54 research outputs found
Improvements of the energy reconstruction for the MAGIC telescope by means of analysis and Monte Carlo techniques
No full textImprovements of the energy reconstruction for the MAGIC telescope by means of analysis and Monte Carlo techniques
No full textObservation of Pulsed γ-Rays Above 25 GeV from the Crab Pulsar with MAGIC
No full textOne fundamental question about pulsars concerns the mechanism of their pulsed electromagnetic emission. Measuring the high-end region of a pulsar's spectrum would shed light on this question. By developing a new electronic trigger, we lowered the threshold of the Major Atmospheric γ-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope to 25 giga-electron volts. In this configuration, we detected pulsed γ-rays from the Crab pulsar that were greater than 25 giga-electron volts, revealing a relatively high cutoff energy in the phase-averaged spectrum. This indicates that the emission occurs far out in the magnetosphere, hence excluding the polar-cap scenario as a possible explanation of our measurement. The high cutoff energy also challenges the slot-gap scenario
An astroclimatological study of candidate sites to host an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope in Romania
No full textSuzaku and Multi-wavelength Observations of OJ 287 during the Periodic Optical Outburst in 2007.
No full textSuzaku observations of the blazar OJ 287 were performed in 2007 April 10-13 and November 7-9. They correspond to a quiescent and a flaring state, respectively. The X-ray spectra of the source can be well-described with single power-law models in both exposures. The derived X-ray photon index and the flux density at 1 keV were found to be Γ = 1.65±0.02 and S1keV = 215±5 nJy in the quiescent state. In the flaring state, the source exhibited a harder X-ray spectrum (Γ = 1.50±0.01) with a nearly doubled X-ray flux density of S1keV = 404+6-5nJy. Moreover, significant hard X-ray signals were detected up to 27 keV. In cooperation with Suzaku, simultaneous radio, optical, and very-high-energy γ-ray observations of OJ 287 were performed with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array, the KANATA telescope, and the MAGIC telescope, respectively. The radio and optical fluxes in the flaring state (3.04±0.46 Jy and 8.93±0.05 mJy at 86.75 Hz and in the V-band, respectively) were found to be higher by a factor of 2-3 than those in the quiescent state (1.73±0.26 Jy and 3.03±0.01 mJy at 86.75 Hz and in the V-band, respectively). No notable γ-ray events were detected in either observation. The spectral energy distribution of OJ 287 indicated that the X-ray spectrum was dominated by inverse Compton radiation in both observations, while synchrotron radiation exhibited a spectral cutoff at around the optical frequency. Furthermore, no significant difference in the synchrotron cutoff frequency was found between the quiescent and flaring states. According to a simple synchrotron self-Compton model, the change of the spectral energy distribution is due to an increase in the energy density of electrons with small changes of both the magnetic field strength and the maximum Lorentz factor of electrons
Very High Energy Gamma-Rays from Binary Systems
No full textThis thesis presents a study of the very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from X-ray binary systems using the H.E.S.S. imaging atmospheric Cherenkov array.
The historical background and basic principles of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy are briefly reviewed and an overview of the design and capabilities of the H.E.S.S. telescope system is presented. The broadband observational properties of X-ray binary systems and their relevance in a broader astrophysical context is also discussed.
A review of the radiative emission mechanisms which relate to VHE gamma-ray emission in X-ray binaries is presented, with emphasis given to the leptonic emission processes of synchrotron radiation and inverse-Compton scattering. Intrinsic absorption processes which act to attenuate the emitted flux of VHE gamma-rays are also discussed. Three computer models are introduced which simulate aspects of the gamma-ray emission and absorption in X-ray binary systems.
A detailed analysis of the VHE gamma-ray emission from the X-ray binary LS 5039 is presented and the relevant procedures for data selection, gamma-hadron separation and background estimation are discussed in some detail. Methods for the determination of detection significance and the calculation of gamma-ray fluxes are also reviewed and results are derived which apply specifically to LS 5039. A detailed temporal analysis of the gamma-ray signal from LS 5039 is presented, applying tests for secular, excess and periodic variability. Strong evidence is found for modulation of the observed gamma-ray flux on the orbital period of ~3.9 days. Following a brief discussion of the procedures required for spectral analysis of VHE gamma-ray data, results are presented for LS 5039 which reveal evidence for spectral variability which is correlated with the observed gamma-ray flux and therefore, the orbital phase of the binary system. The spectral and temporal characteristics of LS 5039 are then compared with the predictions of theoretical models in an attempt to explain the observed behaviour.
Contemporaneous X-ray and VHE gamma-ray observations of three galactic microquasars using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and H.E.S.S. are presented. Although no gamma-ray detections are reported, the observations permit the derivation of upper limits to the VHE gamma-ray flux which correspond to episodes of known X-ray behaviour. The X-ray characteristics of each target are compared with pre-existing observational data to infer the presence or otherwise of relativistic outflows at the H.E.S.S. observation epochs. The implications of the gamma-ray non-detections are then discussed in the context of these inferred system properties.
The results of a survey of the VHE gamma-ray emission associated with the positions of 125 known X-ray binaries are presented. Although no conclusive detections were obtained, tentative indications were found for a population of faint, spectrally hard gamma-ray sources associated with high-mass X-ray binary systems. The inferred characteristics of the indicated population show broad agreement with the measured properties of known gamma-ray-emitting X-ray binary systems like LS 5039
MAGIC observations of PG 1553+113 during a multiwavelength campaign in July 2006
No full textThe active galactic nucleus PG1553+113 was observed by the MAGIC telescope in July 2006 during a multiwavelength campaign, in which telescopes in the optical, X-ray, and very high energies participated. Although the MAGIC data were affected by strong atmospheric absorption (calima), they were analyzed after applying a correction. In 8.5 h, a signal was detected with a significance of 5.0 sigma. The integral flux above 150 GeV was (2.6 +/- 0.9) x 10(-7) ph s(-1) m(-2). By fitting the differential energy spectrum with a power law, a spectral index of -4.1 +/- 0.3 was obtained
FADC signal reconstruction for the MAGIC telescope
No full textUntil April 2007 the Major Atmospheric Gamma ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope used a 300 MSamples/s flash analog-to-digital converter (FADC) system to sample the shaped photomultiplier tube (PMT) signals produced by the captured Cherenkov photons of air showers. Different algorithms to reconstruct the signal from the read-out samples (extractors) have been implemented and are described and compared. Criteria based on the obtained charge and time resolution/bias are defined and used to judge the different extractors, by applying them to calibration, cosmic and pedestal signals. The achievable charge and time resolution have been derived as functions of the number of incident photoelectrons. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Detection of very high energy radiation from the BL lacertae object PG 1553+113 with the MAGIC telescope
No full textIn 2005 and 2006, the MAGIC telescope observed very high energy gamma-ray emission from the distant BL Lac object PG 1553 + 113. The overall significance of the signal was 8.8 sigma for 18.8 hr of observation time. The light curve shows no significant flux variations on a daily timescale; the flux level during 2005 was, however, significantly higher compared to 2006. The differential energy spectrum between similar to 90 and 500 GeV is well described by a power law with photon index. Gamma = 4.2 +/- 0.3. The combined 2005 and 2006 energy spectrum provides an upper limit of z = 0.74 on the redshift of the object
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