMM-Newton in 2004 and 2009. Our model cannot simultaneously fit both the lag and spectral data, since the relatively large lags require an extremely flared disc which subtends a large solid angle to the continuum at large radii, in disagreement with the observed Fe K\alpha emission. Therefore, we consider it more likely that the lags > 2 keV are caused by propagation effects in the accretion flow, possibly related to the accretion disc fluctuations which have been observed previously.

Double Compact Objects I: The Significance Of The Common Envelope On Merger Rates

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:47:58 +0000

The development of gravitational wave observatories (Advanced LIGO/Virgo, Einstein Telescope) is proceeding apace, and the direct detection of gravitational waves should be imminent. The last decade of observational and theoretical developments in stellar and binary evolution provides us with improvements to the predictions from populations synthesis models. Among the most important revisions in the formation and evolution of double compact objects are: updated wind mass loss rates (allowing for stellar mass black holes up to 80 Msun), a realistic treatment of the common envelope phase (that can affect merger rates by 2–3 orders of magnitude), and a qualitatively new neutron star/black hole mass distribution (consistent with the observed “mass gap”). We present a parameter study with these major physical updates included, focusing on the most important factors that set the DCO merger rates. A few of our more interesting findings are: the binding energy of the envelope and our description of natal kicks from supernovae play an important role in determining the formation and merger rate of DCOs. Also, models incorporating delayed (SASI) supernovae do not agree with the observed NS/BH “mass gap”, in accordance with our previous work. And, finally, we find enhanced rates for BH-BH mergers as compared to previous estimates, with an expectation of ~100 such mergers per year in Advanced LIGO/Virgo detectors (although this rate is sensitive to factors, such as the natal kick distribution). This is the first in a series of three papers. The second paper will study the merger rates of double compact objects as a function of cosmological redshift, star formation rate, and metallicity. In the third paper we will present the detection rates for future gravitational wave observatories, using up-to-date signal waveforms and sensitivity curves. (abridged)

Discovery of the neutron star spin and orbital period from the Be/X-ray binary IGR J05414-6858 in the LMC

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:43:43 +0000

The number of known Be/X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud is small compared to the observed population of the Galaxy or the Small Magellanic Cloud. The discovery of a system in outburst provides the rare opportunity to measure its X-ray properties in detail. IGR J05414-6858 was serendipitously found in outburst with the Swift satellite in August 2011. In order to characterise the system, we analysed the data from a follow-up XMM-Newton target of opportunity observation and investigate the stellar counterpart with photometry and spectroscopy. We modelled the X-ray spectra from the EPIC instruments on XMM-Newton and compared them with Swift archival data. In the X-ray and optical light curves, we searched for periodicities and variability. The optical counterpart was classified using spectroscopy obtained with ESO’s Faint Object Spectrograph at NTT. The X-ray spectra as seen in 2011 are relatively hard with a photon index of ~0.3 – 0.4 and show only low absorption. They deviate significantly from earlier spectra of a probable type II outburst in 2010. The neutron star spin period of P_s = 4.4208 s was discovered with EPIC-pn. The I-band light curve revealed a transition from a low to a high state around MJD 54500. The optical counterpart is classified to B0-1IIIe and shows Halpha emission and a variable NIR excess, vanishing during the 2010 outburst. In the optical high state, we found a periodicity at 19.9 days, probably caused by binarity and indicating the orbital period.

Shower Center of Gravity and Hadronic Interaction Characteristics

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:41:22 +0000

Equations for the center of gravity of the shower originated by high energy proton in the atmosphere are written and, within certain simplifications, solved for the case of logarithmically decreasing interaction length of hadrons in the air. Obtained expression provides transparent view of the way in which hadronic interaction characteristics determine the longitudinal shower development.

A two-component jet model based on the Blandford-Znajek and Blandford-Payne processes

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:39:19 +0000

We propose a two-component jet model consistent with the observations of several gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The jet consists of inner and outer components, and they are supposed to be driven by the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and Blandford-Payne (BP) processes, respectively. The baryons in the BP jet is accelerated centrifugally via the magnetic field anchored in the accretion disk. The BZ jet is assumed to be entrained a fraction of accreting matter leaving the inner edge of the accretion disk, and the baryons are accelerated in the conversion from electromagnetic energy to the kinetic energy. By fitting the Lorentz factors of some GRBs (GRB 030329, GRB 051221A, GRB 080413B) and AGNs (Cen A, Mkn 501 and Mkn 421) with this model, we constrain the physical parameters related to the accretion and outflow of these two kind of objects. We conclude that the spine/sheath structure of the jet from these sources can be interpreted naturally by the BZ and BP processes.

Chandra Survey of Nearby Edge-on Disk Galaxies I: Luminosities of Galactic Coronae [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:36:22 +0000

X-ray-emitting coronae of nearby galaxies are expected to be produced either by accretion from the intergalactic medium and/or by various galactic feedback. We herein present a systematical analysis of the Chandra observations of 53 nearby edge-on disk galaxies over a range of 3 orders of magnitude in SFR. Various coronal properties, such as the luminosity, vertical/horizontal extent, and other inferred parameters, are characterized for all the sample galaxies. For galaxies with high enough counting statistics, we also examine the thermal and chemical states of the coronal gas. Here we concentrate on the coronal luminosity (Lx), estimated in 0.5-2keV and within 5 times the diffuse X-ray vertical scale height. We find Lx strongly correlates with the SFR for the whole sample. But the inclusion of Ia SNe in the total energy input (E_SN) gives an even tighter correlation, which may be characterized with a linear relation, Lx=0.5%E_SN, and with a dispersion of 0.45dex. Moreover, the coronal radiation efficiency (\eta=Lx/E_SN) shows little correlation with either the stellar mass or the gravitational mass (M_TF, inferred from the rotation velocity), but is significantly correlated with their ratio (M_TF/M_*), which may be expressed as a linear scaling relation \eta=0.35%M_TF/M_* for the entire ranges of galaxy parameters. This joint scaling relation suggests that the coronae are self-regulated by the combination of gravitational confinement and feedback. But SN appears to be the primary heating source, because about half of our galaxies are not massive enough to allow for the accretion to play a major role. The commonly low \eta further suggests that the bulk of the SN energy likely flows out into large-scale galactic halos for essentially all the galaxies. Such ubiquitous outflows could have profound implications for understanding the ecosystem, hence the evolution of galaxies.

First order Fermi acceleration driven by magnetic reconnection [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:34:33 +0000

A box model is used to study first order Fermi acceleration driven by magnetic reconnection. It is shown, at least in this simple model, that the spectral index of the accelerated particles is related to the total compression in the same way as in diffusive shock acceleration and is not, as has been suggested, a universal $E^{-5/2}$ spectrum. The acceleration time-scale is estimated and some comments made about the applicability of the process.

Critical Conditions for Core-Collapse Supernovae [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:33:41 +0000

The explosion of a core-collapse supernova is approximated by the breakdown of the steady-state solution for accretion onto a proto-neutron-star (PNS). We analytically show that as the neutrino luminosity exceeds a critical value L_c, the neutrinosphere pressure exceeds the hydrostatic limit even for an optimal shock radius R. This yields L_c \propto M^2 T^2 (with logarithmic corrections) and R \propto M/T, in agreement with numerical results, where M, T are the PNS mass, neutrino temperature. The near-critical flow can be approximated as a ballistic shell on top of an isothermal layer.

Effects of Leakage Neutral Particles on Shocks [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:32:09 +0000

The interstellar medium is not necessary fully ionized. When a shock propagates into the partially ionized medium, some neutral particles leak into the upstream region from the downstream region. In this paper, we investigate how leakage neutral particles affect the upstream structure of the shock and particle accelerations. By using four fluid approximations (upstream ions, upstream neutral particles, leakage neutral particles and pickup ions), we provide analytical solutions of the precursor structure due to leakage neutral particles. It is shown that the upstream flow is decelerated in the precursor and the shock compression ratio becomes smaller than that of the strong shock limit, but the total compression ratio is the same as that of the strong shock limit. Even if leakage of neutral particles is small (a few percents of upstream particles), this smaller compression ratio of the shock can explain steep gamma-ray spectra from young supernova remnants.

The Gamma-Ray Blazar PKS 0208-512, a Multi-Wavelength Investigation

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:58:34 +0000

The gamma-ray blazar PKS 0208-512 has shown strong periods of flaring, at all frequencies from radio to gamma-ray. This has led to its inclusion in the TANAMI project, which tracks the jets of southern AGN using VLBI as well as supporting flux density monitoring programs. Time series analysis of the light curves generated by such monitoring is presented and discussed and VLBI maps of the source are used to show the evolution in the jet. A frequency dependent lag is observed between flaring at different radio frequencies which does not appear to correspond to purely optical depth effects. Major flaring at gamma-ray frequencies appears to be preceded by a new component in the jet seen in our VLBI data.

On the Anisotropy of E0 >= 5.5$\times$1019 eV Cosmic Rays according to Data of the Pierre Auger Collaboration

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:56:36 +0000

The Pierre Auger Collaboration discovered, in a solid angle of radius about 18\degree, a local group of cosmic rays having energies in the region E0 \geq 5.5\times1019 eV and coming from the region of the Gen A radio galaxy, whose galactic coordinates are lG = 309.5\degree and bG = 19.4\degree. Near it, there is the Centaur supercluster of galaxies, its galactic coordinates being lG = 302.4\degree and bG = 21.6\degree. It is noteworthy that the Great Attractor, which may have a direct bearing on the observed picture, is also there.

Fundamental Physics and Relativistic Laboratory Astrophysics with Extreme Power Lasers

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:53:20 +0000

The prospects of using extreme relativistic laser-matter interactions for laboratory astrophysics are discussed. Laser-driven process simulation of matter dynamics at ultra-high energy density is proposed for the studies of astrophysical compact objects and the early universe.

A Search for UHE Tau Neutrinos with IceCube

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:51:27 +0000

The first dedicated search for ultra-high energy (UHE) tau neutrinos of astrophysical origin was performed using the IceCube detector in its 22-string configuration. The search also had sensitivity to UHE electron and muon neutrinos. After application of all selection criteria to approximately 200 live-days of data, we expect a background of 0.60 +/- 0.19 (stat.) $^{+0.56}_{-0.58}$ (sys.) events and observe three events, which after inspection emerge as being compatible with background. Therefore, we set an upper limit on neutrinos of all flavors from UHE astrophysical sources at 90% CL of $E^{2} \Phi(\nu_{x}) < 16.2 * 10^-8 GeV cm^-2 sr^-1 s^-1 over an estimated primary neutrino energy range of 340 TeV to 200 PeV.

The colours of BL Lac objects: a new approach to their classification

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:49:30 +0000

We selected a sample of 437 BL Lac objects, taken from the RomaBZCat catalogue, for which spectroscopic information and SDSS photometry is available. We propose a new classification of BL Lacs in which the sources’ type is not defined only on the basis of the peak frequency of the synchrotron component in their Spectral Energy Distribution (types L and H), but also on the relevance of this component with respect to the brightness of the host galaxy (types N and G, for nuclear or galaxy dominated sources). We found that the SDSS colour index u-r=1.4 is a good separator between these two types. We used multiband colour-colour plots to study the properties of the BL Lac classes and found that in the X-ray to radio flux ratio vs u-r plot most of the N (blue) sources are located in a rather narrow strip, while the G-sources (red) are spread in a large area, and most of them are located in galaxy clusters or interacting systems, suggesting that their X-ray emission is not from a genuine BL Lac nucleus but it is related to their environment. Of the about 135 sources detected in the gamma-rays by Fermi-GST, nearly all belong to the N-type, indicating that only this type of sources should be considered as genuine BL Lac nuclei. The J-H, H-K plot of sources detected in the 2MASS catalogue is consistent with that of the “bona fide” BL Lac objects, independently of their N or G classification from the optical indices, indicating the existence in G-type sources of a K-band excess possibly due to a steep, low frequency peaked emission which deserves further investigations. We propose to use these colour plots as a further tool for searching candidate counterparts of newly discovered high-energy sources.

Effects of Leakage Neutral Particles on Shocks

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:48:48 +0000

Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the 401 Hertz accreting pulsar IGR J17498-2921: indication of burning in confined regions

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:47:03 +0000

We use the 2011 Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) proportional counter array (PCA) data of the 401 Hz accreting pulsar and burster IGR J17498-2921 to perform timing analysis and time-resolved spectroscopy of 12 thermonuclear X-ray bursts. We confirm previously reported burst oscillations from this source with a much higher significance (8.8\sigma). We notice that the bursts can be divided into three groups: big photospheric radius expansion (PRE) bursts are about ten times more luminous than medium bursts, while the latter are about ten times more luminous than small bursts. The PCA field-of-view of these observations contains several known bursters, and hence some of the observed bursts might not be from IGR J17498-2921. The oscillations during big bursts at the known pulsar frequency show that these bursts were definitely from IGR J17498-2921. We find that at least several of the other bursts were also likely originated from IGR J17498-2921. Spectral analysis reveals that the luminosity differences among various bursts are primarily due to differences in normalizations, and not temperatures, even when we consider the effects of colour factor. This shows burning on a fraction of the stellar surface for those small and medium bursts, which originated from IGR J17498-2921. The low values of the upper limits of burst oscillation amplitude for these bursts suggest a small angle between the spin axis and the magnetic axis. We find indications of the PRE nature of a medium burst, which likely originated from IGR J17498-2921. If true, then, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that two PRE bursts with a peak count rate ratio of as high as {\approx} 12 have been detected from the same source.

Exploring the supernova remnant G308.4-1.4

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:46:03 +0000

Aims: We present a detailed X-ray and radio wavelength study of G308.4-1.4, a candidate supernova remnant (SNR) in the ROSAT All Sky Survey and the MOST supernova remnant catalogue. Methods: The SNR candidate and its central point sources were studied using observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, SWIFT, the Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at 1.4 and 2.5 GHz and WISE infrared observation at 24 $\mu$m. Results: We conclude that G308.4-1.4 is indeed a supernova remnant by means of its morphology matching at X-ray, radio and infrared wavelength, its spectral energy distribution in the X-ray band and its emission characteristics in the radio band. G308.4-1.4 is a shell-type SNR. X-ray, radio and infrared emission is seen only in the eastern part of the remnant due to a strong spatial density variation of the interstellar medium around the remnant. The X-ray emission can best be described by an absorbed non-equilibrium collisional plasma with a hydrogen density of $n_\text{H}=(1.02\pm 0.04)$ cm$^{-2}$, a plasma temperature of $6.3^{+1.2}_{-0.7}$ million Kelvin and an under-abundance of Iron, Neon and Magnesium, as well as an overabundance in Sulfur with respect to the solar values. A Sedov analysis revealed that the remnant is at a distance of $ \approx 10$ kpc and the progenitor star exploded $\sim 5000$ to 7500 years ago. Two faint X-ray point sources located near to the remnant’s geometrical center are detected. Both sources have no counterpart at other wavelengths, leaving them as candidates for the compact remnant of the supernova explosion.

Assessing the Feasibility of Cosmic-Ray Acceleration by Magnetic Turbulence at the Galactic Center

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:44:23 +0000

The presence of relativistic particles at the center of our galaxy is evidenced by the diffuse TeV emission detected from the inner $\sim$$2^\circ$ of the Galaxy. Although it is not yet entirely clear whether the origin of the TeV photons is due to hadronic or leptonic interactions, the tight correlation of the intensity distribution with the distribution of molecular gas along the Galactic ridge strongly points to a pionic-decay process involving relativistic protons. In earlier work, we concluded that point-source candidates, such as the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (identified with the HESS source J1745-290), or the pulsar wind nebulae dispersed along the Galactic plane, could not account for the observed diffuse TeV emission from this region. Motivated by this result, we consider here the feasibility that the cosmic rays populating the Galactic Center (GC) region are accelerated in situ by magnetic turbulence. Our results indicate that even in a highly conductive environment, this mechanism is efficient enough to energize protons within the intercloud medium to the $\ga $ TeV energies required to produce the HESS emission.

A remarkable long-term light curve, and deep, low-state spectroscopy: Swift & XMM-Newton monitoring of the NLS1 galaxy Mkn 335

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:42:53 +0000

The Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) Mkn 335 is remarkable because it has repeatedly shown deep, long X-ray low-states which show pronounced spectral structure. It has become one of the prototype AGN in deep minimum X-ray states. Here we report on the continuation of our ongoing monitoring campaign with Swift and the examination of the low state X-ray spectra based on a 200 ks triggered observation with XMM in June 2009. Swift has continuously monitored Mkn 335 since May 2007 typically on a monthly basis. This is one of the longest simultaneous UV/X-ray light curves so far obtained for an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Mkn 335 has shown strong X-ray variability even on time scales of hours. In the UV, it turns out to be one of the most variable among NLS1s. Long-term Swift monitoring allow us to examine correlations between the UV, X-rays and X-ray hardness ratios. We find no significant correlation or lag between the UV and X-ray variability; however, we do find distinct trends in the behavior of the hardness ratio variability. The hardness ratio and count rate are correlated in the low-flux state, but no correlation is seen in the high-state. The X-ray low-state spectra of the 2007 and 2009 XMM observations display significant spectral variability. We fit the X-ray spectra with a suite of phenomenological models in order to characterize the data. The broad band CCD spectrum can be fitted equally well with partial absorption and blurred reflection models. These more complicated models are explored in further detail in upcoming work.

The Search for High-Mass X-ray Binaries in the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:41:35 +0000

We report on the first X-ray images of the Phoenix dwarf galaxy, taken with \emph{XMM-Newton} in July 2009. This local group dwarf galaxy shares similarities with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) including a burst of star formation $\sim$50 Myr ago. The SMC has an abundance of High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) and so we have investigated the possibility of an HMXB population in Phoenix with the intention of furthering the understanding of the HMXB-star formation rate relation. The data from the combined European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) were used to distinguish between different source classes (foreground stars, background galaxies, AGN and supernova remnants) using EPIC hardness ratios and correlations with optical and radio catalogues. Of the 81 X-ray sources in the field of view, six are foreground stars, four are galaxies and one is an AGN. The remaining sources with optical counterparts have log($\frac{f_X}{f_{opt}}$) consistent with AGN in the local universe. Further investigation of five sources in the field of view suggests they are all background AGN. Their position behind the gas cloud associated with Phoenix makes them a possible tool for further probing the metallicity of this region. We find no evidence for any HMXBs in Phoenix at this time. This rules out the existence of the X-ray persistent supergiant X-ray binary systems. However the transient nature of the Be/X-ray binaries means we cannot rule out a population of these sources but can conclude that it is not extensive.

Detection of very-high energy \gamma-ray emission from NGC 1275 by the MAGIC telescopes [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:37:24 +0000

We report on the detection of very-high energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) \gamma-ray emission from NGC 1275, the central radio galaxy of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. The source has been detected by the MAGIC telescopes with a statistical significance of 6.6 sigma above 100 GeV in 46 hr of stereo observations carried out between August 2010 and February 2011. The measured differential energy spectrum between 70 GeV and 500 GeV can be described by a power law with a steep spectral index of \Gamma=-4.1+/-0.7stat+/-0.3syst, and the average flux above 100 GeV is F_{\gamma}=(1.3+/-0.2stat+/-0.3syst) x 10^{-11} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. These results, combined with the power-law spectrum measured in the first two years of observations by the Fermi-LAT above 100 MeV, with a spectral index of \Gamma ~ -2.1, strongly suggest the presence of a break or cut-off around tens of GeV in the NGC 1275 spectrum. The light curve of the source above 100 GeV does not show hints of variability on a month time scale. Finally, we report on the nondetection in the present data of the radio galaxy IC 310, previously discovered by the Fermi-LAT and MAGIC. The derived flux upper limit F^{U.L.}_{\gamma} (>300 GeV)=1.2 x 10^{-12} cm^{-2} s^{-1} is a factor ~ 3 lower than the mean flux measured by MAGIC between October 2009 and February 2010, thus confirming the year time-scale variability of the source at VHE.

Local Simulations of Instabilities in Relativistic Jets I: Morphology and Energetics of the Current-Driven Instability [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:36:17 +0000

We present the results of a numerical investigation of current-driven instability in magnetized jets. Utilizing the well-tested, relativistic magnetohydrodynamic code Athena, we construct an ensemble of local, co-moving plasma columns in which initial radial force balance is achieved through various combinations of magnetic, pressure, and rotational forces. We then examine the resulting flow morphologies and energetics to determine the degree to which these systems become disrupted, the amount of kinetic energy amplification attained, and the non-linear saturation behaviors. Our most significant finding is that the details of initial force balance have a pronounced effect on the resulting flow morphology. Models in which the initial magnetic field is force-free deform, but do not become disrupted. Systems that achieve initial equilibrium by balancing pressure gradients and/or rotation against magnetic forces, however, tend to shred, mix, and develop turbulence. In all cases, the linear growth of current-driven instabilities is well-represented by analytic models. CDI-driven kinetic energy amplification is slower and saturates at a lower value in force-free models than in those that feature pressure gradients and/or rotation. In rotating columns, we find that magnetized regions undergoing rotational shear are driven toward equipartition between kinetic and magnetic energies. We show that these results are applicable for a large variety of physical parameters, but we caution that algorithmic decisions (such as choice of Riemann solver) can affect the evolution of these systems more than physically motivated parameters.

A Search for Diffuse X-ray Emission from GeV Detected Galactic Globular Clusters [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:35:03 +0000

Recently, diffuse and extended sources in TeV gamma-rays as well as in X-rays have been detected in the direction of the Galactic globular cluster (GC) Terzan 5. Remarkably, this is among the brightest GCs detected in the GeV regime. The nature of both the TeV and the diffuse X-ray signal from Terzan 5 is not settled yet. These emissions most likely indicate the presence of several non-thermal radiation processes in addition to these giving rise to the GeV signal. The aim of this work is to search for diffuse X-ray emission from the GeV detected GCs M 62, NGC 6388, NGC 6541, M 28, M 80 and NGC 6139 to compare the obtained results with the signal detected from Terzan 5. This study will help to determine whether Terzan 5 stands out amongst other GC or whether a whole population of globular clusters feature similar properties. None of the six GCs show significant diffuse X-ray emission on similar scales as observed from Terzan 5 above the particle and diffuse galactic X-ray background components. The derived upper limits allow to assess the validity of different models that were discussed in the interpretation of the multi-wavelength data of Terzan 5. A scenario based on synchrotron emission from relativistic leptons provided by the millisecond pulsar population can not be securely rejected if a comparable magnetic field strength as in Terzan 5 is assumed for every GC. However, such a scenario seems to be unlikely for NGC 6388 and M 62. An inverse-Compton scenario relying on the presence of a putative GRB remnant with the same properties as the one proposed for Terzan 5 can be ruled out for all of the six GCs. Finally, the assumption that each GC hosts a source with the same luminosity as in Terzan 5 is ruled out for all GCs but NGC 6139. (abridged)

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:34:17 +0000

In this work we compare the predictions of two representative hadronic interaction models, EPOS 1.99, and QGSJET II-03 with several extensive air showers (EAS) parameters for proton and iron primaries in the energy range $10^{17}$ – $10^{19} eV$ using CORSIKA-6990. The EAS parameters depth of shower maximum, shower size, size of muon shower, muon number distribution, electron number distribution,size of hadron shower, hadron energy sum, electron muon correlations, and, hadron energy spectra are studied in this paper.

Measuring X-ray variability in faint/sparsely-sampled AGN [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:33:47 +0000

We discuss some practical aspects of measuring the variability amplitude of faint and distant active galactic nuclei (AGN), characterized by sparsely sampled lightcurves and low statistic. In such cases the excess variance, commonly used to estimate the intrinsic lightcurve variance, is affected by strong biases and uncertainties since it represents a maximum likelihood variability estimator only for identical/normal distributed measurements errors and uniform sampling. We performed realistic Monte Carlo simulations of AGN lightcurves, reproducing both the sampling pattern and measurement errors typical of multi-epoch deep surveys, such as the XMM-Newton observations of the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS), or assuming different sampling patterns that may characterize long surveys with sub-optimal observing conditions. We used the results to estimate our ability to measure the intrinsic source variability as well as to constrain the observing strategy of future X-ray missions studying distant and/or faint AGN populations.

Fermi-LAT Observations of the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission: Implications for Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Medium [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:33:25 +0000

The gamma-ray sky >100 MeV is dominated by the diffuse emissions from interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields of the Milky Way. Observations of these diffuse emissions provide a tool to study cosmic-ray origin and propagation, and the interstellar medium. We present measurements from the first 21 months of the Fermi-LAT mission and compare with models of the diffuse gamma-ray emission generated using the GALPROP code. The models are fitted to cosmic-ray data and incorporate astrophysical input for the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, interstellar gas and radiation fields. To assess uncertainties associated with the astrophysical input, a grid of models is created by varying within observational limits the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, the size of the cosmic-ray confinement volume (halo), and the distribution of interstellar gas. An all-sky maximum-likelihood fit is used to determine the Xco-factor, the ratio between integrated CO-line intensity and molecular hydrogen column density, the fluxes and spectra of the gamma-ray point sources from the first Fermi-LAT catalogue, and the intensity and spectrum of the isotropic background including residual cosmic rays that were misclassified as gamma rays, all of which have some dependency on the assumed diffuse emission model. The models are compared on the basis of their maximum likelihood ratios as well as spectra, longitude, and latitude profiles. We also provide residual maps for the data following subtraction of the diffuse emission models. The models are consistent with the data at high and intermediate latitudes but under-predict the data in the inner Galaxy for energies above a few GeV. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed, including the contribution by undetected point source populations and spectral variations of cosmic rays throughout the Galaxy. [Abridged]

Neutralino dark matter in mSUGRA/CMSSM with a 125 GeV light Higgs scalar [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:07:53 +0000

The minimal supergravity (mSUGRA or CMSSM) model is an oft-used framework for exhibiting the properties of neutralino (WIMP) cold dark matter (CDM). However, the recent evidence from Atlas and CMS on a light Higgs scalar with mass m_h\simeq 125 GeV highly constrains the superparticle mass spectrum, which in turn constrains the neutralino annihilation mechanisms in the early universe. We find that stau and stop co-annihilation mechanisms — already highly stressed by the latest Atlas/CMS results on SUSY searches — are nearly eliminated if indeed the light Higgs scalar has mass m_h\simeq 125 GeV. Furthermore, neutralino annihilation via the A-resonance is essentially ruled out in mSUGRA so that it is exceedingly difficult to generate thermally-produced neutralino-only dark matter at the measured abundance. The remaining possibility lies in the focus-point region which now moves out to m_0\sim 10-20 TeV range due to the required large trilinear soft SUSY breaking term A_0. The remaining HB/FP region is more fine-tuned than before owing to the typically large top squark masses. We present updated direct and indirect detection rates for neutralino dark matter, and show that ton scale noble liquid detectors will either discover mixed higgsino CDM or essentially rule out thermally-produced neutralino-only CDM in the mSUGRA model.

Fermi-LAT Observations of the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission: Implications for Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Medium

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:07:03 +0000

Identification campaign of supernova remnant candidates in the Milky Way – I: Chandra observation of G308.3-1.4

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:02:20 +0000

ROSAT all-sky survey (RASS) data have provided another window to search for supernova remnants (SNRs). In reexamining this data archive, a list of unidentified extended X-ray objects have been suggested as promising SNR candidate. However, most of these targets have not yet been fully explored by the state-of-art X-ray observatories. For selecting a pilot target for a long-term identification campaign, we have observed the brightest candidate, G308.3-1.4, with Chandra X-ray observatory. An incomplete shell-like X-ray structure which well-correlated with the radio shell emission at 843 MHz has been revealed. The X-ray spectrum suggests the presence of a shock-heated plasma. All these evidences confirm G308.3-1.4 as a SNR. The brightest X-ray point source detected in this field-of-view is also the one locates closest to the geometrical center of G308.3-1.4, which has a soft spectrum. The intriguing temporal variability and the identification of optical/infrared counterpart rule out the possibility of an isolated neutron star. On the other hand, the spectral energy distribution from Ks band to R band suggests a late-type star. Together with a putative periodicity of \sim1.4 hrs, the interesting excesses in V, B bands and H-alpha suggest this source as a promising candidate of a compact binary survived in a supernova explosion (SN).

A common scenario for an small vacuum energy and long lived super heavy dark matter [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:01:53 +0000

A toy model originating super heavy dark matter and an small vacuum density energy, of the order of the one measured in the present era is constructed. This is obtained by considering a hidden sector with an axion like particle associated to an extremely weak interaction together with a super massive Higgs like boson. The axion acts as a false vacuum, and the hidden Higgs may be created in the early universe. By employing a crude estimation we suggest that the mean lifetime of this hidden Higgs is larger than the age of the universe. We argue that this particle ac as a component of the dark matter at present times. The approach to the vacuum energy problem presented here is a quintessence like mechanism, in which it is assumed that the true vacuum density energy is zero for some reason, except for the contribution of the light axion.

3 to 12 millimetre studies of dense gas towards the western rim of supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:58:13 +0000

The young X-ray and gamma-ray-bright supernova remnant RXJ1713.7-3946 (SNR G347.3-0.5) is believed to be associated with molecular cores that lie within regions of the most intense TeV emission. Using the Mopra telescope, four of the densest cores were observed using high-critical density tracers such as CS(J=1-0,J=2-1) and its isotopologue counterparts, NH3(1,1) and (2,2) inversion transitions and N2H+(J=1-0) emission, confirming the presence of dense gas >10^4cm^-3 in the region. The mass estimates for Core C range from 40M_{\odot} (from CS(J=1-0)) to 80M_{\odot} (from NH3 and N2H+), an order of magnitude smaller than published mass estimates from CO(J=1-0) observations. We also modelled the energy-dependent diffusion of cosmic-ray protons accelerated by RXJ1713.7-3946 into Core C, approximating the core with average density and magnetic field values. We find that for considerably suppressed diffusion coefficients (factors \chi=10^{-3} down to 10^{-5} the galactic average), low energy cosmic-rays can be prevented from entering the inner core region. Such an effect could lead to characteristic spectral behaviour in the GeV to TeV gamma-ray and multi-keV X-ray fluxes across the core. These features may be measurable with future gamma-ray and multi-keV telescopes offering arcminute or better angular resolution, and can be a novel way to understand the level of cosmic-ray acceleration in RXJ1713.7-3946 and the transport properties of cosmic-rays in the dense molecular cores.

Frame-dragging, disk warping, jet precessing, and dipped X-ray lightcurve of Sw J1644+57

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:56:29 +0000

The X-ray transient source Sw J1644+57 recently discovered by Swift is believed to be triggered by tidal disruption of a star by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole (SMBH). For such events, the outer disk is very likely misaligned with respect to the equatorial plane of the spinning SMBH, since the incoming star before disruption most likely has an inclined orbital plane. The tilted disk is subject to the Lense-Thirring torque, which tends to twist and warp the disk due to the Bardeen-Petterson effect. The inner disk tends to align with the SMBH spin, while the outer region tends to remain in the stellar orbital plane, with a transition zone around the Bardeen-Petterson radius. The relativistic jet launched via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism from the spinning SMBH would undergo precession. The X-ray lightcurve of Sw J1644+57 shows a quasi-periodic (2.7-day) variation with noticeable narrow dips. We numerically solve a warping disk solution and propose a jet-processing model by invoking a Blandford-Znajek jet collimated by a wind launched near the Bardeen-Petterson radius. Through simulations, we show that the narrow dips in the X-ray lightcurve can be reproduced for a range of geometric configurations. From data we infer that the inclination angle of the initial stellar orbit is in the range of $10^{\circ}-20^{\circ}$ from the SMBH equatorial plane, that the jet should have a moderately high Lorentz factor, and that the inclination angle, jet opening angle, and observer’s viewing angle are such that the duty cycle of the line-of-sight sweeping the jet cone is somewhat less than 0.5.

F-GAMMA: On the phenomenological classification of continuum radio spectra variability patterns of Fermi blazars

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:56:10 +0000

The F-GAMMA program is a coordinated effort to investigate the physics of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) via multi-frequency monitoring of Fermi blazars. In the current study we show and discuss the evolution of broad-band radio spectra, which are measured at ten frequencies between 2.64 and 142 GHz using the Effelsberg 100-m and the IRAM 30-m telescopes. It is shown that any of the 78 sources studied can be classified in terms of their variability characteristics in merely 5 types of variability. It is argued that these can be attributed to only two classes of variability mechanisms. The first four types are dominated by spectral evolution and can be described by a simple two-component system composed of: (a) a steep quiescent spectral component from a large scale jet and (b) a time evolving flare component following the “Shock-in-Jet” evolutionary path. The fifth type is characterised by an achromatic change of the broad band spectrum, which could be attributed to a different mechanism, likely involving differential Doppler boosting caused by geometrical effects. Here we present the classification, the assumed physical scenario and the results of calculations that have been performed for the spectral evolution of flares.

The contribution from blazar cascade emission to the extragalactic gamma-ray background: What a role does the extragalactic magnetic field play?

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:55:42 +0000

We estimate the contribution to the extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB) from both intrinsic and cascade emissions produced by blazars using a simple semi- analysis method for two models of the blazar gamma-ray luminosity function (GLF). For the cascade emission, we consider two possible contributions: one is due to that the flux of the cascade emission is lower than the Fermi LAT sensitivity (case I), which is independent on the extragalactic magnetic field (EGMF), another is due to the fact that the flux of the cascade emission is larger than the Fermi LAT sensitivity but the emission angle is larger than LAT point-spread-function (PSF) angle (case II), which depends on the EGMF. Our results indicate that (1) blazar contribution to the EGRB is dominant although it depends on the GLF model and the EGMF; (2) the EGMF plays an important role in estimating the contribution from the cascade emission produced by blazars, the contribution from the cascade emission will significantly alter the EGRB spectrum when the strength of the EGMF is large enough (say BEGMF > 10-12 G); and (3) since the cascade emission in case II reaches a saturation when the strength of the EGMF is ? 10-11 G, it is very possible that the contribution from the cascade emission produced by blazars can be considered as another method to probe the upper limit of the strength of the EGMF.

A double component in GRB 090618: a proto-black hole and a genuinely long GRB

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:46:02 +0000

The joint X and gamma-ray observations of GRB 090618 by a large number of satellites offer an unprecedented possibility of testing crucial aspects of theoretical models. In particular, it allows us to test (a) the formation of an optically thick e+e- baryon plasma self-accelerating to Lorentz factors in the range 200 < g < 3000; (b) its transparency condition with the emission of a component of 10^{53-54} baryons in the TeV region and (c) the collision of these baryons with the circumburst medium clouds, characterized by dimensions of 10^{15-16} cm. In addition, these observations offer the possibility of testing a new understanding of the thermal and power-law components in the early phase of this GRB. We test the fireshell model of GRBs in one of the closest (z = 0.54) and most energetic (Eiso = 2.90 x 10^{53} ergs) GRBs, namely GRB 090618. We analyze its emission using several spectral models, with special attention to the thermal and power-law components. We determine the fundamental parameters of a canonical GRB within the context of the fireshell model. We find evidences of the existence of two different episodes in GRB 090618. The first episode lasts 50 s and is characterized by a spectrum consisting of thermal component, which evolves between kT = 54 keV and kT = 12 keV. The second episode, which lasts for \sim 100s, behaves as a canonical long GRB with a Lorentz gamma factor at transparency of g = 495, a temperature at transparency of 29.22 keV and with characteristic masses of the surrounding clouds of \sim 10^{22-24} g. We support the recently proposed two-component nature of GRB 090618 by using specific theoretical analysis and illustrate that the episode 1 cannot be considered to be either a GRB or a part of a GRB event, but it appears to be related to the progenitor of the collapsing bare core leading to the formation of the black hole which we call a proto-black hole.

Electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave transient signal candidates

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:44:30 +0000

Pioneering efforts aiming at the development of multi-messenger gravitational wave and electromagnetic astronomy have been made. An electromagnetic observation follow-up program of candidate gravitational wave events has been performed (Dec 17 2009 to Jan 8 2010 and Sep 4 to Oct 20 2010) during the recent runs of the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors. It involved ground-based and space electromagnetic facilities observing the sky at optical, X-ray and radio wavelengths. The joint gravitational wave and electromagnetic observation study requires the development of specific image analysis procedures able to discriminate the possible electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational wave triggers from contaminant/background events. The paper presents an overview of the electromagnetic follow-up program and the image analysis procedures.

Swift J1644+57: An Ultra-Luminous X-ray Event [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:40:58 +0000

The photon spectral energy distribution of the powerful transient Sw J1644+57 resembles those of the brightest Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). The transient nature of Sw J1644+57 is likely the result of a tidal disruption of a star by a super-massive black hole. The stellar disk generates accretion power at super-Eddington rates and the observational properties of Sw J1644+57 indicate — in analogy with ULXs — that the accretion flow maintains a high level of radiative efficiency with a corresponding super-Eddington luminosity. Due to its similarity to ULXs, this powerful transient may be thought of as an Ultra-Luminous X-ray event (ULX-E). Observational tests for this ULX-E model are proposed as well.

The mass function of black holes at 1
astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:40:35 +0000

In this paper, we compare the observationally derived black hole mass function (BHMF) of luminous broad-line quasars (BLQSOs) at 1

Unification models with reheating via primordial black holes [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:39:41 +0000

We study the possibility of reheating the universe through the evaporation of primordial black holes created at the end of inflation. This is shown to allow for the unification of inflation and dark matter under the dynamics of a single scalar field. We determine the necessary conditions to recover the standard Big Bang by the time of nucleosynthesis after reheating through black holes.

Measurements of the Cosmic Ray Composition with Air Shower Experiments [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:34:32 +0000

In this paper we review air shower data related to the mass composition of cosmic rays above 10$^{15}$ eV. After explaining the basic relations between air shower observables and the primary mass and energy of cosmic rays, we present different approaches and results of composition studies with surface detectors. Furthermore, we discuss measurements of the longitudinal development of air showers from non-imaging Cherenkov detectors and fluorescence telescopes. The interpretation of these experimental results in terms of primary mass is highly susceptible to the theoretical uncertainties of hadronic interactions in air showers. We nevertheless attempt to calculate the logarithmic mass from the data using different hadronic interaction models and to study its energy dependence from 10$^{15}$ to 10$^{20}$ eV.

Spin-Down of Radio Millisecond Pulsars at Genesis [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:33:40 +0000

Millisecond pulsars are old neutron stars that have been spun up to high rotational frequencies via accretion of mass from a binary companion star. An important issue for understanding the physics of the early spin evolution of millisecond pulsars is the impact of the expanding magnetosphere during the terminal stages of the mass-transfer process. Here I report binary stellar evolution calculations that show that the braking torque acting on a neutron star, when the companion star decouples from its Roche-lobe, is able to dissipate >50% of the rotational energy of the pulsar. This effect may explain the apparent difference in observed spin distributions between x-ray and radio millisecond pulsars and help account for the noticeable age discrepancy with their young white dwarf companions.

Searches for very high energy gamma rays from blazars with CANGAROO-III telescope in 2005-2009 [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:32:57 +0000

We have searched for very high energy (VHE) gamma rays from four blazars using the CANGAROO-III imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope. We report the results of the observations of H 2356-309, PKS 2155-304, PKS 0537-441, and 3C 279, performed from 2005 to 2009, applying a new analysis to suppress the effects of the position dependence of Cherenkov images in the field of view. No significant VHE gamma ray emission was detected from any of the four blazars. The GeV gamma-ray spectra of these objects were obtained by analyzing Fermi/LAT archival data. Non-simultaneous wide range (radio to VHE gamma-ray bands) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) including CANGAROO-III upper limits, GeV gamma-ray spectra, and archival data are discussed using a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model in combination with a external Compton (EC) radiation. The HBLs (H 2356-309 and PKS 2155-304) can be explained by a simple SSC model, and PKS 0537-441 and 3C 279 are well modeled by a combination of SSC and EC model. We find a consistency with the blazar sequence in terms of strength of magnetic field and component size.

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:31:58 +0000

Measuring X-ray variability in faint/sparsely-sampled AGN

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:50:37 +0000

B2 0954+25A: a typical Fermi blazar or a gamma-loud Narrow Line Seyfert 1

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:49:45 +0000

B2 0954+25A, detected by the {\it Fermi} satellite, is a blazar with interesting observational properties: it has been observed to transit from a jet dominated to a disk dominated state; its radio spectrum appears flat at all observing frequencies (down to 74 MHz); optically, the H$\beta$ line profile is asymmetric. The flatness of radio spectrum suggests that the isotropic emission from radio lobes is very weak, despite the large size of its jet ($\gtrsim$ 500 kpc). Its broad–band spectral energy distribution is surprisingly similar to that of the prototypical $\gamma$–ray, radio loud, Narrow Line Seyfert 1 ($\gamma$–NLS1) galaxy PMN J0948+0022. In this work we revisit the mass estimates of B2 0954+25A considering only the symmetric component of the H$\beta$ line and find (1–3) $\times 10^8$ M$_{\sun}$. In light of our composite analysis, we propose to classify the source as a transition object between the class of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar and $\gamma$–ray, radio loud NLS1. A comparison with two members of each class (3C 273 and PMN J0948+0022) is discussed.

Chandra pulsar survey (ChaPS)

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:47:29 +0000

Taking advantage of the high sensitivity of the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, we have conducted a snap-shot survey of pulsars previously undetected in X-rays. We detected 12 pulsars and established deep flux limits for 11 pulsars. Using these new results, we revisit the relationship between the X-ray luminosity, L_psr_x, and spin-down power, Edot. We find that the obtained limits further increase the extremely large spread in the non-thermal X-ray efficiencies, eta_psr_x=L_psr_x/Edot, with some of them being now below 1e-5. Such a spread cannot be explained by poorly known distances or by beaming of pulsar radiation. We also find evidence of a break in the dependence of L_psr_x on Edot, such that pulsars become more X-ray efficient at Edot<~ 1e34-1e35 erg/s. We examine the relationship between the gamma-ray luminosity, L_psr_g, and Edot, which exhibits a smaller scatter compared to that in X-rays. This confirms that the very large spread in the X-ray efficiencies cannot be explained just by beaming because the gamma-ray emission is generally expected to be beamed stronger than the X-ray emission. Intriguingly, there is also an indication of a break in the L_psr_g(Edot) dependence at Edot~1e35 erg/s, with lower-Edot pulsars becoming less gamma-ray efficient. We also examine the distance-independent L_psr_f/L_psr_x ratio as a function of Edot for a sample of gamma-ray pulsars observed by Chandra and find that it peaks at Edot~1e35 erg/s, showing that the breaks cannot originate from poorly measured distances. We discuss the implications of our findings for existing models of magnetospheric emission and venues for further exploration.

Periodic Radio Variability in NRAO 530: Phase Dispersion Minimization Analysis

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:46:04 +0000

In this paper, a periodicity analysis of the radio light curves of the blazar NRAO 530 at 14.5, 8.0, and 4.8 GHz is presented employing an improved Phase Dispersion Minimization (PDM) technique. The result, which shows two persistent periodic components of $ \sim 6$ and $ \sim 10$ years at all three frequencies, is consistent with the results obtained with the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and weighted wavelet Z-transform algorithms. The reliability of the derived periodicities is confirmed by the Monte Carlo numerical simulations which show a high statistical confidence. (Quasi-)Periodic fluctuations of the radio luminosity of NRAO 530 might be associated with the oscillations of the accretion disk triggered by hydrodynamic instabilities of the accreted flow. \keywords{methods: statistical — galaxies: active — galaxies: quasar: individual: NRAO 530}

The Positioning System of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:45:17 +0000

The ANTARES neutrino telescope, located 40km off the coast of Toulon in the Mediterranean Sea at a mooring depth of about 2475m, consists of twelve detection lines equipped typically with 25 storeys. Every storey carries three optical modules that detect Cherenkov light induced by charged secondary particles (typically muons) coming from neutrino interactions. As these lines are flexible structures fixed to the sea bed and held taut by a buoy, sea currents cause the lines to move and the storeys to rotate. The knowledge of the position of the optical modules with a precision better than 10cm is essential for a good reconstruction of particle tracks. In this paper the ANTARES positioning system is described. It consists of an acoustic positioning system, for distance triangulation, and a compass-tiltmeter system, for the measurement of the orientation and inclination of the storeys. Necessary corrections are discussed and the results of the detector alignment procedure are described.

Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the black hole GX 339-4: I. A focus on the continuum in the low/hard and high/soft states

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:44:01 +0000

The microquasar GX 339-4, known to exhibit powerful compact jets that dominate its radio to near-infrared emission, entered an outburst in 2010 for the fifth time in about fifteen years. An extensive radio to X-ray multi-wavelength campaign was immediately triggered, and we report here on ESO/FORS2+ISAAC optical and near-infrared spectroscopic observations, supported by ATCA radio and RXTE/Swift X-ray quasi-simultaneous data. GX 339-4 was observed at three different epochs, once in the soft state and twice in the hard state. In the soft state, the optical and near-infrared continuum is largely consistent with the Raleigh-Jeans tail of a thermal process. As an explanation, we favour irradiation of the outer accretion disc by its inner regions, enhanced by disc warping. An excess is also present at low frequencies, likely due to a M subgiant companion star. During the first hard state, the optical/near-infrared continuum is well-described by the optically thin synchrotron emission of the compact jet combined with disc irradiation and perhaps another component peaking in the ultraviolet. The spectral break where the jet transits from the optically thick to thin regimes, located below 1.20e14 Hz, is not detected and the extension of the optically thin synchrotron is consistent with the 3-50 keV spectrum. In contrast, the emission during the second hard state is more difficult to understand and points toward a more complex jet continuum. In both cases, the near-infrared continuum is found to be variable at timescales at least as short as 20 s, although these variabilities are smoothed out beyond a few hundred seconds. This implies rapid variations – in flux and frequency – of the location of the spectral break, i.e. dramatic short timescale changes of the physical conditions at the base of the jet, such as the magnetic field and/or the base radius.

The Detonation Mechanism of the Pulsationally-Assisted Gravitationally-Confined Detonation Model of Type Ia Supernovae

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:41:53 +0000

We describe the detonation mechanism comprising the “Pulsationally Assisted” Gravitationally Confined Detonation (GCD) model of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). This model is analogous to the previous GCD model reported in Jordan (2008); however, the chosen initial conditions produce a substantively different detonation mechanism, resulting from a larger energy release during the deflagration phase. The resulting final energy releases and nickel-56 yields conform better to observational values than is the case for the “classical” GCD models. In the present class of models, the ignition of a deflagration phase leads to a rising, burning plume of ash. The ash breaks out of the surface of the white dwarf, flows laterally around the star, and converges on the collision region at the antipodal point from where it broke out. The amount of energy released during the deflagration phase is enough to cause the star to rapidly expand, so that when the ash reaches the antipodal point, the surface density is too low to initiate a detonation. Instead, as the ash flows into the collision region (while mixing with surface fuel) the star reaches its maximally expanded state and then contracts. The stellar contraction acts to increase the density of the star, including the density in the collision region. This both raises the temperature and density of the fuel-ash mixture in the collision region and ultimately leads to thermodynamic conditions that produce a detonation. We demonstrate this mechanism with three 3-dimensional (3D), full star simulations of this model using the FLASH code, varying the initial offset of the ignition points for each model. The simulations are characterized by nuclear energy releases ranging from 38% to 78% of the binding energy of the white dwarf during the deflagration phase. We show that the conditions for detonation are achieved in all three of the models.

Fading Hawking Radiation [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:32:03 +0000

In this study, we explore a particular type Hawking radiation which ends with zero temperature and entropy. The appropriate black holes for this purpose are the linear dilaton black holes. In addition to the black hole choice, a recent formalism in which the Parikh-Wilczek’s tunneling formalism amalgamated with quantum corrections to all orders in \hbar is considered. The adjustment of the coefficients of the quantum corrections plays a crucial role on this particular Hawking radiation. The obtained tunneling rate indicates that the radiation is not pure thermal anymore, and hence correlations of outgoing quanta are capable of carrying away information encoded within them. Finally, we show in detail that when the linear dilaton black hole completely evaporates through such a particular radiation, entropy of the radiation becomes identical with the entropy of the black hole, which corresponds to “no information loss”.

Optical to X-rays supernovae light curves following shock breakout through a thick wind

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:52:16 +0000

Recent supernovae (SNe) detections have motivated renewed interest in SN shock breakouts from stars surrounded by thick winds, including predictions of observable hard X-rays. Wind breakouts on timescales of a day or longer are currently the most probable for detection. Here we study the signal that follows such events, assuming a wind density profile $\propto r^{-2}$, starting from the breakout of the radiation mediated shock and tracing the evolution of the collisionless shock which forms afterwards. The emission contains two spectral components – soft (optical/UV) and hard (X-rays and possibly soft gamma-rays). We find that during the breakout, the soft component temperature can vary significantly from one event to another (10^4-10^6 K), where events with longer breakout time, t_bo, are generally softer. The hard component is always a minute fraction, ~10^-4, of the breakout emission, and its fraction of the total luminosity rises quickly afterwards, gaining dominance at ~10-50 t_bo. The spectral evolution of the soft and hard components, as well as the prospects for detection of X-rays, depend mostly on the breakout time. In early breakouts (t_bo ~ 80 d for typical parameters) the soft component becomes softer with time and the hard component becomes dominant only after the luminosity has dropped significantly. In terms of prospects for X-ray and soft gamma-ray detections, it is best to observe 100-500 days after explosions with breakout timescales between a week and a month.

Average power density spectrum of Swift long gamma-ray bursts in the observer and in the source rest frames

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:50:14 +0000

We calculate the average power density spectra (PDS) of 244 long gamma-ray bursts detected with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope in the 15-150 keV band from January 2005 to August 2011. For the first time we derived the average PDS in the source rest frame of 97 GRBs with known redshift. For 49 of them an average PDS was also obtained in a common source-frame energy band to account for the dependence of time profiles on energy. Previous results obtained on BATSE GRBs with unknown redshift showed that the average spectrum in the 25-2000 keV band could be modelled with a power-law with a 5/3 index over nearly two decades of frequency with a break at ~1 Hz. Depending on the normalisation and on the subset of GRBs considered, our results show analogous to steeper slopes (between 1.7 and 2.0) of the power-law. However, no clear evidence for the break at ~1 Hz was found, although the softer energy band of BAT compared with BATSE might account for that. We instead find a break at lower frequency corresponding to a typical source rest frame characteristic time of a few seconds. We furthermore find no significant differences between observer and source rest frames. Notably, no distinctive PDS features are found for GRBs with different intrinsic properties of the prompt emission either. Finally, the average PDS of GRBs at higher redshifts shows possibly shallower power-law indices than that of low-z GRBs. It is not clear whether this is due to an evolution with z of the average PDS.

Numerical simulations of strong incompressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:48:10 +0000

Magnetised plasma turbulence pervades the universe and is likely to play an important role in a variety of astrophysical settings. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) provides the simplest theoretical framework in which phenomenological models for the turbulent dynamics can be built. Numerical simulations of MHD turbulence are widely used to guide and test the theoretical predictions; however, simulating MHD turbulence and accurately measuring its scaling properties is far from straightforward. Computational power limits the calculations to moderate Reynolds numbers and often simplifying assumptions are made in order that a wider range of scales can be accessed. After describing the theoretical predictions and the numerical approaches that are often employed in studying strong incompressible MHD turbulence, we present the findings of a series of high-resolution direct numerical simulations. We discuss the effects that insufficiencies in the computational approach can have on the solution and its physical interpretation.

Constraints on the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic-rays using cosmic diffuse neutrino flux limits: An analytical approach

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:46:01 +0000

Astrophysical neutrinos are expected to be produced in the interactions of ultra-high energy cosmic-rays with surrounding photons. The fluxes of the astrophysical neutrinos are highly dependent on the characteristics of the cosmic-ray sources, such as their cosmological distributions. We study possible constraints on the properties of cosmic-ray sources in a model-independent way using experimentally obtained diffuse neutrino flux above 100 PeV. The semi-analytic formula is derived to estimate the cosmogenic neutrino fluxes as functions of source evolution parameter and source extension in redshift. The obtained formula converts the upper-limits on the neutrino fluxes into the constraints on the cosmic-ray sources. It is found that the recently obtained upper-limit on the cosmogenic neutrinos by IceCube constrains the scenarios with strongly evolving ultra-high energy cosmic-ray sources, and the future limits from an 1 km^3 scale detector are able to further constrain the ultra-high energy cosmic-rays sources with evolutions comparable to the cosmic star formation rate.

Role of ejecta clumping and back-reaction of accelerated cosmic rays in the evolution of Type Ia supernova remnants

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:43:59 +0000

We investigate the role played by initial clumping of ejecta and by efficient acceleration of cosmic rays (CRs) in determining the density structure of the post-shock region of a Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) through detailed 3D MHD modeling. Our model describes the expansion of a SNR through a magnetized interstellar medium (ISM), including the initial clumping of ejecta and the effects on shock dynamics due to back-reaction of accelerated CRs. The model predictions are compared to the observations of SN 1006. We found that the back-reaction of accelerated CRs alone cannot reproduce the observed separation between the forward shock (FS) and the contact discontinuity (CD) unless the energy losses through CR acceleration and escape are very large and independent of the obliquity angle. On the contrary, the clumping of ejecta can naturally reproduce the observed small separation and the occurrence of protrusions observed in SN 1006, even without the need of accelerated CRs. We conclude that FS-CD separation is a probe of the ejecta structure at the time of explosion rather than a probe of the efficiency of CR acceleration in young SNRs.

The X-ray emission of magnetic cataclysmic variables in the XMM-Newton era

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:43:40 +0000

We review the X-ray spectral properties of magnetic cataclysmic binaries derived from observations obtained during the last decade with the large X-ray observatories XMM-Newton, Chandra and Suzaku. We focus on the signatures of the different accretion modes which are predicted according to the values of the main physical parameters (magnetic field, local accretion rate and white dwarf mass). The observed large diversity of spectral behaviors indicates a wide range of parameter values in both intermediate polars and polars, in line with a possible evolutionary link between both classes.

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:38:20 +0000

The fundamental plane for radio magnetars [Replacement]

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:31:41 +0000

High magnetic fields are a distinguishing feature of neutron stars and the existence of sources (the soft gamma repeaters and the anomalous X-ray pulsars) hosting an ultra-magnetized neutron star (or magnetar) has been recognized in the past few decades. Magnetars are believed to be powered by magnetic energy and not by rotation, as with normal radio pulsars. Until recently, the radio quietness and magnetic fields typically above the quantum critical value (Bq~4.4×10^{13} G), were among the characterizing properties of magnetars. The recent discovery of radio pulsed emission from a few of them, and of a low dipolar magnetic field soft gamma repeater, weakened further the idea of a clean separation between normal pulsars and magnetars. In this Letter we show that radio emission from magnetars might be powered by rotational energy, similarly to what occurs in normal radio pulsars. The peculiar characteristics of magnetars radio emission should be traced in the complex magnetic geometry of these sources. Furthermore, we propose that magnetar radio activity or inactivity can be predicted from the knowledge of the star’s rotational period, its time derivative and the quiescent X-ray luminosity.

Indirect Dark Matter Detection in the Light of Sterile Neutrinos [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:31:04 +0000

The recent global fit of short baseline neutrino oscillation data favors the presence of one (or more) sterile neutrino state which leads to new mass splitting \Delta m^2 ~1 eV^2. We consider the effect of this new states on the evolution of neutrinos from the dark matter annihilation inside the Sun. We show that neutrinos with energy E_\nu > 100 GeV undergo resonant active-sterile oscillation which depletes the flux of neutrinos arriving at the Earth. As an example of this effect, we present the oscillation probabilities for the case of monochromatic neutrinos from the direct annihilation of dark matter particles to neutrinos and the depletion due to the presence of sterile neutrinos.

A Chandra Survey of Supermassive Black Holes with Dynamical Mass Measurements

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:57:42 +0000

We present Chandra observations of 12 galaxies that contain supermassive black holes with dynamical mass measurements. Each galaxy was observed for 30 ksec and resulted in a total of 68 point source detections in the target galaxies including supermassive black hole sources, ultraluminous X-ray sources, and extragalactic X-ray binaries. Based on our fits of the X-ray spectra, we report fluxes, luminosities, Eddington ratios, and slope of the power-law spectrum. Normalized to the Eddington luminosity, the 2–10 keV band X-ray luminosities of the SMBH sources range from $10^{-8}$ to $10^{-6}$, and the power-law slopes are centered at $\sim2$ with a slight trend towards steeper (softer) slopes at smaller Eddington fractions, implying a change in the physical processes responsible for their emission at low accretion rates. We find 20 ULX candidates, of which six are likely ($>90%$ chance) to be true ULXs. The most promising ULX candidate has an isotropic luminosity in the 0.3–10 keV band of $1.0_{-0.3}^{+0.6} \times 10^{40}$ erg/s.

A Transient Sub-Eddington Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidate in the Dust Lanes of Centaurus A

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:57:20 +0000

We report the discovery of a bright X-ray transient, CXOU J132527.6-430023, in the nearby early-type galaxy NGC 5128. The source was first detected over the course of five Chandra observations in 2007, reaching an unabsorbed outburst luminosity of 1-2*10^38 erg/s in the 0.5-7.0 keV band before returning to quiescence. Such luminosities are possible for both stellar-mass black hole and neutron star X-ray binary transients. Here, we attempt to characterize the nature of the compact object. No counterpart has been detected in the optical or radio sky, but the proximity of the source to the dust lanes allows for the possibility of an obscured companion. The brightness of the source after a >100 fold increase in X-ray flux makes it either the first confirmed transient non-ULX black hole system in outburst to be subject to detailed spectral modeling outside the Local Group, or a bright (>10^38 erg/s) transient neutron star X-ray binary, which are very rare. Such a large increase in flux would appear to lend weight to the view that this is a black hole transient. X-ray spectral fitting of an absorbed power law yielded unphysical photon indices, while the parameters of the best-fit absorbed disc blackbody model are typical of an accreting ~10 Msol black hole in the thermally dominant state.

Broad-band Jet Emission in Young and Powerful Radio Sources: the Case of the CSS Quasar 3C 186

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:57:06 +0000

We present the X-ray analysis of a deep ~200 ksec Chandra observation of the compact steep spectrum radio-loud quasar 3C 186 (z=1.06) and investigate the contribution of the unresolved radio jet to the total X-ray emission. The spectral analysis is not conclusive on the origin of the bulk of the X-ray emission. In order to examine the jet contribution to the X-ray flux, we model the quasar spectral energy distribution (SED), adopting several scenarios for the jet emission. For the values of the main physical parameters favored by the observables, a dominant role of the jet emission in the X-ray band is ruled out when a single zone (leptonic) scenario is adopted, even including the contribution of the external photon fields as seed photons for inverse Compton emission. We then consider a structured jet, with the blazar component that- although not directly visible in the X-ray band – provides an intense field of seed synchrotron photons Compton-scattered by electrons in a mildly relativistic knot. In this case the whole X-ray emission can be accounted for if we assume a blazar luminosity within the range observed from flat spectrum radio quasars. The X-ray radiative efficiency of such (structured) jet is intimately related to the presence of a complex velocity structure. The jet emission can provide a significant contribution in X-rays if it decelerates within the host galaxy, on kiloparsec scales. We discuss the implications of this model in terms of jet dynamics and interaction with the ambient medium.

SGR J1550-5418 bursts detected with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor during its most prolific activity

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:56:25 +0000

We have performed detailed temporal and time-integrated spectral analysis of 286 bursts from SGR J1550-5418 detected with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) in January 2009, resulting in the largest uniform sample of temporal and spectral properties of SGR J1550-5418 bursts. We have used the combination of broadband and high time-resolution data provided with GBM to perform statistical studies for the source properties. We determine the durations, emission times, duty cycles and rise times for all bursts, and find that they are typical of SGR bursts. We explore various models in our spectral analysis, and conclude that the spectra of SGR J1550-5418 bursts in the 8-200 keV band are equally well described by optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung (OTTB), a power law with an exponential cutoff (Comptonized model), and two black-body functions (BB+BB). In the spectral fits with the Comptonized model we find a mean power-law index of -0.92, close to the OTTB index of -1. We show that there is an anti-correlation between the Comptonized Epeak and the burst fluence and average flux. For the BB+BB fits we find that the fluences and emission areas of the two blackbody functions are correlated. The low-temperature BB has an emission area comparable to the neutron star surface area, independent of the temperature, while the high-temperature blackbody has a much smaller area and shows an anti-correlation between emission area and temperature. We compare the properties of these bursts with bursts observed from other SGR sources during extreme activations, and discuss the implications of our results in the context of magnetar burst models.

Periodic Emission from the Gamma-ray Binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:56:10 +0000

Gamma-ray binaries are stellar systems containing a neutron star or black hole with gamma-ray emission produced by an interaction between the components. These systems are rare, even though binary evolution models predict dozens in our Galaxy. A search for gamma-ray binaries with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) shows that 1FGL J1018.6-5856 exhibits intensity and spectral modulation with a 16.6 day period. We identified a variable X-ray counterpart, which shows a sharp maximum coinciding with maximum gamma-ray emission, as well as an O6V((f)) star optical counterpart and a radio counterpart that is also apparently modulated on the orbital period. 1FGL J1018.6-5856 is thus a gamma-ray binary, and its detection suggests the presence of other fainter binaries in the Galaxy.

Two-Phase ICM in the Central Region of the Rich Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795: A Joint Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku View

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:54:23 +0000

Based on a detailed analysis of the high-quality Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku data of the X-ray bright cluster of galaxies Abell 1795, we report clear evidence for a two-phase intracluster medium (ICM) structure, which consists of a cool (with a temperature T = 2.0-2.2 keV) and a hot (T = 5.0-5.7 keV) component that coexist and dominate the X-ray emission at least in the central 80 kpc. A third weak emission component (T = 0.8 keV) is also detected within the innermost 144 kpc and is ascribed to a portion of inter-stellar medium (ISM) of the cD galaxy. Deprojected spectral analysis reveals flat radial temperature distributions for both the hot phase and cool phase components. These results are consistent with the ASCA measurements reported in Xu et al. (1998), and resemble the previous findings for the Centaurus cluster (e.g., Takahashi et al. 2009). By analyzing the emission measure ratio and gas metal abundance maps created from the Chandra data, we find that the cool phase component is more metal-enriched than the hot phase one in 50-100 kpc region, which agrees with that found in M87 (Simionescu et al. 2008). The coexistence of the cool phase and hot phase ICM cannot be realized by bubble uplifting from active galactic nuclei (AGN) alone. Instead, the two-phase ICM properties are better reconciled with a cD corona model (Makishima et al. 2001). (Abridged)

Simultaneous B’V'R’ Monitoring of BL Lacertae Object S5~0716+714 and Detection of Inter-Band Time Delay

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:52:13 +0000

We present the results of our optical monitoring of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 on seven nights in 2006 December. The monitoring was carried out simultaneously at three optical wavelengths with a novel photometric system. The object did not show large-amplitude internight variations during this period. Intranight variations were observed on four nights and probably on one more. Strong bluer-when-brighter chromatism was detected on both intranight and internight timescales. The intranight variation amplitude decreases in the wavelength sequence of B’, R’, and V’. Cross correlation analyses revealed that the variability at the $B’$ and $V’$ bands lead that at the $R’$ band by about 30 minutes on one night.

Inferring Core-Collapse Supernova Physics with Gravitational Waves [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:51:06 +0000

Stellar collapse and the subsequent development of a core-collapse supernova explosion emit bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) that might be detected by the advanced generation of laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories such as Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and LCGT. GW bursts from core-collapse supernovae encode information on the intricate multi-dimensional dynamics at work at the core of a dying massive star and may provide direct evidence for the yet uncertain mechanism driving supernovae in massive stars. Recent multi-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae exploding via the neutrino, magnetorotational, and acoustic explosion mechanisms have predicted GW signals which have distinct structure in both the time and frequency domains. Motivated by this, we describe a promising method for determining the most likely explosion mechanism underlying a hypothetical GW signal, based on Principal Component Analysis and Bayesian model selection. Using simulated Advanced LIGO noise and assuming a single detector and linear waveform polarization for simplicity, we demonstrate that our method can distinguish magnetorotational explosions throughout the Milky Way (D <~ 10kpc) and explosions driven by the neutrino and acoustic mechanisms to D <~ 2kpc. Furthermore, we show that we can differentiate between models for rotating accretion-induced collapse of massive white dwarfs and models of rotating iron core collapse with high reliability out to several kpc.

Revisiting the Higgs Mass and Dark Matter in the CMSSM [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:50:06 +0000

Taking into account the available accelerator and astrophysical constraints, the mass of the lightest neutral Higgs boson h in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking masses (CMSSM) has been estimated to lie between 114 and ~ 130 GeV. Recent data from ATLAS and CMS hint that m_h ~ 125 GeV, though m_h ~ 119 GeV may still be a possibility. Here we study the consequences for the parameters of the CMSSM and direct dark matter detection if the Higgs hint is confirmed, focusing on the strips in the (m_1/2, m_0) planes for different tan beta and A_0 where the relic density of the lightest neutralino chi falls within the range of the cosmological cold dark matter density allowed by WMAP and other experiments. We find that if m_h ~ 125 GeV focus-point strips would be disfavoured, as would the low-tan beta stau-chi and stop -chi coannihilation strips, whereas the stau-chi coannihilation strip at large tan beta and A_0 > 0 would be favoured, together with its extension to a funnel where rapid annihilation via direct-channel H/A poles dominates. On the other hand, if m_h ~ 119 GeV more options would be open. We give parametrizations of WMAP strips with large tan beta and fixed A_0/m_0 > 0 that include portions compatible with m_h = 125 GeV, and present predictions for spin-independent elastic dark matter scattering along these strips. These are generally low for models compatible with m_h = 125 GeV, whereas the XENON100 experiment already excludes some portions of strips where m_h is smaller.

Recent Results of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:49:10 +0000

Some recent results of the ANTARES neutrino telescope are reviewed.

A detailed comparison of REAS3 and MGMR simulations for radio emission from EAS

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:45:36 +0000

In the last years, several models and simulations calculating the radio emission from cosmic ray air showers have been developed. However, a number of those made conflicting predictions on the pulse shapes and the amplitudes of the radio signal. In the scope of this paper, we discuss a detailed comparison of two independent and complementary theoretical approaches, namely MGMR and REAS3. Furthermore, we study the influence of the underlying air shower models on the predicted pulse shapes and amplitudes and show that remaining discrepancies between MGMR and REAS3 are mostly determined by the air shower models. With this general agreement, a breakthrough in the understanding of the modelling of radio emission from air showers has been achieved.

A Broadband Study of the Emission from the Composite Supernova Remnant MSH 11-62

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:44:14 +0000

MSH 11-62 (G291.1-0.9) is a composite supernova remnant for which radio and X-ray observations have identified the remnant shell as well as its central pulsar wind nebula. The observations suggest a relatively young system expanding into a low density region. Here we present a study of MSH 11-62 using observations with the Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Fermi observatories, along with radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We identify a compact X-ray source that appears to be the putative pulsar that powers the nebula, and show that the X-ray spectrum of the nebula bears the signature of synchrotron losses as particles diffuse into the outer nebula. Using data from the Fermi LAT, we identify gamma-ray emission originating from MSH 11-62. With density constraints from the new X-ray measurements of the remnant, we model the evolution of the composite system in order to constrain the properties of the underlying pulsar and the origin of the gamma-ray emission.

Deep Crustal Heating in a Multicomponent Accreted Neutron Star Crust [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:43:11 +0000

A quasi-statistical equilibrium model is constructed to simulate the multicomponent composition of the crust of an accreting neutron star. The ashes of rp-process nucleosynthesis are driven by accretion through a series of electron captures, neutron emissions, and pycnonuclear fusions up to densities near the transition between the neutron star crust and core. A liquid droplet model which includes nuclear shell effects is used to provide nuclear masses far from stability. Reaction pathways are determined consistently with the nuclear mass model. The nuclear symmetry energy is an important uncertainty in the masses of the exotic nuclei in the inner crust and varying the symmetry energy changes the amount of deep crustal heating by as much as a factor of two.

Measurement of Cosmic Ray spectrum and Anisotropy with ARGO-YBJ

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:42:58 +0000

In this paper we report on the observation of the anisotropy of cosmic ray arrival direction at different angular scales with ARGO-YBJ. Evidence of new few-degree excesses throughout the sky region 195$^{\circ}\leq$ R.A. $\leq$ 315$^{\circ}$ is presented for the first time. We report also on the measurement of the light-component (p+He) spectrum of primary cosmic rays in the range 5 – 200 TeV.

Evidence for two neutrino mass eigenstates from SN 1987A and the possibility of superluminal neutrinos [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:38:16 +0000

This paper reports a new phenomenological analysis of the neutrino burst detected from SN 1987 A, and it reveals the presence of two mass eigenstates. The heavier mass eigenstate has $m_H=21.4 \pm 1.2 eV/c^2$, while the lighter one has $m_L=4.0 \pm0.5 eV/c^2 $. It is not the first paper to make such a claim, but it expands on a 1988 conditional analysis by Cowsik, and it attempts to make the evidence more robust through an improved statistical analysis, and through providing reasons why alternative explanations are unlikely. It also shows how the result can be made consistent with existing smaller electron neutrino mass limits with the existence of a third tachyonic (superluminal) mass eigenstate.

Hydrodynamics of Core-Collapse Supernovae at the Transition to Explosion. I. Spherical Symmetry [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:37:48 +0000

We study the transition to runaway expansion of an initially stalled core-collapse supernova shock. The neutrino luminosity, mass accretion rate, and neutrinospheric radius are all treated as free parameters. In spherical symmetry, this transition is mediated by a global non-adiabatic instability that develops on the advection time and reaches non-linear amplitude. Here we perform high-resolution, time-dependent hydrodynamic simulations of stalled supernova shocks with realistic microphysics to analyze this transition. We find that radial instability is a sufficient condition for runaway expansion if the neutrinospheric parameters do not vary with time and if heating by the accretion luminosity is neglected. For a given unstable mode, transition to runaway occurs when fluid in the gain region reaches positive specific energy. We find approximate instability criteria that accurately describe the behavior of the system over a wide region of parameter space. The threshold neutrino luminosities are in general different than the limiting value for a steady-state solution. We hypothesize that multidimensional explosions arise from the excitation of unstable large-scale modes of the turbulent background flow, at threshold luminosities that are lower than in the laminar case.

The X-ray absorbing column density of a complete sample of bright Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:36:03 +0000

A complete sample of bright Swift Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) has been recently selected by Salvaterra et al. (2011). The sample has a high level of completeness in redshift (91%). We derive here the intrinsic absorbing X-ray column densities of these GRBs making use of the Swift X-ray Telescope data. This distribution has a mean value of log(NH/cm-2)=21.7+-0.5. This value is consistent with the distribution of the column densities derived from the total sample of GRBs with redshift. We find a mild increase of the intrinsic column density with redshift. This can be interpreted as due to the contribution of intervening systems along the line of sight. Making use of the spectral index connecting optical and X-ray fluxes at 11 hr (beta_OX), we investigate the relation of the intrinsic column density and the GRB `darkness’. We find that there is a very tight correlation between dark GRBs and high X-ray column densities. This clearly indicates that the dark GRBs are formed in a metal-rich environment where dust must be present.

Recovering the Pulse Profiles and Polarization Position Angles of Some Pulsars from Interstellar Scattering [Replacement]

astro-ph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:34:30 +0000

Interstellar scattering causes broadening and distortion to the mean pulse profiles and polarization position angle (PPA) curves, especially to the pulse profiles observed at lower frequency. This paper has implemented a method to recover the pulse profiles and the PPA curves of five pulsars which have obvious scattered pulse profiles at lower frequency. It reports a simulation to show the scattering and descattering of pulse profiles and PPA curves. As a practical application, lower-frequency profiles and PPA curves of PSR 1356-60, PSR 1831-03, PSR 1838+04, PSR 1859+03, PSR 1946+35 are obtained. It is found that the original pulse profiles and PPA curves can be recovered.

Anisotropies in the diffuse gamma-ray background measured by the Fermi LAT

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:02:11 +0000

The contribution of unresolved sources to the diffuse gamma-ray background could induce anisotropies in this emission on small angular scales. We analyze the angular power spectrum of the diffuse emission measured by the Fermi LAT at Galactic latitudes |b| > 30 deg in four energy bins spanning 1 to 50 GeV. At multipoles \ell \ge 155, corresponding to angular scales \lesssim 2 deg, angular power above the photon noise level is detected at >99.99% CL in the 1-2 GeV, 2-5 GeV, and 5-10 GeV energy bins, and at >99% CL at 10-50 GeV. Within each energy bin the measured angular power takes approximately the same value at all multipoles \ell \ge 155, suggesting that it originates from the contribution of one or more unclustered source populations. The amplitude of the angular power normalized to the mean intensity in each energy bin is consistent with a constant value at all energies, C_P/^2 = 9.05 +/- 0.84 x 10^{-6} sr, while the energy dependence of C_P is consistent with the anisotropy arising from one or more source populations with power-law photon spectra with spectral index \Gamma_s = 2.40 +/- 0.07. We discuss the implications of the measured angular power for gamma-ray source populations that may provide a contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray background.

General Relativistic Modeling of Magnetized Jets from Accreting Black Holes

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:57:48 +0000

Recent advances in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic modeling of jets offer unprecedented insights into the inner workings of accreting black holes that power the jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and other accretion systems. I will present the results of recent studies that determine spin-dependence of jet power and discuss the implications for the AGN radio loud/quiet dichotomy and recent observations of high jet power in a number of AGN.

Limits on the extragalactic background light in the Fermi era

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:57:16 +0000

Very high energy (VHE, energy $E \gtrsim 100$\,GeV) \gamma-rays from cosmological sources are attenuated due to the interaction with photons of the extragalactic background light (EBL) in the ultraviolet to infrared wavelength band. The EBL, thus, leaves an imprint on the observed energy spectra of these objects. In the last four years, the number of extragalactic VHE sources discovered with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs), such as MAGIC, H.E.S.S., and VERITAS, has doubled. Furthermore, the measurements of the \emph{Fermi} satellite brought new insights into the intrinsic spectra of the sources at GeV energies. In this paper, upper limits on the EBL intensity are derived by considering the most extensive VHE source sample ever used in this context. This is accomplished by constructing a large number of generic EBL shapes and combining spectral informations from \emph{Fermi} and IACTs together with minimal assumptions about the source physics at high and very high \gamma-ray energies. The evolution of the EBL with redshift is accounted for and the possibility of the formation of an electromagnetic cascade and the implications on the upper limits are explored. The EBL density at $z=0$ is constrained over a broad wavelength range between 0.4 and 100\,\mu m. At optical wavelengths, the EBL density is constrained below 24\,nW\,m$^{-2}$\,sr$^{-1}$ and below 5\,nW\,m$^{-2}$\,sr$^{-1}$ between 8\,\mu m and 31\,\mu m.

Propagation of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray Nuclei in Cosmic Magnetic Fields and Implications for Anisotropy Measurements

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:56:25 +0000

(Abridged) Recent results from the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) indicate that the composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with energies above $10^{19}$ eV may be dominated by heavy nuclei. An important question is whether the distribution of arrival directions for such UHECR nuclei can exhibit observable anisotropy or positional correlations with their astrophysical source objects despite the expected strong deflections by intervening magnetic fields. For this purpose, we have simulated the propagation of UHECR nuclei including models for both the extragalactic magnetic field and the Galactic magnetic field. Assuming that only iron nuclei are injected steadily from sources with equal luminosity and spatially distributed according to the observed large scale structure in the local Universe, at the number of events published by the PAO so far, the arrival distribution of UHECRs would be consistent with no auto-correlation at 95% confidence if the mean number density of UHECR sources $n_s >~ 10^{-6}$ Mpc$^{-3}$, and consistent with no cross-correlation with sources within 95% errors for $n_s >~ 10^{-5}$ Mpc$^{-3}$. On the other hand, with 1000 events above $5.5 \times 10^{19}$ eV in the whole sky, next generation experiments can reveal auto-correlation with more than 99% probability even for $n_s <~ 10^{-3}$ Mpc$^{-3}$, and cross-correlation with sources with more than 99% probability for $n_s <~ 10^{-4}$ Mpc$^{-3}$. In addition, we find that the contribution of Centaurus A is required to reproduce the currently observed UHECR excess in the Centaurus region. Secondary protons generated by photodisintegration of primary heavy nuclei during propagation play a crucial role in all cases, and the resulting anisotropy at small angular scales should provide a strong hint of the source location if the maximum energies of the heavy nuclei are sufficiently high.

TeV Gamma-ray Observations of Markarian 421 using TACTIC during 2009-10

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:49:55 +0000

We have observed the blazar Markarian 421 with the TACTIC $\gamma$-ray telescope at Mt. Abu, India, from 22 November 2009 to 16 May 2010 for 265 hours. Detailed analysis of the data so recorded revealed presence of a TeV $\gamma$-ray signal with a statistical significance of 12.12$\sigma$ at $E_{\gamma}\geq$ 1 TeV. We have estimated the time averaged differential energy spectrum of the source in the energy range 1.0 – 16.44 TeV. The spectrum fits well with the power law function of the form ($dF/dE=f_0 E^{-\Gamma}$) with $f_0=(1.39\pm0.239)\times 10^{-11}cm^{-2}s^{-1}TeV^{-1}$ and $\Gamma=2.31\pm0.14$.

A new Monte Carlo Generator for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays from the Local and Distant Universe

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:49:10 +0000

For the understanding of the origin and propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) we developed a new approach to simulating UHECRs from an arbitrary number of sources based on Monte Carlo technique. The method consists of a combination of three steps. For distant sources we apply commonly accepted parameterizations to calculate the contribution to the observed cosmic ray flux. For sources of the local universe we use forward tracking through realistic matter distributions and magnetic fields resulting from explicit simulations of large-scale structure formation. From the calculations and the forward tracking we generate maps of the probability to observe a particle with a given energy from a discrete direction. To account for deflections in the galactic field, these probability maps are transformed by matrices calculated from backtracking of antiparticles through field parameterizations. Based on the combined probability maps, Monte Carlo production of individual UHECR data is performed which are then used in comparisons with UHECR measurements. The simulated UHECR data serves for optimizing the analysis techniques used in UHECR measurements as well as for constraining the parameter space of the underlying source and magnetic field models.

Phase-resolved Crab pulsar measurements from 25 to 400 GeV with the MAGIC telescopes

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:48:58 +0000

We report on observations of the Crab pulsar with the MAGIC telescopes. Our data were taken in both monoscopic (> 25GeV) and stereoscopic (> 50GeV) observation modes. Two peaks were detected with both modes and phase-resolved energy spectra were calculated. By comparing with Fermi- LAT measurements, we find that the energy spectrum of the Crab pulsar does not follow a power law with an exponential cutoff, but has an additional hard component, extending up to at least 400 GeV. This suggests that the emission above 25 GeV is not dominated by curvature radiation, as suggested in the standard scenarios of the OG and SG models.

All-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum measured with 26 IceTop stations

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:46:49 +0000

We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum with the IceTop air shower array, the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. The data used in this analysis were taken between June and October, 2007, with 26 surface stations operational at that time, corresponding to about one third of the final array. The fiducial area used in this analysis was 0.122 km^2. The analysis investigated the energy spectrum from 1 to 100 PeV measured for three different zenith angle ranges between 0{\deg} and 46{\deg}. Because of the isotropy of cosmic rays in this energy range the spectra from all zenith angle intervals have to agree. The cosmic-ray energy spectrum was determined under different assumptions on the primary mass composition. Good agreement of spectra in the three zenith angle ranges was found for the assumption of pure proton and a simple two-component model. For zenith angles {\theta} < 30{\deg}, where the mass dependence is smallest, the knee in the cosmic ray energy spectrum was observed between 3.5 and 4.32 PeV, depending on composition assumption. Spectral indices above the knee range from -3.08 to -3.11 depending on primary mass composition assumption. Moreover, an indication of a flattening of the spectrum above 22 PeV were observed.

The fundamental plane for radio magnetars

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:45:19 +0000

High magnetic fields are a distinguishing feature of neutron stars and the existence of sources (the soft gamma repeaters and the anomalous X-ray pulsars) hosting an ultra-magnetized neutron star (or magnetar) has been recognized in the past few decades. Magnetars are believed to be powered by magnetic energy and not by rotation, as with normal radio pulsars. Until recently, the radio quietness and magnetic fields typically above the quantum critical value (Bq~4.4×10^{13} G), were among the characterizing properties of magnetars. The recent discovery of radio pulsed emission from a few of them, and of a low dipolar magnetic field soft gamma repeater, weakened further the idea of a clean separation between normal pulsars and magnetars. In this Letter we show that radio emission from magnetars might be powered by rotational energy, similarly to what occurs in normal radio pulsars. The peculiar characteristics of magnetars radio emission should be traced in the complex magnetic geometry of these sources. Furthermore, we propose that magnetar radio activity or inactivity can be predicted from the knowledge of the star’s rotational period, its time derivative and the quiescent X-ray luminosity.

The structure of a collisionless shock in a partially ionized medium: I. Cosmic rays as test particles

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:44:17 +0000

A collisionless shock may be strongly modified by the presence of neutral atoms through the processes of charge exchange between ions and neutrals and ionization of the latter. These two processes lead to exchange of energy and momentum between charged and neutral particles both upstream and downstream of the shock. In particular, neutrals that suffer a charge exchange downstream with shock-heated ions generate high velocity neutrals that have a finite probability of returning upstream. These neutrals might then deposit heat in the upstream plasma through ionization and charge exchange, thereby reducing the fluid Mach number. A consequence of this phenomenon, that we refer to as “the neutral return flux”, is a reduction of the shock compression factor and the formation of a shock precursor upstream. The scale length of the precursor is determined by the ionization and charge exchange interaction lengths of fast neutrals moving towards upstream infinity. In the case of a shock propagating in the interstellar medium, the effects of ion-neutral interactions are especially important for shock velocities < 3000 km/s. Such propagation velocities are common among shocks associated with supernova remnants, the primary candidate sources for the acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays. We then investigate the effects of the return flux of neutrals on the spectrum of test-particles accelerated at the shock. We find that, for shocks slower than ~3000 km/s, the particle energy spectrum steepens appreciably with respect to the naive expectation for a strong shock, namely E^-2.

Correlation between the isotropic energy and the peak energy at zero fluence for the individual pulses of GRBs: towards an universal physical correlation for the prompt emission

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:43:33 +0000

We find a strong correlation between the peak energy at zero fluence ($\rm E_{peak,0}$) and the isotropic energy ($\rm E_{\gamma,iso}$) of the 22 pulses of 9 Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) detected by the Fermi satellite. The correlation holds for the individual pulses of each GRB, which shows the reality of the correlation. The derived correlation (Spearman correlation coefficient, $r$, is 0.96) is much stronger compared to the correlations using $\rm E_{peak}$ (in place of $\rm E_{peak,0}$) determined from the time-integrated spectrum ($r$ = 0.8), or the time-resolved spectrum not accounting for broad pulse structures ($r$ = 0.37), or the pulse-wise spectrum ($r$ = 0.89). Though the improvement in the $\rm E_{peak}$ – $\rm E_{\gamma,iso}$ relation (the Amati relation) for a pulse-wise analysis is known earlier, this is the first time a parameter derived from a joint spectral and timing fit to the data is shown to improve the correlation. We suggest that $\rm E_{peak,0}$, rather than $\rm E_{peak}$, is intrinsic to a GRB pulse and a natural choice as the parameter in the pulse-wise correlation studies.

Viscous and resistive accretion flows with radially self-similar and outflows

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:43:21 +0000

The existence of outflow in accretion flows is confirmed by observations and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations. In this paper, we study outflows of accretion flows in the presence of resistivity and toroidal magnetic field. The mechanism of energy dissipation in the flow is assumed to be the viscosity and the magnetic diffusivity due to turbulence in the accretion flow. It is also assumed that the magnetic diffusivity and the kinematic viscosity are not constant and vary by position and $\alpha$-prescription is used for them. The influence of outflow emanating from accretion disc is considered as a sink for mass, angular momentum and energy. The self-similar method is used to solve the integrated equations that govern the behavior of the accretion flow in the presence of outflow. The solutions represent the disc which rotates faster and becomes cooler for stronger outflows. Moreover, by adding the magnetic diffusivity, the surface density and rotational velocity decrease, while the radial velocity and temperature increase. The study of present model with the magnitude of magnetic field implies that the disc rotates and accretes faster and becomes hotter, while the surface density decreases. The disc thickness increases by adding the magnetic field or resistivity, while it becomes thinner for more losses of mass and energy due to the outflows.

X-Ray Observations of the Supernova Remnant W28 with Suzaku — I. Spectral Study of the Recombining Plasma

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:42:23 +0000

We present the Suzaku results of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant W28. The X-ray spectra of the central region of W28 exhibit many bright emission lines from highly ionized atoms. An optically thin thermal plasma in collisional ionization equilibrium, either of single-temperature or multi-temperature failed to reproduce the data with line-like and bump-like residuals at the Si Lyman$\alpha$ energy and at 2.4–5.0 keV, respectively. The bumps probably correspond to radiative recombination continua from He-like Si and S. A simple recombining plasma model nicely fit the bump structures, but failed to fit low energy bands. The overall spectra can be fit with a multi-ionization temperature plasma with a common electron temperature. The multi-ionization temperatures are interpreted as elemental difference of ionization and recombination timescales. These results prefer the rarefaction scenario for the origin of the recombining plasma.

Statistical Analysis for the Q-factor of twin kHz QPOs [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:40:15 +0000

Using the recently published data of twin kHz quasi-period oscillations (QPOs) in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), we study the different profiles between bright Z sources and less luminous Atoll sources in a statistical way. We find the quality factors of upper kHz QPOs show a narrow distribution both for Z sources and Atoll sources, which concentrate at 7.98 and 9.75 respectively, the quality factors of lower kHz QPOs show a narrow distribution for Z sources and a broader distribution for Atoll sources, which concentrate at 5.25 and 86.22 respectively. In order to investigate the relation between the quality factor and the peakfrequency of kHz QPOs, we fit the data with power-law, linear and exponential functions, respectively. There is an obvious trend that the quality factors increase with the peak frequencies both for upper and lower QPOs. The implications of our results are discussed.

Testing the Accretion-induced Field-decay and Spin-up Model for Recycled Pulsars [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:40:00 +0000

Millisecond radio pulsars have long been proposed to form from a spin-up recycling process in a binary system. In this paper we demonstrate that the accretion-induced field-decay and spin-up model for recycled pulsars can indeed produce those millisecond pulsars with relatively weak magnetic fields of $10^8-10^9$ G and short spin periods of a few milliseconds. Our results also suggest that the value of the currently observed highest spin frequency of millisecond pulsars may simply be constrained by the amount of mass available for accretion.

The structure of the jet in Cyg X-1 inferred from orbital modulation of the radio emission [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:39:49 +0000

We study free-free absorption of radio emission by winds of massive stars. We derive formulae for the optical depth through the wind measured from a point of emission along a jet, taking into account Compton and photoionization heating and Compton, recombination, line and advection cooling. We apply the developed formalism to radio monitoring data for Cyg X-1, which allows us to obtain strong constraints on the structure of its inner jet. With the data at 15 GHz, and taking into account an anisotropy of the stellar wind in Cyg X-1, we estimate the location of the peak of that emission along the jet at about one orbital separation, i.e., $\sim 3\times 10^{12}$ cm. Given a previous determination of the turnover frequency in Cyg X-1, this implies the location of the base of the jet at $\sim 10^3$ gravitational radii. We also obtain corresponding results at 8.3 GHz and 2.25 GHz, which roughly follow the standard conical partially self-absorbed jet model. Furthermore, we find that the level of the orbital modulation depends on the radio flux, with the modulation being substantially stronger when the radio flux is lower. This is explained by the height of the radio emission along the jet decreasing with the decreasing radio flux, as predicted by jet models. Based on the finding of the flux-dependent orbital modulation, we are able to estimate a range of the possible changes of the form of the radio/X-ray correlation in Cyg X-1 due to free-free absorption. We also derive predictions for the orbital modulation and flux attenuation at frequencies beyond the 2.25–15 GHz range.

Strong X-ray variability in the quiescent state of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary EXO 1745-248 [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:39:38 +0000

The transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary EXO 1745-248, located in the globular cluster Terzan 5, was detected during its quiescent state with Chandra in 2003. The source displayed a 0.5-10 keV X-ray luminosity of Lq ~ 1E33 (D/5.5kpc)^2 erg/s, which was completely dominated by hard non-thermal emission. This is at odds with other non-pulsating neutron stars that typically show detectable soft thermal emission at such quiescent luminosities. Here, we use three additional Chandra observations, performed in 2009 and 2011, to further study the quiescent properties of EXO 1745-248. We find that the powerlaw intensity varies considerably up to a factor of ~3 within hours and by about one order of magnitude between the different epochs. We discuss the implications of the observed change in quiescent flux for the interpretation of the hard powerlaw emission. Furthermore, we constrain the neutron star surface temperature as seen by a distant observer to kT_inf < 42 eV and the thermal bolometric luminosity to Lq,bol < 7E31 (D/5.5kpc)^2 erg/s. This confirms that EXO 1745-248 harbours a relatively cold neutron star and suggests that, for example, enhanced cooling mechanisms are operating in the stellar core, or that the binary on average resides in quiescence for hundreds of years.

Evidence for two neutrino mass eigenstates from SN 1987A and the possibility of superluminal neutrinos [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:38:17 +0000

This paper reports a new phenomenological analysis of the neutrino burst detected from SN 1987 A, and it reveals the presence of two mass eigenstates. The heavier mass eigenstate has $m_H=21.4 \pm 1.2 eV/c^2$, while the lighter one has $m_L=4.0 \pm0.5 eV/c^2 $. It is not the first paper to make such a claim, but it expands on a 1988 conditional analysis by Cowsik, and it attempts to make the evidence more robust through an improved statistical analysis, and through providing reasons why alternative explanations are unlikely. It also shows how the result can be made consistent with existing smaller electron neutrino mass limits with the existence of a third tachyonic (superluminal) mass eigenstate.

A complete sample of bright Swift Long Gamma-Ray Bursts: Sample presentation, Luminosity Function and evolution [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:36:54 +0000

We present a carefully selected sub-sample of Swift Long Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs), that is complete in redshift. The sample is constructed by considering only bursts with favorable observing conditions for ground-based follow-up searches, that are bright in the 15-150 keV Swift/BAT band, i.e. with 1-s peak photon fluxes in excess to 2.6 ph s^-1 cm^-2. The sample is composed by 58 bursts, 52 of them with redshift for a completeness level of 90%, while another two have a redshift constraint, reaching a completeness level of 95%. For only three bursts we have no constraint on the redshift. The high level of redshift completeness allows us for the first time to constrain the GRB luminosity function and its evolution with cosmic times in a unbiased way. We find that strong evolution in luminosity (d_l=2.3\pm 0.6) or in density (d_d=1.7\pm 0.5) is required in order to account for the observations. The derived redshift distribution in the two scenarios are consistent with each other, in spite of their different intrinsic redshift distribution. This calls for other indicators to distinguish among different evolution models. Complete samples are at the base of any population studies. In future works we will use this unique sample of Swift bright GRBs to study the properties of the population of long GRBs.

A unified supernova catalogue [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:36:43 +0000

In this paper a new supernova catalogue containing data for 5526 extragalactic supernovae that were discovered up to 2010 December 31 is presented. It combines several catalogues that are currently available online in a consistent and traceable way. During the comparison of the catalogues inconsistent entries were identified and resolved where possible. Remaining inconsistencies are marked transparently and can be easily identified. Thus it is possible to select a high-quality sample in a most simple way. Where available, redshift-based distance estimates to the supernovae were replaced by journal-refereed distances. Examples of statistical studies that are now possible with this new catalogue are presented in this paper.

Swift follow-up observations of unclassified ASCA sources [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:35:22 +0000

We present Swift follow-up observations of a sample of 35 unclassified faint X-ray sources drawn from the ASCA Galactic centre and plane surveys. Our short pointed XRT observations allow detections down to a limiting 0.3-10 keV flux of ~1E-13 erg cm-2 s-1, which translates into a luminosity of ~1E33 erg s-1 for an assumed distance of D=8 kpc. The brightest source in our sample reaches a maximum 0.3-10 keV luminosity of ~2E36 (D/8kpc)^2 erg s-1 during our observations. We detect 16 (46%) of the ASCA sources with the XRT, while 19 were not detected during our program. Since we are probing the faint end of the ASCA source populations, we expect a large fraction of the non-detections to be due to the Eddington bias. This is strengthened by the fact that we find the observed XRT count rates to be predominantly lower than expected based on the reported ASCA intensities. Investigation of the ASCA properties and long-term X-ray variability leads us to conclude that the non-detections likely include two spurious ASCA detections and three objects that are variable or transient X-ray sources. For the 16 XRT-detected sources we obtain positional accuracies of ~2-4″, which significantly improves upon their ASCA uncertainties of ~1′. We use the X-ray spectra and variability to characterise these objects. Most appear to be faint, persistent X-ray emitters that have highly absorbed spectra. Based on their X-ray properties we identify three accreting compact objects: one confirmed (AX J1754.2-2754) and one candidate (AX J1538.3-5541) X-ray binary, and one possible magnetically accreting white dwarf (AX J1620.1-5002). Furthermore, we use the improved positions of XRT-detected sources to search for counterparts in simultaneously obtained Swift/UVOT images and possible associations with cataloged sources at various wavelengths. This reveals three possible main sequence stars amongst our sample.

A complete sample of bright Swift Long Gamma Ray Bursts: testing the spectral-energy correlations [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:35:08 +0000

We use a nearly complete sample of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by the Swift satellite to study the correlations between the spectral peak energy Ep of the prompt emission, the isotropic energetics Eiso and the isotropic luminosity Liso. This GRB sample is characterized by a high level of completeness in redshift (90%). This allows us to probe in an unbiased way the issue related to the physical origin of these correlations against selection effects. We find that one burst, GRB 061021, is an outlier to the Ep-Eiso correlation. Despite this case, we find strong Ep-Eiso and Ep-Liso correlations for the bursts of the complete sample. Their slopes, normalisations and dispersions are consistent with those found with the whole sample of bursts with measured redshift and Ep. This means that the biases present in the total sample commonly used to study these correlations do not affect their properties. Finally, we also find no evolution with redshift of the Ep-Eiso and Ep-Liso correlations.

The Dark Bursts population in a complete sample of bright Swift Long Gamma-Ray Bursts [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:34:53 +0000

We study the properties of the population of optically dark events present in a carefully selected complete sample of bright Swift long gamma-ray bursts. The high level of completeness in redshift of our sample (52 objects out of 58) allow us to establish the existence of a genuine dark population and we are able to estimate the maximum fraction of dark burst events (~30%) expected for the whole class of long gamma-ray burst. The redshift distribution of this population of dark bursts is similar to the one of the whole sample. Interestingly, the rest-frame X-ray luminosity (and the de-absorbed X-ray flux) of the sub-class of dark bursts is slightly higher than the average luminosity of the non-dark events. At the same time the prompt properties do not differ and the optical flux of dark events is at the lower tail of the optical flux distribution, corrected for Galactic absorption. All these properties suggest that dark bursts events generate in much denser environments with respect to normal bright events. We can therefore exclude the high-z and the low-density scenarios and conclude that the major cause of the origin of optically dark events is the dust extinction.

The X-ray absorbing column density of a complete sample of bright Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:34:33 +0000

A complete sample of bright Swift Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) has been recently selected by Salvaterra et al. (2011). The sample has a high level of completeness in redshift (91%). We derive here the intrinsic absorbing X-ray column densities of these GRBs making use of the Swift X-ray Telescope data. This distribution has a mean value of log(NH/cm-2)=21.7+-0.5. This value is consistent with the distribution of the column densities derived from the total sample of GRBs with redshift. We find a mild increase of the intrinsic column density with redshift. This can be interpreted as due to the contribution of intervening systems along the line of sight. Making use of the spectral index connecting optical and X-ray fluxes at 11 hr (beta_OX), we investigate the relation of the intrinsic column density and the GRB `darkness’. We find that there is a very tight correlation between dark GRBs and high X-ray column densities. This clearly indicates that the dark GRBs are formed in a metal-rich environment where dust must be present.

XMM-Newton Finds That SAX J1750.8-2900 May Harbor the Hottest, Most Luminous Known Neutron Star [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:32:06 +0000

We have performed the first sensitive X-ray observation of the low-mass X-ray binary SAX J1750.8-2900 in quiescence with XMM-Newton. The spectrum was fit to both a classical black body model, and a non-magnetized, pure hydrogen neutron star atmosphere model. A power law component was added to these models, but we found that it was not required by the fits. The distance to SAX J1750.8-2900 is known to be D = 6.79 kpc from a previous analysis of photospheric radius expansion bursts. This distance implies a bolometric luminosity (as given by the NS atmosphere model) of (1.05 +/- 0.12) x 10^34 (D/6.79 kpc)^2 erg s^-1, which is the highest known luminosity for a NS LMXB in quiescence. One simple explanation for this surprising result could be that the crust and core of the NS were not in thermal equilibrium during the observation. We argue that this was likely not the case, and that the core temperature of the NS in SAX J1750.8-2900 is unusually high.

Ionized Reflection Spectra from Accretion Disks Illuminated by X-ray Pulsars [Replacement]

astro-ph — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:31:06 +0000

X-ray reflection signatures are observed around multiple classes of accreting compact objects. Modelling these features yield important constraints on the physics of accretion disks, motivating the development of X-ray reflection models appropriate for a variety of systems and illumination conditions. Here, constant density ionized X-ray reflection models are presented for a disk irradiated with a very hard power-law X-ray spectrum (\Gamma < 1) and a variable high-energy cutoff. These models are then applied to the Suzaku data of the accreting X-ray pulsar LMC X-4, where very good fits are obtained with a highly ionized reflector responsible for both the broad Fe K line and the soft excess. The ionized reflector shows strong evidence for significant Doppler broadening and is redshifted by ~10^4 km/s. These features indicate that the reflecting material is associated with the complex dynamics occurring at the inner region of the magnetically-truncated accretion disk. Thus, reflection studies of X-ray pulsar spectra may give important insights into the accretion physics at the magnetospheric radius.

Frame-dragging effects on magnetic fields near a rotating black hole

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:21:50 +0000

We discuss the role of general relativity frame dragging acting on magnetic field lines near a rotating (Kerr) black hole. Near ergosphere the magnetic structure becomes strongly influenced and magnetic null points can develop. We consider aligned magnetic fields as well as fields inclined with respect to the rotation axis, and the two cases are shown to behave in profoundly different ways. Further, we construct surfaces of equal values of local electric and magnetic intensities, which have not yet been discussed in the full generality of a boosted rotating black hole.

Probing the X-Ray Binary Populations of the Ring Galaxy NGC 1291

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:17:57 +0000

We present Chandra studies of the X-ray binary (XRB) populations in the bulge and ring regions of the ring galaxy NGC 1291. We detect 169 X-ray point sources in the galaxy, 75 in the bulge and 71 in the ring, utilizing the four available Chandra observations totaling an effective exposure of 179 ks. We report photometric properties of these sources in a point-source catalog. There are ~40% of the bulge sources and ~25% of the ring sources showing >3\sigma long-term variability in their X-ray count rate. The X-ray colors suggest that a significant fraction of the bulge (~75%) and ring (~65%) sources are likely low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). The spectra of the nuclear source indicate that it is a low-luminosity AGN with moderate obscuration; spectral variability is observed between individual observations. We construct 0.3-8.0 keV X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) for the bulge and ring XRB populations, taking into account the detection incompleteness and background AGN contamination. We reach 90% completeness limits of ~1.5\times10^{37} and ~2.2\times10^{37} erg/s for the bulge and ring populations, respectively. Both XLFs can be fit with a broken power-law model, and the shapes are consistent with those expected for populations dominated by LMXBs. We perform detailed population synthesis modeling of the XRB populations in NGC 1291, which suggests that the observed combined XLF is dominated by an old LMXB population. We compare the bulge and ring XRB populations, and argue that the ring XRBs are associated with a younger stellar population than the bulge sources, based on the relative overdensity of X-ray sources in the ring, the generally harder X-ray color of the ring sources, the overabundance of luminous sources in the combined XLF, and the flatter shape of the ring XLF.

Critical Conditions for Core-Collapse Supernovae

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:17:33 +0000

The explosion of a core collapse supernova is approximated by the breakdown of the steady-state solution for accretion onto a proto-neutron-star (PNS). We analytically show that as the neutrino luminosity exceeds a critical value L_c, the neutrinosphere pressure exceeds the hydrostatic limit even for an optimal shock radius R. This yields L_c \propto M^2 T^2 (with logarithmic corrections) and R \propto M/T, in agreement with numerical results, where M, T are the PNS mass, neutrino temperature. The near-critical flow can be approximated as a ballistic shell on top of an isothermal layer.

Cosmic Explosions (Optical Transients)

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:10:11 +0000

This paper is an extended summary of the talk I gave at IAU Symposium “New Horizons in Time Domain Astronomy” (Oxford, 2011). I first review the history of transients (which is intimately related to the advent of wide-field telescopic imaging; I then summarize wide field imaging projects. The motivations that led to the design of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) followed by a summary of the astronomical returns from PTF. I review the lessons learnt from PTF. I conclude that, during this decade, optical transient searches will continue to flourish and may even accelerate as surveys at other wavelengths — notably radio, UV and X-ray — come on line. As a result, I venture to suggest that specialized searches for transients will continue — even into the LSST era. I end the article by discussing the importance of follow-up telescopes for transient object studies — a topical issue given that in the US the Portfolio Review is under away.

The peculiar case of the "double-humped" super-luminous supernova SN2006oz

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:09:21 +0000

SN2006oz is a super-luminous supernova with a mysterious bright precursor that has resisted explanation in standard models. However, such a precursor has been predicted in the dual-shock quark nova (dsQN) model of super-luminous supernovae — the precursor is the SN event while the main light curve of the SLSN is powered by the Quark-Nova (QN; explosive transition of the neutron star to a quark star). As the SN is fading, the QN re-energizes the SN ejecta, producing a “double-humped” light curve. In this paper, we show the dsQN model successfully reproduces the observed light curve of SN2006oz.

PIC simulation of a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability in a circular rarefaction wave

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:07:46 +0000

The expansion of an initially unmagnetized planar rarefaction wave has recently been shown to trigger a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability (TAWI), which can generate magnetic fields from noise levels. It is examined here if the TAWI can also grow in a curved rarefaction wave. The expansion of an initially unmagnetized circular plasma cloud, which consists of protons and hot electrons, into a vacuum is modelled for this purpose with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. It is shown that the momentum transfer from the electrons to the radially accelerating protons can indeed trigger a TAWI. Radial current channels form and the aperiodic growth of a magnetowave is observed, which has a magnetic field that is oriented orthogonal to the simulation plane. The induced electric field implies that the electron density gradient is no longer parallel to the electric field. Evidence is presented here for that this electric field modification triggers a second magnetic instability, which results in a rotational low-frequency magnetowave. The relevance of the TAWI is discussed for the growth of small-scale magnetic fields in astrophysical environments, which are needed to explain the electromagnetic emissions by astrophysical jets. It is outlined how this instability could be examined experimentally.

Fully General Relativistic Simulations of Core-Collapse Supernovae with An Approximate Neutrino Transport

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:05:41 +0000

We present results from the first generation of multi-dimensional hydrodynamic core-collapse simulations in full general relativity (GR) that include an approximate treatment of neutrino transport. Using a M1 closure scheme with an analytic variable Eddington factor, we solve the energy-independent set of radiation energy and momentum based on the Thorne’s momentum formalism. To simplify the source terms of the transport equations, a methodology of multiflavour neutrino leakage scheme is partly employed. Our newly developed code is designed to evolve the Einstein field equation together with the GR radiation hydrodynamic equations. We follow the dynamics starting from the onset of gravitational core-collapse of a 15 $M_{\odot}$ star, through bounce, up to about 100 ms postbounce in this study to study how the spacial multi-dimensionality and GR would affect the dynamics in the early postbounce phase. Our 3D results support the anticipation in previous 1D results that the neutrino luminosity and average neutrino energy of any neutrino flavor in the postbounce phase increase when switching from SR to GR hydrodynamics. This is because the deeper gravitational well of GR produces more compact core structures, and thus hotter neutrino spheres at smaller radii. By analyzing the residency timescale to the neutrino-heating timescale in the gain region, we show that the criterion to initiate neutrino-driven explosions can be most easily satisfied in 3D models, irrespective of SR or GR hydrodynamics. Our results suggest that the combination of GR and 3D hydrodynamics provides the most favorable condition to drive a robust neutrino-driven explosion.

GRB duration distribution considering the position of the Fermi

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:59:01 +0000

The Fermi satellite has a particular motion during its flight which enables it to catch the gamma-ray bursts mostly well. The side-effect of this favourable feature is that the lightcurves of the GBM detectors are stressed by rapidly and extremely varying background. Before this data is processed, it needs to be separated from the background. The commonly used methods were useless for most cases of Fermi, so we developed a new technique based on the motion and orientation of the satellite. The background-free lightcurve can be used to perform statistical surveys, hence we showed the efficiency of our background-filtering method presenting a statistical analysis known from the literature.

Triple layered compact star with strange quark matter

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:55:32 +0000

We explore the possibility of three phases in the core of neutron star in a form of triple layers. From the center, strange quark matter, kaon condensed nuclear matter and nuclear matter form a triple layer. We discuss how the phase of strange quark matter is smoothly connected to kaon condensed nuclear matter phase. We also demonstrate that the compact star with triple layered structure can be a model compatible with the 1.97-solar-mass object PSR J1614-2230 recently observed.

Spectral Lags Obtained by CCF of Smoothed Lightcurves

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:54:57 +0000

We present a new technique to calculate the spectral lags of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Unlike previous processing methods, we first smooth the light curves of gamma-ray bursts in high and low energy bands using the “Loess” filter, then, we directly define the spectral lags as such to maximize the cross-correlation function (CCF) between two smoothed light curves. This method is suitable for various shapes of CCF; it effectively avoids the errors caused by manual selections for the fitting function and fitting interval. Using the method, we have carefully measured the spectral lags of individual pulses contained in BAT/Swift gamma-ray bursts with known redshifts, and confirmed the anti-correlation between the spectral lag and the isotropy luminosity. The distribution of spectral lags can be well fitted by four Gaussian components, with the centroids at 0.03 s, 0.09 s, 0.15 s, and 0.21 s, respectively. We find that some spectral lags of the multi-peak GRBs seem to evolve with time.

Exact and asymptotic black branes with spherical compactification [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:53:04 +0000

In the six-dimensional Kaluza-Klein model with the multidimensional cosmological constant $\Lambda_6$, we obtain the black brane with spherical compactification of the internal space. The matter source for this exact solution consists of two parts. First, it is a fine-tuned homogeneous perfect fluid which provides spherical compactification of the internal space. Second, it is a gravitating massive body with the dustlike equation of state in the external space and tension $\hat p_1=-(1/2)\hat\varepsilon$ in the internal space. This solution exists both in the presence and absence of $\Lambda_6$. In the weak-field approximation, we also get solutions of the linearized Einstein equations for the model with spherical compactification. Here, the gravitating matter source has the dustlike equation of state in the external space and an arbitrary equation of state $\hat p_1=\Omega \hat\varepsilon$ in the internal space. In the case $\Lambda_6>0$ and $\Omega\neq -1/2$, these approximate solutions tend asymptotically to the weak-field limit of the exact black brane solution. Both the exact and asymptotic black branes satisfy the gravitational experiments at the same level of accuracy as general relativity.

An extended equation of state for core-collapse simulations [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:52:01 +0000

In stellar core-collapse events matter is heated and compressed to densities above nuclear matter saturation density. For progenitors stars with masses above about 25 solar masses, which eventually form a black hole, the temperatures and densities reached during the collapse are so high that a traditional description in terms of electrons, nuclei, and nucleons is no longer adequate. We present here an improved equation of state which contains in addition pions and hyperons. They become abundant in the high temperature and density regime. We study the different constraints on such an equation of state, coming from both hyperonic data and observations of neutron star properties. In order to test the zero-temperature versions, we perform numerical simulations of the collapse of a neutron star with such additional particles to a black hole. We discuss the influence of the additional particles on the thermodynamic properties within the hot versions of the equation of state and we show that in regimes relevant to core-collapse and black hole formation, the effects of pions and hyperons on pressure, internal energy and sound speed are not negligible.

The peculiar source XSS J12270-4859: a LMXB detected by FERMI ? [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:51:24 +0000

The X-ray source XSS J12270-4859 has been first suggested to be a magnetic cataclysmic variable of Intermediate Polar type on the basis of its optical spectrum and a possible 860 s X-ray periodicity. However further X-ray observations by the Suzaku and XMM-Newton satellites did not confirm this periodicity but show a very peculiar variability, including moderate repetitive flares and numerous absorption dips. These characteristics together with a suspected 4.3 h orbital period would suggest a possible link with the so- called “dipping sources”, a sub-class of Low-Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXB). Based on the released FERMI catalogues, the source was also found coincident with a very high energy (0.1-300 GeV) VHE source 2FGL J1227.7-4853. The good positional coincidence, together with the lack of any other bright X-ray sources in the field, makes this identification highly probable. However, none of the other standard LMXBs have been so far detected by FERMI. Most galactic VHE sources are associated with rotation-powered pulsars. We present here new results obtained from a 30 ksec high-time resolution XMM observations in January 2011 that confirm the flaring-dipping behaviour and provide upper limits on fast X-ray pulsations. We discuss the possible association of the source with either a microquasar or an accreting rotation powered pulsar.

Dark matter density profiles of the halos embedding early-type galaxies: characterizing halo contraction and dark matter annihilation strength

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:50:24 +0000

Identifying dark matter and characterizing its distribution in the inner region of halos embedding galaxies are inter-related problems of broad importance. We devise a new procedure of determining dark matter distribution in halos. We first make a self-consistent bivariate statistical match of stellar mass and velocity dispersion with halo mass as demonstrated here for the first time. Then, selecting early-type galaxy-halo systems we perform Jeans dynamical modeling with the aid of observed statistical properties of stellar mass profiles and velocity dispersion profiles. Dark matter density profiles derived specifically using Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies and halos from up-to-date cosmological dissipationless simulations deviate significantly from the dissipationless profle of Navarro-Frenk-White or Einasto in terms of inner density slope and/or concentration. From these dark matter profiles we find that dark matter density is enhanced in the inner region of most early-type galactic halos providing an independent dynamical evidence for halo contraction. The main characteristics of halo contraction are: (1) the mean dark matter density within the effective radius has increased by a factor from ~1 for clusters with M_vir > 10^{15} M_solar to ~4-5 for galaxies with M_vir < 10^{12} M_solar where M_vir is the halo virial mass, and (2) the enhancement is more frequently realized by steepened density slope than increased concentration compared with the fiducial NFW profile. Based on our results we predict that halos of nearby elliptical and lenticular galaxies can be promising targets for $\gamma$-ray emission from dark matter annihilation.

A Search for Diffuse X-ray Emission from GeV Detected Galactic Globular Clusters

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:49:41 +0000

Recently, diffuse and extended sources in TeV gamma-rays as well as in X-rays have been detected in the direction of the Galactic globular cluster (GC) Terzan 5. Remarkably, this is among the brightest GCs detected in the GeV regime. The nature of both the TeV and the diffuse X-ray signal from Terzan 5 is not settled yet. These emissions most likely indicate the presence of several non-thermal radiation processes in addition to these giving rise to the GeV signal. The aim of this work is to search for diffuse X-ray emission from the GeV detected GCs M 62, NGC 6388, NGC 6541, M 28, M 80 and NGC 6139 to compare the obtained results with the signal detected from Terzan 5. This study will help to determine whether Terzan 5 stands out amongst other GC or whether a whole population of globular clusters feature similar properties. None of the six GCs show significant diffuse X-ray emission on similar scales as observed from Terzan 5 above the particle and diffuse galactic X-ray background components. The derived upper limits allow to assess the validity of different models that were discussed in the interpretation of the multi-wavelength data of Terzan 5. A scenario based on synchrotron emission from relativistic leptons provided by the millisecond pulsar population can not be securely rejected if a comparable magnetic field strength as in Terzan 5 is assumed for every GC. However, such a scenario seems to be unlikely for NGC 6388 and M 62. An inverse-Compton scenario relying on the presence of a putative GRB remnant with the same properties as the one proposed for Terzan 5 can be ruled out for all of the six GCs. Finally, the assumption that each GC hosts a source with the same luminosity as in Terzan 5 is ruled out for all GCs but NGC 6139. (abridged)

On Fast Linear Gravitational Dragging [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:49:09 +0000

A new formula is given for the fast linear gravitational dragging of the inertial frame within a rapidly accelerated spherical shell of deep potential. The shell is charged and is electrically accelerated by an electric field whose sources are included in the solution.

Status of the IceTop air shower array at the South Pole

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:47:52 +0000

The IceTop air shower array is the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the geographic South Pole. The combination of IceTop and IceCube provides a new and powerful tool to measure cosmic ray composition in the energy range between about 300 TeV and 1 EeV by detecting the electromagnetic component at the surface in coincidence with the muon bundle in the deep underground detector. The paper will give an overview of the current status of the detector and the first physics results will be presented.

A Variable Partial Covering Model for the Seyfert 1 Galaxy MCG-6-30-15

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:47:34 +0000

We propose a new spectral model for the Seyfert 1 Galaxy MCG-6-30-15 that can describe most of the 1 – 40 keV spectral variation effectively by a single parameter. Our spectral model includes three continuum components; (1) a direct power-law component, (2) a heavily absorbed power-law component by thick photoionized material, and (3) a cold disk reflection component far from the black hole with moderate solid-angle including a narrow fluorescent iron line. The ionized iron K-edge of the heavily absorbed power-law component can explain most of the seemingly broad “disk line” spectral feature, so that our model does not require an additional broad iron emission line. In the course of spectral variations, the “total normalization”, which is sum of the normalizations of the direct power-law component and the absorbed component, is not significantly variable, while the “covering fraction”, which is defined as ratio of the normalization of the absorbed component to the total normalization, is much more significantly variable. We propose that MCG-6-30-15 has a moderately extended, not significantly variable central X-ray source, partially covered by intervening optically thick clouds having internal ionization structure, so that observed flux and spectral variations are primarily caused by variation of the partial covering fraction. These absorbing clouds probably correspond to the fast-moving broad line region (BLR) clouds.

Sources of GeV Photons and the Fermi Results

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:46:31 +0000

This is a pedagological review of some astrophysical highlights of the Fermi Gamma ray Observatory, including theoretical studies related mainly to extragalactic Fermi science.

Single- and Two-Component GRB Spectra in the Fermi GBM-LAT Energy Range

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:45:53 +0000

Most Fermi GRB spectra appear as either a broken power law extending to GeV energies or as a broken power with a separate GeV power law component. Here we show that such spectra can be understood in terms of magnetically dominated relativistic jets where a dissipative photosphere produces the prompt MeV emission, which is extended into the GeV range by inverse Compton scattering in the external shock, with possible contributions from a reverse shock as well. The bulk Lorentz factors required in these models are in the range of 300-600, and the MeV-GeV time delays arise naturally. In some cases an optical flash and a sub-dominant thermal component are also present.

Probing annihilations and decays of low-mass galactic dark matter in IceCube DeepCore array: Track events [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:42:49 +0000

The deployment of DeepCore array significantly lowers IceCube’s energy threshold to about 10 GeV and enhances the sensitivity of detecting neutrinos from annihilations and decays of light dark matter. To match this experimental development, we calculate the track event rate in DeepCore array due to neutrino flux produced by annihilations and decays of galactic dark matter. We also calculate the background event rate due to atmospheric neutrino flux for evaluating the sensitivity of DeepCore array to galactic dark matter signatures. Unlike previous approaches, which set the energy threshold for track events at around 50 GeV (this choice avoids the necessity of including oscillation effect in the estimation of atmospheric background event rate), we have set the energy threshold at 10 GeV to take the full advantage of DeepCore array. We compare our calculated sensitivity with those obtained by setting the threshold energy at 50 GeV. We conclude that our proposed threshold energy significantly improves the sensitivity of DeepCore array to the dark matter signature for $m_{\chi}< 100$ GeV in the annihilation scenario and $m_{\chi}<300$ GeV in the decay scenario.

The need for a local source of UHE CR nuclei [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:41:46 +0000

Recent results of the Pierre Auger (Auger) fluorescence detectors indicate an increasingly heavy composition of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays (CRs). Assuming that this trend continues up to the highest energies observed by the Auger surface detectors we derive the constraints this places on the local source distribution of UHE CR nuclei. Utilizing an analytic description of UHE CR propagation we derive the expected spectra and composition for a wide range of source emission spectra. We find that sources of intermediate-to-heavy nuclei are consistent with the observed spectra and composition data above the ankle. This consistency requires the presence of nearby sources within 60 Mpc and 80 Mpc for silicon and iron only sources, respectively. The necessity of these local sources becomes even more compelling in the presence nano-Gauss local extragalactic magnetic fields.

Implications of a viscosity bound on black hole accretion [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:41:14 +0000

Motivated by the viscosity bound in gauge/gravity duality, we consider the ratio of shear viscosity (eta) to entropy density (s) in black hole accretion flows. We use both an ideal gas equation of state and the QCD equation of state obtained from lattice for the fluid accreting onto a Kerr black hole. The QCD equation of state is considered since the temperature of accreting matter is expected to approach 10^{12}K in certain hot flows. We find that in both the cases eta/s is small only for primordial black holes and several orders of magnitude larger than any known fluid for stellar and supermassive black holes. We show that a lower bound on the mass of primordial black holes leads to a lower bound on eta/s and vice versa. Finally we speculate that the Shakura-Sunyaev viscosity parameter should decrease with increasing density and/or temperatures.

Phase-resolved energy spectra of the Crab Pulsar in the range of 50-400 GeV measured with the MAGIC Telescopes [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:40:00 +0000

We use 73 h of stereoscopic data taken with the MAGIC telescopes to investigate the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission of the Crab pulsar. Our data show a highly significant pulsed signal in the energy range from 50 to 400 GeV in both the main pulse (P1) and the interpulse (P2) phase regions. We provide the widest spectra to date of the VHE components of both peaks, and these spectra extend to the energy range of satellite-borne observatories. The good resolution and background rejection of the stereoscopic MAGIC system allows us to cross-check the correctness of each spectral point of the pulsar by comparison with the corresponding (strong and well-known) Crab nebula flux. The spectra of both P1 and P2 are compatible with power laws with photon indices of 4.0 \pm 0.8 (P1) and 3.42 \pm 0.26 (P2), respectively, and the ratio P1/P2 between the photon counts of the two pulses is 0.54 \pm 0.12. The VHE emission can be understood as an additional component produced by the inverse Compton scattering of secondary and tertiary e\pm pairs on IR-UV photons.

Stability of tardyons and tachyons in the rotating and expanding Universe [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:39:37 +0000

In the present paper we analyze the spectrum of quasinormal modes for massive scalar and Dirac fields, allowing for both tardyonic ($\mu^2 >0$) and tachyonic ($\mu^2 0$) Dirac field has a discontinuity as a function of the z-component of the wave vector $k_z$ at $k_z = 0$. Keywords: OPERA, superluminal neutrino.

Short time scale variability at gamma rays in FSRQs and implications on the current models [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:39:26 +0000

We studied the rapid variability at GeV gamma rays of the flat-spectrum radio quasar PKS 1222+216, which was recently found by the MAGIC Cerenkov telescope to display very short variability (minutes time scale) at hundreds of GeV. We analyzed the time period between 2010 April 29 and June 20, when the source generated a few gamma-ray flares with flux in the MeV-GeV band in excess of 10^-5 ph cm^-2 s^-1 on daily basis. We set tight upper limits on the observed doubling time scale (about 1 hour on 2010 April 30), the smallest measured to date at MeV-GeV energies, which can constrain the size of the gamma-ray emitting region. We also studied the spectra measured during two flares (2010 April 30 and June 17-18). The combination of spectral and variability studies obtained in the present work favors the hypothesis that gamma rays are generally produced inside the broad-line region (BLR), but sometimes the dissipation can occur at larger distances, nearby the infrared torus.

Magnetic field estimates for accreting neutron stars in massive binary systems and models of magnetic field decay [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:38:19 +0000

Some modern models of neutron star evolution predict that initially large magnetic fields rapidly decay down to some saturation value $\sim {\rm few}\times 0^{13}$ G and weaker magnetic fields do not decay significantly (Pons). It is difficult to check the predictions of this model for initially highly magnetized objects on the time scale of a few million years. We propose to use Be/X-ray binaries for this purpose. We apply several methods to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars in these accreting systems using the data obtained by the RXTE satellite (Galache). Only using the most modern approach for estimating the magnetic field strengths of long period NSs as proposed by Shakura we are able to obtain a field distribution compatible with predictions of the theoretical model of field decay of Pons.

Morphological and spectral properties of the W51 region measured with the MAGIC telescopes [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:33:54 +0000

The W51 complex hosts the supernova remnant W51C which is known to interact with the molecular clouds in the star forming region W51B. In addition, a possible pulsar wind nebula CXO J192318.5+140305 was found likely associated with the supernova remnant. Gamma-ray emission from this region was discovered by Fermi/LAT (between 0.2 and 50 GeV) and H.E.S.S. (>1 TeV). The spatial distribution of the events could not be used to pinpoint the location of the emission among the pulsar wind nebula, the supernova remnant shell and/or the molecular cloud. However, the modeling of the spectral energy distribution presented by the Fermi/LAT collaboration suggests a hadronic emission mechanism. We performed observations of the W51 complex with the MAGIC telescopes for more than 50 hours. The good angular resolution in the medium (few hundred GeV) to high (above 1 TeV) energies allow us to perform morphological studies. We detect an extended emission of very-high-energy gamma rays, with a significance of 11 standard deviations. We extend the spectrum from the highest Fermi/LAT energies to \sim 5 TeV and find that it follows a single power law with an index of 2.58 \pm 0.07stat \pm 0.22syst . The main part of the emission coincides with the shocked cloud region, while we find a feature extending towards the pulsar wind nebula. The possible contribution of the pulsar wind nebula, assuming a point-like source, shows no dependence on energy and it is about 20% of the overall emission. The broad band spectral energy distribution can be explained with a hadronic model that implies proton acceleration above 100 TeV. This result, together with the morphology of the source, tentatively suggests that we observe ongoing acceleration of ions in the interaction zone between supernova remnant and cloud. These results shed light on the long-standing problem of the origin of galactic cosmic rays.

Long-term X-ray variability of Swift J1644+57 [Replacement]

astro-ph — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:33:17 +0000

We studied the X-ray timing and spectral variability of the X-ray source Sw J1644+57, a candidate for a tidal disruption event. We have separated the long-term trend (an initial decline followed by a plateau) from the short-term dips in the Swift light-curve. Power spectra and Lomb-Scargle periodograms hint at possible periodic modulation. By using structure function analysis, we have shown that the dips were not random but occurred preferentially at time intervals ~ [2.3, 4.5, 9] x 10^5 s and their higher-order multiples. After the plateau epoch, dipping resumed at ~ [0.7, 1.4] x 10^6 s and their multiples. We have also found that the X-ray spectrum became much softer during each of the early dip, while the spectrum outside the dips became mildly harder in its long-term evolution. We propose that the jet in the system undergoes precession and nutation, which causes the collimated core of the jet briefly to go out of our line of sight. The combined effects of precession and nutation provide a natural explanation for the peculiar patterns of the dips. We interpret the slow hardening of the baseline flux as a transition from an extended, optically thin emission region to a compact, more opaque emission core at the base of the jet.

A New Ultraluminous X-ray Source in the Nearby Edge-on Spiral NGC 891

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:06:30 +0000

We report the discovery of a new candidate ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in the nearby edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891. The source, which has an absorbed flux of F_X ~ 10^-12 erg/s/cm^2 (corresponding to L_X > 10^40 erg/s at 9 Mpc), must have begun its outburst in the past 5 years as it is not detected in prior X-ray observations between 1986 and 2006. We try empirical fits to the XMM-Newton spectrum, finding that the spectrum is fit very well as emission from a hot disk, a cool irradiated disk, or blurred reflection from the innermost region of the disk. The simplest physically motivated model with an excellent fit is a hot disk around a stellar-mass black hole (a super-Eddington outburst), but equally good fits are found for each model. We suggest several follow-up experiments that could falsify these models.

Spectral monitoring of RX J1856.5-3754 with XMM-Newton. Analysis of EPIC-pn data

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Using a large set of XMM-Newton observations we searched for long term spectral and flux variability of the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754 in the time interval from April 2002 to October 2011. This is the brightest and most extensively observed source of a small group of nearby, thermally emitting isolated neutron stars, of which at least one member (RX J0720.4-3125, Hohle et al., 2010) has shown long term variability. A detailed analysis of the data obtained with the EPIC-pn camera in the 0.15-1.2 keV energy range reveals small variations in the temperature derived with a single blackbody fit (of the order of 1% around kT^inf \sim 61 eV). Such variations are correlated with the position of the source on the detector and can be ascribed to an instrumental effect, most likely a spatial dependence of the channel to energy relation. For the sampled instrumental coordinates, we quantify this effect as variations of \sim 4% and \sim 15 eV in the gain slope and offset, respectively. Selecting only a homogeneous subset of observations, with the source imaged at the same detector position, we find no evidence for spectral or flux variations of RX J1856.5-3754 from March 2005 to present-day, with limits of Delta kT^inf < 0.5% and Delta f_X < 3% (0.15-1.2 keV), with 3sigma confidence. A slightly higher temperature (kT^inf \sim 61.5 eV, compared to kT^\inf \sim 61 eV) was instead measured in April 2002. If this difference is not of instrumental origin, it implies a rate of variation \sim -0.15 eV yr^-1 between April 2002 and March 2005. The high-statistics spectrum from the selected observations is best fitted with the sum of two blackbody models, with temperatures kT_h^inf = 62.4_{-0.4}^{+0.6} eV and kT_s^\inf = 38.9_{-2.9}^{+4.9} eV, which account for the flux seen in the optical band. No significant spectral features are detected, with upper limits of 6 eV on their equivalent width.

Energetic Constraints on a Rapid Gamma-Ray Flare in PKS 1222+216

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:59:23 +0000

We study theoretical implications of a rapid Very-High-Energy (VHE) flare detected by MAGIC in the Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasar PKS 1222+216. The minimum distance from the jet origin at which this flare could be produced is 0.5 pc. A moderate Doppler factor of the VHE source, D_{VHE}~20, is allowed by all opacity constraints. The concurrent High-Energy (HE) emission observed by Fermi provides estimates of the total jet power and the jet magnetic field strength. Energetic constraints for the VHE flare are extremely tight, requiring a very high co-moving energy density in the emitting region and a very efficient radiative process. We disfavor hadronic processes due to their low radiative efficiency. The External Radiation Compton (ERC) mechanism involving the infrared radiation of the dusty torus is efficient for D_{VHE}>~50. For a magnetic field strength >~0.03 G x (D_{VHE}/20)^5, the Synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) process dominates the ERC. We consider a scenario involving synchrotron emission by ultra-relativistic electrons accelerated in a magnetic reconnection layer, as has been recently proposed for the case of HE flares in the Crab Nebula. For the case of PKS 1222+216, this mechanism requires an effective electric-to-magnetic field ratio within the layer of ~26 x (D_{VHE}/20)^{-1}, and a reconnecting magnetic field strength of ~130 G x (D_{VHE}/20)^{-3}. For the origin of an extremely compact emitting region, we prefer a self-collimated jet substructure maintaining its original energy density during propagation to parsec scales, over global jet recollimation by the external medium.

VERITAS Deep Observations of the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Segue 1

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:54:34 +0000

The VERITAS array of Cherenkov telescopes has carried out a deep observational program on the nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxy Segue 1. We report on the results of nearly 48 hours of good quality selected data, taken between January 2010 and May 2011. No significant $\gamma$-ray emission is detected at the nominal position of Segue 1, and upper limits on the integrated flux are derived. According to recent studies, Segue 1 is the most dark matter-dominated dwarf spheroidal galaxy currently known. We derive stringent bounds on various annihilating and decaying dark matter particle models. The upper limits on the velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section are $\mathrm{^{95% CL} \lesssim 10^{-23} cm^{3} s^{-1}}$, improving our limits from previous observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies by at least a factor of two for dark matter particle masses $\mathrm{m_{\chi}\gtrsim 300 GeV}$. The lower limits on the decay lifetime are at the level of $\mathrm{\tau^{95% CL} \gtrsim 10^{24} s}$. Finally, we address the interpretation of the cosmic ray lepton anomalies measured by ATIC and PAMELA in terms of dark matter annihilation, and show that the VERITAS observations of Segue 1 disfavor such a scenario.

The Swift short gamma-ray burst rate density: implications for binary neutron star merger rates

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:52:47 +0000

Short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) observed by {\it Swift} are potentially revealing the first insight into cataclysmic compact object mergers. To ultimately acquire a fundamental understanding of these events requires pan-spectral observations and knowledge of their spatial distribution to differentiate between proposed progenitor populations. Presently (late 2011) there are only some 30% of SGRBs with reasonably firm redshifts, and this sample is highly biased by the limited sensitivity of {\it Swift} to detect SGRBs. We account for the dominant biases to calculate a realistic SGRB rate density out to $z\approx0.5$ using the {\it Swift} sample of peak fluxes, redshifts, and those SGRBs with a beaming angle constraint from X-ray/optical observations. We find an SGRB lower rate density of $7.1^{+4.9}_{-3.2} $ $\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ (assuming isotropic emission), and a beaming corrected upper limit of $1200^{+840}_{-550}$ $\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Assuming a significant fraction of binary neutron star mergers produce SGRBs, we calculate lower and upper detection rate limits of $(1-200)$ yr$^{-1}$ by an ALIGO and Virgo coincidence search. Our detection rate is similar to the lower and realistic rates inferred from extrapolations using Galactic pulsar observations and population synthesis.

Searches for very high energy gamma rays from blazars with CANGAROO-III telescope in 2005-2009

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:52:31 +0000

We have searched for very high energy (VHE) gamma rays from four blazars using the CANGAROO-III imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope. We report the results of the observations of H 2356-309, PKS 2155-304, PKS 0537-441, and 3C 279, performed from 2005 to 2009, applying a new analysis to suppress the effects of the position dependence of Cherenkov images in the field of view. No significant VHE gamma ray emission was detected from any of the four blazars. The GeV gamma-ray spectra of these objects were obtained by analyzing Fermi/LAT archival data. Non-simultaneous wide range (radio to VHE gamma-ray bands) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) including CANGAROO-III upper limits, GeV gamma-ray spectra, and archival data are discussed using a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model in combination with a external Compton (EC) radiation. The HBLs (H 2356-309 and PKS 2155-304) can be explained by a simple SSC model, and PKS 0537-441 and 3C 279 are well modeled by a combination of SSC and EC model. We find a consistency with the blazar sequence in terms of strength of magnetic field and component size.

Transport properties of dense deuterium-tritium plasmas [Cross-Listing]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:52:15 +0000

Consistent descriptions of the equation of states, and information about transport coefficients of deuterium-tritium mixture are demonstrated through quantum molecular dynamic (QMD) simulations (up to a density of 600 g/cm$^{3}$ and a temperature of $10^{4}$ eV). Diffusion coefficients and viscosity are compared with one component plasma model in different regimes from the strong coupled to the kinetic one. Electronic and radiative transport coefficients, which are compared with models currently used in hydrodynamic simulations of inertial confinement fusion, are evaluated up to 800 eV. The Lorentz number is also discussed from the highly degenerate to the intermediate region.

Constraining the optical emission from the double pulsar system J0737-3039

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:49:52 +0000

We present the first optical observations of the unique system J0737-3039 (composed of two pulsars, hereafter PSR-A and PSR-B). Ultra-deep optical observations, performed with the High Resolution Camera of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope could not detect any optical emission from the system down to m_F435W=27.0 and m_F606W=28.3. The estimated optical flux limits are used to constrain the three-component (two thermal and one non-thermal) model recently proposed to reproduce the XMM-Newton X-ray spectrum. They suggest the presence of a break at low energies in the non-thermal power law component of PSR-A and are compatible with the expected black-body emission from the PSR-B surface. The corresponding efficiency of the optical emission from PSR-A’s magnetosphere would be comparable to that of other Myr-old pulsars, thus suggesting that this parameter may not dramatically evolve over a time-scale of a few Myr.

The discovery of high power – high synchrotron peak blazars

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:48:43 +0000

We study the quasi-simultaneous near-IR, optical, UV, and X-ray photometry of eleven gamma-ray selected blazars for which redshift estimates larger than 1.2 have been recently provided. Four of these objects turn out to be high-power blazars with the peak of their synchrotron emission between ~ 3 x 10^15 and ~ 10^16 Hz, and therefore of a kind predicted to exist but never seen before. This discovery has important implications for our understanding of physical processes in blazars, including the so-called “blazar sequence”, and might also help constraining the extragalactic background light through gamma-ray absorption since two sources are strongly detected even in the 10 – 100 GeV Fermi-LAT band. Based on our previous work and their high powers, these sources are very likely high-redshift flat-spectrum radio quasars with their emission lines swamped by the non-thermal continuum.

Single-angle to multi-angle transition in the collective flavor dynamics of neutrinos in supernovae

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:48:27 +0000

In this paper we study in detail the dynamics of flavor transformation for neutrinos propagating in the very dense environment of astrophysical compact objects as Type II supernova in post collapse phase and proto-neutron stars. The analysis is based on the formalism by Strack and Burrows, who introduced the generalized Boltzmann equation for Wigner phase space density. In appropriate limits the formalism reduces to the usual evolution equations for the wave functions or for density matrix elements of Liouville equation. We incorporate the most important aspects of neutrino propagation physics: the phenomenology of standard oscillations with MSW resonance induced by ordinary matter, collective behavior due to self-interaction, which can produce bipolar and synchronized flavor oscillations, whose relevance is recognized by recent literature, the combination of these effects with collisions including scattering, emission and absorption of neutrinos.

Ionized Reflection Spectra from Accretion Disks Illuminated by X-ray Pulsars

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:44:52 +0000

X-ray reflection signatures are observed around multiple classes of accreting compact objects. Modelling these features yield important constraints on the physics of accretion disks, motivating the development of X-ray reflection models appropriate for a variety of systems and illumination conditions. Here, constant density ionized X-ray reflection models are presented for a disk irradiated with a very hard power-law X-ray spectrum (\Gamma < 1) and a variable high-energy cutoff. These models are then applied to the Suzaku data of the accreting X-ray pulsar LMC X-4, where very good fits are obtained with a highly ionized reflector responsible for both the broad Fe K line and the soft excess. The ionized reflector shows strong evidence for significant Doppler broadening and is redshifted by ~10^4 km/s. These features indicate that the reflecting material is associated with the complex dynamics occurring at the inner region of the magnetically-truncated accretion disk. Thus, reflection studies of X-ray pulsar spectra may give important insights into the accretion physics at the magnetospheric radius.

Dependence of the LMXB population on the stellar age

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:42:34 +0000

We investigate the dependence of the LMXB population in early-type galaxies on the stellar age. We selected 20 massive nearby early-type galaxies from the Chandra archive occupying relatively narrow range of masses and spanning broad range of ages, from 1.6 Gyr to more than 10 Gyrs, with the median value of 6 Gyrs. With ~ 2000 X-ray point sources detected in total, we correlated the specific number of LMXBs in each galaxy with its stellar age and globular cluster content. We found a correlation between the LMXB population and the stellar age — older galaxies tend to possess about ~ 50% more LMXBs (per unit stellar mass) than the younger ones. The interpretation of this dependence is complicated by large scatter and a rather strong correlation between the stellar age and the globular cluster content of galaxies in our sample. We present evidence suggesting that the more important factor is the evolution of the LMXB population with time. Its effect is further amplified by the larger globular content of older galaxies and correspondingly, larger numbers of dynamically formed binaries in them. We also found clear evolution of the X-ray luminosity function with age, that younger galaxies have more bright sources and fewer faint sources per unit stellar mass. The luminosity function of LMXBs in younger galaxies appears to extend significantly beyond E39 erg/s. Such bright sources seem to be less frequent in older galaxies. We found that 3 out of ~ 8 (ultra-) luminous sources are located in globular clusters.

Are there any stable magnetic fields in barotropic stars?

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:42:02 +0000

We construct barotropic stellar equilibria, containing magnetic fields with both poloidal and toroidal field components. We extend earlier results by exploring the effect of different magnetic field and current distributions. Our results suggest that the boundary treatment plays a major role in whether the poloidal or toroidal field component is globally dominant. Using time evolutions we provide the first stability test for mixed poloidal-toroidal fields in barotropic stars, finding that all these fields suffer instabilities due to one of the field components: these are localised around the pole for toroidal-dominated equilibria and in the closed-field line region for poloidal-dominated equilibria. Rotation provides only partial stabilisation. There appears to be very limited scope for the existence of stable magnetic fields in barotropic stars. We discuss what additional physics from real stars may allow for stable fields.

Transonicity in black hole accretion — A mathematical study using the generalized Sturm chains [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:41:31 +0000

By applying the theory of algebraic polynomials and the theory of dynamical systems, we construct the generalized Sturm sequences/chains to investigate the transonic properties of hydrodynamic accretion onto non-rotating astrophysical black holes, to demonstrate, completely analytically, how many critical point such an accretion flow can have. Our work is significantly important, because for the first time in the literature, we provide a purely analytical method, by applying certain powerful theorem of algebraic polynomials in pure mathematics, to check whether certain astrophysical hydrodynamic accretion may undergo more than one sonic transitions. Our work can be generalized to analytically calculate the maximal number of equilibrium points certain autonomous dynamical systems can have in general (Abridged).

Kinematic Origin OF Correlations Between Gamma Ray Burst Observables [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:41:20 +0000

Recently, several new correlations between gamma ray burst (GRB) observables have been discovered. Like previously well established correlations, they challenge GRB models. Here we show that in the cannonball (CB) model of GRBs, these newly discovered correlations have the same simple kinematic origin as those discovered earlier. They all result from the strong dependence of the observed radiations on the Lorentz and Doppler factors of the jet of highly relativistic plasmoids (CBs) that produces the observed radiations by interaction with the medium through which it propagates.

Spin-flavor oscillations of Dirac neutrinos described by relativistic quantum mechanics [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:41:01 +0000

Spin-flavor oscillations of Dirac neutrinos in matter and a magnetic field are studied using the method of relativistic quantum mechanics. Using the exact solution of the wave equation for a massive neutrino, taking into account external fields, the effective Hamiltonian governing neutrino spin-flavor oscillations is derived. Then the The consistency of our approach with the commonly used quantum mechanical method is demonstrated. The obtained correction to the usual effective Hamiltonian results in the appearance of the new resonance in neutrino oscillations. Applications to spin-flavor neutrino oscillations in an expanding envelope of a supernova are discussed. In particular, transitions between right-polarized electron neutrinos and additional sterile neutrinos are studied for realistic background matter and magnetic field distributions. The influence of other factors such as the longitudinal magnetic field, the matter polarization, and the non-standard contributions to the neutrino effective potential, is also analyzed.

Accretion onto Black Holes from Large Scales Regulated by Radiative Feedback. II. Growth Rate and Duty Cycle [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:38:48 +0000

This paper, the second of a series on radiation-regulated accretion onto black holes (BHs) from galactic scales, focuses on the effects of radiation pressure and angular momentum of the accreting gas. We simulate accretion onto intermediate-mass black holes, but we derive general scaling relationships that are solutions of the Bondi problem with radiation feedback valid for any mass of the BH $M_{\rm bh}$. Thermal pressure of the ionized sphere around the BH regulates the accretion rate producing periodic and short-lived luminosity bursts. We find that for ambient gas densities exceeding $n^{\rm cr}_{\rm H,\infty} \propto M_{\rm bh}^{-1}$, the period of the oscillations decreases rapidly and the duty cycle increases from 6%, in agreement with observations of the fraction of active galactic nuclei at $z\sim 3$, to 50%. The mean accretion rate becomes Eddington limited for $n_{\rm H,\infty}>n_{\rm H,\infty}^{\rm Edd} \simeq n_{\rm H,\infty}^{\rm cr} T_{\infty,4}^{-1}$ where $T_{\infty,4}$ is the gas temperature in units of $10^4$ K. In the sub-Eddington regime, the mean accretion rate onto BHs is about $1% T_{\infty,4}^{2.5}$ of the Bondi rate, thus is proportional to the thermal pressure of the ambient medium. The period of the oscillations coincides with depletion timescale of the gas inside the ionized bubble surrounding the BH. Gas depletion is dominated by a pressure gradient pushing the gas outward if $n_{\rm H,\infty}

On weak redshift dependence of gamma-ray spectra of distant blazars [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:37:23 +0000

Line-of-sight interactions of cosmic rays provide a natural explanation of the hard gamma-ray spectra of distant blazars, which are believed to be capable of producing both gamma rays and cosmic rays. For sources with redshifts z> 0.1, secondary gamma rays produced in cosmic-ray interactions with background photons close to an observer can dominate over primary gamma-rays originating at the source. The transition from one component to another is accompanied by a change in the spectral index depending on the source redshift. We present theoretical predictions and show that they agree with the data from Fermi Large Area Telescope. This agreement, combined with the spectral data from Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, provides evidence of cosmic ray acceleration by Active Galactic Nuclei and opens new opportunities for studying photon backgrounds and intergalactic magnetic fields.

A local Hamiltonian for spherically symmetric gravity coupled to a scalar field [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:37:07 +0000

We present a gauge fixing of gravity coupled to a scalar field in spherical symmetry such that the Hamiltonian is an integral over space of a local density. Such a formulation had proved elusive over the years. As in any gauge fixing, it works for a restricted set of initial data. We argue that the set could be large enough to attempt a quantization the could include the important case of an evaporating black hole.

Cataclysmic Variables in Globular Clusters [Replacement]

astro-ph — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:36:48 +0000

Every massive globular cluster (GC) is expected to harbour a significant population of cataclysmic variables (CVs). In this review, I first explain why GC CVs matter astrophysically, how many and what types are theoretically predicted to exist and what observational tools we can use to discover, confirm and study them. I then take a look at how theoretical predictions and observed samples actually stack up to date. In the process, I also reconsider the evidence for two widely held ideas about CVs in GCs: (i) that there must be many fewer dwarf novae than expected; (ii) that the incidence of magnetic CVs is much higher in GCs than in the Galactic field.

Vox Charta » High Energy

Significance of tension for gravitating masses in Kaluza-Klein models [Cross-Listing]

Transition Radiation from the Neutrino-Photon Interaction in Matter [Cross-Listing]

The Unusual Temporal and Spectral Evolution of the Type IIn Supernova 2011ht

Effect of a Weak Electromagnetic Field on Particle Acceleration by a Rotating Black Hole [Cross-Listing]

Joint spectral-timing modelling of the hard lags in GX 339-4: constraints on reflection models

Double Compact Objects I: The Significance Of The Common Envelope On Merger Rates

Discovery of the neutron star spin and orbital period from the Be/X-ray binary IGR J05414-6858 in the LMC

Shower Center of Gravity and Hadronic Interaction Characteristics

A two-component jet model based on the Blandford-Znajek and Blandford-Payne processes

Chandra Survey of Nearby Edge-on Disk Galaxies I: Luminosities of Galactic Coronae [Replacement]

First order Fermi acceleration driven by magnetic reconnection [Replacement]

Critical Conditions for Core-Collapse Supernovae [Replacement]

Effects of Leakage Neutral Particles on Shocks [Replacement]

The Gamma-Ray Blazar PKS 0208-512, a Multi-Wavelength Investigation

On the Anisotropy of E0 >= 5.5$\times$1019 eV Cosmic Rays according to Data of the Pierre Auger Collaboration

Fundamental Physics and Relativistic Laboratory Astrophysics with Extreme Power Lasers

A Search for UHE Tau Neutrinos with IceCube

The colours of BL Lac objects: a new approach to their classification

Effects of Leakage Neutral Particles on Shocks

Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the 401 Hertz accreting pulsar IGR J17498-2921: indication of burning in confined regions

Exploring the supernova remnant G308.4-1.4

Assessing the Feasibility of Cosmic-Ray Acceleration by Magnetic Turbulence at the Galactic Center

A remarkable long-term light curve, and deep, low-state spectroscopy: Swift & XMM-Newton monitoring of the NLS1 galaxy Mkn 335

The Search for High-Mass X-ray Binaries in the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy

Detection of very-high energy \gamma-ray emission from NGC 1275 by the MAGIC telescopes [Replacement]

Local Simulations of Instabilities in Relativistic Jets I: Morphology and Energetics of the Current-Driven Instability [Replacement]

A Search for Diffuse X-ray Emission from GeV Detected Galactic Globular Clusters [Replacement]

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code [Replacement]

Measuring X-ray variability in faint/sparsely-sampled AGN [Replacement]

Fermi-LAT Observations of the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission: Implications for Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Medium [Replacement]

Neutralino dark matter in mSUGRA/CMSSM with a 125 GeV light Higgs scalar [Cross-Listing]

Fermi-LAT Observations of the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission: Implications for Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Medium

Identification campaign of supernova remnant candidates in the Milky Way – I: Chandra observation of G308.3-1.4

A common scenario for an small vacuum energy and long lived super heavy dark matter [Cross-Listing]

3 to 12 millimetre studies of dense gas towards the western rim of supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946

Frame-dragging, disk warping, jet precessing, and dipped X-ray lightcurve of Sw J1644+57

F-GAMMA: On the phenomenological classification of continuum radio spectra variability patterns of Fermi blazars

The contribution from blazar cascade emission to the extragalactic gamma-ray background: What a role does the extragalactic magnetic field play?

A double component in GRB 090618: a proto-black hole and a genuinely long GRB

Electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave transient signal candidates

Swift J1644+57: An Ultra-Luminous X-ray Event [Replacement]

The mass function of black holes at 1 astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:40:35 +0000 In this paper, we compare the observationally derived black hole mass function (BHMF) of luminous broad-line quasars (BLQSOs) at 1

Unification models with reheating via primordial black holes [Replacement]

Measurements of the Cosmic Ray Composition with Air Shower Experiments [Replacement]

Spin-Down of Radio Millisecond Pulsars at Genesis [Replacement]

Searches for very high energy gamma rays from blazars with CANGAROO-III telescope in 2005-2009 [Replacement]

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code [Replacement]

Measuring X-ray variability in faint/sparsely-sampled AGN

B2 0954+25A: a typical Fermi blazar or a gamma-loud Narrow Line Seyfert 1

Chandra pulsar survey (ChaPS)

Periodic Radio Variability in NRAO 530: Phase Dispersion Minimization Analysis

The Positioning System of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the black hole GX 339-4: I. A focus on the continuum in the low/hard and high/soft states

The Detonation Mechanism of the Pulsationally-Assisted Gravitationally-Confined Detonation Model of Type Ia Supernovae

Fading Hawking Radiation [Replacement]

Optical to X-rays supernovae light curves following shock breakout through a thick wind

Average power density spectrum of Swift long gamma-ray bursts in the observer and in the source rest frames

Numerical simulations of strong incompressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence [Cross-Listing]

Constraints on the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic-rays using cosmic diffuse neutrino flux limits: An analytical approach

Role of ejecta clumping and back-reaction of accelerated cosmic rays in the evolution of Type Ia supernova remnants

The X-ray emission of magnetic cataclysmic variables in the XMM-Newton era

Comparison of EPOS and QGSJET-II in EAS Simulation using CORSIKA code

The fundamental plane for radio magnetars [Replacement]

Indirect Dark Matter Detection in the Light of Sterile Neutrinos [Cross-Listing]

A Chandra Survey of Supermassive Black Holes with Dynamical Mass Measurements

A Transient Sub-Eddington Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidate in the Dust Lanes of Centaurus A

Broad-band Jet Emission in Young and Powerful Radio Sources: the Case of the CSS Quasar 3C 186

SGR J1550-5418 bursts detected with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor during its most prolific activity

Periodic Emission from the Gamma-ray Binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856

Two-Phase ICM in the Central Region of the Rich Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795: A Joint Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku View

Simultaneous B’V'R’ Monitoring of BL Lacertae Object S5~0716+714 and Detection of Inter-Band Time Delay

Inferring Core-Collapse Supernova Physics with Gravitational Waves [Cross-Listing]

Revisiting the Higgs Mass and Dark Matter in the CMSSM [Cross-Listing]

Recent Results of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

A detailed comparison of REAS3 and MGMR simulations for radio emission from EAS

A Broadband Study of the Emission from the Composite Supernova Remnant MSH 11-62

Deep Crustal Heating in a Multicomponent Accreted Neutron Star Crust [Cross-Listing]

Measurement of Cosmic Ray spectrum and Anisotropy with ARGO-YBJ

Evidence for two neutrino mass eigenstates from SN 1987A and the possibility of superluminal neutrinos [Replacement]

The mass function of black holes at 1
astro-ph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:40:35 +0000

In this paper, we compare the observationally derived black hole mass function (BHMF) of luminous broad-line quasars (BLQSOs) at 1