High Energy Gamma-ray Research Articles

The computational fluid dynamics evaluation of the diffuser on N-16 radioisotope rise time in TRIGA mark II research reactor tanks

The pool-type research reactor operations sometimes require personnel to stand on top of the reactor tank. The radioactive N-16 isotopes with very high energy gamma rays that are produced through (n,p) reaction of O-16 in water are dragged with the coolant to the top of the tank, therefore, increase the radiation dose to workers. Since the half-life of N-16 is only 7.13 s, the solution for reducing the radiation risk is to increase the rise time of the N-16 radioisotopes in the tank and allow them to decay away naturally along the way. The diffuser in Istanbul Technical University TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor is designed for this purpose. In this article, the effect of diffuser on the pathways of N-16 radioisotopes were investigated with computational fluid dynamics simulations. The distribution of the N-16 radioisotopes in the tank and the rise time were obtained. The results showed that the diffuser approximately doubles the rise time and significantly reduces the exposure due to N-16 concentration on top of the reactor tank.

Probing the dark matter of a three-loop radiative neutrino mass generation model with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

We investigate the prospect of detecting the Dark Matter (DM) candidate in the three-loop radiative neutrino mass generation model extended with large electroweak multiplets of the Standard Model (SM) gauge group, at the future imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope known as the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). We find that the addition of such large electroweak multiplets leads to a sizable Sommerfeld enhanced annihilation of the DM with $O(\text{TeV})$ mass, into the SM gauge bosons which results in continuum and line-like spectra of very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays, and therefore becomes observable for the CTA. We determine the viable models by setting the upper limit on the $SU(2)_{L}$ isospin of the multiplets from the partial-wave unitarity constraints and the appearance of low-scale Landau pole in the gauge coupling. Afterwards, by considering the continuum VHE gamma-rays produced from the DM annihilation at the Galactic center, we probe the parameter space of the model using the sensitivity reach of the CTA.

Where do IceCube neutrinos come from? Hints from the diffuse gamma-ray flux

Despite the spectacular discovery of an astrophysical neutrino flux by IceCube in 2013, its origin remains a mystery. Whatever its sources, we expect the neutrino flux to be accompanied by a comparable gamma-ray flux. These photons should be degraded in energy by electromagnetic cascades and contribute to the diffuse GeV–TeV flux precisely measured by the Fermi-LAT. Population studies have also permitted to identify the main classes of contributors to this flux, which at the same time have not been associated with major neutrino sources in cross-correlation studies. These considerations allow one to set constraints on the origin and spectrum of the IceCube flux, in particular its low-energy part. We find that, even accounting for known systematic errors, the Fermi-LAT data exclude to at least 95% C.L. any extragalactic transparent source class, irrespective of its redshift evolution, if the neutrino spectrum extends to the TeV scale or below. If the neutrino spectrum has an abrupt cutoff at ∼10 TeV, barely compatible with current observations, the tension can be reduced, but this way out requires a significant modification to the current understanding of the origin of the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray flux at GeV energies. In contrast, these considerations do not apply if a sizable fraction of IceCube data originates within the Galactic halo (a scenario however typically in tension with other constraints) or from a yet unidentified class of “opaque” extragalactic emitters, which do not let the high-energy gamma rays get out.

MAGIC Observations of the Nearby Short Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 160821B *

Abstract The coincident detection of GW170817 in gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation spanning the radio to MeV gamma-ray bands provided the first direct evidence that short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can originate from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. On the other hand, the properties of short GRBs in high-energy gamma-rays are still poorly constrained, with only ∼20 events detected in the GeV band, and none in the TeV band. GRB 160821B is one of the nearest short GRBs known at z = 0.162. Recent analyses of the multiwavelength observational data of its afterglow emission revealed an optical-infrared kilonova component, characteristic of heavy-element nucleosynthesis in a BNS merger. Aiming to better clarify the nature of short GRBs, this burst was automatically followed up with the MAGIC telescopes, starting from 24 s after the burst trigger. Evidence of a gamma-ray signal is found above ∼0.5 TeV at a significance of ∼ 3σ during observations that lasted until 4 hr after the burst. Assuming that the observed excess events correspond to gamma-ray emission from GRB 160821B, in conjunction with data at other wavelengths, we investigate its origin in the framework of GRB afterglow models. The simplest interpretation with one-zone models of synchrotron-self-Compton emission from the external forward shock has difficulty accounting for the putative TeV flux. Alternative scenarios are discussed where the TeV emission can be relatively enhanced. The role of future GeV–TeV observations of short GRBs in advancing our understanding of BNS mergers and related topics is briefly addressed.

Simulation of possibility of detecting gamma rays emitted from crab by Alborz-I array

Crab Nebula, as an active source of high energy gamma-rays, is a common standard source used for calibrating different gamma-ray telescopes and observatories. Since gamma rays with energies above 100 TeV from crab is reported, it is possible to detect gamma rays emitted from this nebula by a suitable ground based detector array. Alborz-I array is designed to study cosmic rays with energies around the knee of cosmic ray spectrum. In this paper, it is shown that the current location and configuration of Alborz-I, makes it impossible to detect Crab gamma rays. Our simulation shows that the average rate of gamma particle detection reaches to something above 1 gamma particle in 2 years, which is very difficult to distinguish from cosmic ray background. Finally some proposals to constructing an array with capability of detecting Crab gamma rays are presented.

Fermi-type Particle Acceleration from Magnetic Reconnection at the Termination Shock of a Relativistic Striped Wind

Abstract An oblique-rotating pulsar generates a relativistic striped wind in a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The termination shock of the PWN compresses the Poynting-flux-dominated flow and drives magnetic reconnection. By carrying out particle-in-cell simulations of the termination shock of the PWN, we study the shock structure as well as the energy conversion processes and particle acceleration mechanisms. With the recent advances in the numerical methods, we extend the simulations to the ultrarelativistic regime with a bulk Lorentz factor of up to γ 0 = 106. Magnetic reconnection at the termination shock is highly efficient at converting magnetic energy to particle kinetic energy and accelerating particles to high energies. Similar to earlier studies, we find that the resulting energy spectra crucially depend on λ/d e (λ is the wavelength of the striped wind and d e is the relativistic plasma skin depth). When λ/d e is large (λ ≳ 40d e ), the downstream particle spectra form a power-law distribution in the magnetically dominated relativistic wind regime. By analyzing particle trajectories and statistical quantities relevant to particle energization, we find that Fermi-type mechanism dominates the particle acceleration and power-law formation. We find that the results for particle acceleration are scalable as γ 0 and σ 0 increase to large values. The maximum energy for electrons and positrons can reach hundreds of TeV if the wind has a bulk Lorentz factor of γ 0 ≈ 106 and a magnetization parameter of σ 0 = 10, which can explain the recent observations of high-energy gamma rays from PWNe.

Calibration of imaging plates sensitivity to high energy photons and ions for laser-plasma interaction sources

Imaging plates are widely used in laser-plasma interaction experiments for detection of electrons, x-ray, gamma-ray, ions, and neutrons, therefore, the calibration of imaging plates to different types of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation is vital. In this paper, a universal response function of FUJI BAS-TR imaging plate is presented using experiment and Monte-Carlo simulation with respect to high-energy photons and ions. The sensitivity of imaging plate sensitivity to x-ray radiation was examined using radioactive Co-60 isotope. Furthermore, the fading and decay mechanism affected by phosphor stimulated process were also investigated by employing the high energy gamma-rays produced in laser-plasma experiment. Finally, an ion spectrometer was designed to examine the IP response to different ion energies during a laser-driven plasma experiment. The universal relation given, can be used to evaluate the response of the imaging plate against any other types of radiation.

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to a dark matter signal from the Galactic centre

We provide an updated assessment of the power of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to search for thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale, via the associated gamma-ray signal from pair-annihilating dark matter particles in the region around the Galactic centre. We find that CTA will open a new window of discovery potential, significantly extending the range of robustly testable models given a standard cuspy profile of the dark matter density distribution. Importantly, even for a cored profile, the projected sensitivity of CTA will be sufficient to probe various well-motivated models of thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale. This is due to CTA's unprecedented sensitivity, angular and energy resolutions, and the planned observational strategy. The survey of the inner Galaxy will cover a much larger region than corresponding previous observational campaigns with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. CTA will map with unprecedented precision the large-scale diffuse emission in high-energy gamma rays, constituting a background for dark matter searches for which we adopt state-of-the-art models based on current data. Throughout our analysis, we use up-to-date event reconstruction Monte Carlo tools developed by the CTA consortium, and pay special attention to quantifying the level of instrumental systematic uncertainties, as well as background template systematic errors, required to probe thermally produced dark matter at these energies.

High energy neutrino and gamma-ray emissions from the jets of M33 X-7 microquasar

In this work, after testing the reliability of our algorithms through numerical simulations on the well-studied SS 433 Galactic microquasar, we focus on neutrino and γ-ray emissions from the extragalactic M33 X-7 system. This is a recently discovered X-ray binary system located in the neighbouring galaxy Messier 33 which has not yet been modelled in detail. The neutrino and γ-ray energy spectra, produced from the magnetized astrophysical jet of M33 X-7, in the context of our method are assumed to originate from the decay (and scattering) processes taking place among the secondary particles produced assuming that, first, hot (relativistic) protons of the jet scatter on thermal ones (p-p interaction mechanism).

The synchrotron mechanism and the high energy flare from PKS 1510-089

In order to understand the role of the synchrotron emission in the high energy gamma-ray flares from PKS 1510-089, we study generation of the synchrotron emission by means of the feedback of cyclotron waves on the particle distribution via the diffusion process. The cyclotron resonance causes the diffusion of particles along and across the magnetic field lines. This process is described by the quasi-linear diffusion (QLD) that leads to the increase of pitch angles and generation of the synchrotron emission. We study the kinetic equation which defines the distribution of emitting particles. The redistribution is conditioned by two major factors, QLD and the dissipation process, that is caused by synchrotron reaction force. The QLD increases pitch angles, whereas the synchrotron force resists this process. The balance between these two forces guarantees the maintenance of the pitch angles and the corresponding synchrotron emission process. The model is analyzed for a wide range of physical parameters and it is shown that the mechanism of QLD provides the generation of high energy (HE) emission in the GeV energy domain. According to the model the lower energy, associated with the cyclotron modes, provokes the synchrotron radiation in the higher energy band.

Design of 4π Directional Radiation Detector based on Compton Scattering Effect

Obtaining directional information is required in many applications such as nuclear homeland security, contamination mapping after a nuclear incident and radiological events, or during the decontamination work. However, many directional radiation detectors are based on directional shielding, made of lead or tungsten collimators, introducing two main drawbacks. The first is the size and weight, making those detectors too heavy and irrelevant for utilization in handheld devices, drone mapping, or space applications. The second drawback is the limited field of view, which requires multiple detectors to cover the whole required field of view or machinery to rotate the narrow field of view detector. We propose a novel 4π directional detector based on a segmented hollow cubic detector, which uses the Compton effect interactions with no heavy collimators. The symmetrical cubical design provides both higher efficiency and 4π detection ability. Instead of traditional two types of detectors (scatterer and absorber) structure, we use the same type of detector, based on GAGG(Ce) scintillator coupled to silicon photomultiplier. Additional advantage of the proposed detector obtained by locating the photon sensors inside the detector, behind the scintillators, which improves the radiation hardness required for space applications. Furthermore, such arrangement flattens the temperature variation across the detector, providing better gain stability. The main advantage of the proposed detector is the ability of 4pi radiation detection for high energy gamma-rays without the use of heavy collimators.

Comparative assessment of application of ionizing radiations in degradation of amoxicillin trihydrate (AMT) in aqueous solutions

The radiation based treatment of amoxicillin trihydrate (AMT) in aqueous solutions was investigated in the present study based on the use of high energy electron beam (EB) and gamma rays (γ) under different parametric conditions viz. initial concentrations, dose, pH of solution, addition of organic and inorganic additives, H2O2, and various water mediums. Presence of H2O2 exhibits significant effect on the mineralization efficiency of AMT rather than degradation extent. The efficacy of γ- and EB-irradiation to degrade AMT decreased in wastewater in comparison to surface, ground and ultrapure water. Under both radiation-based treatments, the degradation of AMT followed pseudo-first order rate kinetics and HO• was the most active reactive species employed in the degradation of AMT. Remarkably, the k-value of AMT degradation under EB-irradiation was found to be low in comparison to the k-value under γ-irradiation treatment of AMT. Toxicity assessment revealed that the both γ- and EB-irradiation treated AMT solutions did not acquire any toxicity against all the studied microorganisms when compared to un-treated solution of AMT. Total cost (operational and installation) for the degradation of AMT under γ- and EB-irradiation was also evaluated. In comparison to γ-irradiation, the use of EB plants could play an imperious role in near future at pilot and commercial scale for very large volume of real industrial wastewater treatment.

Implications of axion-like particles from the Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. observations of PG 1553+113 and PKS 2155−304 * *Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0400200) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1738209, 11851303)

We investigate the axion-like particle (ALP)-photon oscillation effect in the high-energy -ray spectra of PG 1553+113 and PKS 2155−304 measured by Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. The choice of extragalactic background light (EBL) model, which induces the attenuation effect in observed -ray spectra, affects the ALP implications. For the ordinary EBL model that prefers a null hypothesis, we set constraints on the ALP-photon coupling constant at 95% C.L. as for the ALP mass neV. We also consider the CIBER observation of the cosmic infrared radiation, which shows an excess at wavelengths of m after the substraction of foregrounds. High-energy gamma-rays from extragalactic sources at high redshifts would suffer from a more significant attenuation effect caused by this excess. In this case, we find that the ALP-photon oscillation would improve the fit to the observed spectra of PKS 2155−304 and PG 1553+113 and find a favored parameter region at 95% C.L..

X-Ray through Very High Energy Intrabinary Shock Emission from Black Widows and Redbacks

Abstract Black widow and redback systems are compact binaries in which a millisecond pulsar heats and may even ablate its low-mass companion by its intense wind of relativistic particles and radiation. In such systems, an intrabinary shock can form as a site of particle acceleration and associated nonthermal emission. We model the X-ray and gamma-ray synchrotron and inverse Compton spectral components for select spider binaries, including diffusion, convection, and radiative energy losses in an axially symmetric, steady-state approach. Our new multizone code simultaneously yields energy-dependent light curves and orbital-phase-resolved spectra. Using parameter studies and matching the observed X-ray spectra and light curves, as well as Fermi Large Area Telescope spectra where available, with a synchrotron component, we can constrain certain model parameters. For PSR J1723–2837 these are notably the magnetic field and bulk flow speed of plasma moving along the shock tangent, the shock acceleration efficiency, and the multiplicity and spectrum of pairs accelerated by the pulsar. This affords a more robust prediction of the expected high-energy and very high energy gamma-ray flux. We find that nearby pulsars with hot or flaring companions may be promising targets for the future Cerenkov Telescope Array. Moreover, many spiders are likely to be of significant interest to future MeV-band missions such as AMEGO and e-ASTROGAM.

High-energy Neutrinos and Gamma Rays from Nonrelativistic Shock-powered Transients

Abstract Shock interaction has been argued to play a role in powering a range of optical transients, including supernovae, classical novae, stellar mergers, tidal disruption events, and fast blue optical transients. These same shocks can accelerate relativistic ions, generating high-energy neutrino and gamma-ray emission via hadronic pion production. The recent discovery of time-correlated optical and gamma-ray emission in classical novae has revealed the important role of radiative shocks in powering these events, enabling an unprecedented view of the properties of ion acceleration, including its efficiency and energy spectrum, under similar physical conditions to shocks in extragalactic transients. Here we introduce a model for connecting the radiated optical fluence of nonrelativistic transients to their maximal neutrino and gamma-ray fluence. We apply this technique to a wide range of extragalactic transient classes in order to place limits on their contributions to the cosmological high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino backgrounds. Based on a simple model for diffusive shock acceleration at radiative shocks, calibrated to novae, we demonstrate that several of the most luminous transients can accelerate protons up to 1016 eV, sufficient to contribute to the IceCube astrophysical background. Furthermore, several of the considered sources—particularly hydrogen-poor supernovae—may serve as “gamma-ray-hidden” neutrino sources owing to the high gamma-ray opacity of their ejecta, evading constraints imposed by the nonblazar Fermi Large Area Telescope background. However, adopting an ion acceleration efficiency of ∼0.3%–1% motivated by nova observations, we find that currently known classes of nonrelativistic, potentially shock-powered transients contribute at most a few percent of the total IceCube background.

Interpreting correlated observations of cosmic rays and gamma-rays from Centaurus A with a proton blazar inspired model

ABSTRACT The nearest active radio galaxy Centaurus (Cen) A is a gamma-ray emitter in GeV–TeV energy scale. The high energy stereoscopic system (HESS) and non-simultaneous Fermi–Large Area Telescope observation indicate an unusual spectral hardening above few GeV energies in the gamma-ray spectrum of Cen A. Very recently the HESS observatory resolved the kilo parsec (kpc)-scale jets in Centaurus A at TeV energies. On the other hand, the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) detects a few ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHECR) events from Cen-A. The proton blazar inspired model, which considers acceleration of both electrons and hadronic cosmic rays in active galactic nuclei (AGN) jet, can explain the observed coincident high-energy neutrinos and gamma-rays from Ice-cube detected AGN jets. Here, we have employed the proton blazar inspired model to explain the observed GeV–TeV gamma-ray spectrum features including the spectrum hardening at GeV energies along with the PAO observation on cosmic rays from Cen-A. Our findings suggest that the model can explain consistently the observed electromagnetic spectrum in combination with the appropriate number of UHECRs from Cen A.

Studies of extragalactic background light with TeV BL Lacertae objects

ABSTRACT Very high energy (VHE; E ≥ 100 GeV) gamma-rays from cosmological distances are attenuated by the extragalactic background light (EBL) in the infrared to ultraviolet bands. By contrasting measured versus intrinsic emission,we can derive the EBL photon density. However, we do not know the intrinsic spectra and the EBL separately, only their combined effect. Here we first present a flexible model-dependent optical depth method to study the EBL by fitting the emission spectra of TeV BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs) via a one-zone leptonic synchrotron self-Compton model (SSC). We have little information about electron energy distributions (EEDs) in the jet, which is critically important to build spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the SSC scenario. Based on current particle acceleration models, we use two types of EEDs to fit the observed spectra: a power-law log-parabola (PLLP) EED and a broken power-law (BPL) EED. We find that the upper limit of the EBL density is about 30 n W m−2 sr−1, which is similar to the published measurement. Furthermore, we propose an unprecedented method to test the radiation mechanisms involved in TeV objects, by simply comparing the reduced EBL density with the limit obtained by galaxy counts. We demonstrate that for some BL Lacs, at least, the one-zone SSC model should be reconsidered.

A Search for Ultra-high-energy Neutrinos from TXS 0506+056 Using the Pierre Auger Observatory

Abstract Results of a search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos with the Pierre Auger Observatory from the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 are presented. They were obtained as part of the follow-up that stemmed from the detection of high-energy neutrinos and gamma rays with IceCube, Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, and other detectors of electromagnetic radiation in several bands. The Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to neutrinos in the energy range from 100 PeV to 100 EeV and in the zenith-angle range from θ = 60° to θ = 95°, where the zenith angle is measured from the vertical direction. No neutrinos from the direction of TXS 0506+056 have been found. The results were analyzed in three periods: one of 6 months around the detection of IceCube-170922 A, coinciding with a flare period of TXS 0506+056, a second one of 110 days during which the IceCube collaboration found an excess of 13 neutrinos from a direction compatible with TXS 0506+056, and a third one from 2004 January 1 up to 2018 August 31, over which the Pierre Auger Observatory has been taking data. The sensitivity of the Observatory is addressed for different spectral indices by considering the fluxes that would induce a single expected event during the observation period. For indices compatible with those measured by the IceCube collaboration the expected number of neutrinos at the Observatory is well below one. Spectral indices as hard as 1.5 would have to apply in this energy range to expect a single event to have been detected.

High-energy Neutrino and Gamma-Ray Emission from Tidal Disruption Events

Abstract Tidal disruption events (TDE) have been considered as cosmic-ray and neutrino sources for a decade. We suggest two classes of new scenarios for high-energy multi-messenger emission from TDEs that do not have to harbor powerful jets. First, we investigate high-energy neutrino and gamma-ray production in the core region of a supermassive black hole. In particular, we show that ∼1–100 TeV neutrinos and MeV gamma rays can efficiently be produced in hot coronae around an accretion disk. We also study the consequences of particle acceleration in radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAFs). Second, we consider possible cosmic-ray acceleration by sub-relativistic disk-driven winds or interactions between tidal streams, and show that subsequent hadronuclear and photohadronic interactions inside the TDE debris lead to GeV-PeV neutrinos and sub-GeV cascade gamma rays. We demonstrate that these models should be accompanied by soft gamma rays or hard X-rays as well as optical/UV emission, which can be used for future observational tests. Although this work aims to present models of non-jetted high-energy emission, we discuss the implications of the TDE AT2019dsg that might coincide with the high-energy neutrino IceCube-191001A, by considering the corona, RIAF, hidden sub-relativistic wind, and hidden jet models. It is not yet possible to be conclusive about their physical association and the expected number of neutrinos is typically much less than unity. We find that the most optimistic cases of the corona and hidden wind models could be consistent with the observation of IceCube-191001A, whereas jet models are unlikely to explain the multi-messenger observations.

Collimator and Energy Window Evaluation in Ga-67 Imaging by Monte Carlo Simulation

Objectives:Gallium-67 (Ga-67) imaging is affected by collimator penetration and scatter components owing to the high-energy (HE) gamma-ray emissions. The characterization of penetration and scatter distribution is essential for the optimization of low-energy high-resolution (LEHR), medium energy (ME), and HE collimators and for the development of an effective correction technique. We compared the image quality that can be achieved by 3 collimators for different energy windows using the SIMIND Monte Carlo code.Methods:Simulation experiments were conducted for LEHR, ME, and HE collimators for Ga-67 point source placed at 12-cm distance from the detector surface using the Monte Carlo SIMIND simulation code. Their spectra point spread functions as well as the original, penetration, scattering, and X-rays curves were drawn and analyzed. The parameters full-width at half maximum and full-width at tenth maximum were also investigated.Results:The original, penetration, and scatter curves within 10% for LEHR were 34.46%, 33.52%, 17.29%, and 14.72%, respectively. Similarly, the original, penetration, scatter, and X-rays within 10% for ME and HE were 83.06%, 10.25%, 6.69%, and 0% and 81.44%, 11.51%, 7.05%, and 0%, respectively. The trade-off between spatial resolution and sensitivity was achieved by using the ME collimator at 185 photopeak of Ga-67.Conclusion:The Monte Carlo simulation outcomes can be applied for optimal collimator designing and for the development of new correction method in Ga-67 imaging.