Probing cluster environments of blazars through gamma-gamma absorption

Most blazars are known to be hosted in giant elliptic galaxies, but their cluster environments have not been thoroughly investigated. Cluster environments may contain radiation fields of low-energy photons created by nearby galaxies and/or stars in the intracluster medium that produce diffuse intracluster light. These radiation fields may absorb very high energy gamma rays ($E\gtrsim100$ GeV; VHE) and trigger pair cascades with further production of subsequent generations of gamma rays with lower energies via inverse Compton scattering on surrounding radiation fields leaving a characteristic imprint in the observed spectral shape. The change of the spectral shape of the blazar reflects the properties of its ambient medium. We show, however, that neither intracluster light nor the radiation field of an individual nearby galaxy can cause substantial gamma-gamma absorption. Substantial gamma-gamma absorption is possible only in the case of multiple, $\gtrsim5$, luminous nearby galaxies. This situation is not found in the local Universe, but may be possible at larger redshifts ($z\gtrsim2$). Since VHE gamma rays from such distances are expected to be strongly absorbed by the extragalactic background light, we consider possible signatures of gamma-ray induced pair cascades by calculating the expected GeV flux which appears to be below the Fermi sensitivity even for $\sim10$ nearby galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Radiation and Polarization Signatures of 3D Multi-zone Time-dependent Hadronic Blazar Model

We present a newly developed time-dependent three-dimensional multi-zone hadronic blazar emission model. By coupling a Fokker-Planck based lepto-hadronic particle evolution code 3DHad with a polarization-dependent radiation transfer code, 3DPol, we are able to study the time-dependent radiation and polarization signatures of a hadronic blazar model for the first time. Our current code is limited to parameter regimes in which the hadronic $\gamma$-ray output is dominated by proton synchrotron emission, neglecting pion production. Our results demonstrate that the time-dependent flux and polarization signatures are generally dominated by the relation between the synchrotron cooling and the light crossing time scale, which is largely independent of the exact model parameters. We find that unlike the low-energy polarization signatures, which can vary rapidly in time, the high-energy polarization signatures appear stable. As a result, future high-energy polarimeters may be able to distinguish such signatures from the lower and more rapidly variable polarization signatures expected in leptonic models.Comment: Accepted for Publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Prompt and Delayed High-Energy Emission from Cosmological Gamma-Ray Bursts

In the cosmological blast-wave model for gamma ray bursts (GRBs), high energy (> 10 GeV) gamma-rays are produced either through Compton scattering of soft photons by ultrarelativistic electrons, or as a consequence of the acceleration of protons to ultrahigh energies. We describe the spectral and temporal characteristics of high energy gamma-rays produced by both mechanisms, and discuss how these processes can be distinguished through observations with low-threshold Cherenkov telescopes or GLAST. We propose that Compton scattering of starlight photons by blast wave electrons can produce delayed flares of GeV -- TeV radiation.Comment: to appear in Proceedings of VERITAS Workshop on TeV Astrophysics of Extragalactic Sources, eds. M. Catanese, J. Quinn, T. Weeke

Constraining Relativistic Bow Shock Properties in Rotation-Powered Millisecond Pulsar Binaries

Multiwavelength followup of unidentified Fermi sources has vastly expanded the number of known galactic-field "black widow" and "redback" millisecond pulsar binaries. Focusing on their rotation-powered state, we interpret the radio to X-ray phenomenology in a consistent framework. We advocate the existence of two distinct modes differing in their intrabinary shock orientation, distinguished by the phase-centering of the double-peaked X-ray orbital modulation originating from mildly-relativistic Doppler boosting. By constructing a geometric model for radio eclipses, we constrain the shock geometry as functions of binary inclination and shock stand-off $R_0$. We develop synthetic X-ray synchrotron orbital light curves and explore the model parameter space allowed by radio eclipse constraints applied on archetypal systems B1957+20 and J1023+0038. For B1957+20, from radio eclipses the stand-off is $R_0 \sim 0.15$ -- $0.3$ fraction of binary separation from the companion center, depending on the orbit inclination. Constructed X-ray light curves for B1957+20 using these values are qualitatively consistent with those observed, and we find occultation of the shock by the companion as a minor influence, demanding significant Doppler factors to yield double peaks. For J1023+0038, radio eclipses imply $R_0 \lesssim 0.4$ while X-ray light curves suggest $0.1\lesssim R_0 \lesssim 0.3$ (from the pulsar). Degeneracies in the model parameter space encourage further development to include transport considerations. Generically, the spatial variation along the shock of the underlying electron power-law index should yield energy-dependence in the shape of light curves motivating future X-ray phase-resolved spectroscopic studies to probe the unknown physics of pulsar winds and relativistic shock acceleration therein.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 36 pages, 15 figures; comments welcom