433 research outputs found
The exotic fraction among unassociated Fermi sources
Revealing the nature of unassociated high-energy (> 100 MeV) gamma-ray
sources remains a challenge 35 years after their discovery. Of the 934
gamma-ray sources at high Galactic latitude (|b| > 15 degrees) in the First
Fermi-LAT catalogue (1FGL), 316 have no obvious associations at other
wavelengths. In this paper, we apply the K-means unsupervised classification
algorithm to isolate potential counterparts for 18 unassociated Fermi sources
contained within a 3000 square degree `overlap region' of the sky intensively
covered in radio and optical wavelengths. Combining our results with previous
works, we reach potential associations for 119 out of the 128 Fermi sources
within said region. If these associations are correct, we estimate that less
than 20% of all remaining unassociated 1FGL sources at high Galactic latitude
(|b| > 15 degrees) might host `exotic' counterparts distinct from known classes
of gamma-ray emitters. Potentially even these outliers could be explained by
high-redshift/dust-obscured analogues of the associated sample or by
intrinsically faint radio objects. Although such estimate leaves some room for
novel discoveries, it severely restricts the possibility of detecting dark
matter subhaloes and other unconventional types of gamma-ray emitters in the
1FGL. In closing, we argue that the identification of Fermi sources at the low
end of the flux density distribution will be a complex process that might only
be achieved through a clever combination of refined classification algorithms,
multi-wavelength efforts, and dedicated optical spectroscopy.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 table
GRB 060218/SN 2006aj: A Gamma-Ray Burst and Prompt Supernova at z=0.0335
We report the imaging and spectroscopic localization of GRB 060218 to a
low-metallicity dwarf starburst galaxy at z = 0.03345 +/- 0.00006. In addition
to making it the second nearest gamma-ray burst known, optical spectroscopy
reveals the earliest detection of weak, supernova-like Si II near 5720
Angstroms (0.1c), starting 1.95 days after the burst trigger. UBVRI photometry
obtained between 1 and 26 days post-burst confirms the early rise of supernova
light, and suggests a short time delay between the gamma-ray burst and the
onset of SN 2006aj if the early appearance of a soft component in the X-ray
spectrum is understood as a ``shock breakout''. Together, these results verify
the long-hypothesized origin of soft gamma-ray bursts in the deaths of massive
stars.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
GRB 021004: A Possible Shell Nebula around a Wolf-Rayet Star Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor
The rapid localization of GRB 021004 by the HETE-2 satellite allowed nearly
continuous monitoring of its early optical afterglow decay, as well as
high-quality optical spectra that determined a redshift of z=2.328 for its
host, an active starburst galaxy with strong Lyman-alpha emission and several
absorption lines. Spectral observations show multiple absorbers blueshifted by
up to 3,155 km/s relative to the host galaxy Lyman-alpha emission.We argue that
these correspond to a fragmented shell nebula, gradually enriched by a
Wolf-Rayet wind over the lifetime of a massive progenitor bubble. In this
scenario, the absorbers can be explained by circumstellar material that have
been radiatively accelerated by the GRB emission. Dynamical and photoionization
models are used to provide constraints on the radiative acceleration from the
early afterglow.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 2003 GRB
Conferenc
The Next Geminga: Deep Multiwavelength Observations of a Neutron Star Identified with 3EG J1835+5918
We describe Chandra, HST, and radio observations that reveal a radio-quiet
but magnetospherically active neutron star in the error circle of the
high-energy gamma-ray source 3EG J1835+5918, the brightest of the unidentified
EGRET sources at high Galactic latitude. A Chandra ACIS-S spectrum of the
ultrasoft X-ray source RX J1836.2+5925, suggested by Mirabal & Halpern as the
neutron star counterpart of 3EG J1835+5918, requires two components: a
blackbody of T~3x10^5 K and a hard tail that can be parameterized as a power
law of photon index Gamma~2. An upper limit of d < 800 pc can be derived from
the blackbody fit under an assumption of R = 10 km. Deep optical imaging with
the HST STIS CCD failed to detect this source to a limit of V > 28.5, thus
f_X/f_V > 6000 and d > 250 pc assuming the X-ray fitted temperature for the
full surface. Repeated observations with the 76 m Lovell telescope at Jodrell
Bank place an upper limit of < 0.1 mJy on the flux density at 1400 MHz for a
pulsar with P > 0.1 s, and < 0.25 mJy for a ~10 ms pulsar at the location of RX
J1836.2+5925. All of this evidence points to an older, possibly more distant
version of the highly efficient gamma-ray pulsar Geminga, as the origin of the
gamma-rays from 3EG J1835+5918.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Is the EGRET source 3EG J1621+8203 the radio galaxy NGC 6251?
We discuss the nature of the unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1621+8203. In an
effort to identify the gamma-ray source, we have examined X-ray images of the
field from ROSAT PSPC, ROSAT HRI, and ASCA GIS. Of the several faint X-ray
point sources in the error circle of 3EG J1621+8203, most are stars or faint
radio sources, unlikely to be counterparts to the EGRET source. The most
notable object in the gamma-ray error box is the bright FR I radio galaxy NGC
6251. If 3EG J1621+8203 corresponds to NGC 6251, then it would be the second
radio galaxy to be detected in high energy gamma rays, after Cen A, which
provided the first clear evidence of the detection above 100 MeV of an AGN with
a large-inclination jet. If the detection of more radio galaxies by EGRET has
been limited by its threshold sensitivity, there exists the exciting
possibility that new high energy gamma-ray instruments, with much higher
sensitivity, will detect a larger number of radio galaxies in the future.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journal, August 2002 issu
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