Very High Energy Emission Research Articles

Very high energy afterglow of structured jets: GW 170817 and prospects for future detections

We present a complete numerical model of the afterglow of a laterally structured relativistic ejecta from the radio to very high energies (VHE). This includes a self-consistent calculation of the synchrotron radiation, with its maximum frequency, and of synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) scattering that takes the Klein-Nishina regime into account. Attenuation due to pair production is also included. This model is computationally efficient and allows multi-wavelength data fitting. As a validation test, the radiative model was used to fit the broad-band spectrum of GRB 190114C at 90 s up to the TeV range. The full model was then used to fit the afterglow of GW 170817 and predict its VHE emission. We find that the SSC flux at the peak was much dimmer than the upper limit from H.E.S.S. observations. However, we show that either a smaller viewing angle or a higher external density would make similar off-axis events detectable in the future at VHE, even above 100 Mpc with the sensitivity of the Cherenkov telescope array. High external densities are expected in the case of fast mergers, but the existence of a formation channel for these binary neutron stars is still uncertain. We highlight that VHE afterglow detections would help to efficiently probe systems like this.

Very High-energy (>50 GeV) Gamma-Ray Flux Variability of Bright Fermi Blazars

Understanding the high-energy emission processes and variability patterns are two of the most challenging research problems associated with relativistic jets. In particular, the long-term (months to years) flux variability at very high energies (VHE >50 GeV) has remained an unexplored domain so far. This is possibly due to the decreased sensitivity of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) above a few GeV, hence low photon statistics, and observing constraints associated with the ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. This paper reports the results obtained from the 0.05−2 TeV Fermi-LAT data analysis of a sample of 29 blazars with the primary objective to explore their months-to-year-long very high-energy (VHE) flux variability behavior. This systematic search has led to, for the first time, the detection of significant flux variations in five blazars at the >99% confidence level, whereas eight of them exhibit variability, albeit at a lower confidence level (∼95%–99%). A comparison of the 0.05–2 TeV flux variations with that observed at 0.1–50 GeV band has revealed similar variability behavior for most of the sources. However, complex variability patterns that are not reflected contemporaneously in both energy bands were also detected, thereby providing tantalizing clues about the underlying radiative mechanisms. These results open up a new dimension to unravel the VHE emission processes operating in relativistic jets, hence sowing the seeds for their future observations with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Jet Structure and Burst Environment of GRB 221009A

We conducted a comprehensive investigation of the brightest-of-all-time GRB 221009A, using new insights from very high-energy (VHE) observations from LHAASO and a complete multiwavelength afterglow data set. Through data fitting, we imposed constraints on the jet structure, radiation mechanisms, and burst environment of GRB 221009A. Our findings reveal a structured jet morphology characterized by a core+wing configuration. A smooth transition of energy within the jet takes place between the core and wing, but with a discontinuity in the bulk Lorentz factor. The jet structure differs from both the case of the short GRB 170817A and the results of numerical simulations for long-duration bursts. The VHE emission can be explained by the forward shock synchrotron self-Compton radiation of the core component, but requiring a distinctive transition of the burst environment from uniform to wind-like, suggesting the presence of complex pre-burst mass ejection processes. The low-energy multiwavelength afterglow is mainly governed by the synchrotron radiation from the forward and reverse shocks of the wing component. Our analysis indicates a magnetization factor of 5 for the wing component. Additionally, by comparing the forward shock parameters of the core and wing components, we find a potential correlation between the electron acceleration efficiency and both the Lorentz factor of the shock and the magnetic field equipartition factor. We discuss the significance of our findings, potential interpretations, and remaining issues.

Can FSRQ 3C 345 be a very high energy blazar candidate?

ABSTRACT The recent detection of very high energy (VHE) emissions from flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) at high redshifts has revealed that the universe is more transparent to VHE γ-rays than it was expected. It has also questioned the plausible VHE emission mechanism responsible for these objects. Particularly for FSRQs, the γ-ray emission is attributed to the external Compton (EC) process. We perform a detailed spectral study of Fermi-detected FSRQ 3C 345 using synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton, and EC emission mechanisms. The simultaneous data available in optical, ultraviolet, X-ray, and γ-ray energy bands is statistically fitted under these emission mechanisms using the χ2-minimization technique. Three high flux states and one low flux state are chosen for spectral fitting. The broad-band spectral energy distribution during these flux states is fitted under different target photon temperatures, and the model VHE flux is compared with the 50 h Cherenkov Telescope Array sensitivity. Our results indicate a significant VHE emission could be attained during the high flux state from MJD 59635−59715 when the target photon temperature is within 900–1200 K. Furthermore, our study shows a clear trend of variation in the bulk Lorentz factor of the emission region as the source transits through different flux states. We also note that during high γ-ray flux states, an increase in external photon temperature demands high bulk Lorentz factors, while this behaviour reverses in case of low γ-ray flux state.

Understanding the very high energy γ-ray excess in nearby blazars using leptonic model

ABSTRACT The availability of simultaneous X-ray and very high energy (VHE) observations of blazars helps to identify the plausible radiative contributors to the VHE emission. Under leptonic scenario, the VHE emission from BL Lacs are attributed to the synchrotron self Compton (SSC) emission. However, many BL Lacerate (BL Lacs) have shown significant hardening at VHE after correction for the extragalactic background light (EBL) attenuation. We study the spectral hardening of two nearby BL Lac objects, Mkn 421 and Mkn 501 having most number of simultaneous X-ray and VHE observations available among all the blazars. These BL Lacs are relatively close and the effect of EBL attenuation is relatively minimal/negligible. We study the scatter plot between the X-ray spectral indices and intrinsic VHE indices to identify the plausible origin of the VHE emission. For Mkn 501, the VHE spectral indices are steeper than X-ray spectra, suggesting the scattering process happening at extreme Klein–Nishina regime. On the other hand, for Mkn 421, the VHE spectra is remarkably harder than the X-ray spectra, which suggests an additional emission mechanism other than the SSC process. We show this hard VHE spectrum of Mkn 421 can be explained by considering the inverse Compton (IC) emission from a broken power-law electron distribution with Maxwellian pileup. The possibility of the hadronic contribution at VHE γ-rays is also explored by modelling the hard spectrum under the photomeson process.

Proton synchrotron, an explanation for possible extended VHE gamma-ray activity of TXS 0506+056 in 2017

TXS $0506+056$, source of the extreme energy neutrino event, IceCube-170922A, has an interesting environment to study the lepto-hadronic emissions. The Fermi-LAT detector reported high energy (HE) $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray flare between 100 MeV and 100 GeV starting from 15 September 2017 from this source. Several follow-ups to trace the very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray counterparts around the IceCube-170922A resulted in no success around 22 September 2022. Only after 28 September, the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes observed the first VHE gamma rays from the blazar above 100 GeV. The $\ensuremath{\sim}41\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{h}$ survey resulted in VHE $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray activity until 31 October 2017, nearly 45 days after the HE flare. Here we propose the extended GeV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays can be explained by taking two production channels, electron synchrotron self Compton and proton synchrotron for HE and VHE emissions, respectively. The 45 days of VHE emission from the peak of the HE flare can be explained with ${L}_{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\simeq}{10}^{47}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{erg}/\mathrm{sec}$ in the jet frame and magnetic field of 2.4 G, consistent with the ${\mathrm{L}}_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ for a blackhole mass $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{M}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$. With the same luminosity of accelerated protons, we explained the observed neutrino flux with proton-varying-ambient interaction.

Hadronuclear interactions in the jet of low TeV luminosity AGN: Implications for the low-state very-high-energy gamma-ray emission

In the study of radiation mechanisms of AGNs' jets, hadronuclear (pp) interactions are commonly neglected, because the number density of cold protons in the jet is considered insufficient. Very recently, our previous work proves that pp interactions in the low TeV luminosity AGNs, which have potential to generate detectable very-high-energy (VHE) emission, could be important. Based on this, the one-zone pp model is employed to study low-state quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions of a sample of low TeV luminosity AGNs in this work. Our modeling results show that the gamma-ray generated in pp interactions can explain the observed TeV spectra and has contribution to higher energy band that could be detected by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). In the sample, we suggest that M 87, Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 are the most likely objects to be detected by LHAASO in the near future. Other possible origins of VHE emission are also briefly discussed.

Time-dependent Numerical Model for Studying the Very-high-energy Emissions of Distant Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 201216C

Recently, the MAGIC Collaboration reported a ∼5σ statistical significance of the very-high-energy (VHE) emission from a distant gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 201216C. Such distant GRB may be effectively absorbed by the extragalactic background light (EBL). The origin of the VHE emission from such distant objects is still unknown. Here, we propose a numerical model for studying the afterglow emission of this distant GRB. The model solves the continuity equation governing the temporal evolution of electron distribution, and the broadband observed data can be explained by the synchrotron plus synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) radiation of the forward shock. The predicted observed 0.1 TeV flux can reach ∼10−9−10−10 erg cm−2 s−1 at t ∼ 103−104 s, even with strong EBL absorption, such strong sub-teraelectronvolt (sub-TeV) emissions still can be observed by the MAGIC telescope. Using this numerical model, the shock parameters in the modeling are similar to two other sub-TeV GRBs (i.e., GRB 190114C and GRB 180720B), implying that the sub-TeV GRBs have some commonalities: they have energetic burst energy, low circumburst medium density, and a low magnetic equipartition factor. We regard GRB 201216C as a typical GRB, and estimate the maximum redshift of GRB that can be detected by the MAGIC telescope, i.e., z ∼ 1.6. We also find that the VHE photon energy of such distant GRB can only reach ∼0.1 TeV. Improving the low energy sensitivity of the VHE telescope is very important to detect the sub-TeV emissions of these distant GRBs.

Evidence for γ-ray emission from the remnant of Kepler’s supernova based on deep H.E.S.S. observations

Observations with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) have enhanced our knowledge of nearby supernova (SN) remnants with ages younger than 500 yr by establishing Cassiopeia A and the remnant of Tycho’s SN as very-high-energy (VHE) γ-ray sources. The remnant of Kepler’s SN, which is the product of the most recent naked-eye SN in our Galaxy, is comparable in age to the other two, but is significantly more distant. If the γ-ray luminosities of the remnants of Tycho’s and Kepler’s SNe are similar, then the latter is expected to be one of the faintest γ-ray sources within reach of the current generation IACT arrays. Here we report evidence at a statistical level of 4.6σ for a VHE signal from the remnant of Kepler’s SN based on deep observations by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) with an exposure of 152 h. The measured integral flux above an energy of 226 GeV is ∼0.3% of the flux of the Crab Nebula. The spectral energy distribution (SED) reveals a γ-ray emitting component connecting the VHE emission observed with H.E.S.S. to the emission observed at GeV energies with Fermi-LAT. The overall SED is similar to that of the remnant of Tycho’s SN, possibly indicating the same nonthermal emission processes acting in both these young remnants of thermonuclear SNe.

Gamma-Ray Bursts at TeV Energies: Theoretical Considerations

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous explosions in the Universe and are powered by ultra-relativistic jets. Their prompt γ-ray emission briefly outshines the rest of the γ-ray sky, making them detectable from cosmological distances. A burst is followed by, and sometimes partially overlaps with, a similarly energetic but very broadband and longer-lasting afterglow emission. While most GRBs are detected below a few MeV, over 100 have been detected at high (≳0.1 GeV) energies, and several have now been observed up to tens of GeV with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). A new electromagnetic window in the very-high-energy (VHE) domain (≳0.1 TeV) was recently opened with the detection of an afterglow emission in the (0.1–1)TeV energy band by ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The emission mechanism for the VHE spectral component is not fully understood, and its detection offers important constraints for GRB physics. This review provides a brief overview of the different leptonic and hadronic mechanisms capable of producing a VHE emission in GRBs. The same mechanisms possibly give rise to the high-energy spectral component seen during the prompt emission of many Fermi-LAT GRBs. Possible origins of its delayed onset and long duration well into the afterglow phase, with implications for the emission region and relativistic collisionless shock physics, are discussed. Key results for using GRBs as ideal probes for constraining models of extra-galactic background light and intergalactic magnetic fields, as well as for testing Lorentz invariance violation, are presented.

Multiwavelength radiation models for low-luminosity GRBs and the implications for UHECRs

ABSTRACT We study the prompt phase of low-luminosity gamma-ray bursts (ll-GRBs) as potential source of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Within the internal shock model, we choose parameters for the relativistic outflow such that our representative events have observed properties similar to GRBs 980425, 100316D, and 120714B, and self-consistently calculate the full spectral and temporal properties in a leptonic synchrotron self-Compton scenario. To investigate the conditions under which inverse Compton radiation may lead to a peak in the GeV–TeV range, we vary the fraction of internal energy supplying the magnetic field. Further, we determine the maximal energies achievable for UHECR nuclei and derive constraints on the baryonic loading/typical duration by comparing to the extragalactic gamma-ray background. We find that ll-GRBs are potential targets for multiwavelength studies and in reach for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) and optical/UV instruments. For comparable sub-MeV emission and similar dynamical evolution of the outflow, weak (strong) magnetic fields induce high (low) fluxes in the VHE regime and low (high) fluxes in the optical. VHE emission may be suppressed by γγ-absorption close to the engine or interactions with the extragalactic background light for redshifts z > 0.1. For UHECRs, the maximal energies of iron nuclei (protons) can be as high as ≃1011 GeV (1010 GeV) if the magnetic energy density is large (and the VHE component is correspondingly weak). These high energies are possible by decoupling the production regions of UHECR and gamma-rays in our multizone model. Finally, we find basic consistency with the energy budget needed to accommodate the UHECR origin from ll-GRBs.

External Inverse-Compton Emission from Low-luminosity Gamma-Ray Bursts: Application to GRB 190829A

Abstract The detection of TeV gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) brought new opportunities for studying the physics of particle acceleration at relativistic shocks. The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) telescopes recently observed very-high-energy (VHE) emission from a nearby low-luminosity GRB, GRB 190829A. Follow-up observations with, e.g., Swift-XRT, revealed unusual flare activities at ∼103 s, which can be caused by a long-lasting central engine. We show that the VHE emission during the H.E.S.S. observation time is naturally produced in the external inverse-Compton (EIC) scenario, where seed photons supplied by the flares or other late-time dissipations are upscattered to VHE energies by the nonthermal electrons accelerated at the external forward shock. Our calculations show that the EIC flare nearly coincides with the late-prompt flare, but extends ∼3–4 times longer than the duration of the late-prompt flare. The preferred kinetic energy and initial Lorentz factor used in our model are ∼1052 erg and ∼20, respectively. Understanding the mechanisms of the VHE emission from low-luminosity GRBs will help us constrain the properties of the outflow and the central engine activities, as well as the particle acceleration mechanism.

Jitter radiation: towards TeV-photons of gamma-ray bursts

ABSTRACT The synchrotron mechanism has the radiation limit of about 160 MeV, and it is not possible to explain the very high energy (VHE) photons that are emitted by high-energy objects. Inverse Compton scattering as a traditional process is applied for the explanation of the VHE emission. In this paper, jitter radiation, the relativistic electron radiation in the random and small-scale magnetic field, is proposed to be a possible mechanism to produce VHE photons. The jitter radiation frequency is associated with the perturbation field. The spectral index of the jitter radiation is dominated by the kinetic turbulence. We utilize the jitter radiation to explain the gamma-ray burst (GRB 190114C and GRB 180720B) VHE emissions that were recently detected by the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. We suggest that this mechanism can be applied to other kinds of VHE sources.

Multiwavelength investigation of the candidate Galactic PeVatron MGRO J1908+06

ABSTRACT The candidate PeVatron MGRO J1908+06, which shows a hard spectrum beyond 100 TeV, is one of the most peculiar γ-ray sources in the Galactic plane. Its complex morphology and some possible counterparts spatially related with the very high energy (VHE) emission region, preclude to distinguish between a hadronic and leptonic nature of the γ-ray emission. In this paper, we illustrate a new multiwavelength analysis of MGRO J1908+06, with the aim to shed light on its nature and the origin of its ultra-high-energy emission. We performed an analysis of the 12CO and 13CO molecular line emission demonstrating the presence of dense molecular clouds spatially correlated with the source region. We also analysed 12 yr of Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) data between 10 GeV and 1 TeV finding a counterpart with a hard spectrum (Γ ∼ 1.6). Our reanalysis of XMM–Newton data allowed us to put a more stringent constraint on the X-ray flux from this source. We demonstrate that a single accelerator cannot explain the whole set of multiwavelength data, regardless of whether it accelerates protons or electrons, but a two-zone model is needed to explain the emission from MGRO J1908+06. The VHE emission seems most likely the superposition of a TeV pulsar wind nebula powered by PSR J1907+0602, in the southern region, and of the interaction between the supernova remnant G40.5−0.5 and the molecular clouds, in the northern region.

Fast Magnetic Reconnection Structures in Poynting Flux-dominated Jets

Abstract The ubiquitous relativistic jet phenomena associated with black holes play a major role in high and very-high-energy (VHE) astrophysics. In particular, observations have demonstrated that blazars show VHE emission with time variability from days to minutes (in the gigaelectronvolt and teraelectronvolt bands), implying very compact emission regions. The real mechanism of the particle acceleration process responsible for this emission is still being debated, but magnetic reconnection has lately been discussed as a strong potential candidate. In this work, we present the results of three-dimensional special relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the development of reconnection events driven by turbulence induced by current-driven kink instability along a relativistic jet. We have performed a systematic identification of all reconnection regions in the system, characterizing their local magnetic field topology and quantifying the reconnection rates. We obtained average rates of 0.051 ± 0.026 (in units of Alfvén speed), which are comparable to the predictions of the theory of turbulence-induced fast reconnection. A detailed statistical analysis also demonstrated that the fast reconnection events follow a log-normal distribution, which is a signature of its turbulent origin. To probe the robustness of our method, we have applied our results to the blazar Mrk 421. Building a synthetic light curve from the integrated magnetic reconnection power, we evaluated the time variability from a power spectral density analysis, obtaining good agreement with observations in the gigaelectronvolt band. This suggests that turbulent fast magnetic reconnection can be a possible process behind the high-energy emission variability phenomena observed in blazars.

External Inverse-Compton Emission Associated with Extended and Plateau Emission of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts: Application to GRB 160821B

Abstract The recent detection of TeV photons from two gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), GRB 190114C and GRB 180720B, has opened a new window for multimessenger and multiwavelength astrophysics of high-energy transients. We study the origin of very high energy (VHE) γ-rays from the short GRB 160821B, for which the MAGIC Collaboration reported a ∼3σ statistical significance. Short GRBs are often accompanied by extended and plateau emission, which is attributed to internal dissipation resulting from activities of a long-lasting central engine, and Murase et al. (2018) recently suggested the external inverse-Compton (EIC) scenario for VHE counterparts of short GRBs and neutron star mergers. Applying this scenario to GRB 160821B, we show that the EIC flux can reach ∼10−12 erg cm−2 s−1 within a time period of ∼103–104 s, which is consistent with the MAGIC observations. EIC γ-rays expected during the extended and plateau emission will be detectable with greater significance by future detectors such as the Cerenkov Telescope Array. The resulting light curve has a distinguishable feature, where the VHE emission is predicted to reach the peak around the end of the seed photon emission.

Study of the variable broadband emission of Markarian 501 during the most extreme Swift X-ray activity

Context. Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) is a very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray blazar located at z = 0.034, which is regularly monitored by a wide range of multi-wavelength instruments, from radio to VHE gamma rays. During a period of almost two weeks in July 2014, the highest X-ray activity of Mrk 501 was observed in ∼14 years of operation of the Neil Gehrels Swift Gamma-ray Burst Observatory. Aims. We characterize the broadband variability of Mrk 501 from radio to VHE gamma rays during the most extreme X-ray activity measured in the last 14 years, and evaluate whether it can be interpreted within theoretical scenarios widely used to explain the broadband emission from blazars. Methods. The emission of Mrk 501 was measured at radio with Metsähovi, at optical–UV with KVA and Swift/UVOT, at X-ray with Swift/XRT and Swift/BAT, at gamma ray with Fermi-LAT, and at VHE gamma rays with the FACT and MAGIC telescopes. The multi-band variability and correlations were quantified, and the broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) were compared with predictions from theoretical models. Results. The VHE emission of Mrk 501 was found to be elevated during the X-ray outburst, with a gamma-ray flux above 0.15 TeV varying from ∼0.5 to ∼2 times the Crab nebula flux. The X-ray and VHE emission both varied on timescales of 1 day and were found to be correlated. We measured a general increase in the fractional variability with energy, with the VHE variability being twice as large as the X-ray variability. The temporal evolution of the most prominent and variable segments of the SED, characterized on a day-by-day basis from 2014 July 16 to 2014 July 31, is described with a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model with variations in the break energy of the electron energy distribution (EED), and with some adjustments in the magnetic field strength and spectral shape of the EED. These results suggest that the main flux variations during this extreme X-ray outburst are produced by the acceleration and the cooling of the high-energy electrons. A narrow feature at ∼3 TeV was observed in the VHE spectrum measured on 2014 July 19 (MJD 56857.98), which is the day with the highest X-ray flux (>0.3 keV) measured during the entire Swift mission. This feature is inconsistent with the classical analytic functions to describe the measured VHE spectra (power law, log-parabola, and log-parabola with exponential cutoff) at more than 3σ. A fit with a log-parabola plus a narrow component is preferred over the fit with a single log-parabola at more than 4σ, and a dedicated Monte Carlo simulation estimated the significance of this extra component to be larger than 3σ. Under the assumption that this VHE spectral feature is real, we show that it can be reproduced with three distinct theoretical scenarios: (a) a pileup in the EED due to stochastic acceleration; (b) a structured jet with two-SSC emitting regions, with one region dominated by an extremely narrow EED; and (c) an emission from an IC pair cascade induced by electrons accelerated in a magnetospheric vacuum gap, in addition to the SSC emission from a more conventional region along the jet of Mrk 501.

Particle acceleration and the origin of the very high energy emission around black holes and relativistic jets

AbstractParticle acceleration induced by fast magnetic reconnection may help to solve current puzzles related to the interpretation of the very high energy (VHE) and neutrino emissions from AGNs and compact sources in general. Our general relativistic-MHD simulations of accretion disk-corona systems reveal the growth of turbulence driven by MHD instabilities that lead to the development of fast magnetic reconnection in the corona. In addition, our simulations of relativistic MHD jets reveal the formation of several sites of fast reconnection induced by current-driven kink turbulence. The injection of thousands of test particles in these regions causes acceleration up to energies of several PeVs, thus demonstrating the ability of this process to accelerate particles and produce VHE and neutrino emission, specially in blazars. Finally, we discuss how reconnection can also explain the observed VHE luminosity-black hole mass correlation, involving hundreds of non-blazar sources like Perseus A, and black hole binaries.

H.E.S.S. detection of very high-energy γ-ray emission from the quasar PKS 0736+017

Context. Flat-spectrum radio-quasars (FSRQs) are rarely detected at very high energies (E ≥ 100 GeV) due to their low-frequency-peaked spectral energy distributions. At present, only six FSRQs are known to emit very high-energy (VHE) photons, representing only 7% of the VHE extragalactic catalog, which is largely dominated by high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae objects. Aims. Following the detection of MeV–GeV γ-ray flaring activity from the FSRQ PKS 0736+017 (z = 0.189) with Fermi-LAT, the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes triggered target-of-opportunity (ToO) observations on February 18, 2015, with the goal of studying the γ-ray emission in the VHE band. Methods. H.E.S.S. ToO observations were carried out during the nights of February 18, 19, 21, and 24, 2015. Together with Fermi-LAT, the multi-wavelength coverage of the flare includes Swift observations in soft X-ray and optical-UV bands, and optical monitoring (photometry and spectro-polarimetry) by the Steward Observatory, and the ATOM, the KAIT, and the ASAS-SN telescopes. Results. VHE emission from PKS 0736+017 was detected with H.E.S.S. only during the night of February 19, 2015. Fermi-LAT data indicate the presence of a γ-ray flare, peaking at the time of the H.E.S.S. detection, with a flux doubling timescale of around six hours. The γ-ray flare was accompanied by at least a 1 mag brightening of the non-thermal optical continuum. No simultaneous observations at longer wavelengths are available for the night of the H.E.S.S. detection. The γ-ray observations with H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT are used to put constraints on the location of the γ-ray emitting region during the flare: it is constrained to be just outside the radius of the broad-line region rBLR with a bulk Lorentz factor Γ ≃ 20, or at the level of the radius of the dusty torus rtorus with Γ ≃ 60. Conclusions. PKS 0736+017 is the seventh FSRQ known to emit VHE photons, and at z = 0.189 is the nearest so far. The location of the γ-ray emitting region during the flare can be tightly constrained thanks to opacity, variability, and collimation arguments.

Synchrotron Self-Compton as a Likely Mechanism of Photons beyond the Synchrotron Limit in GRB 190114C

Abstract GRB 190114C, a long and luminous burst, was detected by several satellites and ground-based telescopes from radio wavelengths to GeV gamma-rays. In the GeV gamma-rays, the Fermi Large Area Telescope detected 48 photons above 1 GeV during the first 100 s after the trigger time, and the MAGIC telescopes observed for more than 1000 s very high-energy (VHE) emission above 300 GeV. Previous analysis of the multi-wavelength observations showed that, although these are consistent with the synchrotron forward-shock model that evolves from a stratified stellar-wind to a homogeneous ISM-like medium, photons above a few GeV can hardly be interpreted in the synchrotron framework. In the context of the synchrotron forward-shock model, we derive the light curves and spectra of the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model in a stratified and homogeneous medium. In particular, we study the evolution of these light curves during the stratified-to-homogeneous afterglow transition. Using the best-fit parameters reported for GRB 190114C we interpret the photons beyond the synchrotron limit in the SSC framework and model its spectral energy distribution. We conclude that low-redshift gamma-ray bursts described under a favorable set of parameters as found in the early afterglow of GRB 190114C could be detected at hundreds of GeV, and also afterglow transitions would allow that VHE emission could be observed for longer periods.