273 research outputs found
The EVN view of the highly variable TeV active galaxy IC 310
Very-high-energy -ray observations of the active galaxy IC 310 with
the MAGIC telescopes have revealed fast variability with doubling time scales
of less than 4.8min. This implies that the emission region in IC 310 is smaller
than 20% of the gravitational radius of the central supermassive black hole
with a mass of , which poses serious questions on the
emission mechanism and classification of this enigmatic object. We report on
the first quasi-simultaneous multi-frequency VLBI observations of IC 310
conducted with the EVN. We find a blazar-like one-sided core-jet structure on
parsec scales, constraining the inclination angle to be less than but very small angles are excluded to limit the de-projected length
of the large-scale radio jet.Comment: 4 pages, proceedings of the 12th European VLBI Network Symposium and
Users Meeting - EVN 2014, 7-10 October 2014, Cagliari, Italy. Published
online in PoS, ID.10
Black Hole Lightning from the Peculiar Gamma-Ray Loud Active Galactic Nucleus IC 310
The nearby active galaxy IC 310, located in the outskirts of the Perseus
cluster of galaxies is a bright and variable multi-wavelength emitter from the
radio regime up to very high gamma-ray energies above 100 GeV. Originally, the
nucleus of IC 310 has been classified as a radio galaxy. However, studies of
the multi-wavelength emission showed several properties similarly to those
found from blazars as well as radio galaxies. In late 2012, we have organized
the first contemporaneous multi-wavelength campaign including radio, optical,
X-ray and gamma-ray instruments. During this campaign an exceptionally bright
flare of IC 310 was detected with the MAGIC telescopes in November 2012
reaching an averaged flux level in the night of up to one Crab above 1 TeV with
a hard spectrum over two decades in energy. The intra-night light curve showed
a series of strong outbursts with flux-doubling time scales as fast as a few
minutes. The fast variability constrains the size of the gamma-ray emission
regime to be smaller than 20% of the gravitational radius of its central black
hole. This challenges the shock acceleration models, commonly used to explain
gamma-ray radiation from active galaxies. Here, we will present more details on
the MAGIC data and discuss several possible alternative emission models.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray
Conference, 30 July - 6 August, 2015, The Hague, The Netherland
Insights into the particle acceleration of a peculiar gamma -ray radio galaxy IC 310
IC 310 has recently been identified as a gamma-ray emitter based on
observations at GeV energies with Fermi-LAT and at very high energies (VHE, E >
100 GeV) with the MAGIC telescopes. Despite IC 310 having been classified as a
radio galaxy with the jet observed at an angle > 10 degrees, it exhibits a
mixture of multiwavelength properties of a radio galaxy and a blazar, possibly
making it a transitional object. On the night of 12/13th of November 2012 the
MAGIC telescopes observed a series of violent outbursts from the direction of
IC 310 with flux-doubling time scales faster than 5 min and a peculiar spectrum
spreading over 2 orders of magnitude. Such fast variability constrains the size
of the emission region to be smaller than 20% of the gravitational radius of
its central black hole, challenging the shock acceleration models, commonly
used in explanation of gamma-ray radiation from active galaxies. Here we will
show that this emission can be associated with pulsar-like particle
acceleration by the electric field across a magnetospheric gap at the base of
the jet.Comment: 2014 Fermi Symposium proceedings - eConf C14102.
The blazar-like radio structure of the TeV source IC310
Context. The radio galaxy IC310 in the Perseus cluster has recently been
detected in the gamma-ray regime at GeV and TeV energies. The TeV emission
shows time variability and an extraordinarily hard spectrum, even harder than
the spectrum of the similar nearby gamma-ray emitting radio galaxy M87.
Aims. High-resolution studies of the radio morphology help to constrain the
geometry of the jet on sub-pc scales and to find out where the high-energy
emission might come from.
Methods. We analyzed May 2011 VLBA data of IC310 at a wavelength of 3.6 cm,
revealing the parsec-scale radio structure of this source. We compared our
findings with more information available from contemporary single-dish flux
density measurements with the 100-m Effelsberg radio telescope.
Results. We have detected a one-sided core-jet structure with blazar-like,
beamed radio emission oriented along the same position angle as the kiloparsec
scale radio structure observed in the past by connected interferometers.
Doppler-boosting favoritism is consistent with an angle of theta < 38 degrees
between the jet axis and the line-of-sight, i.e., very likely within the
boundary dividing low-luminosity radio galaxies and BL Lac objects in unified
schemes.
Conclusions. The stability of the jet orientation from parsec to kiloparsec
scales in IC310 argues against its classification as a headtail radio galaxy;
i.e., there is no indication of an interaction with the intracluster medium
that would determine the direction of the tail. IC310 seems to represent a
low-luminosity FRI radio galaxy at a borderline angle to reveal its BL Lac-type
central engine.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures (1 color); A&A, accepte
FACT - Threshold prediction for higher duty cycle and improved scheduling
The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope (FACT) is the first telescope using
silicon photon detectors (G-APD aka. SiPM). The use of Silicon devices promise
a higher photon detection efficiency, more robustness and higher precision than
photo-multiplier tubes. Being operated during different light-conditions, the
threshold settings of a Cherenkov telescope have to be adapted to feature the
lowest possible threshold but also an efficient suppression of triggers from
night-sky background photons. Usually this threshold is set either by
experience or a mini-ratescan. Since the measured current through the sensors
is directly correlated with the noise level, the current can be used to set the
best threshold at any time. Due to the correlation between the physical
threshold and the final energy threshold, the current can also be used as a
measure for the energy threshold of any observation. This presentation
introduces a method which uses the properties of the moon and the source
position to predict the currents and the corresponding energy threshold for
every upcoming observation allowing to adapt the observation schedule
accordingly
FACT - Long-term stability and observations during strong Moon light
The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is the first Cherenkov telescope
equipped with a camera made of silicon photon detectors (G-APD aka. SiPM).
Since October 2011, it is regularly taking data on the Canary Island of La
Palma. G-APDs are ideal detectors for Cherenkov telescopes as they are robust
and stable. Furthermore, the insensitivity of G-APDs towards strong ambient
light allows to conduct observations during bright Moon and twilight. This gain
in observation time is essential for the long-term monitoring of bright TeV
blazars. During the commissioning phase, hundreds of hours of data (including
data from the the Crab Nebula) were taken in order to understand the
performance and sensitivity of the instrument. The data cover a wide range of
observation conditions including different weather conditions, different zenith
angles and different light conditions (ranging from dark night to direct full
Moon). We use a new parmetrisation of the Moon light background to enhance our
scheduling and to monitor the atmosphere. With the data from 1.5 years, the
long-term stability and the performance of the camera during Moon light is
studied and compared to that achieved with photomultiplier tubes so far.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, FACT Contribution to the 33rd International
Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC), Rio de Janeir
FACT - Long-term Monitoring of Bright TeV-Blazars
Since October 2011, the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is operated
successfully on the Canary Island of La Palma. Apart from the proof of
principle for the use of G-APDs in Cherenkov telescopes, the major goal of the
project is the dedicated long-term monitoring of a small sample of bright TeV
blazars. The unique properties of G-APDs permit stable observations also during
strong moon light. Thus a superior sampling density is provided on time scales
at which the blazar variability amplitudes are expected to be largest, as
exemplified by the spectacular variations of Mrk 501 observed in June 2012.
While still in commissioning, FACT monitored bright blazars like Mrk 421 and
Mrk 501 during the past 1.5 years so far. Preliminary results including the Mrk
501 flare from June 2012 will be presented.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, presented at the 33rd ICRC (2013
FACT - How stable are the silicon photon detectors?
The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope (FACT) is the first telescope using
silicon photon detectors (G-APD aka. SiPM). The use of Silicon devices promise
a higher photon detection efficiency, more robustness and higher precision than
photo-multiplier tubes. Since the properties of G-APDs depend on auxiliary
parameters like temperature, a feedback system adapting the applied voltage
accordingly is mandatory.
In this presentation, the feedback system, developed and in operation for
FACT, is presented. Using the extraction of a single photon-equivalent (pe)
spectrum as a reference, it can be proven that the sensors can be operated with
very high precision. The extraction of the single-pe, its spectrum up to
10\,pe, its properties and their precision, as well as their long-term behavior
during operation are discussed. As a by product a single pulse template is
obtained. It is shown that with the presented method, an additional external
calibration device can be omitted. The presented method is essential for the
application of G-APDs in future projects in Cherenkov astronomy and is supposed
to result in a more stable and precise operation than possible with
photo-multiplier tubes
Calibration and performance of the photon sensor response of FACT -- The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope
The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is the first in-operation test of
the performance of silicon photo detectors in Cherenkov Astronomy. For more
than two years it is operated on La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain), for the
purpose of long-term monitoring of astrophysical sources. For this, the
performance of the photo detectors is crucial and therefore has been studied in
great detail. Special care has been taken for their temperature and voltage
dependence implementing a correction method to keep their properties stable.
Several measurements have been carried out to monitor the performance. The
measurements and their results are shown, demonstrating the stability of the
gain below the percent level. The resulting stability of the whole system is
discussed, nicely demonstrating that silicon photo detectors are perfectly
suited for the usage in Cherenkov telescopes, especially for long-term
monitoring purpose
FACT -- Operation of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope
Since more than two years, the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) is
operating successfully at the Canary Island of La Palma. Apart from its purpose
to serve as a monitoring facility for the brightest TeV blazars, it was built
as a major step to establish solid state photon counters as detectors in
Cherenkov astronomy.
The camera of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telesope comprises 1440 Geiger-mode
avalanche photo diodes (G-APD aka. MPPC or SiPM) for photon detection. Since
properties as the gain of G-APDs depend on temperature and the applied voltage,
a real-time feedback system has been developed and implemented. To correct for
the change introduced by temperature, several sensors have been placed close to
the photon detectors. Their read out is used to calculate a corresponding
voltage offset. In addition to temperature changes, changing current introduces
a voltage drop in the supporting resistor network. To correct changes in the
voltage drop introduced by varying photon flux from the night-sky background,
the current is measured and the voltage drop calculated. To check the stability
of the G-APD properties, dark count spectra with high statistics have been
taken under different environmental conditions and been evaluated.
The maximum data rate delivered by the camera is about 240 MB/s. The recorded
data, which can exceed 1 TB in a moonless night, is compressed in real-time
with a proprietary loss-less algorithm. The performance is better than gzip by
almost a factor of two in compression ratio and speed. In total, two to three
CPU cores are needed for data taking. In parallel, a quick-look analysis of the
recently recorded data is executed on a second machine. Its result is publicly
available within a few minutes after the data were taken.
[...]Comment: 19th IEEE Real-Time Conference, Nara, Japan (2014
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