506 research outputs found
A search for VHE counterparts of Galactic Fermi bright sources and MeV to TeV spectral characterization
Very high-energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma-rays have been detected from a wide
range of astronomical objects, such as pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), supernova
remnants (SNRs), giant molecular clouds, gamma-ray binaries, the Galactic
Center, active galactic nuclei (AGN), radio galaxies, starburst galaxies, and
possibly star-forming regions as well. At lower energies, observations using
the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard Fermi provide a rich set of data which
can be used to study the behavior of cosmic accelerators in the MeV to TeV
energy bands. In particular, the improved angular resolution of current
telescopes in both bands compared to previous instruments significantly reduces
source confusion and facilitates the identification of associated counterparts
at lower energies. In this paper, a comprehensive search for VHE gamma-ray
sources which are spatially coincident with Galactic Fermi/LAT bright sources
is performed, and the available MeV to TeV spectra of coincident sources are
compared. It is found that bright LAT GeV sources are correlated with TeV
sources, in contrast to previous studies using EGRET data. Moreover, a single
spectral component seems unable to describe the MeV to TeV spectra of many
coincident GeV/TeV sources. It has been suggested that gamma-ray pulsars may be
accompanied by VHE gamma-ray emitting nebulae, a hypothesis that can be tested
with VHE observations of these pulsars.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in press, 17 pages, 12 figures, 5 table
Cellulose nanofibers produced from banana peel by chemical and enzymatic treatments: characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity assessment
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Banana starch nanocomposite with cellulose nanofibers isolated from banana peel by enzymatic treatment: In vitro cytotoxicity assessment
The potential use of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as a reinforcing agent in banana starch-based nanocomposite films was investigated. CNFs were isolated from banana peel (Musa paradisiaca) by enzymatic hydrolysis. Banana starch-based nanocomposite films were prepared with CNFs using the casting method. CNFs effect on cell viability and on nanocomposite films properties was investigated. The cytotoxicity of CNFs was assessed on Caco-2 cell line. CNFs were not cytotoxic at 502000??g/mL. However, CNFs above 2000??g/mL significantly decreased cell viability. Topography analysis showed that the incorporation of CNFs modified the film structure. The nanocomposites exhibited a complex structure due to strong interactions between CNFs and starch matrix, promoting a remarkable improvement on mechanical and water barrier properties, opacity and UV light barrier compared to the control film. CNFs can offer a great potential as reinforcing material for starch-based nanocomposite films, producing a value-added food packaging from a waste material.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (140274/2014-6), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (2952/2011) and CAPES/FCT número349/13 for Ph.D internship program. Joana T. Martins acknowledges the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her fellowship (SFRH/BPD/89992/2012). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/ 04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) for allocation of the TEM, AFM and AFM-Nano IR apparatus.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Fermi Large Area Telescope Observations of the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant
We present an analysis of the gamma-ray measurements by the Large Area
Telescope(LAT) onboard the \textit{Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope} in the
region of the supernova remnant(SNR) Cygnus Loop(G74.08.5). We detect
significant gamma-ray emission associated with the SNR in the energy band
0.2--100 GeV. The gamma-ray spectrum shows a break in the range 2--3 GeV. The
gamma-ray luminosity is erg s between 1--100
GeV, much lower than those of other GeV-emitting SNRs. The morphology is best
represented by a ring shape, with inner/outer radii 0.7
0.1 and 1.6 0.1. Given the association among
X-ray rims, \halpha filaments and gamma-ray emission, we argue that gamma rays
originate in interactions between particles accelerated in the SNR and
interstellar gas or radiation fields adjacent to the shock regions. The decay
of neutral pions produced in nucleon-nucleon interactions between accelerated
hadrons and interstellar gas provides a reasonable explanation for the
gamma-ray spectrum.Comment: accepted by ApJ, 34 pages, 6 figure
FACT -- the First Cherenkov Telescope using a G-APD Camera for TeV Gamma-ray Astronomy (HEAD 2010)
Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiodes (G-APD) bear the potential to significantly
improve the sensitivity of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT). We are
currently building the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) by refurbishing
an old IACT with a mirror area of 9.5 square meters and construct a new, fine
pixelized camera using novel G-APDs. The main goal is to evaluate the
performance of a complete system by observing very high energy gamma-rays from
the Crab Nebula. This is an important field test to check the feasibility of
G-APD-based cameras to replace at some time the PMT-based cameras of planned
future IACTs like AGIS and CTA. In this article, we present the basic design of
such a camera as well as some important details to be taken into account.Comment: Poster shown at HEAD 2010, Big Island, Hawaii, March 1-4, 201
Extended gamma-ray sources around pulsars constrain the origin of the positron flux at Earth
The unexpectedly high flux of cosmic ray positrons detected at Earth may
originate from nearby astrophysical sources, dark matter, or unknown processes
of cosmic-ray secondary production. We report the detection, using the
HighAltitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), of extended tera-electron volt
gamma-ray emission coincident with the locations of two nearby middle-aged
pulsars (Geminga and PSR B0656+14). The HAWC observations demonstrate that
these pulsars are indeed local sources of accelerated leptons, but the measured
tera-electron volt emission profile constrains the diffusion of particles away
from these sources to be much slower than previously assumed. We demonstrate
that the leptons emitted by these objects are therefore unlikely to be the
origin of the excess positrons, which may have a more exotic origin.Comment: 16 pages (including supplementary material), 5 figure
Observation of the Crab Nebula with the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory
The Crab Nebula is the brightest TeV gamma-ray source in the sky and has been
used for the past 25 years as a reference source in TeV astronomy, for
calibration and verification of new TeV instruments. The High Altitude Water
Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), completed in early 2015, has been used to observe
the Crab Nebula at high significance across nearly the full spectrum of
energies to which HAWC is sensitive. HAWC is unique for its wide field-of-view,
nearly 2 sr at any instant, and its high-energy reach, up to 100 TeV. HAWC's
sensitivity improves with the gamma-ray energy. Above 1 TeV the
sensitivity is driven by the best background rejection and angular resolution
ever achieved for a wide-field ground array.
We present a time-integrated analysis of the Crab using 507 live days of HAWC
data from 2014 November to 2016 June. The spectrum of the Crab is fit to a
function of the form . The data is well-fit with values of
, , and
log when
is fixed at 7 TeV and the fit applies between 1 and 37 TeV. Study of the
systematic errors in this HAWC measurement is discussed and estimated to be
50\% in the photon flux between 1 and 37 TeV.
Confirmation of the Crab flux serves to establish the HAWC instrument's
sensitivity for surveys of the sky. The HAWC survey will exceed sensitivity of
current-generation observatories and open a new view of 2/3 of the sky above 10
TeV.Comment: Submitted 2017/01/06 to the Astrophysical Journa
Constraining the Ratio in TeV Cosmic Rays with Observations of the Moon Shadow by HAWC
An indirect measurement of the antiproton flux in cosmic rays is possible as
the particles undergo deflection by the geomagnetic field. This effect can be
measured by studying the deficit in the flux, or shadow, created by the Moon as
it absorbs cosmic rays that are headed towards the Earth. The shadow is
displaced from the actual position of the Moon due to geomagnetic deflection,
which is a function of the energy and charge of the cosmic rays. The
displacement provides a natural tool for momentum/charge discrimination that
can be used to study the composition of cosmic rays. Using 33 months of data
comprising more than 80 billion cosmic rays measured by the High Altitude Water
Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, we have analyzed the Moon shadow to search for
TeV antiprotons in cosmic rays. We present our first upper limits on the
fraction, which in the absence of any direct measurements, provide
the tightest available constraints of on the antiproton fraction for
energies between 1 and 10 TeV.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by Physical Review
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