Gamma-ray Instruments Research Articles

Detection of very high energy gamma-ray emission from the gravitationally lensed blazar QSO B0218+357 with the MAGIC telescopes

Context. QSO B0218+357 is a gravitationally lensed blazar located at a redshift of 0.944. The gravitational lensing splits the emitted radiation into two components, spatially indistinguishable by gamma-ray instruments, but separated by a 10-12 day delay. In July 2014, QSO B0218+357 experienced a violent flare observed by the Fermi-LAT and followed by the MAGIC telescopes. Aims. The spectral energy distribution of QSO B0218+357 can give information on the energetics of z ~ 1 very high energy gamma- ray sources. Moreover the gamma-ray emission can also be used as a probe of the extragalactic background light at z ~ 1. Methods. MAGIC performed observations of QSO B0218+357 during the expected arrival time of the delayed component of the emission. The MAGIC and Fermi-LAT observations were accompanied by quasi-simultaneous optical data from the KVA telescope and X-ray observations by Swift-XRT. We construct a multiwavelength spectral energy distribution of QSO B0218+357 and use it to model the source. The GeV and sub-TeV data, obtained by Fermi-LAT and MAGIC, are used to set constraints on the extragalactic background light. Results. Very high energy gamma-ray emission was detected from the direction of QSO B0218+357 by the MAGIC telescopes during the expected time of arrival of the trailing component of the flare, making it the farthest very high energy gamma-ray sources detected to date. The observed emission spans the energy range from 65 to 175 GeV. The combined MAGIC and Fermi-LAT spectral energy distribution of QSO B0218+357 is consistent with current extragalactic background light models. The broad band emission can be modeled in the framework of a two zone external Compton scenario, where the GeV emission comes from an emission region in the jet, located outside the broad line region.

The XGS instrument on-board THESEUS

Consolidated techniques used for space-borne X-ray and gamma-ray instruments are based on the use of scintillators coupled to Silicon photo-detectors. This technology associated with modern very low noise read-out electronics allows the design of innovative architectures able to reduce drastically the system complexity and power consumption, also with a moderate-to-high number of channels. These detector architectures can be exploited in the design of space instrumentation for gamma-spectroscopy with the benefit of possible smart background rejection strategies. We describe a detector prototype with 3D imaging capabilities to be employed in future gamma-ray and particle space missions in the 0.002-100 MeV energy range. The instrument is based on a stack of scintillating bars read out by Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) at both ends. The spatial segmentation and the crystal double-side readout allow a 3D position reconstruction with ∼3 mm accuracy within the full active volume, using a 2D readout along the two external faces of the detector. Furthermore, one of the side of SDDs can be used simultaneously to detect X-rays in the 2-30 keV energy range. The characteristics of this instrument make it suitable in next generation gamma-ray and particle space missions for Earth or outer space observations, and it will be briefly illustrated.

MAGIC detection of sub-TEV emission from gravitationally lensed blazar QSO B0218+357

The blazar QSO B0218+357 is the first gravitationally lensed blazar detected in the very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray spectral range (Ahnen et al. 2016). It is gravitationally lensed by the intervening galaxy B0218+357G (zl = 0.68466 ± 0.00004, Carilli et al. 1993), which splits the blazar emission into two components, spatially indistinguishable by gamma-ray instruments, but separated by a 10-12 days delay. In July 2014 a flare from QSO B0218+357 was observed by the Fermi-LAT (Large Area Telescope, Atwood et al. 2009, Ackermann et al. 2012), and followed-up by the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, a stereoscopic system of two 17m Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes located on La Palma, Canary Islands (Aleksić et al. 2016a, 2016b), during the expected time of arrival of the delayed component of the emission. MAGIC could not observe the leading image due to the Full Moon. The MAGIC and Fermi-LAT observations were accompanied by optical data from KVA telescope at La Palma, and X-ray observations by Swift-XRT (Fig. 1 left). Variability in gamma-rays was of the order of one day, while no variability correlated with gamma-rays was observed at lower energies. The flux ratio of the leading to trailing image in HE gamma-rays was larger than in the flare of QSO B0218+357 observed by Fermi-LAT in 2012 (Cheung et al. 2014). Changes in the observed flux ratio can be caused by gravitational microlensing on individual stars in the host galaxy (Neronov et al. 2015), or by other compact objects like for ex. clumps in giant molecular clouds (Sitarek & Bednarek 2016).

AGILE OBSERVATIONS OF THE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE EVENT GW150914

ABSTRACT We report the results of an extensive search through the AGILE data for a gamma-ray counterpart to the LIGO gravitational-wave (GW) event GW150914. Currently in spinning mode, AGILE has the potential of cover 80% of the sky with its gamma-ray instrument, more than 100 times a day. It turns out that AGILE came within a minute of the event time of observing the accessible GW150914 localization region. Interestingly, the gamma-ray detector exposed ∼65% of this region during the 100 s time intervals centered at −100 and +300 s from the event time. We determine a 2σ flux upper limit in the band 50 MeV–10 GeV, UL = 1.9 × 10−8 erg cm−2 s−1, obtained ∼300 s after the event. The timing of this measurement is the fastest ever obtained for GW150914, and significantly constrains the electromagnetic emission of a possible high-energy counterpart. We also carried out a search for a gamma-ray precursor and delayed emission over five timescales ranging from minutes to days: in particular, we obtained an optimal exposure during the interval −150/−30 s. In all these observations, we do not detect a significant signal associated with GW150914. We do not reveal the weak transient source reported by Fermi-GBM 0.4 s after the event time. However, even though a gamma-ray counterpart of the GW150914 event was not detected, the prospects for future AGILE observations of GW sources are decidedly promising.

Simulation of the ASTRI two-mirrors small-size telescope prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a world-wide project to build a new generation ground-based gamma-ray instrument operating in the energy range from some tens of GeV to above 100 TeV. To ensure full sky coverage CTA will consist of two arrays of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), one in the southern hemisphere and another one in the northern hemisphere. CTA has just completed the design phase and it is entering in the pre-production one that includes the development of telescope precursor mini-arrays. ASTRI is an ongoing project, to develop and install at the southern CTA site one of such mini-arrays composed by nine dual-mirror small size telescopes equipped with an innovative camera based on silicon photomultiplier sensors. The end-to-end telescope prototype, named ASTRI SST-2M, has been recently inaugurated at the Serra La Nave observing station, on Mount Etna, Italy. ASTRI SST-2M expected performance has been carefully studied using a full Monte Carlo simulation of the shower development in the atmosphere and detector response. Simulated data have been analyzed using the traditional Hillas moment analysis to obtain the expected angular and energy resolution. Simulation results, together with the comparison with the available experimental measurements, are shown.

Gamma-Ray Astronomy from the Ground

The observation of cosmic gamma-rays from the ground is based upon the detection of gamma-ray initiated air showers. At energies between approximately 1011 eV and 1013 eV, the imaging air Cherenkov technique is a particularly successful approach to observe gamma-ray sources with energy fluxes as low as ≈ 10-13 erg cm-2 s-1. The observations of gamma-rays in this energy band probe particle acceleration in astrophysical plasma conditions and are sensitive to high energy phenomena beyond the standard model of particle physics (e.g., self-annihilating or decaying dark matter, violation of Lorentz invariance, mixing of photons with light pseudoscalars). The current standing of the field and its major instruments are summarized briefly by presenting selected highlights. A new generation of ground based gamma-ray instruments is currently under development. The perspectives and opportunities of these future facilities will be discussed.

TEV GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER RIDGE BY VERITAS

ABSTRACT The Galactic Center ridge has been observed extensively in the past by both GeV and TeV gamma-ray instruments revealing a wealth of structure, including a diffuse component and the point sources G0.9+0.1 (a composite supernova remnant) and Sgr A* (believed to be associated with the supermassive black hole located at the center of our Galaxy). Previous very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations with the H.E.S.S. experiment have also detected an extended TeV gamma-ray component along the Galactic plane in the >300 GeV gamma-ray regime. Here we report on observations of the Galactic Center ridge from 2010 to 2014 by the VERITAS telescope array in the >2 TeV energy range. From these observations we (1) provide improved measurements of the differential energy spectrum for Sgr A* in the >2 TeV gamma-ray regime, (2) provide a detection in the >2 TeV gamma-ray emission from the composite SNR G0.9+0.1 and an improved determination of its multi-TeV gamma-ray energy spectrum, and (3) report on the detection of VER J1746-289, a localized enhancement of >2 TeV gamma-ray emission along the Galactic plane.

On the potential of atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays for resolving TeV gamma-ray sources in the Galactic plane

The potential of an array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to detect gamma-ray sources in complex regions has been investigated. The basic characteristics of the gamma-ray instrument have been parameterized using simple analytic representations. In addition to the ideal (Gaussian form) point spread function (PSF), the impact of more realistic non-Gaussian PSFs with tails has been considered. Simulations of isolated point-like and extended sources have been used as a benchmark to test and understand the response of the instrument. The capability of the instrument to resolve multiple sources has been analyzed and the corresponding instrument sensitivities calculated. The results are of particular interest for weak gamma-ray emitters located in crowded regions of the Galactic plane, where the chance of clustering of two or more gamma-ray sources within 1 deg is high.

Balloon flight test of a Compton telescope based on scintillators with silicon photomultiplier readouts

We present the results of the first high-altitude balloon flight test of a concept for an advanced Compton telescope making use of modern scintillator materials with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readouts. There is a need in the fields of high-energy astronomy and solar physics for new medium-energy gamma-ray (~0.4–10MeV) detectors capable of making sensitive observations of both line and continuum sources over a wide dynamic range. A fast scintillator-based Compton telescope with SiPM readouts is a promising solution to this instrumentation challenge, since the fast response of the scintillators permits both the rejection of background via time-of-flight (ToF) discrimination and the ability to operate at high count rates. The Solar Compton Telescope (SolCompT) prototype presented here was designed to demonstrate stable performance of this technology under balloon-flight conditions. The SolCompT instrument was a simple two-element Compton telescope, consisting of an approximately one-inch cylindrical stilbene crystal for a scattering detector and a one-inch cubic LaBr3:Ce crystal for a calorimeter detector. Both scintillator detectors were read out by 2×2 arrays of Hamamatsu S11828-3344 MPPC devices. Custom front-end electronics provided optimum signal rise time and linearity, and custom power supplies automatically adjusted the SiPM bias voltage to compensate for temperature-induced gain variations. A tagged calibration source, consisting of ~240 nCi of 60Co embedded in plastic scintillator, was placed in the field of view and provided a known source of gamma rays to measure in flight. The SolCompT balloon payload was launched on 24 August 2014 from Fort Sumner, NM, and spent ~3.75h at a float altitude of ~123,000ft. The instrument performed well throughout the flight. After correcting for small (~10%) residual gain variations, we measured an in-flight ToF resolution of ~760ps (FWHM). Advanced scintillators with SiPM readouts continue to show great promise for future gamma-ray instruments.

FIRSTNuSTAROBSERVATIONS OF MRK 501 WITHIN A RADIO TO TeV MULTI-INSTRUMENT CAMPAIGN

We report on simultaneous broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar Markarian 501 between 1 April and 10 August 2013, including the first detailed characterization of the synchrotron peak with Swift and NuSTAR. During the campaign, the nearby BL Lac object was observed in both a quiescent and an elevated state. The broadband campaign includes observations with NuSTAR, MAGIC, VERITAS, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), Swift X-ray Telescope and UV Optical Telescope, various ground-based optical instruments, including the GASP-WEBT program, as well as radio observations by OVRO, Mets\"ahovi and the F-Gamma consortium. Some of the MAGIC observations were affected by a sand layer from the Saharan desert, and had to be corrected using event-by-event corrections derived with a LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) facility. This is the first time that LIDAR information is used to produce a physics result with Cherenkov Telescope data taken during adverse atmospheric conditions, and hence sets a precedent for the current and future ground-based gamma-ray instruments. The NuSTAR instrument provides unprecedented sensitivity in hard X-rays, showing the source to display a spectral energy distribution between 3 and 79 keV consistent with a log-parabolic spectrum and hard X-ray variability on hour timescales. None (of the four extended NuSTAR observations) shows evidence of the onset of inverse-Compton emission at hard X-ray energies. We apply a single-zone equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model to five simultaneous broadband spectral energy distributions. We find that the synchrotron self-Compton model can reproduce the observed broadband states through a decrease in the magnetic field strength coinciding with an increase in the luminosity and hardness of the relativistic leptons responsible for the high-energy emission.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INNER KNOT OF THE CRAB: THE SITE OF THE GAMMA-RAY FLARES?

One of the most intriguing results from the gamma-ray instruments in orbit has been the detection of powerful flares from the Crab Nebula. These flares challenge our understanding of pulsar wind nebulae and models for particle acceleration. We report on the portion of a multiwavelength campaign using Keck, HST, and Chandra concentrating on a small emitting region, the Crab's inner knot, located a fraction of an arcsecond from the pulsar. We find that the knot's radial size, tangential size, peak flux, and the ratio of the flux to that of the pulsar are correlated with the projected distance of the knot from the pulsar. A new approach, using singular value decomposition for analyzing time series of images, was introduced yielding results consistent with the more traditional methods while some uncertainties were substantially reduced. We exploit the characterization of the knot to discuss constraints on standard shock-model parameters that may be inferred from our observations assuming the inner knot lies near to the shocked surface. These include inferences as to wind magnetization, shock shape parameters such as incident angle and poloidal radius of curvature, as well as the IR/optical emitting particle enthalpy fraction. We find that while the standard shock model gives good agreement with observation in many respects, there remain two puzzles: (a) The observed angular size of the knot relative to the pulsar--knot separation is much smaller than expected; (b) The variable, yet high degree of polarization reported is difficult to reconcile with a highly relativistic downstream flow.

ON THE ANGULAR RESOLUTION OF THEAGILEGAMMA-RAY IMAGING DETECTOR

We present a study of the Angular Resolution of the AGILE gamma-ray imaging detector (GRID) that is operational in space since April 2007. The AGILE instrument is made of an array of 12 planes each equipped with a Tungsten converter and Silicon micros trip detectors and is sensitive in the energy range 50 MeV - 10 GeV. Among the space instruments devoted to gamma-ray astrophysics, AGILE uniquely exploits an analog readout system with dedicated electronics coupled with Silicon detectors. We show the results of Monte Carlo simulations carried out to reproduce the gamma-ray detection by the GRID, and we compare them to in-flight data. We use the Crab (pulsar + Nebula) system for discussion of real data performance, since its E^{-2} energy spectrum is representative of the majority of gamma-ray sources. For Crab-like spectrum sources, the GRID angular resolution (FWHM of ~4deg at 100 MeV; ~0.8deg at 1 GeV; ~0.9deg integrating the full energy band from 100 MeV to tens of GeV) is stable across a large field of view, being characterized by a flat response up to 30deg off-axis. A comparison of the angular resolution obtained by the two operational gamma-ray instruments, AGILE-GRID and Fermi-LAT, is interesting in view of future gamma-ray missions, that are currently under study. The two instruments exploit different detector configurations affecting the angular resolution: the former being optimized in the readout and track reconstruction especially in the low-energy band, the latter in terms of converter thickness and power consumption. We show that, despite these differences, the angular resolution of both instruments is very similar between 100 MeV and a few GeV.

Short versus long gamma-ray bursts: a comprehensive study of energetics and prompt gamma-ray correlations

We present the results of a comprehensive study of the luminosity function, energetics, prompt gamma-ray correlations, and classification methodology of short-hard and long-soft GRBs (SGRBs and LGRBs), based on observational data in the largest catalog of GRBs available to this date: BATSE catalog of 2702 GRBs. We find that: 1. The least-biased classification method of GRBs into short and long, solely based on prompt-emission properties, appears to be the ratio of the observed spectral peak energy to the observed duration ($R=E_p/T_{90}$) with the dividing line at $R\simeq50[keV~s^{-1}]$. 2. Once data is carefully corrected for the effects of the detection threshold of gamma-ray instruments, the population distribution of SGRBs and LGRBs can be individually well described as multivariate log-normal distribution in the $4$--dimensional space of the isotropic peak gamma-ray luminosity, total isotropic gamma-ray emission, the intrinsic spectral peak energy, and the intrinsic duration. 3. Relatively large fractions of SGRBs and LGRBs with moderate-to-low spectral peak energies have been missed by BATSE detectors. 4. Relatively strong and highly significant intrinsic hardness--brightness and duration--brightness correlations likely exist in both populations of SGRBs and LGRBs, once data is corrected for selection effects. The strengths of these correlations are very similar in both populations, implying similar mechanisms at work in both GRB classes, leading to the emergence of these prompt gamma-ray correlations.

An Innovative Science Gateway for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is currently building the next generation, ground-based, very high-energy gamma-ray instrumentation. CTA is expected to collect very large datasets (in the order of petabytes) which will have to be stored, managed and processed. This paper presents a graphical user interface built inside a science gateway aiming at providing CTA-users with a common working framework. The gateway is WS-PGRADE/gUSE workflow-oriented and is equipped with a flexible SSO (based on SAML) to control user access for authentication and authorization. An interactive desktop environment is provided, called Astronomical & Physics Cloud Interactive Desktop (ACID). Users are able to exploit the graphical interface as provided natively by the tools included in ACID. A cloud data service shares and synchronizes data files and output results between the user desktop and the science gateway. Our solution is a first attempt towards an ecosystem of new technologies with a high level of flexibility to suit present and future requirements of the CTA community.

Multiwavelength observations of Mrk 501 in 2008

Mrk 501 is one of the brightest blazars at TeV energies and has been extensively studied since its first VHE detection in 1996. Our goal is to characterize in detail the source gamma-ray emission, together with the radio-to-X-ray emission, during the non-flaring (low) activity, which is less often studied than the occasional flaring (high) activity. We organized a multiwavelength (MW) campaign on Mrk 501 between March and May 2008. This multi-instrument effort included the most sensitive VHE gamma-ray instruments in the northern hemisphere, namely the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes MAGIC and VERITAS, as well as Swift, RXTE, the F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, and other collaborations and instruments. Mrk 501 was found to be in a low state of activity during the campaign, with a VHE flux in the range of 10%-20% of the Crab nebula flux. Nevertheless, significant flux variations were detected with various instruments, with a trend of increasing variability with energy. The broadband spectral energy distribution during the two different emission states of the campaign can be adequately described within the homogeneous one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model, with the (slightly) higher state described by an increase in the electron number density. This agrees with previous studies of the broadband emission of this source during flaring and non-flaring states. We report for the first time a tentative X-ray-to-VHE correlation during a low VHE activity. Although marginally significant, this positive correlation between X-ray and VHE, which has been reported many times during flaring activity, suggests that the mechanisms that dominate the X-ray/VHE emission during non-flaring-activity are not substantially different from those that are responsible for the emission during flaring activity.

Expected Hard X-Ray and Soft Gamma-Ray from Supernovae

High energy emissions from supernovae (SNe), originated from newly formed radioactive species, provide direct evidence of nucleosynthesis at SN explosions. However, observational diculties in the MeV range have so far allowed the signal detected only from the extremely nearby core-collapse SN 1987A. No solid detection has been reported for thermonuclear SNe Ia, despite the importance of the direct conrmation of the formation of <sup>56</sup>Ni, which is believed to be a key ingredient in their nature as distance indicators. In this paper, we show that the new generation hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray instruments, on board Astro-H and NuStar, are capable of detecting the signal, at least at a pace of once in a few years, opening up this new window for studying SN explosion and nucleosynthesis.

Management and Maintenance on CT, MRI, Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Instrument

Medical Equipment, such as CT, MRI, Gamma-ray Radiotherapy Instrument, play an increasingly important role in modern medical field. While, this medical equipment cannot be managed and maintained well in some hospital. If the problems are still remained in the medical process, it will not only affect the health of patients, but also hamper the development of the medical profession. Therefore, to establish a scientific and reasonable quality control system of medical equipment is to be solved. This article analyzed to causes and background of strengthening the medical devices quality control system all over our country, put forward the new ideas for building the medical equipment quality control system, and elaborate how to strengthen the medical equipment quality control system for medical equipment management and maintenance.

Ground-Based Gamma Ray Astronomy

This paper is the write-up of a rapporteur talk given by the author at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013. It attempts to summarize results and developments in ground-based gamma-ray observations and instrumentation from among the ∼300 submissions to the gamma-ray sessions of the meeting. Satellite observations and theoretical developments were covered by a companion rapporteur (Stawarz, L., 33rd ICRC, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rapporteur talk: Space-based Gamma-Ray Astronomy, 2013). Any review of this nature is unavoidably subjective and incomplete. Nevertheless, the article should provide a useful status report for those seeking an overview of this exciting and fast-moving field.

Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics and the Dark Universe

The Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics (THCA) was founded in 2001 by Prof. Li Tipei and Shang Rencheng. A distinguishing characteristic of THCA's astrophysics program is its emphasis on space X-ray and gamma-ray instrumentation, by taking advantage of Tsinghua's strong programs on nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, space and aeronautics engineering, as well as electronics and information technology. The main research directions in THCA include high energy astrophysics and cosmology with space and ground observations in X-rays and gamma-rays, and more recently in optical wavelengths, radio-astronomy, gravitational waves, dark matter and dark energy analyses and projects.

Internal bremsstrahlung signatures in light of direct dark matter searches

Although proposed long ago, the search for internal bremsstrahlung signatures has only recently been made possible by the excellent energy resolution of ground-based and satellite-borne gamma-ray instruments. Here, we investigate thoroughly the current status of internal bremsstrahlung searches in light of the results of direct dark matter searches and in the framework of a minimal mass-degenerate scenario consisting of a Majorana dark matter particle that couples to a fermion and a scalar via a Yukawa coupling. The upper limits on the annihilation cross section set by Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. extend uninterrupted from tens of GeV up to tens of TeV and are rather insensitive to the mass degeneracy in the particle physics model. In contrast, direct searches are best in the moderate to low mass splitting regime, where XENON100 limits overshadow Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. up to TeV masses if dark matter couples to one of the light quarks. In our minimal scenario we examine carefully the prospects for GAMMA-400, CTA and XENON1T, all planned to come online in the near future, and find that: (a) CTA and XENON1T are fully complementary, with CTA most sensitive to multi-TeV masses and mass splittings around 10%, and XENON1T probing best small mass splittings up to TeV masses; and (b) current constraints from XENON100 already preclude the observation of any spectral feature with GAMMA-400 in spite of its impressive energy resolution, unless dark matter does not couple predominantly to light quarks. Finally, we point out that, unlike for direct searches, the possibility of detecting thermal relics in upcoming internal bremsstrahlung searches requires, depending on the concrete scenario, boost factors larger than 5–10.