389 research outputs found
Linking radio and gamma ray emission in Ap Librae
Ap Lib is one of the rare Low Synchrotron Peaked blazars detected so far at
TeV energies. This type of source is not properly modelled by standard one-zone
leptonic Synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) emission scenarios. The aim of this
paper is to study the relevance of additional components which should naturally
occur in a SSC scenario for a better understanding of the emission mechanisms,
especially at very high energies (VHE). Methods. We use simultaneous data from
a multi-wavelength campaign of Planck, Swift-UVOT and Swift-XRT telescopes
carried out in February 2010, as well as quasi-simultaneous data of WISE, Fermi
and H.E.S.S. taken in 2010. The multi-lambda emission of Ap Lib is modelled by
a blob-in-jet SSC scenario including the contribution of the base of the VLBI
extended jet, the radiative blob-jet interaction, the accretion disk and its
associated external photon field. We show that signatures of a strong
parsec-scale jet and of an accretion disk emission are present in the SED. We
can link the observationnal VLBI jet features from MOJAVE to parameters
expected for a VHE emitting blob accelerated near the jet base. The VHE
emission appears to be dominated by the inverse-Compton effect of the blob
relativistic electrons interacting with the jet synchrotron radiation. In such
scenario Ap Lib appears as an intermediate source between BL Lac objects and
Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars. Ap Lib could be a bright representative of a
specific class of blazars, in which the parsec-scale jet luminosity is no more
negligible compared to the blob and contributes to the high energy emission via
inverse Compton processes.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Shocks in relativistic transverse stratified jets, a new paradigm for radio-loud AGN
The transverse stratification of active galactic nuclei (AGN) jets is
suggested by observations and theoretical arguments, as a consequence of
intrinsic properties of the central engine (accretion disc + black hole) and
external medium. On the other hand, the one-component jet approaches are
heavily challenged by the various observed properties of plasmoids in radio
jets (knots), often associated with internal shocks. Given that such a
transverse stratification plays an important role on the jets acceleration,
stability, and interaction with the external medium, it should also induce
internal shocks with various strengths and configurations, able to describe the
observed knots behaviours. By establishing a relation between the transverse
stratification of the jets, the internal shock properties, and the multiple
observed AGN jet morphologies and behaviours, our aim is to provide a
consistent global scheme of the various AGN jet structures. Working on a large
sample of AGN radio jets monitored in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI)
by the MOJAVE collaboration, we determined the consistency of a systematic
association of the multiple knots with successive re-collimation shocks. We
then investigated the re-collimation shock formation and the influence of
different transverse stratified structures by parametrically exploring the two
relativistic outflow components with the specific relativistic hydrodynamic
(SRHD) code AMRVAC. We were able to link the different spectral classes of AGN
with specific stratified jet characteristics, in good accordance with their
VLBI radio properties and their accretion regimes.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&
SST-GATE: A dual mirror telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the world's first open
observatory for very high energy gamma-rays. Around a hundred telescopes of
different sizes will be used to detect the Cherenkov light that results from
gamma-ray induced air showers in the atmosphere. Amongst them, a large number
of Small Size Telescopes (SST), with a diameter of about 4 m, will assure an
unprecedented coverage of the high energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum
(above ~1TeV to beyond 100 TeV) and will open up a new window on the
non-thermal sky. Several concepts for the SST design are currently being
investigated with the aim of combining a large field of view (~9 degrees) with
a good resolution of the shower images, as well as minimizing costs. These
include a Davies-Cotton configuration with a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode
(GAPD) based camera, as pioneered by FACT, and a novel and as yet untested
design based on the Schwarzschild-Couder configuration, which uses a secondary
mirror to reduce the plate-scale and to allow for a wide field of view with a
light-weight camera, e.g. using GAPDs or multi-anode photomultipliers. One
objective of the GATE (Gamma-ray Telescope Elements) programme is to build one
of the first Schwarzschild-Couder prototypes and to evaluate its performance.
The construction of the SST-GATE prototype on the campus of the Paris
Observatory in Meudon is under way. We report on the current status of the
project and provide details of the opto-mechanical design of the prototype, the
development of its control software, and simulations of its expected
performance.Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All CTA contributions at arXiv:1307.223
Resistance to a Rhabdovirus (VHSV) in Rainbow Trout: Identification of a Major QTL Related to Innate Mechanisms
Chantier qualité GAHealth control is a major issue in animal breeding and a better knowledge of the genetic bases of resistance to diseases is needed in farm animals including fish. The detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) will help uncovering the genetic architecture of important traits and understanding the mechanisms involved in resistance to pathogens. We report here the detection of QTL for resistance to Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia Virus (VHSV), a major threat for European aquaculture industry. Two induced mitogynogenetic doubled haploid F2 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) families were used. These families combined the genome of susceptible and resistant F0 breeders and contained only fully homozygous individuals. For phenotyping, fish survival after an immersion challenge with the virus was recorded, as well as in vitro virus replication on fin explants. A bidirectional selective genotyping strategy identified seven QTL associated to survival. One of those QTL was significant at the genome-wide level and largely explained both survival and viral replication in fin explants in the different families of the design (up to 65% and 49% of phenotypic variance explained respectively). These results evidence the key role of innate defence in resistance to the virus and pave the way for the identification of the gene(s) responsible for resistance. The identification of a major QTL also opens appealing perspectives for selective breeding of fish with improved resistance
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Flow-induced dynamic surface tension effects at nanoscale
The aim of this study is to investigate flow-induced dynamic surface tension effects, similar to the well-known Marangoni phenomena, but solely generated by the nanoscale topography of the substrates. The flow-induced surface tension effects are examined on the basis of a sharp interface theory. It is demonstrated how nanoscale objects placed at the boundary of the flow domain result in the generation of substantial surface forces acting on the bulk flow
Optical spectroscopy of Blazars for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
Context. Blazars are the most numerous class of High Energy (HE; E about 50
MeV - few 100 GeV) and Very High Energy (VHE; E about 100 GeV - 10 TeV)
gamma-ray emitters. As of today, a measured spectroscopic redshift is available
for only about 50% of gamma-ray BL Lacs, mainly due to the difficulty of
measuring reliable redshifts from their nearly featureless, continuum-dominated
optical spectra. The knowledge of the redshift is fundamental for understanding
the emission from blazars, for population studies and also for indirect studies
of the extragalactic background light and searches for Lorentz invariance
violation and axion-like particles using blazars. Aims. This paper is the first
of a series of papers which aim to measure the redshift of a sample of blazars
likely to be detected with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a
ground based gamma-ray observatory. Methods. Monte Carlo simulations were
performed to select those hard spectrum gamma-ray blazars detected with the
Fermi-LAT telescope still lacking redshift measurements but likely to be
detected by CTA in 30 hours of observing time or less. Optical observing
campaigns involving deep imaging and spectroscopic observations were organised
to efficiently constrain their redshifts. We performed deep medium to high
resolution spectroscopy of nineteen blazar optical counterparts using the ESI
spectrograph at Keck, the RSS spectrograph at the SALT telescope, and the
EFOSC2 spectrograph at the ESO NTT. We searched systematically for spectral
features and, when possible, we estimated the contribution of the host galaxy
to the total flux. Results. We measured eleven firm spectroscopic redshifts
with values ranging from 0.1116 to 0.482. one tentative redshift, three
redshift lower limits including one at z > 0.449 and another at z > 0.868.
There were four objects found to have featureless spectra.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Very-high-energy observations of the binaries V 404 Cyg and 4U 0115+634 during giant X-ray outbursts
Transient X-ray binaries produce major outbursts in which the X-ray flux can
increase over the quiescent level by factors as large as . The low-mass
X-ray binary V 404 Cyg and the high-mass system 4U 0115+634 underwent such
major outbursts in June and October 2015, respectively. We present here
observations at energies above hundreds of GeV with the VERITAS observatory
taken during some of the brightest X-ray activity ever observed from these
systems. No gamma-ray emission has been detected by VERITAS in 2.5 hours of
observations of the microquasar V 404 Cyg from 2015, June 20-21. The upper flux
limits derived from these observations on the gamma-ray flux above 200 GeV of F
cm s correspond to a tiny fraction (about
) of the Eddington luminosity of the system, in stark contrast to that
seen in the X-ray band. No gamma rays have been detected during observations of
4U 0115+634 in the period of major X-ray activity in October 2015. The flux
upper limit derived from our observations is F cm
s for gamma rays above 300 GeV, setting an upper limit on the ratio of
gamma-ray to X-ray luminosity of less than 4%.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Very-High-Energy -Ray Observations of the Blazar 1ES 2344+514 with VERITAS
We present very-high-energy -ray observations of the BL Lac object
1ES 2344+514 taken by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array
System (VERITAS) between 2007 and 2015. 1ES 2344+514 is detected with a
statistical significance above background of in hours
(livetime) of observations, making this the most comprehensive very-high-energy
study of 1ES 2344+514 to date. Using these observations the temporal properties
of 1ES 2344+514 are studied on short and long times scales. We fit a constant
flux model to nightly- and seasonally-binned light curves and apply a
fractional variability test, to determine the stability of the source on
different timescales. We reject the constant-flux model for the 2007-2008 and
2014-2015 nightly-binned light curves and for the long-term seasonally-binned
light curve at the level. The spectra of the time-averaged emission
before and after correction for attenuation by the extragalactic background
light are obtained. The observed time-averaged spectrum above 200 GeV is
satisfactorily fitted () by a power-law function with
index and extends to at least 8
TeV. The extragalactic-background-light-deabsorbed spectrum is adequately fit
() by a power-law function with index while an F-test indicates that the power-law with
exponential cutoff function provides a marginally-better fit ( =
) at the 2.1 level. The source location is found to be
consistent with the published radio location and its spatial extent is
consistent with a point source.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Societ
Measurement of Cosmic-ray Electrons at TeV Energies by VERITAS
Cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (CREs) at GeV-TeV energies are a unique
probe of our local Galactic neighborhood. CREs lose energy rapidly via
synchrotron radiation and inverse-Compton scattering processes while
propagating within the Galaxy and these losses limit their propagation
distance. For electrons with TeV energies, the limit is on the order of a
kiloparsec. Within that distance there are only a few known astrophysical
objects capable of accelerating electrons to such high energies. It is also
possible that the CREs are the products of the annihilation or decay of heavy
dark matter (DM) particles. VERITAS, an array of imaging air Cherenkov
telescopes in southern Arizona, USA, is primarily utilized for gamma-ray
astronomy, but also simultaneously collects CREs during all observations. We
describe our methods of identifying CREs in VERITAS data and present an energy
spectrum, extending from 300 GeV to 5 TeV, obtained from approximately 300
hours of observations. A single power-law fit is ruled out in VERITAS data. We
find that the spectrum of CREs is consistent with a broken power law, with a
break energy at 710 40 140 GeV.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Discovery of very-high-energy emission from RGB J2243+203 and derivation of its redshift upper limit
Very-high-energy (VHE; 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the blazar RGB
J2243+203 was discovered with the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope array, during the
period between 21 and 24 December 2014. The VERITAS energy spectrum from this
source can be fit by a power law with a photon index of , and a
flux normalization at 0.15 TeV of . The integrated
\textit{Fermi}-LAT flux from 1 GeV to 100 GeV during the VERITAS detection is
, which is an order of
magnitude larger than the four-year-averaged flux in the same energy range
reported in the 3FGL catalog, (). The detection with VERITAS
triggered observations in the X-ray band with the \textit{Swift}-XRT. However,
due to scheduling constraints \textit{Swift}-XRT observations were performed 67
hours after the VERITAS detection, not simultaneous with the VERITAS
observations. The observed X-ray energy spectrum between 2 keV and 10 keV can
be fitted with a power-law with a spectral index of , and the
integrated photon flux in the same energy band is . EBL model-dependent upper limits
of the blazar redshift have been derived. Depending on the EBL model used, the
upper limit varies in the range from z to z
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