Physics from Time Variability of the VHE Blazar PKS 2155-304

Blazars are the principal extragalactic sources of very high energy gamma-ray emission in the Universe. These objects constitute a sub-class of Active Galactic Nuclei whose emission is dominated by Doppler boosted non-thermal radiation from plasma outflowing at relativistic speeds from the central engine. This plasma outflow happens in the form of large-scale collimated structures called jets, which can extend for Mpc in length and transport energy from the central engine of the galaxy to the larger scale intergalac- tic medium. Over thirty such sources have been discovered to date by ground-based gamma-ray telescopes such as H.E.S.S., and PKS 2155-304 is the prototypical southern-hemisphere representative of this population of objects. In this thesis I have studied in detail some aspects of the temporal variability of the jet emission from PKS 2155-304, combining coordinated observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, from optical polarimetric measurements to X-ray and ground-based gamma-ray data. The temporal properties of the dataset allowed us to derive important physical information about the structure and emission mechanisms of the source and put constraints to the location of the sites of VHE emission and particle acceleration within the jet. We have also derived a sensitive statistical measure, called Kolmogorov distance, which we applied to the large outburst observed from PKS 2155-304 in July 2006, to derive the most stringent constraints to date on limits for the violation of Lorentz invariance induced by quantum-gravity effects from AGN measurements

Astrophysical and Cosmological Searches for Lorentz Invariance Violation

Lorentz invariance is one of the fundamental tenets of Special Relativity, and has been extensively tested with laboratory and astrophysical observations. However, many quantum gravity models and theories beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics predict a violation of Lorentz invariance at energies close to Planck scale. This article reviews observational and experimental tests of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) with photons, neutrinos and gravitational waves. Most astrophysical tests of LIV using photons are based on searching for a correlation of the spectral lag data with redshift and energy. These have been primarily carried out using compact objects such as pulsars, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and Gamma-ray bursts (GRB). There have also been some claims for LIV from some of these spectral lag observations with GRBs, which however are in conflict with the most stringent limits obtained from other LIV searches. Searches have also been carried out using polarization measurements from GRBs and AGNs. For neutrinos, tests have been made using both astrophysical observations at MeV energies (from SN 1987A) as well as in the TeV-PeV energy range based on IceCube observations, atmospheric neutrinos, and long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. Cosmological tests of LIV entail looking for a constancy of the speed of light as a function of redshift using multiple observational probes, as well as looking for birefringence in Cosmic Microwave background observations. This article will review all of these aforementioned observational tests of LIV, including results which are in conflict with each other.Comment: 32 pages. Added some references related to GWs. Invited chapter for the edited book {\it Recent Progress on Gravity Tests: Challenges and Future Perspectives} (Eds. C. Bambi and A. C\'ardenas-Avenda\~no, Springer Singapore, expected in 2023

Leptonic and Hadronic Radiative Processes in Supermassive-Black-Hole Jets

Supermassive black holes lying in the center of galaxies can launch relativistic jets of plasma along their polar axis. The physics of black-hole jets is a very active research topic in astrophysics, owing to the fact that many questions remain open on the physical mechanisms of jet launching, of particle acceleration in the jet, and on the radiative processes. In this work I focus on the last item, and present a review of the current understanding of radiative emission processes in supermassive-black-hole jets.Comment: Invited review in Galaxies special issue "Jet Physics of Accreting Super Massive Black Holes

High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

This volume celebrates the 30th anniversary of the first very-high energy (VHE) gamma-ray Source detection: the Crab Nebula, observed by the pioneering ground-based Cherenkov telescope Whipple, at teraelectronvolts (TeV) energies, in 1989. As we entered a new era in TeV astronomy, with the imminent start of operations of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) and new facilities such as LHAASO and the proposed Southern Wide-Field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), we conceived of this volume as a broad reflection on how far we have evolved in the astrophysics topics that dominated the field of TeV astronomy for much of recent history.In the past two decades, H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS pushed the field of TeV astronomy, consolidating the field of TeV astrophysics, from few to hundreds of TeV emitters. Today, this is a mature field, covering almost every topic of modern astrophysics. TeV astrophysics is also at the center of the multi-messenger astrophysics revolution, as the extreme photon energies involved provide an effective probe in cosmic-ray acceleration, propagation and interaction, in dark matter and exotic physics searches. The improvement that CTA will carry forward and the fact that CTA will operate as the first open observatory in the field, mean that gamma-ray astronomy is about to enter a new precision and productive era.This book aims to serve as an introduction to the field and its state of the art, presenting a series of authoritative reviews on a broad range of topics in which TeV astronomy provided essential contributions, and where some of the most relevant questions for future research lie

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era : a review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 "Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach", is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era—A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 “Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach”, is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era-A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 "Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach", is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era—A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multimessenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 ‘‘Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach", is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers.Talent Scientific Research Program of College of Physics, Sichuan University 1082204112427Fostering Program in Disciplines Possessing Novel Features for Natural Science of Sichuan University 2020SCUNL2091000 Talent program of Sichuan province 2021Xunta de GaliciaEuropean Commission European Union ERDF, "Maria de Maeztu'' Units of Excellence program MDM-2016-0692Red Tematica Nacional de Astroparticulas RED2018-102661-TLa Caixa Foundation 100010434European Commission 847648 LCF/BQ/PI21/11830030 754510Ministry of Education, Science & Technological Development, Serbia 451-03-9/2021-14/200124FSR Incoming Postdoctoral Fellowship Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Serbia 451-03-9/2021-14/200124University of Rijeka grant uniri-prirod-18-48Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) IP-2016-06-9782Villum Fonden 29405 DGA-FSE 2020-E2117REuropean Regional Development Fund through the Center of Excellence (TK133) "The Dark Side of the Universe'' European Regional Development Fund (ESIF/ERDF)Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports - Czech Republic CoGraDS-CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15 003/0000437Blavatnik grantBasque Government IT-97916 Basque Foundation for Science (IKERBASQUE)European Space Agency C4000120711 4000132310FNRS (Belgian Fund for Research)Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigacion e Innovacion Tecnologica (PAPIIT)Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico TA100122National University of La Plata X909 DICYT 042131GRNational Research, Development & Innovation Office (NRDIO) - Hungary 123996FQXiSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)European Commission 181461 199307Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) 680-91-119 15MV71Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceGrants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) 20H01899 20H05853 JP21F21789Estonian Research Council PRG356Julian Schwinger FoundationGeneralitat Valenciana Excellence PROMETEO-II/2017/033 PROMETEO/2018/165Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)European ITN project HIDDeN H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019//860881-HIDDeNSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission 2016-05996 European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 668679Advanced ERC grant TReXMinistry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) 2017X7X85KFonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS 4.4501.18Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization - Romania PN19-030102-INCDFM PN-III-P4ID-PCE-2020-2374United States Department of Energy (DOE) DE-SC0020262Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning, Republic of Korea 075-15-2020-778German Academic Scholarship Foundation German Research Foundation (DFG) 408049454 420243324 425333893 445990517 Germany's Excellence Strategy (EXC 2121 "Quantum Universe'') 390833306 390837967 Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) 05 A20GU2 05 A20PX1Centro de Excelencia "Severo Ochoa'' SEV-2016-0588CERCA program of the Generalitat de CatalunyaAgencia de Gestio D'Ajuts Universitaris de Recerca Agaur (AGAUR) Generalitat de Catalunya 2017-SGR-1469 2017-SGR-929 ICCUB CEX2019-000918-MNational Science Centre, Poland 2019/33/B/ST2/00050 2017/27/B/ST2/01902Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ) 306414/2020-1Dicyt-USACH 041931MFNational Science Fund of Bulgaria KP-06-N 38/11 RCN ROMFORSK 302640Comunidad de Madrid 2018-T1/TIC-10431 2019-T1/TIC-13177 S2018/NMT-4291UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ST/T000759/1 ST/P000258/1 ST/T000732/1 ST/V005596/1Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology UIDB/00618/2020 UIDB/00777/2020 UIDP/00777/2020 CERN/FIS-PAR/0004/2019 PTDC/FIS-PAR/29436/2017 PTDC/FISPAR/31938/2017 PTDC/FIS-OUT/29048/2017 SFRH/BD/137127/2018Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), LabEx UnivEarthS ANR-10-LABX-0023 ANR18-IDEX-0001Junta de Andalucia European Commission A-FQM-053-UGR18Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) RGPIN-2021-03644National Science Centre Poland Sonata Bis 2019/33/B/ST2/00050 DEC-2017/26/E/ST2/00763Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) DGIID-DGA 2015-E24/2Spanish Research State Agency and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion MCIN/AEI PID2019-104114RB-C32 PID2019-105544GB-I00 PID2019-105614GB-C21 PID2019106515GB-I00 PID2019-106802GB-I00 PID2019-107394GB-I00 PID2019-107844GB-C21 PID2019-107847RB-C41 MCIN/AEI PGC2018-095328-B-I00 PGC2018-094856-B-I00 PGC2018-096663-B-C41 PGC2018-096663-B-C44 PGC2018-094626-BC21 PGC2018-101858-B-I00 FPA2017-84543-P FPA2016-76005-C2-1-PSpanish 'Ministerio de Universidades' BG20/00228 Spanish Government PID2020-115845GBI00 Generalitat de Catalunya Comunidad de Madrid S2018/NMT-4291 Spanish Government PID2019-105544GB-I00Perimeter Institute for Theoretical PhysicsGovernment of Canada through the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic DevelopmentProvince of Ontario through the Ministry of Colleges and UniversitiesIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)Fundamental Questions Institute (FQXi)European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) CA18108Research Council of University of GuilanIniziativa Specifica TEONGRAV Iniziativa Specifica QGSKY Iniziativa Specifica QUAGRAP Iniziativa Specifica GeoSymQFTthe Spanish Research State Agency and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion MCIN/AEI PID2020-115845GBI00 PID2019-108485GB-I00 PID2020-113334GB-I00 PID2020-113701GB-I00 PID2020-113775GB-I00 PID2020-118159GB-C41 PID2020-118159GA-C42 PRE2019-089024Rothchild grant UID/MAT/00212/2020 FPU18/0457