Gamma-ray astronomy

Abstract:

We have systematically studied the effect of the orbital inclination in the outburst evolution of black hole transients. We have included all the systems observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in which the thermal, accretion disc component becomes strongly dominant at some point of the outburst. Inclination is found to modify the shape of the tracks that these systems display in the colour/luminosity diagrams traditionally used for their study. Black hole transients seen at low inclination reach softer spectra and their accretion discs look cooler than those observed closer to edge-on. This difference can be naturally explained by considering inclination-dependent relativistic effects on accretion discs. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Abstract:

Context.We report on a detailed study of the Fe K emission/absorption complex in the nearby, bright Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509. The study is part of an extensive XMM-Newton monitoring consisting of 10 pointings (∼60 ks each) about once every 4 days, and includes a reanalysis of previous XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. Aims.We aim at understanding the origin and location of the Fe K emission and absorption regions. Methods.We combine the results of time-resolved spectral analysis on both short and long time-scales including model-independent rms spectra. Results.Mrk 509 shows a clear (EW = 58±4 eV) neutral Fe Ka emission line that can be decomposed into a narrow (s = 0.027 keV) component (found in the Chandra HETG data) plus a resolved (s = 0.22 keV) component.We find the first successful measurement of a linear correlation between the intensity of the resolved line component and the 3-10 keV flux variations on time scales of years down to a few days. The Fe Ka reverberates the hard X-ray continuum without any measurable lag, suggesting that the region producing the resolved Fe Ka component is located within a few light days to a week (r ≲ 103 rg) from the black hole (BH). The lack of a redshifted wing in the line poses a lower limit of =40 rg for its distance from the BH. The Fe Ka could thus be emitted from the inner regions of the BLR, i.e. within the ∼80 light days indicated by the Hß line measurements. In addition to these two neutral Fe Ka components, we confirm the detection of weak (EW ∼ 8-20 eV) ionised Fe K emission. This ionised line can be modelled with either a blend of two narrow Fe xxv and Fe xxvi emission lines (possibly produced by scattering from distant material) or with a single relativistic line produced, in an ionised disc, down to a few rg from the BH. In the latter interpretation, the presence of an ionised standard a-disc, down to a few rg, is consistent with the source high Eddington ratio. Finally, we observe a weakening/disappearing of the mediumand high-velocity high-ionisation Fe K wind features found in previous XMM-Newton observations. Conclusions. This campaign has made the first reverberation measurement of the resolved component of the Fe Ka line possible, from which we can infer a location for the bulk of its emission at a distance of r ∼ 40-1000 rg from the BH. © 2012 ESO.

Abstract:

In the lead-up to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, several next-generation radio telescopes and upgrades are already being built around the world. These include APERTIF (The Netherlands), ASKAP (Australia), e-MERLIN (UK), VLA (USA), e-EVN (based in Europe), LOFAR (The Netherlands), MeerKAT (South Africa), and the Murchison Widefield Array. Each of these new instruments has different strengths, and coordination of surveys between them can help maximise the science from each of them. A radio continuum survey is being planned on each of them with the primary science objective of understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, and the cosmological parameters and large-scale structures which drive it. In pursuit of this objective, the different teams are developing a variety of new techniques, and refining existing ones. To achieve these exciting scientific goals, many technical challenges must be addressed by the survey instruments. Given the limited resources of the global radio-astronomical community, it is essential that we pool our skills and knowledge. We do not have sufficient resources to enjoy the luxury of re-inventing wheels. We face significant challenges in calibration, imaging, source extraction and measurement, classification and cross-identification, redshift determination, stacking, and data-intensive research. As these instruments extend the observational parameters, we will face further unexpected challenges in calibration, imaging, and interpretation. If we are to realise the full scientific potential of these expensive instruments, it is essential that we devote enough resources and careful study to understanding the instrumental effects and how they will affect the data. We have established an SKA Radio Continuum Survey working group, whose prime role is to maximise science from these instruments by ensuring we share resources and expertise across the projects. Here we describe these projects, their science goals, and the technical challenges which are being addressed to maximise the science return. © 2013 Astronomical Society of Australia.

Abstract:

In this paper, we investigate the properties of a sample of six BL Lacs by fitting their spectra using our inhomogeneous jet model with an accelerating, magnetically dominated, parabolic base, which transitions to a slowly decelerating conical jet with a geometry based on observations of M87. Our model is able to fit very well to the simultaneous multiwavelength spectra of all the BL Lacs including radio observations. We find that the BL Lacs have lower jet powers and bulk Lorentz factors than the sample of Compton-dominant blazars investigated in Paper III, consistent with the blazar sequence. Excitingly, we find a correlation between the radius at which the jet first comes into equipartition and the jet power, in agreement with our prediction from Paper III.We interpret this result as one of two physical scenarios: a universal jet geometry which scales linearly with black hole mass or a dichotomy in Eddington accretion rates between flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lacs. If we assume that the jet geometry of all blazars scales linearly with black hole mass, then we find a plausible range of masses (~107-1010M⊙).We find that the quiescent gamma-ray spectrum ofMarkarian 421 is best fitted by scattering of external cosmic microwave background photons. We are unable to fit the spectrum using synchrotron self-Compton emission due to strong gamma-ray absorption via pair production even using a compact, rapidly decelerating, jet with a very large bulk Lorentz factor (50), as has been suggested recently. This is because the ratio of synchrotron to inverse-Compton emission requires a high density of synchrotron photons to scatter which makes the region opaque to TeV gamma-rays even with large bulk Lorentz factors. Finally, we fit to the spectral energy distributions of the four high power high synchrotron peak frequency BL Lacs recently found by Padovani et al. We find that their high peak frequency emission is caused by high maximum electron energies whilst the rest of their jet properties are typical of relatively high power BL Lacs and consistent with our predictions. © 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.