Gamma-ray Astronomy Research Articles

Gravitational wave signal from primordial magnetic fields in the Pulsar Timing Array frequency band

The NANOGrav, Parkes, European, and International Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) Collaborations have reported evidence for a common-spectrum process that can potentially correspond to a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) in the 1--100 nHz frequency range. We consider the scenario in which this signal is produced by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the early Universe, induced by a nonhelical primordial magnetic field at the energy scale corresponding to the quark confinement phase transition. We perform MHD simulations to study the dynamical evolution of the magnetic field and compute the resulting SGWB. We show that the SGWB output from the simulations can be very well approximated by assuming that the magnetic anisotropic stress is constant in time, over a time interval related to the eddy turnover time. The analytical spectrum that we derive under this assumption features a change of slope at a frequency corresponding to the GW source duration that we confirm with the numerical simulations. We compare the SGWB signal with the PTA data to constrain the temperature scale at which the SGWB is sourced, as well as the amplitude and characteristic scale of the initial magnetic field. We find that the generation temperature is constrained to be in the 1--200 MeV range, the magnetic field amplitude must be $>1$\% of the radiation energy density at that time, and the magnetic field characteristic scale is constrained to be $>10$\% of the horizon scale. We show that the turbulent decay of this magnetic field will lead to a field at recombination that can help to alleviate the Hubble tension and can be tested by measurements in the voids of the Large Scale Structure with gamma-ray telescopes like the Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Evidence of TeV halos around millisecond pulsars

Using data from the HAWC gamma-ray Telescope, we have studied a sample of 37 millisecond pulsars (MSPs), selected for their spindown power and proximity. From among these MSP, we have identified four which favor the presence of very high-energy gamma-ray emission at a level of $(2\Delta \ln \mathcal{L})^{1/2} \ge 2.5$. Adopting a correlation between the spindown power and gamma-ray luminosity of each pulsar, we performed a stacked likelihood analysis of these 37 MSPs, finding that the data supports the conclusion that these sources emit very high-energy gamma-rays at a level of $(2\Delta \ln \mathcal{L})^{1/2} = 4.24$. Among sets of randomly selected sky locations within HAWC's field-of-view, less than 1\% of such realizations yielded such high statistical significance. Our analysis suggests that MSPs produce very high-energy gamma-ray emission with a similar efficiency to that observed from the Geminga TeV-halo, $\eta_{\rm MSP} = (0.39-1.08) \times \eta_{\rm Geminga}$. This conclusion poses a significant challenge for pulsar interpretations of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess, as it suggests that any population of MSPs potentially capable of producing the GeV excess would also produce TeV-scale emission in excess of that observed by HESS from this region. Future observations by CTA will be able to substantially clarify this situation.

First Combined Study on Lorentz Invariance Violation from Observations of Energy-dependent Time Delays from Multiple-type Gamma-Ray Sources. I. Motivation, Method Description, and Validation through Simulations of H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS Data Sets

Gamma-ray astronomy has become one of the main experimental ways to test the modified dispersion relations (MDRs) of photons in vacuum, obtained in some attempts to formulate a theory of quantum gravity. The MDRs in use imply time delays that depend on the energy and that increase with distance following some function of redshift. The use of transient, or variable, distant and highly energetic sources already allows us to set stringent limits on the energy scale related to this phenomenon, usually thought to be of the order of the Planck energy, but robust conclusions on the existence of MDR-related propagation effects still require the analysis of a large population of sources. In order to gather the biggest sample of sources possible for MDR searches at teraelectronvolt energies, the H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS collaborations enacted a joint task force to combine all their relevant data to constrain the quantum gravity energy scale. In the present article, the likelihood method used to combine the data and provide a common limit is described in detail and tested through simulations of recorded data sets for a gamma-ray burst, three flaring active galactic nuclei, and two pulsars. Statistical and systematic errors are assessed and included in the likelihood as nuisance parameters. In addition, a comparison of two different formalisms for distance dependence of the time lags is performed for the first time. In a second article, to appear later, the method will be applied to all relevant data from the three experiments.

Characterizing the γ-Ray Variability of Active Galactic Nuclei with the Stochastic Process Method

Gamma-ray astronomy in the time domain has been by now progressed further as the variabilities of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) on different timescales have been reported a lot. We study the γ-ray variabilities of 23 jetted AGNs by applying a stochastic process method to the ∼12.7 yr long-term light curve (LC) obtained by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). In this method, the stochastically driven damped simple harmonic oscillator (SHO) and the damped random-walk (DRW) models are used to model the long-term LCs. Our results show that the long-term variabilities of 23 AGNs can be characterized well by both SHO and DRW models. However, the SHO model is restricted in the overdamped mode, and the parameters are poorly constrained. The SHO power spectral densities (PSDs) are the same as those of the typical DRW PSD. In the plot of the rest-frame timescale that corresponds to the broken frequency in the PSD versus black hole mass, the intrinsic, characteristic γ-ray timescales of 23 AGNs occupy almost the same space with the optical variability timescales obtained from the accretion disk emission. This suggests a connection between the jet and the accretion disk. As with the optical variability of the AGN accretion disk, the γ-ray timescale is also consistent with the thermal timescale caused by the thermal instability in the standard accretion disk of AGNs.

Constraining branon dark matter from observations of the Segue 1 dwarf spheroidal galaxy with the MAGIC telescopes

We present the first search for signatures of brane-world extra-dimensional dark matter (DM) in the very-high-energy gamma-ray band by scrutinizing observations of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Segue 1 with the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope system. Branons are new degrees of freedom that appear within flexible brane-world models: they are weakly interacting massive particles and natural DM candidates. The ground-based gamma-ray telescopes MAGIC could indirectly detect branon DM in the multi-TeV mass range by observing secondary products of DM annihilation into Standard Model particles. In the absence of a signal, we place constraints on the branon DM parameter space by using a binned likelihood analysis of almost 160-hours deep exposure on the Segue 1 dwarf spheroidal galaxy by the MAGIC telescopes. Our most stringent limit to the thermally-averaged annihilation cross-section (at 95% confidence level) corresponds to 〈σv〉 ≃ 1.4 × 10-23 cm3 s-1 at a branon mass of ∼ 0.7 TeV.

Is the Black-widow Pulsar PSR J1555–2908 in a Hierarchical Triple System?

The 559 Hz black-widow pulsar PSR J1555−2908, originally discovered in radio, is also a bright gamma-ray pulsar. Timing its pulsations using 12 yr of Fermi-Large Area Telescope gamma-ray data reveals long-term variations in its spin frequency that are much larger than is observed from other millisecond pulsars. While this variability in the pulsar rotation rate could be intrinsic “timing noise,” here we consider an alternative explanation: the variations arise from the presence of a very-low-mass third object in a wide multiyear orbit around the neutron star and its low-mass companion. With current data, this hierarchical-triple-system model describes the pulsar’s rotation slightly more accurately than the best-fitting timing noise model. Future observations will show if this alternative explanation is correct.

First Observation of the MeV Gamma-Ray Universe with Bijective Imaging Spectroscopy Using the Electron-tracking Compton Telescope on Board SMILE-2+

MeV gamma-rays provide a unique window for the direct measurement of line emissions from radioisotopes, but observations have made little significant progress since COMPTEL on board the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO). To observe celestial objects in this band, we are developing an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) that realizes both bijective imaging spectroscopy and efficient background reduction gleaned from the recoil-electron track information. The energy spectrum of the observation target can then be obtained by a simple ON–OFF method using a correctly defined point-spread function on the celestial sphere. The performance of celestial object observations was validated on the second balloon SMILE-2+ , on which an ETCC with a gaseous electron tracker was installed that had a volume of 30 × 30 × 30 cm3. Gamma-rays from the Crab Nebula were detected with a significance of 4.0σ in the energy range 0.15–2.1 MeV with a live time of 5.1 hr, as expected before launch. Additionally, the light curve clarified an enhancement of gamma-ray events generated in the Galactic center region, indicating that a significant proportion of the final remaining events are cosmic gamma-rays. Independently, the observed intensity and time variation were consistent with the prelaunch estimates except in the Galactic center region. The estimates were based on the total background of extragalactic diffuse, atmospheric, and instrumental gamma-rays after accounting for the variations in the atmospheric depth and rigidity during the level flight. The Crab results and light curve strongly support our understanding of both the detection sensitivity and the background in real observations. This work promises significant advances in MeV gamma-ray astronomy.

Spatial extension of dark subhalos as seen by Fermi -LAT and the implications for WIMP constraints

Spatial extension has been hailed as a "smoking gun" in the gamma-ray search of dark galactic subhalos, which would appear as unidentified sources for gamma-ray telescopes. In this work, we study the sensitivity of the Fermi-LAT to extended subhalos using simulated data based on a realistic sky model. We simulate spatial templates for a set of representative subhalos, whose parameters were derived from our previous work with N-body cosmological simulation data. We find that detecting an extended subhalo and finding an unequivocal signal of angular extension requires, respectively, a flux 2 to 10 times larger than in the case of a point-like source. By studying a large grid of models, where parameters such as the WIMP mass, annihilation channel or subhalo model are varied significantly, we obtain the response of the LAT as a function of the product of annihilation cross section times the J-factor. Indeed, we show that spatial extension can be used as an additional filter to reject subhalos candidates among the pool of unidentified LAT sources, as well as a "smoking gun" for positive identification. For instance, typical angular extensions of a few tenths of degree are expected for the considered scenarios. Finally, we also study the impact of the obtained LAT sensitivity to such extended subhalos on the achievable dark matter constraints, which are a few times less constraining than comparable point-source limits.

Overview of the HERD space mission

The High Energy cosmic Radiation Detector (HERD) is a prominent space-borne instrument to be installed on-board the Chinese Space Station (CSS) around 2027, resulting from a collaboration among Chinese and European institutions. Primary scientific goals of HERD include: precise measurements of the cosmic ray (CR) energy spectra and mass composition at energies up to few PeV, electron/positron spectra up to tens of TeV, CR anisotropy, gamma ray astronomy and transient studies, along with indirect searches for Dark Matter candidates. The detector is configured to accept incident particles from both its top and four lateral sides. Owing to its pioneering design, more than one order of magnitude increase in geometric acceptance is foreseen, with respect to previous and ongoing experiments. HERD is conceived around a deep (∼55 X 0, 3 λ I ) 3D cubic calorimeter (CALO), forming an octagonal prism. Fiber Trackers (FiTs) are instrumented on all active sides, with a Plastic Scintillator Detector (PSD) covering the calorimeter and tracker. Ultimately, a Silicon Charge Detector (SCD) envelops the above-stated sub-detectors, while a Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) is instrumented on one of its lateral faces, for energy calibration in the TeV scale. This work illustrates HERD’s latest advancements and scientific objectives along with an overview of upcoming activities.

Editorial

Editorial

Outstanding Achievements of the LHAASO Experiment in the Field of Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

Outstanding Achievements of the LHAASO Experiment in the Field of Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

Ultra-High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy with the Carpet Air Shower Array at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory

Ultra-High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy with the Carpet Air Shower Array at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory

Detectability of Large Correlation Length Inflationary Magnetic Field with Cherenkov Telescopes

Magnetic fields occupying the voids of the large scale structure may be a relic from the Early Universe originating from either Inflation or from cosmological phase transitions. We explore the possibility of identifying the inflationary origin of the void magnetic fields and measuring its parameters with gamma-ray astronomy methods. The large correlation length inflationary field is expected to impose a characteristic asymmetry of extended gamma-ray emission that is correlated between different sources on the sky. We show that a set of nearby blazars for which the extended emission is observable in the 0.1-1 TeV band with CTA can be used for the test of inflationary origin of the void magnetic fields.

Galactic center gamma-ray production by cosmic rays from stellar winds and Sgr A East

Context. The High Energy Stereoscopic System, the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescope, and the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System have observed diffuse gamma-ray emission strongly correlated with the central molecular zone in the Galactic center. The most accepted scenario to generate this emission is via a hadronic interaction between cosmic rays (CRs) and ambient gas, where CRs are accelerated from a central and continuous source of 1 PeV protons. Aims. We explore the influence of the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the central molecular zone on the indirect observation of the CR energy density via gamma-ray detection. Methods. We simulated synthetic gamma-ray maps using a CR diffusion model with spherical injection, one isotropic diffusion coefficient, no advection, and mono-energetic particles of 1 PeV. Also, we used two different 3D gas distributions considering the observed gas column density, both with and without an inner cavity. Results. We find that when using a persistent CR source, a disk-like gas distribution is needed to reproduce the existing CR indirect observations. This is in agreement with the continuous gas distribution implied by some dynamical models and studies based on the comparison of emission and absorption molecular lines. However, it contradicts several models of the central molecular zone, which imply that this structure has a significant inner cavity. This tension can be reconciled by an additional, impulsive CR injection. Conclusions. If the central molecular zone has a cavity, a composite CR population, coming from the stellar winds of the Wolf-Rayet stars in the central 0.5 pc and the supernova Sgr A East, produces a good match to the observed gamma-ray morphology in the Galactic center.

Astroclimate of the High Mountain Plains of the Greater Altai, According to Satellite Remote Sensing Data: Potential for Deploying a Full-Scale Gamma Astronomy Experiment

Astroclimate of the High Mountain Plains of the Greater Altai, According to Satellite Remote Sensing Data: Potential for Deploying a Full-Scale Gamma Astronomy Experiment

Gamma- and Cosmic-Ray observations with the GAMMA-400 Gamma-Ray telescope

The future space-based GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope will operate onboard the Russian astrophysical observatory in a highly elliptic orbit during 7 years to observe Galactic plane, Galactic Center, Fermi Bubbles, Crab, Vela, Cygnus X, Geminga, Sun, and other regions and measure gamma- and cosmic-ray fluxes. Observations will be performed in the point-source mode continuously for a long time (∼100 days). GAMMA-400 will measure gamma rays in the energy range from ∼ 20 MeV to several TeV and cosmic-ray electrons + positrons up to several tens TeV. GAMMA-400 instrument will have very good angle and energy resolutions, high separation efficiency of gamma rays from cosmic-ray background, as well as electrons + positrons from protons. The main feature of GAMMA-400 is the unprecedented angular resolution for energies > 30 GeV better than the space-based and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes by a factor of 5–10. GAMMA-400 observations will permit to resolve gamma rays from annihilation or decay of dark matter particles, identify many discrete sources, clarify the structure of extended sources, specify the data on cosmic-ray electron + positron spectra.

Ultrahigh-energy γ-Rays from Past Explosions in Our Galaxy

Abstract The discovery of the sources of ultrahigh-energy photons in our Galaxy by the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-ray Observatory and the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has revolutionized the field of gamma-ray astronomy in the last few years. These emissions are sometimes found in the vicinity of powerful pulsars or supernova remnants (SNRs) associated with giant molecular clouds (GMCs). Inverse Compton emission by shock-accelerated electrons emitted by pulsars and proton–proton interactions of shock-accelerated protons emitted by SNRs with cold protons in molecular clouds are often identified as the causes of these emissions. In this paper we have selected two ultrahigh-energy photon sources, LHAASO J2108+5157 and LHAASO J0341+5258, which are associated with GMCs, but no powerful pulsar or SNR has been detected in their vicinity. We have proposed a scenario where shock-accelerated electrons and protons are injected in the local environment of these sources from past explosions, which happened thousands of years ago. We show that the observed ultrahigh-energy photon flux can be explained with the secondary gamma rays produced by the time-evolved relativistic electron and proton spectra.

Presupernova ultralight axionlike particles

We calculate the production of ultra-light axion-like particles (ALPs) in a nearby supernova progenitor. Once produced, ALPs escape from the star and a part of them is converted into photons during propagation in the Galactic magnetic field. It is found that the MeV photon flux that reaches Earth may be detectable by gamma ray telescopes for ALPs lighter than ~1 neV when Betelgeuse undergoes oxygen and silicon burning. The dependence of the gamma ray flux on the stellar mass is much smaller than the uncertainty that originates from the Galactic magnetic field. If ALPs are lighter than ~0.1 neV and the supernova progenitor is close enough to the Solar System, the gamma ray flux is insensitive to the distance d because the ALP-photon conversion probability is proportional to d^2. (Non-)detection of gamma rays from a supernova progenitor with next-generation gamma ray telescopes just after pre-supernova neutrino alerts would lead to an independent constraint on ALP parameters as stringent as a SN 1987A limit.

Gamma-ray astronomy with the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in India

Gamma-ray astronomy with the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in India

Capabilities of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope to detect gamma-ray bursts from lateral directions

• The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope performance for lateral aperture. • Detection of GRB from the lateral aperture in the energy range from ∼ 10 to ∼ 100 MeV. • The problem of connection between high- and low-energy gamma-ray emissions of GRBs. The currently developing space-based gamma-ray telescope GAMMA-400 will measure the gamma-ray and electron + positron fluxes using the main top-down aperture in the energy range from ∼ 20 MeV to several TeV in a highly elliptic orbit (without shading the telescope by the Earth and outside the radiation belts) continuously for a long time. The instrument will provide fundamentally new data on discrete gamma-ray sources, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), sources and propagation of Galactic cosmic rays and signatures of dark matter due to its unique angular and energy resolutions in the wide energy range. The gamma-ray telescope consists of the anticoincidence system (AC), the converter-tracker (C), the time-of-flight system (S1 and S2), the position-sensitive and electromagnetic calorimeters (CC1 and CC2), scintillation detectors (S3 and S4) located above and behind the CC2 calorimeter and lateral detectors (LD) located around the CC2 calorimeter. In this paper, the capabilities of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope to measure fluxes of GRBs from lateral directions of CC2 are analyzed using Monte-Carlo simulations. The analysis is based on off-line second-level trigger construction using signals from S3, CC2, S4 and LD detectors. For checking the numerical algorithm the data from space-based GBM and LAT instruments of the Fermi experiment are used, namely, three long bursts: GRB 080916C, GRB 090902B, GRB 090926A and one short burst GRB 090510A. The obtained results allow us to conclude that from lateral directions the GAMMA-400 space-based gamma-ray telescope will reliably measure the spectra of bright GRBs in the energy range from ∼ 10 to ∼ 100 MeV with the on-axis effective area of about 0.13 m 2 for each of the four sides of CC2 and total field of view of about 6 sr.