782 research outputs found
A New Analysis Method for Reconstructing the Arrival Direction of TeV Gamma-rays Using a Single Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope
We present a method of atmospheric Cherenkov imaging which reconstructs the
unique arrival direction of TeV gamma rays using a single telescope. The method
is derived empirically and utilizes several features of gamma-ray induced air
showers which determine, to a precision of 0.12 degrees, the arrival direction
of photons, on an event-by-event basis. Data from the Whipple Observatory's 10
m gamma-ray telescope is utilized to test selection methods based on source
location. The results compare these selection methods with traditional
techniques and three different camera fields of view. The method will be
discussed in the context of a search for a gamma-ray signal from a point source
located anywhere within the field of view and from regions of extended
emission.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physics May 11, 200
Fourier analysis of wave turbulence in a thin elastic plate
The spatio-temporal dynamics of the deformation of a vibrated plate is
measured by a high speed Fourier transform profilometry technique. The
space-time Fourier spectrum is analyzed. It displays a behavior consistent with
the premises of the Weak Turbulence theory. A isotropic continuous spectrum of
waves is excited with a non linear dispersion relation slightly shifted from
the linear dispersion relation. The spectral width of the dispersion relation
is also measured. The non linearity of this system is weak as expected from the
theory. Finite size effects are discussed. Despite a qualitative agreement with
the theory, a quantitative mismatch is observed which origin may be due to the
dissipation that ultimately absorbs the energy flux of the Kolmogorov-Zakharov
casade.Comment: accepted for publication in European Physical Journal B see
http://www.epj.or
Techniques for targeted Fermi-GBM follow-up of gravitational-wave events
The Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo ground-based gravitational-wave
detectors are projected to come online 2015-2016, reaching a final sensitivity
sufficient to observe dozens of binary neutron star mergers per year by 2018.
We present a fully-automated, targeted search strategy for prompt gamma-ray
counterparts in offline Fermi-GBM data. The multi-detector method makes use of
a detailed model response of the instrument, and benefits from time and sky
location information derived from the gravitational-wave signal.Comment: 2012 Fermi Symposium proceedings - eConf C12102
Swift and Fermi observations of X-ray flares: the case of Late Internal Shock
Simultaneous Swift and Fermi observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a
unique broadband view of their afterglow emission, spanning more than ten
decades in energy. We present the sample of X-ray flares observed by both Swift
and Fermi during the first three years of Fermi operations. While bright in the
X-ray band, X-ray flares are often undetected at lower (optical), and higher
(MeV to GeV) energies. We show that this disfavors synchrotron self-Compton
processes as origin of the observed X-ray emission. We compare the broadband
properties of X-ray flares with the standard late internal shock model, and
find that, in this scenario, X-ray flares can be produced by a late-time
relativistic (Gamma>50) outflow at radii R~10^13-10^14 cm. This conclusion
holds only if the variability timescale is significantly shorter than the
observed flare duration, and implies that X-ray flares can directly probe the
activity of the GRB central engine.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
ESTIMATING LONG GRB JET OPENING ANGLES AND REST-FRAME ENERGETICS
We present a method to estimate the jet opening angles of long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using the prompt gamma-ray energetics and an inversion of the Ghirlanda relation, which is a correlation between the time-integrated peak energy of the GRB prompt spectrum and the collimation-corrected energy in gamma-rays. The derived jet opening angles using this method and detailed assumptions match well with the corresponding inferred jet opening angles obtained when a break in the afterglow is observed. Furthermore, using a model of the predicted long GRB redshift probability distribution observable by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), we estimate the probability distributions for the jet opening angle and rest-frame energetics for a large sample of GBM GRBs for which the redshifts have not been observed. Previous studies have only used a handful of GRBs to estimate these properties due to the paucity of observed afterglow jet breaks, spectroscopic redshifts, and comprehensive prompt gamma-ray observations, and we potentially expand the number of GRBs that can be used in this analysis by more than an order of magnitude. In this analysis, we also present an inferred distribution of jet breaks which indicates that a large fraction of jet breaks are not observable with current instrumentation and observing strategies. We present simple parameterizations for the jet angle, energetics, and jet break distributions so that they may be used in future studies
Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs) Observed with the Fermi-Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor: The First Hundred TGFs
The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Observatory (Fermi) is now detecting ~2.1 TGFs per week. At this rate, nearly a hundred TGFs will have been detected by the time of this Meeting. This rate has increased by a factor of ~8 since new flight software was uploaded to the spacecraft in November 2009 in order to increase the sensitivity of GBM to TGFs. The high time resolution (2 microseconds) allows temporal features to be resolved so that some insight may be gained on the origin and transport of the gamma-ray photons through the atmosphere. The absolute time of the TGFs, known to several microseconds, also allows accurate correlations of TGFs with lightning networks and other lightning-related phenomena. The thick bismuth germanate (BGO) scintillation detectors of the GBM system have observed photon energies from TGFs at energies above 40 MeV. New results on the some temporal aspects of TGFs will be presented
GBM Observations of V404 Cyg During its 2015 Outburst
V404 Cygni was discovered in 1989 by the X-ray satellite during its
only previously observed X-ray outburst and soon after confirmed as a black
hole binary. On June 15, 2015, the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) triggered on a
new outburst of V404 Cygni. We present 13 days of GBM observations of this
outburst including Earth occultation flux measurements, spectral and temporal
analysis. The Earth occultation fluxes reached 30 Crab with detected emission
to 100 keV and determined, via hardness ratios, that the source was in a hard
state. At high luminosity, spectral analysis between 8 and 300 keV showed that
the electron temperature decreased with increasing luminosity. This is expected
if the protons and electrons are in thermal equilibrium during an outburst with
the electrons cooled by the Compton scattering of softer seed photons from the
disk. However, the implied seed photon temperatures are unusually high,
suggesting a contribution from another source, such as the jet. No evidence of
state transitions is seen during this time period. The temporal analysis
reveals power spectra that can be modeled with two or three strong, broad
Lorentzians, similar to the power spectra of black hole binaries in their hard
state
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