TY - JOUR A1 - Aliu, E. A1 - Aune, T. A1 - Barnacka, Anna A1 - Beilicke, M. A1 - Benbow, W. A1 - Berger, K. A1 - Biteau, Jonathan A1 - Buckley, J. H. A1 - Bugaev, V. A1 - Byrum, K. A1 - Cardenzana, J. V. A1 - Cerruti, M. A1 - Chen, Xuhui A1 - Ciupik, L. A1 - Connaughton, V. A1 - Cui, W. A1 - Dickinson, H. J. A1 - Eisch, J. D. A1 - Errando, M. A1 - Falcone, A. A1 - Federici, Simone A1 - Feng, Q. A1 - Finley, J. P. A1 - Fleischhack, H. A1 - Fortin, P. A1 - Fortson, L. A1 - Furniss, A. A1 - Galante, N. A1 - Gillanders, G. H. A1 - Griffin, S. A1 - Griffiths, S. T. A1 - Grube, J. A1 - Gyuk, G. A1 - Hakansson, Nils A1 - Hanna, D. A1 - Holder, J. A1 - Hughes, G. A1 - Humensky, T. B. A1 - Johnson, C. A. A1 - Kaaret, P. A1 - Kar, P. A1 - Kertzman, M. A1 - Khassen, Y. A1 - Kieda, D. A1 - Krawczynski, H. A1 - Krennrich, F. A1 - Lang, M. J. A1 - Madhavan, A. S. A1 - Maier, G. A1 - McArthur, S. A1 - McCann, A. A1 - Meagher, K. A1 - Millis, J. A1 - Moriarty, P. A1 - Mukherjee, R. A1 - Nieto, D. A1 - Ong, R. A. A1 - Otte, A. N. A1 - Park, N. A1 - Pohl, Martin A1 - Popkow, A. A1 - Prokoph, H. A1 - Pueschel, Elisa A1 - Quinn, J. A1 - Ragan, K. A1 - Rajotte, J. A1 - Reyes, L. C. A1 - Reynolds, P. T. A1 - Richards, G. T. A1 - Roache, E. A1 - Sembroski, G. H. A1 - Shahinyan, K. A1 - Smith, A. W. A1 - Staszak, D. A1 - Telezhinsky, Igor O. A1 - Tucci, J. V. A1 - Tyler, J. A1 - Varlotta, A. A1 - Vassiliev, V. V. A1 - Vincent, S. A1 - Wakely, S. P. A1 - Weiner, O. M. A1 - Weinstein, A. A1 - Welsing, R. A1 - Wilhelm, Alina A1 - Williams, D. A. A1 - Zitzer, B. A1 - McEnery, J. E. A1 - Perkins, J. S. A1 - Veres, P. A1 - Zhu, S. T1 - Constraints on very high energy emission from GRB 130427A JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - Prompt emission from the very fluent and nearby (z = 0.34) gamma-ray burst GRB130427A was detected by several orbiting telescopes and by ground-based, wide-field-of-view optical transient monitors. Apart from the intensity and proximity of this GRB, it is exceptional due to the extremely long-lived high-energy (100 MeV to 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission, which was detected by the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope for similar to 70 ks after the initial burst. The persistent, hard-spectrum, high-energy emission suggests that the highest-energy gamma rays may have been produced via synchrotron self-Compton processes though there is also evidence that the high-energy emission may instead be an extension of the synchrotron spectrum. VERITAS, a ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array, began follow-up observations of GRB130427A similar to 71 ks (similar to 20 hr) after the onset of the burst. The GRB was not detected with VERITAS; however, the high elevation of the observations, coupled with the low redshift of the GRB, make VERITAS a very sensitive probe of the emission from GRB130427A for E > 100 GeV. The non-detection and consequent upper limit derived place constraints on the synchrotron self-Compton model of high-energy gamma-ray emission from this burst. KW - gamma-ray burst: individual (GRB 130427A) Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/795/1/L3 SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 795 IS - 1 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abeysekara, A. U. A1 - Archambault, S. A1 - Archer, A. A1 - Benbow, W. A1 - Bird, R. A1 - Buchovecky, M. A1 - Buckley, J. H. A1 - Byrum, K. A1 - Cardenzana, J. V. A1 - Cerruti, M. A1 - Chen, Xuhui A1 - Christiansen, J. L. A1 - Ciupik, L. A1 - Cui, W. A1 - Dickinson, H. J. A1 - Eisch, J. D. A1 - Errando, M. A1 - Falcone, A. A1 - Fegan, D. J. A1 - Feng, Q. A1 - Finley, J. P. A1 - Fleischhack, H. A1 - Fortin, P. A1 - Fortson, L. A1 - Furniss, A. A1 - Gillanders, G. H. A1 - Griffin, S. A1 - Grube, J. A1 - Gyuk, G. A1 - Huetten, M. A1 - Hakansson, Nils A1 - Hanna, D. A1 - Holder, J. A1 - Humensky, T. B. A1 - Johnson, C. A. A1 - Kaaret, P. A1 - Kar, P. A1 - Kelley-Hoskins, N. A1 - Kertzman, M. A1 - Kieda, D. A1 - Krause, M. A1 - Krennrich, F. A1 - Kumar, S. A1 - Lang, M. J. A1 - Lin, T. T. Y. A1 - Maier, G. A1 - McArthur, S. A1 - McCann, A. A1 - Meagher, K. A1 - Moriarty, P. A1 - Mukherjee, R. A1 - Nieto, D. A1 - Ong, R. A. A1 - Otte, A. N. A1 - Park, N. A1 - Perkins, J. S. A1 - Petrashyk, A. A1 - Pohl, Martin A1 - Popkow, A. A1 - Pueschel, Elisa A1 - Quinn, J. A1 - Ragan, K. A1 - Ratliff, G. A1 - Reynolds, P. T. A1 - Richards, G. T. A1 - Roache, E. A1 - Santander, M. A1 - Sembroski, G. H. A1 - Shahinyan, K. A1 - Staszak, D. A1 - Telezhinsky, Igor O. A1 - Tucci, J. V. A1 - Tyler, J. A1 - Vincent, S. A1 - Wakely, S. P. A1 - Weiner, O. M. A1 - Weinstein, A. A1 - Williams, D. A. A1 - Zitzer, B. T1 - A SEARCH FOR BRIEF OPTICAL FLASHES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SETI TARGET KIC 8462852 JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - The F-type star KIC. 8462852 has recently been identified as an exceptional target for search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) observations. We describe an analysis methodology for optical SETI, which we have used to analyze nine hours of serendipitous archival observations of KIC. 8462852 made with the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory between 2009 and 2015. No evidence of pulsed optical beacons, above a pulse intensity at the Earth of approximately 1 photon m(-2), is found. We also discuss the potential use of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays in searching for extremely short duration optical transients in general. KW - astrobiology KW - extraterrestrial intelligence KW - methods: observational KW - stars: individual ( KIC 8462852) KW - techniques: photometric Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/818/2/L33 SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 818 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - THES A1 - Håkansson, Nils T1 - A Dark Matter line search using 3D-modeling of Cherenkov showers below 10 TeV with VERITAS T1 - Die Suche nach Dunkler Materie mit VERITAS durch Liniensuche und 3D Modellierung von Cherenkov-Schauern unter 10 TeV N2 - Dark matter, DM, has not yet been directly observed, but it has a very solid theoretical basis. There are observations that provide indirect evidence, like galactic rotation curves that show that the galaxies are rotating too fast to keep their constituent parts, and galaxy clusters that bends the light coming from behind-lying galaxies more than expected with respect to the mass that can be calculated from what can be visibly seen. These observations, among many others, can be explained with theories that include DM. The missing piece is to detect something that can exclusively be explained by DM. Direct observation in a particle accelerator is one way and indirect detection using telescopes is another. This thesis is focused on the latter method. The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, V ERITAS, is a telescope array that detects Cherenkov radiation. Theory predicts that DM particles annihilate into, e.g., a γγ pair and create a distinctive energy spectrum when detected by such telescopes, e.i., a monoenergetic line at the same energy as the particle mass. This so called ”smoking-gun” signature is sought with a sliding window line search within the sub-range ∼ 0.3 − 10 TeV of the VERITAS energy range, ∼ 0.01 − 30 TeV. Standard analysis within the VERITAS collaboration uses Hillas analysis and look-up tables, acquired by analysing particle simulations, to calculate the energy of the particle causing the Cherenkov shower. In this thesis, an improved analysis method has been used. Modelling each shower as a 3Dgaussian should increase the energy recreation quality. Five dwarf spheroidal galaxies were chosen as targets with a total of ∼ 224 hours of data. The targets were analysed individually and stacked. Particle simulations were based on two simulation packages, CARE and GrISU. Improvements have been made to the energy resolution and bias correction, up to a few percent each, in comparison to standard analysis. Nevertheless, no line with a relevant significance has been detected. The most promising line is at an energy of ∼ 422 GeV with an upper limit cross section of 8.10 · 10^−24 cm^3 s^−1 and a significance of ∼ 2.73 σ, before trials correction and ∼ 1.56 σ after. Upper limit cross sections have also been calculated for the γγ annihilation process and four other outcomes. The limits are in line with current limits using other methods, from ∼ 8.56 · 10^−26 − 6.61 · 10^−23 cm^3s^−1. Future larger telescope arrays, like the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA, will provide better results with the help of this analysis method. N2 - Dunkle Materie, DM, wurde noch nicht direkt beobachtet, aber die Theorie ist sehr solide. Es gibt Beobachtungen, die als indirekte Beweise gelten, z.B. galaktische Rotationskurven, die besagen, dass Galaxien zu schnell rotieren um ohne eine zusätzliche Massenkomponente zusammenhalten zu können, oder elliptische Zwerggalaxien, die massereicher sind als die sichtbare Materie vermuten lässt. Diese Beobachtungen könnten z.B. mit dem Vorhandensein von DM erkärt werden, aber bis jetzt fehlt die Beobachtung eines Phänomens, das ausschließlich durch DM erklärt werden kann. Eine Möglichkeit wäre die Beobachtung einer speziellen Energiesignatur durch Teleskope, welche das Thema der vorliegenden Arbeit ist. Das Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, VERITAS, ist ein Teleskoparray für Cherenkov-Strahlung. Entsprechend der Theorie sollten Teilchen dunkler Materie annihilieren und z.B. ein γγ Paar bilden. Dieses sollte im Teleskop eine spezielle Energiesignatur hinterlassen, nämlich eine monoenergetische Linie bei einer Energie, die der Teilchenmasse entspricht. Diese ”smoking-gun” Signatur wird mit einer sliding window Liniensuche bei Energien < 10TeV gesucht. In der VERITAS Kollaboration werden standardm¨aßig eine Hillas-Analyse und Nachschlagetabellen aus Teilchensimulationen verwendet, um die Energie des Teilchens zu berechnen, das den Cherenkov-Schauer verursacht hat. Hier wird eine verbesserte Analysemethode verwendet. Dabei wird jeder Schauer als 3D-Gaußkurve modelliert, was die Qualität der Energierekonstruktion erheblich verbessern sollte. Dafur wurden funf elliptische Zwerggalaxien beobachtet und einzeln sowie insgesamt analysiert, insgesamt ~ 224 h Beobachtungszeit. Dabei werden zwei verschiedene Teilchensimulationsprogramme verwendet, CARE und GrISU. In dieser Arbeit wurde die Energieauflösung und die Bias-Korrektur um einige Prozent gegen¨uber der Standardanalyse verbessert. Es wurde jedoch keine signifikante Linie detektiert. Die vielversprechendste Linie befindet sich bei einer Energie von ~ 422GeV und hat einen Querschnitt von 8.10·10^−24 cm^3 s^−1 und ein Signifikanzlevel von ~ 2.73 σ bzw. 1.56σ vor bzw. nach statistischer Korrektur. Außerdem wurden obere Grenzwerte fur verschiedene Annihilierungsprozesse berechnet. Sie stimmen mit anderen aktuellen Grenzwerten überein (~ 8.56 · 10^−26 − 6.61 · 10^−23 cm^3s^−1). Zukünftig werden mehr Beobachtungsdaten und neue Teleskoparrays, wie das Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA, mit Hilfe dieser Analysemethode bessere Ergebnisse ermöglichen. KW - Dark Matter KW - line search KW - VERITAS KW - 3D-modeling KW - Cherenkov showers KW - Dunkler Materie KW - Line Suche KW - VERITAS KW - 3D Modellierung KW - Cherenkov-Schauern Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-397670 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Archer, A. A1 - Benbow, W. A1 - Bird, R. A1 - Buchovecky, M. A1 - Buckley, J. H. A1 - Bugaev, V. A1 - Byrum, K. A1 - Cardenzana, J. V. A1 - Cerruti, M. A1 - Chen, Xuhui A1 - Ciupik, L. A1 - Collins-Hughes, E. A1 - Connolly, M. P. A1 - Eisch, J. D. A1 - Falcone, A. A1 - Feng, Q. A1 - Finley, J. P. A1 - Fleischhack, H. A1 - Flinders, A. A1 - Fortson, L. A1 - Furniss, A. A1 - Gillanders, G. H. A1 - Griffin, S. A1 - Grube, J. A1 - Gyuk, G. A1 - Hakansson, Nils A1 - Hanna, D. A1 - Holder, J. A1 - Humensky, T. B. A1 - Huetten, M. A1 - Johnson, C. A. A1 - Kaaret, P. A1 - Kar, P. A1 - Kelley-Hoskins, N. A1 - Kertzman, M. A1 - Kieda, D. A1 - Krause, M. A1 - Krennrich, F. A1 - Kumar, S. A1 - Lang, M. J. A1 - McArthur, S. A1 - McCann, A. A1 - Meagher, K. A1 - Millis, J. A1 - Moriarty, P. A1 - Mukherjee, R. A1 - Nieto, D. A1 - Ong, R. A. A1 - Park, N. A1 - Pelassa, V. A1 - Pohl, Martin A1 - Popkow, A. A1 - Pueschel, Elisa A1 - Quinn, J. A1 - Ragan, K. A1 - Ratliff, G. A1 - Reynolds, P. T. A1 - Richards, G. T. A1 - Roache, E. A1 - Rousselle, J. A1 - Santander, M. A1 - Sembroski, G. H. A1 - Shahinyan, K. A1 - Smith, A. W. A1 - Staszak, D. A1 - Telezhinsky, Igor O. A1 - Tucci, J. V. A1 - Tyler, J. A1 - Vassiliev, V. V. A1 - Wakely, S. P. A1 - Weiner, O. M. A1 - Weinstein, A. A1 - Wilhelm, Alina A1 - Williams, D. A. A1 - Zitzer, B. A1 - Yusef-Zadeh, F. T1 - TEV GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER RIDGE BY VERITAS JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - The Galactic Center ridge has been observed extensively in the past by both GeV and TeV gamma-ray instruments revealing a wealth of structure, including a diffuse component and the point sources G0.9+0.1 (a composite supernova remnant) and Sgr A* (believed to be associated with the supermassive black hole located at the center of our Galaxy). Previous very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations with the H.E.S.S.. experiment have also detected an extended TeV gamma-ray component along the Galactic plane in the >300 GeV gamma-ray regime. Here we report on observations of the Galactic Center ridge from 2010 to 2014 by the VERITAS telescope array in the >2 TeV energy range. From these observations we (1) provide improved measurements of the differential energy spectrum for Sgr A* in the >2 TeV gamma-ray regime, (2) provide a detection in the >2 TeV gamma-ray emission from the composite SNR G0.9+0.1 and an improved determination of its multi-TeV gamma-ray energy spectrum, and. (3) report on the detection of VER J1746-289, a localized enhancement of >2 TeV gamma-ray emission along the Galactic plane. KW - Galaxy: center KW - gamma rays: general KW - supernovae: individual (G0.9+0.1) Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/821/2/129 SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 821 SP - 162 EP - 167 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER -