88 research outputs found
Fermi acceleration along the orbit of {\eta} Carinae
The {\eta} Carinae binary system hosts the most massive stars with the
highest known mass-loss rate. Its dense wind encounters the faster wind
expelled by the companion, dissipating mechanical energy in the shock,
accelerating particles up to relativistic energies and producing high-energy
(HE) {\gamma}-rays. We used the first 7-year data of the Fermi LAT which span
two passages of {\eta} Carinae at periastron. We extracted low and HE light
curves and spectra in different orbital phase bins using the new PASS8
pipeline. We used particle acceleration in hydrodynamic simulations of the
system in a multi-cell geometry and compared the prediction with the
observations. The {\gamma}-ray emission location is compatible with {\eta}
Carinae. Two emission components are distinguished. The low-energy (LE) one
cuts off below 10 GeV and its flux, modulated by the orbital motion, varies by
a factor < 2. Short-term variability occurs at periastron. The HE component
flux varies by a factor 3-4 but differently during the two periastrons. The
variabilities observed at LE and HE during the first half of the observations,
match the prediction of the simulation, assuming a surface magnetic field of
500 G. The HE component and the thermal X-ray emission were weaker than
expected around the second periastron suggesting a modification of the wind
density in the inner wind collision region (WCR). Diffuse shock acceleration in
the WCR provides a convincing match to the observations and new diagnostic
tools to probe the geometry and energetics of the system. Further observations
are required to explain the periastron-to-periastron HE variability and to
associate it firmly with hadronic origin. {\eta} Carinae is a pevatron at
periastron. Its flux can be detected by IceCube after many years of
observations. Orbital modulations of the HE component can be distinguished from
those of photo absorption by CTA.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
HESS J1632-478: An energetic relic
HESS J1632-478 is an extended and still unidentified TeV source in the galactic plane. In order to identify the source of the very high energy emission and to constrain its spectral energy distribution, we used a deep observation
of the field obtained with XMM-Newton together with data from Molonglo, Spitzer and Fermi to detect counterparts at other wavelengths. The spectral energy density features two large prominent bumps with the synchrotron emission peaking
in the ultraviolet and the external inverse Compton emission peaking in the TeV. HESS J1632-478 is an energetic pulsar wind nebula with an age of the order of 104 years. Its bolometric (mostly GeV-TeV) luminosity reaches 10% of the current pulsar spin down power. The synchrotron nebula has a size of 1 pc and contains an unresolved point-like X-ray source, probably the pulsar with its wind termination
shock
Neuroendocrine Alterations in Obese Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a serious, prevalent condition that has significant morbidity and mortality when untreated. It is strongly associated with obesity and is characterized by changes in the serum levels or secretory patterns of several hormones. Obese patients with OSAS show a reduction of both spontaneous and stimulated growth hormone (GH) secretion coupled to reduced insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations and impaired peripheral sensitivity to GH. Hypoxemia and chronic sleep fragmentation could affect the sleep-entrained prolactin (PRL) rhythm. A disrupted Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activity has been described in OSAS. Some derangement in Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) secretion has been demonstrated by some authors, whereas a normal thyroid activity has been described by others. Changes of gonadal axis are common in patients with OSAS, who frequently show a hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Altogether, hormonal abnormalities may be considered as adaptive changes which indicate how a local upper airway dysfunction induces systemic consequences. The understanding of the complex interactions between hormones and OSAS may allow a multi-disciplinary approach to obese patients with this disturbance and lead to an effective management that improves quality of life and prevents associated morbidity or death
First Study of Combined Blazar Light Curves with FACT and HAWC
For studying variable sources like blazars, it is crucial to achieve unbiased
monitoring, either with dedicated telescopes in pointing mode or survey
instruments. At TeV energies, the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC)
observatory monitors approximately two thirds of the sky every day. It uses the
water Cherenkov technique, which provides an excellent duty cycle independent
of weather and season. The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) monitors a
small sample of sources with better sensitivity, using the imaging air
Cherenkov technique. Thanks to its camera with silicon-based photosensors, FACT
features an excellent detector performance and stability and extends its
observations to times with strong moonlight, increasing the duty cycle compared
to other imaging air Cherenkov telescopes. As FACT and HAWC have overlapping
energy ranges, a joint study can exploit the longer daily coverage given that
the observatories' locations are offset by 5.3 hours. Furthermore, the better
sensitivity of FACT adds a finer resolution of features on hour-long time
scales, while the continuous duty cycle of HAWC ensures evenly sampled
long-term coverage. Thus, the two instruments complement each other to provide
a more complete picture of blazar variability. In this presentation, the first
joint study of light curves from the two instruments will be shown, correlating
long-term measurements with daily sampling between air and water Cherenkov
telescopes. The presented results focus on the study of the variability of the
bright blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 during the last two years featuring various
flaring activities.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to the 6th International Symposium
on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2016), Heidelberg, Germany. To be
published in the AIP Conference Proceeding
The relentless variability of Mrk 421 from the TeV to the radio
The origin of the gamma-ray emission of the blazar Mrk 421 is still a matter
of debate. We used 5.5 years of unbiased observing campaign data, obtained
using the FACT telescope and the Fermi LAT detector at TeV and GeV energies,
the longest and densest so far, together with contemporaneous multi-wavelength
observations, to characterise the variability of Mrk 421 and to constrain the
underlying physical mechanisms. We studied and correlated light curves obtained
by ten different instruments and found two significant results. The TeV and
X-ray light curves are very well correlated with a lag of <0.6 days. The GeV
and radio (15 Ghz band) light curves are widely and strongly correlated.
Variations of the GeV light curve lead those in the radio. Lepto-hadronic and
purely hadronic models in the frame of shock acceleration predict proton
acceleration or cooling timescales that are ruled out by the short variability
timescales and delays observed in Mrk 421. Instead the observations match the
predictions of leptonic models.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
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