168 research outputs found
Time-dependent modelling of PKS 2155-304 in a low state
We apply both leptonic and leptohadronic emission scenarios for modelling the
multiwavelength photon spectra and the observed variability in the optical,
X-ray, and TeV gamma-ray energy bands of blazar PKS 2155-304 while being in a
low state between 25 August and 6 September 2008. We consider three emission
models, i.e. a one-component synchrotron self-Compton model (1-SSC), a one-zone
proton synchrotron model (LHs), and a two-component SSC model (2-SSC). Only in
the first scenario can the emission from the optical up to TeV gamma-rays be
attributed to a single particle population from one emission region. Using a
time-dependent numerical code that solves the kinetic equations for each
particle species, we derived, in all cases, acceptable fits to the
time-averaged SED. By imposing variations to one (or more) model parameters
according to observed variability pattern in one (or more) frequencies we
calculated the respective light curves and compared them with the observations.
We show that the 1-SSC model cannot account for the anticorrelation observed
between the X-rays and VHE gamma-rays, although it can explain the
time-averaged SED. The anticorrelation can be more naturally explained by the
two-component emission models. Both of them reproduce satisfactorily the
optical, X-ray, and TeV variability but at the cost of additional free
parameters, which from four in the 2-SSC model increase to six in the LHs
model. Although the results of our time-resolved analysis do not favour one of
the aforementioned models, they suggest that a two-component scenario is more
adequate for the emission of PKS 2155-304 in the low state of 2008, which
agrees with a recent independent analysis. This suggests that the quiescent
blazar radiation might result from a superposition of the radiation from
different components, while a flare might still be the result of a single
component.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, 1 appendix, accepted in A&A, shorter
abstract than the accepted versio
The X-ray dust scattered rings of the black hole low mass binary V404 Cyg
We report on the first detection of X-ray dust scattered rings from the
Galactic low mass X-ray binary V404 Cyg. The observation of the system with
Swift/XRT on June 30 2015 revealed the presence of five concentric ring-like
structures centred at the position of V404 Cyg. Follow-up Swift/XRT
observations allowed a time-dependent study of the X-ray rings. Assuming that
these are the result of small-angle, single X-ray scattering by dust grains
along the line of sight, we find that their angular size scales as in agreement with theoretical predictions. The dust grains are
concentrated in five dust layers located at about 2.12, 2.05, 1.63, 1.50 and
1.18 kpc from the observer. These coincide roughly with locations of enhanced
extinction as determined by infrared photometry. Assuming that the grain size
distribution is described by a generalized Mathis-Rumpl-Nordsieck model, we
find that the power-law index of the most distant cloud is , while
in all other clouds. We constrain at a level the
maximum grain size of the intermediate dust layers in the range
m and set a lower limit of m in the other
clouds. Hints of an exponential cutoff at the angular intensity profile of the
outermost X-ray ring suggest that the smallest grains have sizes m. Based on the relative ratios of dust
column densities we find the highest dust concentration at kpc. Our
results indicate a gradient in the dust properties within 1 kpc from V404 Cyg.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted by MNRA
Spontaneously quenched gamma-ray spectra from compact sources
We study a mechanism for producing intrinsic broken power-law gamma-ray
spectra in compact sources. This is based on the principles of automatic photon
quenching, according to which, gamma-rays are being absorbed on spontaneously
produced soft photons, whenever the injected luminosity in gamma-rays lies
above a certain critical value. We derive an analytical expression for the
critical gamma-ray compactness in the case of power-law injection. For the case
where automatic photon quenching is relevant, we calculate analytically the
emergent steady-state gamma-ray spectra. We perform also numerical calculations
in order to back up our analytical results. We show that a spontaneously
quenched power-law gamma-ray spectrum obtains a photon index 3{\Gamma}/2, where
{\Gamma} is the photon index of the power-law at injection. Thus, large
spectral breaks of the gamma-ray photon spectrum, e.g. , can be obtained by this mechanism. We also discuss additional features of
this mechanism that can be tested observationally. Finally, we fit the
multiwavelength spectrum of a newly discovered blazar (PKS 0447-439) by using
such parameters, as to explain the break in the gamma-ray spectrum by means of
spontaneous photon quenching, under the assumption that its redshift lies in
the range 0.1<z<0.24.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in A&
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