Γ-ray Astronomy Research Articles

On-site mirror facet condensation measurements for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT) has provided very important discoveries in Very High Energy (VHE) γ-ray astronomy for the last two decades, being exploited mainly by experiments such as H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS. The same technique will be used by the next generation of γ-ray telescopes, Cherenkov Telescope Array – CTA, which is conceived to be an Observatory composed by two arrays strategically placed in both hemispheres, one in the Northern and one in the Southern. Each site will consist of several tens of Cherenkov telescopes of different sizes and will be equipped with about 10000m2 of reflective surface. Because of its large size, the reflector of a Cherenkov telescope is composed of many individual mirror facets. Cherenkov telescopes operate without any protective system from weather conditions therefore it is important to understand how the reflective surfaces behave under different environmental conditions. This paper describes a study of the behavior of the mirrors in the presence of water vapor condensation. The operational time of a telescope is reduced by the presence of condensation on the mirror surface, therefore, to control and to monitor the formation of condensation is an important issue for IACT observatories. We developed a method based on pictures of the mirrors to identify the areas with water vapor condensation. The method is presented here and we use it to estimate the time and area two mirrors had condensation when exposed to the environmental conditions in the Argentinean site. The study presented here shows important guidelines in the selection procedure of mirror technologies and shows an innovative monitoring tool to be used in future Cherenkov telescopes.

Gamma rays as probes of the Universe

The propagation of γ rays over very large distances provides new insights on the intergalactic medium and on fundamental physics. On their path to the Earth, γ rays can annihilate with diffuse infrared or optical photons of the intergalactic medium, producing e+e− pairs. The density of these photons is poorly determined by direct measurements due to significant galactic foregrounds. Studying the absorption of γ rays from extragalactic sources at different distances allows the density of low-energy diffuse photons to be measured. Gamma-ray propagation may also be affected by new phenomena predicted by extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. Lorentz Invariance is violated in some models of Quantum Gravity, leading to an energy-dependent speed of light in vacuum. From differential time-of-flight measurements of the most distant γ-ray bursts and of flaring active galactic nuclei, lower bounds have been set on the energy scale of Quantum Gravity. Another effect that may alter γ-ray propagation is predicted by some models of String Theory, namely the mixing of the γ ray with a light fundamental boson called an “axion-like particle”, which does not interact with low-energy photons. Such a mixing would make the Universe more transparent to γ rays than what would otherwise be, in a sense it decreases the amount of modification to the spectrum that comes from the extragalactic background light. The present status of the search for all these phenomena in γ-ray astronomy is reviewed. La propagation des photons γ sur de très grandes distances nous permet de sonder le milieu intergalactique et fournit des tests de physique fondamentale. Au cours de leur chemin vers la Terre, ceux-ci peuvent s'annihiler avec les photons infrarouges et optiques du milieu intergalactique, produisant ainsi des paires e+e−. L'absorption des photons γ émis par des sources extragalactiques à différentes distances permet de mesurer ce fond diffus, par ailleurs très mal connu par des mesures directes en raison des importants rayonnements d'avant-plan dus à la Galaxie. La propagation des photons γ peut aussi être affectée par de nouveaux phénomènes prédits par des extensions du modèle standard de la physique des particules. L'invariance de Lorentz est violée dans certains modèles de gravité quantique où la vitesse de la lumière dans le vide varie avec l'énergie du photon γ. Les mesures différentielles de temps de vol sur les sursauts γ et sur les éruptions de noyaux actifs de galaxie ont permis d'obtenir des bornes inférieures sur l'échelle d'énergie de la gravité quantique. Un autre effet pouvant affecter la propagation des photons γ est prédit par des modèles de la théorie des cordes. Il s'agit du mélange quantique entre le photon et une particule légère de type « axion », qui n'interagit pas avec les photons infrarouge et optiques. En diminuant dans les spectres l'empreinte de l'absorption par le fond diffus, ce mélange rendrait l'Univers plus transparent que prévu aux photons γ. L'article présente l'état actuel des recherches sur l'ensemble de ces phénomènes en astronomie γ

Considerations on the radio emission from extended air showers

The process of radio emission from extended air showers produced by high energy cosmic rays has reached a good level of comprehension and prediction. It has a coherent nature, so the emitted power scales quadratically with the energy of the primary particle. Recently, a laboratory measurement has revealed that an incoherent radiation mechanism exists, namely, the bremsstrahlung emission. In this paper we expound why bremsstrahlung radiation, that should be present in showers produced by ultra high energy cosmic rays, has escaped detection so far, and why, on the other side, it could be exploited, in the 1–10 GHz frequency range, to detect astronomical γ-rays. We propose an experimental scheme to verify such hypothesis, which, if correct, would deeply impact on the observational γ-ray astronomy.

On Bayesian analysis of on–off measurements

We propose an analytical solution to the on–off problem within the framework of Bayesian statistics. Both the statistical significance for the discovery of new phenomena and credible intervals on model parameters are presented in a consistent way. We use a large enough family of prior distributions of relevant parameters. The proposed analysis is designed to provide Bayesian solutions that can be used for any number of observed on–off events, including zero. The procedure is checked using Monte Carlo simulations. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated on examples from γ-ray astronomy.

TeV γ-ray astronomy with ground-based air-shower arrays

The TeV energy band is a very exciting window into the origin of high energy cosmic radiation, particle acceleration, and the annihilation of dark matter particles. Above a few hundred GeV, ground-based experiments of very large effective areas open a new domain to study extragalactic sources at intermediate redshifts, galaxy clusters, gamma ray bursts, AGN and their flaring states, extended sources and galactic diffuse emission, and to indirect searches for dark matter. In particular, ground arrays of particle detectors -that operate with high duty cycles and large fields of view- can extend to multi-TeV energies the measurements made with experiments on satellites, and complement the observations done with air Cherenkov telescopes on the ground. Key science goals of ground arrays include performing unbiased all-sky surveys, monitoring of transient events from known (and unknown) sources, and detecting extended regions of diffuse emission. In this paper, the status and most recent results from ARGO-YBJ, Tibet AS, HAWC, and LHAASO are presented.

Ground- and Space-Based Gamma-Ray Astronomy

In recent years, observational γ-ray astronomy has witnessed a remarkable range of exciting new results in the high-energy and very high-energy regimes. Coupled with extensive theoretical and phenomenological studies of nonthermal processes in the Universe, these observations have provided deep insights into a number of fundamental problems of high-energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics. Although the main motivations of γ-ray astronomy remain unchanged, recent observational results have contributed significantly toward our understanding of many related phenomena. This article aims to review the most important results in the young and rapidly developing field of γ-ray astrophysics.

Determination of the 25Mg(p, γ)26Al resonance strength at E c.m.=58 keV via shell model calculation

The observation of 26Al is an useful tool for γ-ray astronomy and in studies of galactic chemical evolution. The most likely mechanism for 26A1 nucleosynthesis is in the hydrogen burning MgAl cycle, and the 26A1 production reaction 25Mg(p, γ)26Al at the important temperature range below T = 0.2 GK is still not well known. The spectroscopic factor of 58 keV resonance level in 26A1 is determined with shell model calculation and then used to deduce the resonance strength of the 25Mg(p, γ)26Al reaction. The result provides a reference for the future 25Mg(p, γ)26Al direct measurement at Jinping underground laboratory.

A template method for measuring the iron spectrum in cosmic rays with Cherenkov telescopes

Understanding the sources, acceleration mechanisms, and propagation of cosmic rays is an active area of research in astro-particle physics. Measuring the spectrum and elemental composition of cosmic rays on earth can help solve this question. IACTs, while mainly used for γ-ray astronomy and indirect searches for dark matter, can make an important contribution here. In particular, they are able to distinguish heavy nuclei in cosmic rays from protons and lighter nuclei by exploiting the direct Cherenkov light emitted by charged particles high in the atmosphere. In this paper, a method to reconstruct relevant properties of primary cosmic ray particles from the Cherenkov light emitted by the primary particles and the air showers induced by them will be presented.

Systematic search for molecular clouds near supernova remnants as sources of very-high-energy γ-ray emission

Supernova remnants accelerate particles up to energies of at least 100 TeV as established by observations in very-high-energy γ-ray astronomy. Molecular clouds in their vicinity provide an increased amount of target material for proton-proton interaction and subsequent neutral pion decay into γ-rays of accelerated hadrons escaping the remnant. Therefore, these molecular clouds are potential γ-ray sources. The γ-ray emission from these clouds provides a unique environment to derive information on the propagation of very-high-energy particles through the interstellar medium as well as on the acceleration of hadrons in supernova remnants. Current Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope systems are suitable to explore a large parameter space of the propagation properties depending on the age of the supernova remnant and the distance between the remnant and the nearby molecular cloud.In this paper we present our strategy and results of a systematic search for γ-ray emitting molecular clouds near supernova remnants which are potentially detectable with current experiments in the TeV energy range and explore the prospects of future experiments.

Constraint of the astrophysical ^{26g}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si destruction rate at stellar temperatures.

The Galactic 1.809-MeV γ-ray signature from the β decay of ^{26g}Al is a dominant target of γ-ray astronomy, of which a significant component is understood to originate from massive stars. The ^{26g}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si reaction is a major destruction pathway for ^{26g}Al at stellar temperatures, but the reaction rate is poorly constrained due to uncertainties in the strengths of low-lying resonances in ^{27}Si. The ^{26g}Al(d,p)^{27}Al reaction has been employed in inverse kinematics to determine the spectroscopic factors, and hence resonance strengths, of proton resonances in ^{27}Si via mirror symmetry. The strength of the 127-keV resonance is found to be a factor of 4 higher than the previously adopted upper limit, and the upper limit for the 68-keV resonance has been reduced by an order of magnitude, considerably constraining the ^{26g}Al destruction rate at stellar temperatures.

Lateral density and arrival time distributions of Cherenkov photons in extensive air showers: A simulation study

We have investigated some features of the density and arrival time distributions of Cherenkov photons in extensive air showers using the CORSIKA simulation package. The main thrust of this study is to see the effect of hadronic interaction models on the production pattern of Cherenkov photons with respect to distance from the shower core. Such studies are very important in ground based γ-ray astronomy for an effective rejection of huge cosmic ray background, where the atmospheric Cherenkov technique is being used extensively within the energy range of some hundred GeV to few TeV. We have found that for all primary particles, the density distribution patterns of Cherenkov photons follow the negative exponential function with different coefficients and slopes depending on the type of primary particle, its energy and the type of interaction model combinations. Whereas the arrival time distribution patterns of Cherenkov photons follow the function of the form t(r)=t0eΓ/rλ, with different values of the function parameters. There is no significant effect of hadronic interaction model combinations on the density and arrival time distributions for the γ-ray primaries. However, for the hadronic showers, the effects of the model combinations are significant under different conditions.

Ground-based TeV γ-ray Astronomy in India - Historical Perspective and Recent Developments

A short historical account of TeV γ-ray astronomy in India is presented. Special attention is given to the development of experimental techniques vis-a-vis world-wide development of the field.

A new solution for mirror coating in γ-ray Cherenkov astronomy

In the $\gamma$-ray Cherenkov Astronomy framework mirror coating plays a crucial role in defining the light response of the telescope. We carried out a study for new mirror coating solutions with both a numerical simulation software and a vacuum chamber for small sample production. In this article, we present a new mirror coating solution consisting of a 28-layer interferometric SiO$_{2}$-TiO$_{2}$-HfO$_{2}$ design deposited on a glass substrate, whose average reflectance is above $90\%$ for normally incident light in the wavelength range between 300 and 550 nm.

Direct measurement of the (23)Na(α,p)(26)Mg reaction cross section at energies relevant for the production of galactic (26)Al.

The 1809-keV γ ray from the decay of (26)Al(g) is an important target for γ-ray astronomy. In the convective C/Ne burning shell of massive presupernova stars, the (23)Na(α,p)(26)Mg reaction directly influences the production of (26)Al. We have performed a direct measurement of the (23)Na(α,p)(26)Mg reaction cross section at the appropriate astrophysically important energies. The stellar rate calculated in the present work is larger than the recommended rate by nearly a factor of 40 and could strongly affect the production of (26)Al in massive stars.

TeV GAMMA RAYS: OBSERVATIONS VERSUS EXPECTATIONS & THEORY

The scope of this paper is to discuss two important questions relevant for TeV γ-ray astronomy; the pursuit to reveal the origin of cosmic rays in our galaxy, and the opacity of the universe in γ-rays. The origin of cosmic rays stipulated the field of TeV astronomy in the first place, and led to the development of the atmospheric Cherenkov technique; significant progress has been made in the last decade through the detection of several supernova remnants, the primary suspects for harboring the acceleration sites of cosmic rays. TeV γ-rays propagate mostly unhindered through the galactic plane, making them excellent probes of processes in SNRs and other galactic sources. Key results related to the SNR origin of cosmic rays are discussed. TeV γ-ray spectra from extragalactic sources experience significant absorption when traversing cosmological distances. The opacity of the universe to γ-rays above 10 GeV progressively increases with energy and redshift; the reason lies in their pair production with ambient soft photons from the extragalactic background light (EBL). While this limits the γ-ray horizon, it offers the opportunity to gain information about cosmology, i.e. the EBL intensity, physical conditions in intergalactic space, and potentially new interaction processes. Results and implications pertaining to the EBL are given.

Mexican observatory pushes the limits of γ-ray astronomy

Mexican observatory pushes the limits of γ-ray astronomy

Highly reproducible quasi-mosaic crystals as optical components for a Laue lens

The realization of a Laue lens for astronomical purposes involves the mass production of a series of crystalline tiles as optical components, allowing high-efficiency diffraction and high-resolution focusing of photons. Crystals with self-standing curved diffraction planes is a valid and promising solution. Exploiting the quasi-mosaic effect, it turns out to be possible to diffract radiation at higher resolution. In this paper we present the realization of 150 quasi-mosaic Ge samples, bent by grooving one of their largest surface. We show that grooving method is a viable technique to manufacture such crystals in a simple and very reproducible way, thus compatible with mass production. Realized samples present very homogenous curvature. Furthermore, with a specific chemical etch, it is possible to fine adjust one by one the radius of curvature of the grooved samples. Realized crystals was selected for the ASI’s Laue project, that involves the implementation of a prototype of a Laue lens for hard X- and soft γ-ray astronomy.

Tunka-HiSCORE – A new array for multi-TeV [formula omitted] astronomy and cosmic-ray physics

Tunka-HiSCORE (HiSCORE: Hundred Square-km Cosmic Origin Explorer) is a new Cherenkov EAS array for multi-TeV γ-ray astronomy and cosmic ray studies. The array will consist of wide-angle (0.6sr) optical stations with 150m distance between individual stations. The array will be constructed in several stages: beginning with a 1km2 array at the first stage up to 100km2 at the last stage. The first three stations have been installed during 2012 in Tunka Valley (50km from the Southern tip of Lake Baikal) at the site of the Tunka-133 array. We describe the construction of the optical stations and the array DAQ, and present the first results of common operation of the new optical stations with the Tunka-133 array.

High-energy γ-ray astronomy comes back to Earth

High-energy γ-ray astronomy comes back to Earth

The “Far Site” Scenario for Gamma-ray Emission in Blazars

Since the birth of γ-ray astronomy, locating the origin of γ-ray emission has been a fundamental problem for the knowledge of the emission processes involved. Densely time sampled monitoring programs with very long baseline interferometry and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, together with several other facilities at most of the available spectral ranges (including polarization measurements if possible) are starting to shed new light for the case of blazars. A successful observing technique consists on analyzing the timing of multi-waveband variations in the flux and linear polarization, as well as changes in ultra-high resolution VLBI images to associate the particularly bright events at different wavebands. Such association can be robustly demonstrated by probing the statistical significance of the correlation among spectral ranges through Monte Carlo simulations. The location of the high energy emission region is inferred through its relative location with regard to the associated low energy event observed in the VLBI images. In this paper, I present some of the latest results using this method that locate the GeV emission within the jets of blazars AO 0235+164 and OJ287 at > 12 pc from the central AGN engine, hence supporting the “far site” scenario.