An upper limit on the cosmic-ray luminosity of individual sources from gamma-ray observations

Different types of extragalactic objects are known to produce TeV gamma-rays. Some of these objects are the most probable candidates to accelerate cosmic rays up to 1020 eV. It is very well known that gamma-rays can be produced as a result of the cosmic ray propagation through the intergalactic medium. These gamma-rays contribute to the total flux observed in the direction of the source. In this paper we propose a new method to derive an upper limit on the cosmic-ray luminosity of an individual source based on the measured upper limit on the integral flux of GeV-TeV gamma-rays. We show how it is possible to calculate an upper limit on the cosmic-ray luminosity of a particular source and we explore the parameter space in which the current GeV-TeV gamma-ray measurements can offer a useful determination. We study in detail two particular sources, Pictor A and NGC 7469, and we calculate the upper limit on the proton luminosity of each source based on the upper limit on the integral gamma-ray flux measured by the H.E.S.S. telescopes.Fil: Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: de Souza, V.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Estimation of the number of counts on a particle counter detector with full time resolution

We present a general method for estimating the number of particles impinging on a segmented counter or, in general, on a counter with sub-units. We account for unresolved particles, i.e., the effect of two or more particles hitting the same sub-unit almost simultaneously. To achieve full time resolution we account for the dead time that occurs after the first time-bin of a particle signal. This general counting method can be applied to counting muons in existing detectors like the Underground Muon Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We therefore use the latter as a study case to test the performance of our method and to compare it to other methods from literature. Our method proves to perform with little bias, and also provides an estimate of the number of particles as a function of time (as seen by the detector) to a single time-bin resolution. In this context, the new method can be useful for reconstructing parameters sensitive to cosmic ray mass, which are key to unveiling the origin of cosmic rays

Estimation of the number of counts on a particle counter detector with full time resolution

We present a general method for estimating the number of particles impinging on a segmented counter or, in general, on a counter with sub-units. We account for unresolved particles, i.e., the effect of two or more particles hitting the same sub-unit almost simultaneously. To achieve full time resolution we account for the dead time that occurs after the first time-bin of a particle signal. This general counting method can be applied to counting muons in existing detectors like the Underground Muon Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We therefore use the latter as a study case to test the performance of our method and to compare it to other methods from literature. Our method proves to perform with little bias, and also provides an estimate of the number of particles as a function of time (as seen by the detector) to a single time-bin resolution. In this context, the new method can be useful for reconstructing parameters sensitive to cosmic ray mass, which are key to unveiling the origin of cosmic rays

Muon deficit in air shower simulations estimated from AGASA muon measurements

In this work, direct measurements of the muon density at $1000\,\textrm{m}$ from the shower axis obtained by the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA) are analysed. The selected events have zenith angles $\theta \leq 36^{\textrm{o}}$ and reconstructed energies in the range $18.83\,\leq\,\log_{10}(E_{R}/\textrm{eV})\,\leq\,19.46$. These are compared to the predictions corresponding to proton, iron, and mixed composition scenarios obtained by using the high-energy hadronic interaction models EPOS-LHC, QGSJetII-04, and Sibyll2.3c. The mass fractions of the mixed composition scenarios are taken from the fits to the depth of the shower maximum distributions performed by the Pierre Auger Collaboration. The cross-calibrated energy scale from the Spectrum Working Group [D. Ivanov, for the Pierre Auger Collaboration and the Telescope Array Collaboration, PoS(ICRC2017) 498 (2017)] is used to combine results from different experiments. The analysis shows that the AGASA data are compatible with a heavier composition with respect to the one predicted by the mixed composition scenarios. Interpreting this as a muon deficit in air shower simulations, the incompatibility is quantified. The muon density obtained from AGASA data is greater than that of the mixed composition scenarios by a factor of $1.49\pm0.11\,\textrm{(stat)}\pm0.18\,\textrm{(syst)}$, $1.54\pm0.12\,\textrm{(stat)}\pm0.18\,\textrm{(syst)}$, and $1.66\pm0.13\,\textrm{(stat)}\pm0.20\,\textrm{(syst)}$ for EPOS-LHC, Sibyll2.3c, and QGSJetII-04, respectively.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Physical Review

Upper limits on the total cosmic-ray luminosity of individual sources

In this paper, upper limits on the total luminosity of ultra-high-energy cosmic-rays (UHECR) (E > 10^18 eV) are determined for five individual sources. The upper limit on the integral flux of GeV-TeV gamma-rays is used to extract the upper limit on the total UHECR luminosity of individual sources. The correlation between upper limit on the integral GeV-TeV gamma-ray flux and upper limit on the UHECR luminosity is established through the cascading process that takes place during propagation of the cosmic rays in the background radiation fields, as explained in reference [1]. Twenty-eight sources measured by FERMI-LAT, VERITAS and MAGIC observatories have been studied. The measured upper limit on the GeV-TeV gamma-ray flux is restrictive enough to allow the calculation of an upper limit on the total UHECR cosmic-ray luminosity of five sources. The upper limit on the UHECR cosmic-ray luminosity of these sources is shown for several assumptions on the emission mechanism. For all studied sources an upper limit on the ultra-high-energy proton luminosity is also set.Fil: Anjos, R. C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: de Souza, V.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin

Reconstruction of air shower muon densities using segmented counters with time resolution

Despite the significant experimental effort made in the last decades, the origin of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays is still largely unknown. Key astrophysical information to identify where these energetic particles come from is provided by their chemical composition. It is well known that a very sensitive tracer of the primary particle type is the muon content of the showers generated by the interaction of the cosmic rays with air molecules. We introduce a likelihood function to reconstruct particle densities using segmented detectors with time resolution. As an example of this general method, we fit the muon distribution at ground level using an array of counters like AMIGA, one of the Pierre Auger Observatory detectors. For this particular case we compare the reconstruction performance against a previous method. With the new technique, more events can be reconstructed than before. In addition the statistical uncertainty of the measured number of muons is reduced, allowing for a better discrimination of the cosmic ray primary mass.Fil: Ravignani, D.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas; ArgentinaFil: Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Melo, Diego Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Tecnología en Detección y Astroparticulas; Argentin

Probing the IGMF with the Next Generation of Cherenkov Telescopes

Intergalactic space is believed to contain nonzero magnetic fields (the Intergalactic Magnetic Field: IGMF), which at scales of megaparsecs would have intensities below 10-9 G. Very high energy (VHE > 100 GeV) gamma-rays coming from blazars can produce e+e- pairs when interacting with the extragalactic background light (EBL) and the cosmic microwave background, generating an electromagnetic cascade of megaparsec scale. The IGMF may produce a detectable broadening of the emission beam that could lead to important constrains both on the IGMF intensity and its coherence length. Using the Monte Carlo-based Elmag code, we simulate the electromagnetic cascade corresponding to two detected TeV sources: PKS 2155-304 visible from the south and H1426+428 visible from the north. Assuming an EBL model and intrinsic spectral properties of the sources, we obtain the spectral and angular distribution of photons when they arrive at Earth. We include the response of the next generation Cherenkov telescopes by using simplified models for Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)-south and CTA-north based on a full simulation of each array performance. Combining the instrument properties with the simulated source fluxes, we calculate the telescope point-spread function for null and non-null IGMF intensities and develop a method to test the statistical feasibility of detecting IGMF imprints by comparing the resulting angular distributions. Our results show that for the analyzed source PKS 2155-304 corresponding to the southern site, CTA should be able to detect IGMF with intensities stronger than 10-14.5 G within an observation time of ∼100 hr.Fil: Fernandez Alonso, Mateo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Rovero, Adrian Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin

A complete radio study of SNR G15.4+0.1 from new GMRT observations

Aims. The supernova remnant (SNR) G15.4+0.1 is considered to be the possible counterpart of the γ-ray source HESS J1818−154. With the goal of getting a complete view of this remnant and understanding the nature of the gamma-ray flux, we conducted a detailed radio study that includes the search for pulsations and a model of the broadband emission for the SNR G15.4+0.1/HESS J1818−154 system. Methods. Low-frequency imaging at 624 MHz and pulsar observations at 624 and 1404 MHz towards G15.4+0.1 were carried out with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We correlated the new radio data with observations of the source at X-ray and infrared wavelengths from XMM-Newton and Herschel observatories, respectively. To characterize the neutral hydrogen (HI) medium towards G15.4+0.1, we used data from the Southern Galactic Plane Survey. We modelled the spectral energy distribution (SED) using both hadronic and leptonic scenarios. Results. From the combination of the new GMRT observations with existing data, we derived a continuum spectral index alpha = -0.62 +- 0.03 for the whole remnant. The local synchrotron spectra of G15.4+0.1, calculated from the combination of the GMRT data with 330 MHz observations from the Very Large Array, tends to be flatter in the central part of the remnant, accompanying the region where the blast wave is impinging molecular gas. No spectral index trace was found indicating the radio counterpart to the pulsar wind nebula proposed from X-ray observations. In addition, the search for radio pulsations yielded negative results. Emission at far-infrared wavelengths is observed in the region where the SNR shock is interacting with dense molecular clumps. We also identified HI features forming a shell that wraps most of the outer border of G15.4+0.1. Characteristic parameters were estimated for the shocked HI gas. We found that either a purely hadronic or leptonic model is compatible with the broadband emission known so far.Fil: Supán, Jorge Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Castelletti, Gabriela Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Joshi, B. C.. National Centre for Radio Astrophysics; IndiaFil: Surnis, M. P.. National Centre for Radio Astrophysics; IndiaFil: Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin

Design of a 7m Davies-Cotton Cherenkov telescope mount for the high energy section of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array is the next generation ground-based observatory for the study of very-high-energy gamma-rays. It will provide an order of magnitude more sensitivity and greater angular resolution than present systems as well as an increased energy range (20 GeV to 300 TeV). For the high energy portion of this range, a relatively large area has to be covered by the array. For this, the construction of ~7 m diameter Cherenkov telescopes is an option under study. We have proposed an innovative design of a Davies-Cotton mount for such a telescope, within Cherenkov Telescope Array specifications, and evaluated its mechanical and optical performance. The mount is a reticulated-type structure with steel tubes and tensioned wires, designed in three main parts to be assembled on site. In this work we show the structural characteristics of the mount and the optical aberrations at the focal plane for three options of mirror facet size caused by mount deformations due to wind and gravity.Facultad de Ingenierí

On the muon scale of air showers and its application to the AGASA data

Recently, several experiments reported a muon deficit in air shower simulations with respect to the data. This problem can be studied using an estimator that quantifies the relative muon content of the data with respect to those of proton and iron Monte Carlo air shower simulations. We analyze two estimators. The first one, based on the logarithm of the mean of the muon content, is built from experimental considerations. It is ideal for comparing results from different experiments as it is independent of the detector resolution. The second estimator is based on the mean of the logarithm of the muon content, which implies that it depends on shower-to-shower fluctuations. It is linked to the mean-logarithmic mass $⟨ln A⟩$ through the Heitler-Matthews model. We study the properties of the estimators and their biases considering the knowns and unknowns of typical experiments. Furthermore, we study these effects in measurements of the muon density at 1000m from the shower axis obtained by the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA). Finally, we report the estimates of the relative muon content of the AGASA data, which support a muon deficit in simulations. These estimates constitute valuable additional information of the muon content of air showers at the highest energies