Constraints on dark matter and astrophysics from tomographic γ-ray cross-correlations

Physical Review D: Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology American Physical Society 109 (2024) 103517

Authors:

Anya Paopiamsap, David Alonso, Deaglan Bartlett, Maciej Bilicki

Abstract:

We study the cross-correlation between maps of the unresolved 𝛾-ray background constructed from the 12-year data release of the Fermi Large-Area Telescope, and the overdensity of galaxies in the redshift range 𝑧≲0.4 as measured by the 2MASS photometric redshift survey and the WISE-SuperCOSMOS photometric survey. A signal is detected at the 8−10⁢𝜎 level, which we interpret in terms of both astrophysical 𝛾-ray sources, and weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) dark matter decay and annihilation. The sensitivity achieved allows us to characterise the energy and redshift dependence of the signal, and we show that the latter is incompatible with a pure dark matter origin. We thus use our measurement to place an upper bound on the WIMP decay rate and the annihilation cross section, finding constraints that are competitive with those found in other analyses. Our analysis is based on the extraction of clean model-independent observables that can then be used to constrain arbitrary astrophysical and particle physics models. In this sense we produce measurements of the 𝛾-ray emissivity as a function of redshift and rest-frame energy 𝜖, and of a quantity 𝐹⁡(𝜖) encapsulating all WIMP parameters relevant for dark matter decay or annihilation. We make these measurements, together with a full account of their statistical uncertainties, publicly available.

Constraints on dark matter and astrophysics from tomographic γ -ray cross-correlations

Physical Review D (particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology) American Physical Society 109:10 (2024) 103517

Authors:

Anya Paopiamsap, David Alonso, Deaglan J Bartlett, Maciej Bilicki

Abstract:

<jats:p>We study the cross-correlation between maps of the unresolved <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mi>γ</a:mi></a:math>-ray background constructed from the 12-year data release of the Large-Area Telescope, and the overdensity of galaxies in the redshift range <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><c:mi>z</c:mi><c:mo>≲</c:mo><c:mn>0.4</c:mn></c:math> as measured by the 2MASS photometric redshift survey and the WISE-SuperCOSMOS photometric survey. A signal is detected at the <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><e:mn>8</e:mn><e:mo>−</e:mo><e:mn>10</e:mn><e:mi>σ</e:mi></e:math> level, which we interpret in terms of both astrophysical <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><g:mi>γ</g:mi></g:math>-ray sources, and weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) dark matter decay and annihilation. The sensitivity achieved allows us to characterise the energy and redshift dependence of the signal, and we show that the latter is incompatible with a pure dark matter origin. We thus use our measurement to place an upper bound on the WIMP decay rate and the annihilation cross section, finding constraints that are competitive with those found in other analyses. Our analysis is based on the extraction of clean model-independent observables that can then be used to constrain arbitrary astrophysical and particle physics models. In this sense we produce measurements of the <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><i:mi>γ</i:mi></i:math>-ray emissivity as a function of redshift and rest-frame energy <k:math xmlns:k="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><k:mi>ϵ</k:mi></k:math>, and of a quantity <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo><m:mi>ϵ</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo></m:math> encapsulating all WIMP parameters relevant for dark matter decay or annihilation. We make these measurements, together with a full account of their statistical uncertainties, publicly available.</jats:p> <jats:sec> <jats:title/> <jats:supplementary-material> <jats:permissions> <jats:copyright-statement>Published by the American Physical Society</jats:copyright-statement> <jats:copyright-year>2024</jats:copyright-year> </jats:permissions> </jats:supplementary-material> </jats:sec>

DEVILS/MIGHTEE/GAMA/DINGO: the impact of SFR time-scales on the SFR-radio luminosity correlation

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (OUP) 531:1 (2024) 708-727

Authors:

Robin HW Cook, Luke JM Davies, Jonghwan Rhee, Catherine L Hale, Sabine Bellstedt, Jessica E Thorne, Ivan Delvecchio, Jordan D Collier, Richard Dodson, Simon P Driver, Benne W Holwerda, Matt J Jarvis, Kenda Knowles, Claudia Lagos, Natasha Maddox, Martin Meyer, Aaron SG Robotham, Sambit Roychowdhury, Kristof Rozgonyi, Nicholas Seymour, Malgorzata Siudek, Matthew Whiting, Imogen Whittam

Time-varying double-peaked emission lines following the sudden ignition of the dormant galactic nucleus AT2017bcc

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (OUP) 531:1 (2024) 1905-1930

Authors:

EJ Ridley, M Nicholl, CA Ward, PK Blanchard, R Chornock, M Fraser, S Gomez, S Mattila, SR Oates, G Pratten, JC Runnoe, P Schmidt, KD Alexander, M Gromadzki, A Lawrence, TM Reynolds, KW Smith, Ł Wyrzykowski, A Aamer, JP Anderson, S Benetti, E Berger, T de Boer, KC Chambers, T-W Chen, H Gao, CP Gutiérrez, C Inserra, T Kangas, G Leloudas, EA Magnier, L Makrygianni, T Moore, TE Müller-Bravo, SJ Smartt, KV Sokolovsky, R Wainscoat, DR Young

X-Ray and Radio Monitoring of the Neutron Star Low-mass X-Ray Binary 1A 1744-361: Quasiperiodic Oscillations, Transient Ejections, and a Disk Atmosphere

The Astrophysical Journal American Astronomical Society 966:2 (2024) 232

Authors:

Mason Ng, Andrew K Hughes, Jeroen Homan, Jon M Miller, Sean N Pike, Diego Altamirano, Peter Bult, Deepto Chakrabarty, DJK Buisson, Benjamin M Coughenour, Rob Fender, Sebastien Guillot, Tolga Güver, Gaurava K Jaisawal, Amruta D Jaodand, Christian Malacaria, James CA Miller-Jones, Andrea Sanna, Gregory R Sivakoff, Tod E Strohmayer, John A Tomsick, Jakob van den Eijnden

Abstract:

We report on X-ray (NICER/NuSTAR/MAXI/Swift) and radio (MeerKAT) timing and spectroscopic analysis from a 3 month monitoring campaign in 2022 of a high-intensity outburst of the dipping neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1A 1744−361. The 0.5–6.8 keV NICER X-ray hardness–intensity and color–color diagrams of the observations throughout the outburst suggest that 1A 1744−361 spent most of its outburst in an atoll-state, but we show that the source exhibited Z-state-like properties at the peak of the outburst, similar to a small sample of other atoll-state sources. A timing analysis with NICER data revealed several instances of an ≈8 Hz quasiperiodic oscillation (QPO; fractional rms amplitudes of ∼5%) around the peak of the outburst, the first from this source, which we connect to the normal branch QPOs seen in the Z-state. Our observations of 1A 1744−361 are fully consistent with the idea of the mass accretion rate being the main distinguishing parameter between atoll- and Z-states. Radio monitoring data by MeerKAT suggests that the source was at its radio-brightest during the outburst peak, and that the source transitioned from the “island” spectral state to the “banana” state within ∼3 days of the outburst onset, launching transient jet ejecta. The observations present the strongest evidence for radio flaring, including jet ejecta, during the island-to-banana spectral state transition at low accretion rates (atoll-state). The source also exhibited Fe xxv, Fe xxvi Kα, and Kβ X-ray absorption lines, whose origins likely lie in an accretion disk atmosphere.