@article{ZhangChenBoettcheretal.2015, author = {Zhang, Haocheng and Chen, Xuhui and B{\"o}ttcher, Markus and Guo, Fan and Li, Hui}, title = {Polarization swings reveal magnetic energy dissipation in blazars}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {804}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/804/1/58}, pages = {11}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The polarization signatures of blazar emissions are known to be highly variable. In addition to small fluctuations of the polarization angle around a mean value, large (greater than or similar to 180 degrees) polarization angle swings are sometimes observed. We suggest that such phenomena can be interpreted as arising from light travel time effects within an underlying axisymmetric emission region. We present the first simultaneous fitting of the multi-wavelength spectrum, variability, and time-dependent polarization features of a correlated optical and gamma-ray flaring event of the prominent blazar 3C279, which was accompanied by a drastic change in its polarization signatures. This unprecedented combination of spectral, variability, and polarization information in a coherent physical model allows us to place stringent constraints on the particle acceleration and magnetic field topology in the relativistic jet of a blazar, strongly favoring a scenario in which magnetic energy dissipation is the primary driver of the flare event.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhangChenBoettcher2014, author = {Zhang, Haocheng and Chen, Xuhui and Boettcher, Markus}, title = {Synchrotron polarization in blazars}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {789}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/66}, pages = {16}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We present a detailed analysis of time-and energy-dependent synchrotron polarization signatures in a shock-in-jet model for gamma-ray blazars. Our calculations employ a full three-dimensional radiation transfer code, assuming a helical magnetic field throughout the jet. The code considers synchrotron emission from an ordered magnetic field, and takes into account all light-travel-time and other relevant geometric effects, while the relevant synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton effects are handled with the two-dimensional Monte-Carlo/Fokker-Planck (MCFP) code. We consider several possible mechanisms through which a relativistic shock propagating through the jet may affect the jet plasma to produce a synchrotron and high-energy flare. Most plausibly, the shock is expected to lead to a compression of the magnetic field, increasing the toroidal field component and thereby changing the direction of the magnetic field in the region affected by the shock. We find that such a scenario leads to correlated synchrotron + synchrotron-self-Compton flaring, associated with substantial variability in the synchrotron polarization percentage and position angle. Most importantly, this scenario naturally explains large polarization angle rotations by greater than or similar to 180 degrees, as observed in connection with gamma-ray flares in several blazars, without the need for bent or helical jet trajectories or other nonaxisymmetric jet features.}, language = {en} } @article{VafinRafighiPohletal.2018, author = {Vafin, Sergei and Rafighi, Iman and Pohl, Martin and Niemiec, Jacek}, title = {The Electrostatic Instability for Realistic Pair Distributions in Blazar/EBL Cascades}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {857}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aab552}, pages = {12}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This work revisits the electrostatic instability for blazar-induced pair beams propagating through the intergalactic medium (IGM) using linear analysis and PIC simulations. We study the impact of the realistic distribution function of pairs resulting from the interaction of high-energy gamma-rays with the extragalactic background light. We present analytical and numerical calculations of the linear growth rate of the instability for the arbitrary orientation of wave vectors. Our results explicitly demonstrate that the finite angular spread of the beam dramatically affects the growth rate of the waves, leading to the fastest growth for wave vectors quasi-parallel to the beam direction and a growth rate at oblique directions that is only a factor of 2-4 smaller compared to the maximum. To study the nonlinear beam relaxation, we performed PIC simulations that take into account a realistic wide-energy distribution of beam particles. The parameters of the simulated beam-plasma system provide an adequate physical picture that can be extrapolated to realistic blazar-induced pairs. In our simulations, the beam looses only 1\% of its energy, and we analytically estimate that the beam would lose its total energy over about 100 simulation times. An analytical scaling is then used to extrapolate the parameters of realistic blazar-induced pair beams. We find that they can dissipate their energy slightly faster by the electrostatic instability than through inverse-Compton scattering. The uncertainties arising from, e.g., details of the primary gamma-ray spectrum are too large to make firm statements for individual blazars, and an analysis based on their specific properties is required.}, language = {en} } @article{VafinDekaPohletal.2019, author = {Vafin, Sergei and Deka, Pranab Jyoti and Pohl, Martin and Bohdan, Artem}, title = {Revisit of Nonlinear Landau Damping for Electrostatic Instability Driven by Blazar-induced Pair Beams}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {873}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ab017b}, pages = {12}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We revisit the effect of nonlinear Landau (NL) damping on the electrostatic instability of blazar-induced pair beams, using a realistic pair-beam distribution. We employ a simplified 2D model in k-space to study the evolution of the electric-field spectrum and to calculate the relaxation time of the beam. We demonstrate that the 2D model is an adequate representation of the 3D physics. We find that nonlinear Landau damping, once it operates efficiently, transports essentially the entire wave energy to small wave numbers where wave driving is weak or absent. The relaxation time also strongly depends on the intergalactic medium temperature, T-IGM, and for T-IGM << 10 eV, and in the absence of any other damping mechanism, the relaxation time of the pair beam is longer than the inverse Compton (IC) scattering time. The weak late-time beam energy losses arise from the accumulation of wave energy at small k, that nonlinearly drains the wave energy at the resonant k of the pair-beam instability. Any other dissipation process operating at small k would reduce that wave-energy drain and hence lead to stronger pair-beam energy losses. As an example, collisions reduce the relaxation time by an order of magnitude, although their rate is very small. Other nonlinear processes, such as the modulation instability, could provide additional damping of the nonresonant waves and dramatically reduce the relaxation time of the pair beam. An accurate description of the spectral evolution of the electrostatic waves is crucial for calculating the relaxation time of the pair beam.}, language = {en} } @article{NishikawaHardeeDutanetal.2014, author = {Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi and Hardee, P. E. and Dutan, I. and Niemiec, J. and Medvedev, M. and Mizuno, Y. and Meli, A. and Sol, H. and Zhang, B. and Pohl, Martin and Hartmann, D. H.}, title = {Magnetic agnetic field generation in core-sheath jets via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {793}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/793/1/60}, pages = {16}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We have investigated magnetic field generation in velocity shears via the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (kKHI) using a relativistic plasma jet core and stationary plasma sheath. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations consider plasma jet cores with Lorentz factors of 1.5, 5, and 15 for both electron-proton and electron-positron plasmas. For electron-proton plasmas, we find generation of strong large-scale DC currents and magnetic fields that extend over the entire shear surface and reach thicknesses of a few tens of electron skin depths. For electron-positron plasmas, we find generation of alternating currents and magnetic fields. Jet and sheath plasmas are accelerated across the shear surface in the strong magnetic fields generated by the kKHI. The mixing of jet and sheath plasmas generates a transverse structure similar to that produced by the Weibel instability.}, language = {en} } @article{NishikawaFrederiksenNordlundetal.2016, author = {Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi and Frederiksen, J. T. and Nordlund, A. and Mizuno, Y. and Hardee, P. E. and Niemiec, J. and Gomez, J. L. and Dutan, I. and Meli, A. and Sol, H. and Pohl, Martin and Hartmann, D. H.}, title = {EVOLUTION OF GLOBAL RELATIVISTIC JETS: COLLIMATIONS AND EXPANSION WITH kKHI AND THE WEIBEL INSTABILITY}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {820}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.3847/0004-637X/820/2/94}, pages = {14}, year = {2016}, abstract = {In the study of relativistic jets one of the key open questions is their interaction with the environment. Here. we study the initial evolution of both electron-proton (e(-) - p(+)) and electron-positron (e(+/-)) relativistic jets, focusing on their lateral interaction with ambient plasma. We follow the evolution of toroidal magnetic fields generated by both the kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz and Mushroom instabilities. For an e(-) - p(+) jet, the induced magnetic field collimates the jet and electrons are perpendicularly accelerated. As the instabilities saturate and subsequently weaken, the magnetic polarity switches from clockwise to counterclockwise in the middle of the jet. For an e(+/-) jet, we find strong mixing of electrons and positrons with the ambient plasma, resulting in the creation of a bow shock. The merging of current filaments generates density inhomogeneities that. initiate a forward shock. Strong jet-ambient plasma mixing prevents a full development of the jet (on the scale studied), revealing evidence for both jet collimation and particle acceleration in the forming bow shock. Differences in the magnetic field structure generated by e(-) - p(+) and e(+/-) jets may contribute to the polarization properties of the observed emission in AGN jets and gamma-ray bursts.}, language = {en} } @article{MizunoPohlNiemiecetal.2011, author = {Mizuno, Yosuke and Pohl, Martin and Niemiec, Jacek and Zhang, Bing and Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi and Hardee, Philip E.}, title = {Magnetic-field amplification by turbulence in a relativistic shockpropagating through an inhomogeneous medium}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {726}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/726/2/62}, pages = {11}, year = {2011}, abstract = {We perform two-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a mildly relativistic shock propagating through an inhomogeneous medium. We show that the postshock region becomes turbulent owing to preshock density inhomogeneity, and the magnetic field is strongly amplified due to the stretching and folding of field lines in the turbulent velocity field. The amplified magnetic field evolves into a filamentary structure in two-dimensional simulations. The magnetic energy spectrum is flatter than the Kolmogorov spectrum and indicates that a so-called small-scale dynamo is occurring in the postshock region. We also find that the amount of magnetic-field amplification depends on the direction of the mean preshock magnetic field, and the timescale of magnetic-field growth depends on the shock strength.}, language = {en} } @article{MizunoPohlNiemiecetal.2014, author = {Mizuno, Yosuke and Pohl, Martin and Niemiec, Jacek and Zhang, Bing and Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi and Hardee, Philip E.}, title = {Magnetic field amplification and saturation in turbulence behind a relativistic shock}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {439}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, number = {4}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stu196}, pages = {3490 -- 3503}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We have investigated via 2D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations the long-term evolution of turbulence created by a relativistic shock propagating through an inhomogeneous medium. In the post-shock region, magnetic field is strongly amplified by turbulent motions triggered by pre-shock density inhomogeneities. Using a long-simulation box we have followed the magnetic field amplification until it is fully developed and saturated. The turbulent velocity is subrelativistic even for a strong shock. Magnetic field amplification is controlled by the turbulent motion and saturation occurs when the magnetic energy is comparable to the turbulent kinetic energy. Magnetic field amplification and saturation depend on the initial strength and direction of the magnetic field in the pre-shock medium, and on the shock strength. If the initial magnetic field is perpendicular to the shock normal, the magnetic field is first compressed at the shock and then can be amplified by turbulent motion in the post-shock region. Saturation occurs when the magnetic energy becomes comparable to the turbulent kinetic energy in the post-shock region. If the initial magnetic field in the pre-shock medium is strong, the post-shock region becomes turbulent but significant field amplification does not occur. If the magnetic energy after shock compression is larger than the turbulent kinetic energy in the post-shock region, significant field amplification does not occur. We discuss possible applications of our results to gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei.}, language = {en} } @article{CollaborationAbramowskiAharonianetal.2014, author = {Collaboration, H. E. S. S. and Abramowski, Attila and Aharonian, Felix A. and Benkhali, Faical Ait and Akhperjanian, A. G. and Ang{\"u}ner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan and Anton, Gisela and Balenderan, Shangkari and Balzer, Arnim and Barnacka, Anna and Becherini, Yvonne and Tjus, J. Becker and Bernl{\"o}hr, K. and Birsin, E. and Bissaldi, E. and Biteau, Jonathan and Boettcher, Markus and Boisson, Catherine and Bolmont, J. and Bordas, Pol and Brucker, J. and Brun, Francois and Brun, Pierre and Bulik, Tomasz and Carrigan, Svenja and Casanova, Sabrina and Cerruti, M. and Chadwick, Paula M. and Chalme-Calvet, R. and Chaves, Ryan C. G. and Cheesebrough, A. and Chretien, M. and Colafrancesco, Sergio and Cologna, Gabriele and Conrad, Jan and Couturier, C. and Cui, Y. and Dalton, M. and Daniel, M. K. and Davids, I. D. and Degrange, B. and Deil, C. and de Wilt, P. and Dickinson, H. J. and Djannati-Ata{\"i}, A. and Domainko, W. and Dubus, G. and Dutson, K. and Dyks, J. and Dyrda, M. and Edwards, T. and Egberts, Kathrin and Eger, P. and Espigat, P. and Farnier, C. and Fegan, S. and Feinstein, F. and Fernandes, M. V. and Fernandez, D. and Fiasson, A. and Fontaine, G. and Foerster, A. and Fuessling, M. and Gajdus, M. and Gallant, Y. A. and Garrigoux, T. and Giavitto, G. and Giebels, B. and Glicenstein, J. F. and Grondin, M. -H. and Grudzinska, M. and Haeffner, S. and Hahn, J. and Harris, J. and Heinzelmann, G. and Henri, G. and Hermann, G. and Hervet, O. and Hillert, A. and Hinton, James Anthony and Hofmann, W. and Hofverberg, P. and Holler, M. and Horns, Dieter and Jacholkowska, A. and Jahn, C. and Jamrozy, M. and Janiak, M. and Jankowsky, F. and Jung, I. and Kastendieck, M. A. and Katarzynski, K. and Katz, U. and Kaufmann, S. and Khelifi, B. and Kieffer, M. and Klepser, S. and Klochkov, D. and Kluzniak, W. and Kneiske, T. and Kolitzus, D. and Komin, Nu. and Kosack, K. and Krakau, S. and Krayzel, F. and Krueger, P. P. and Laffon, H. and Lamanna, G. and Lefaucheur, J. and Lemiere, A. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Lenain, J. -P. and Lennarz, D. and Lohse, T. and Lopatin, A. and Lu, C. -C. and Marandon, V. and Marcowith, Alexandre and Marx, R. and Maurin, G. and Maxted, N. and Mayer, M. and McComb, T. J. L. and Mehault, J. and Meintjes, P. J. and Menzler, U. and Meyer, M. and Moderski, R. and Mohamed, M. and Moulin, Emmanuel and Murach, T. and Naumann, C. L. and de Naurois, M. and Niemiec, J. and Nolan, S. J. and Oakes, L. and Ohm, S. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Opitz, B. and Ostrowski, M. and Oya, I. and Panter, M. and Parsons, R. D. and Arribas, M. Paz and Pekeur, N. W. and Pelletier, G. and Perez, J. and Petrucci, P. -O. and Peyaud, B. and Pita, S. and Poon, H. and Puehlhofer, G. and Punch, M. and Quirrenbach, A. and Raab, S. and Raue, M. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, O. and Renaud, M. and de los Reyes, R. and Rieger, F. and Rob, L. and Romoli, C. and Rosier-Lees, S. and Rowell, G. and Rudak, B. and Rulten, C. B. and Sahakian, V. and Sanchez, David M. and Santangelo, A. and Schlickeiser, R. and Schuessler, F. and Schulz, A. and Schwanke, U. and Schwarzburg, S. and Schwemmer, S. and Sol, H. and Spengler, G. and Spies, F. and Stawarz, L. and Steenkamp, R. and Stegmann, Christian and Stinzing, F. and Stycz, Kornelia and Sushch, Iurii and Szostek, A. and Tavernet, J. -P. and Tavernier, T. and Taylor, A. M. and Terrier, R. and Tluczykont, M. and Trichard, C. and Valerius, K. and van Eldik, C. and van Soelen, B. and Vasileiadis, G. and Venter, C. and Viana, A. and Vincent, P. and Voelk, H. J. and Volpe, F. and Vorster, M. and Vuillaume, T. and Wagner, S. J. and Wagner, P. and Ward, M. and Weidinger, M. and Weitzel, Q. and White, R. and Wierzcholska, A. and Willmann, P. and Woernlein, A. and Wouters, D. and Zabalza, V. and Zacharias, M. and Zajczyk, A. and Zdziarski, A. A. and Zech, Alraune and Zechlin, H. -S.}, title = {HESS observations of the Crab during its March 2013 GeV gamma-ray flare}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {562}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {0004-6361}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201323013}, pages = {5}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Context. On March 4, 2013 the Fermi-EAT and AGILE reported a flare from the direction of the Crab nebula in which the high-energy (HE; E > 100 MeV) flux was six times above its quiescent level. Simultaneous observations in other energy bands give us hints about the emission processes during the flare episode and the physics of pulsar wind nebulae in general. Aims. We search for variability in the emission of the Crab nebula at very-high energies (VHF,; E > 100 GeV), using contemporaneous data taken with the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes. Methods. Observational data taken with the H.E.S.S. instrument on five consecutive days during the flare were analysed for the flux and spectral shape of the emission from the Crab nebula. Night-wise light curves are presented with energy thresholds of 1 TeV and 5 TeV. Results. The observations conducted with H.E.S.S. on March 6 to March 10, 2013 show no significant changes in the flux. They limit the variation in the integral flux above 1 TeV to less than 63\% and the integral flux above 5 TeV to less than 78\% at a 95\% confidence level.}, language = {en} } @article{CerrutiBenbowChenetal.2017, author = {Cerruti, M. and Benbow, W. and Chen, Xu and Dumm, J. P. and Fortson, L. F. and Shahinyan, K.}, title = {Luminous and high-frequency peaked blazars: the origin of the gamma-ray emission from PKS 1424+240}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {606}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, issn = {1432-0746}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201730799}, pages = {35411 -- 35418}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Context. The current generation of ground-based Cherenkov telescopes, together with the LAT instrument on-board the Fermi satellite, have greatly increased our knowledge of gamma-ray blazars. Among them, the high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object (HBL) PKS 1424+240 (z similar or equal to 0.6) is the farthest persistent emitter of very-high-energy (VHE; E >= 100 GeV) gamma-ray photons. Current emission models can satisfactorily reproduce typical blazar emission assuming that the dominant emission process is synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) in HBLs; and external-inverse-Compton (EIC) in low-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae objects and flat-spectrum-radio-quasars. Alternatively, hadronic models are also able to correctly reproduce the gamma-ray emission from blazars, although they are in general disfavored for bright quasars and rapid flares. Aims. The blazar PKS 1424+240 is a rare example of a luminous HBL, and we aim to determine which is the emission process most likely responsible for its gamma-ray emission. This will impact more generally our comprehension of blazar emission models, and how they are related to the luminosity of the source and the peak frequency of the spectral energy distribution. Methods. We have investigated different blazar emission models applied to the spectral energy distribution of PKS 1424+240. Among leptonic models, we study a one-zone SSC model (including a systematic study of the parameter space), a two-zone SSC model, and an EIC model. We then investigated a blazar hadronic model, and finally a scenario in which the gamma-ray emission is associated with cascades in the line-of-sight produced by cosmic rays from the source. Results. After a systematic study of the parameter space of the one-zone SSC model, we conclude that this scenario is not compatible with gamma-ray observations of PKS 1424+240. A two-zone SSC scenario can alleviate this issue, as well as an EIC solution. For the latter, the external photon field is assumed to be the infra-red radiation from the dusty torus, otherwise the VHE gamma-ray emission would have been significantly absorbed. Alternatively, hadronic models can satisfactorily reproduce the gamma-ray emission from PKS 1424+240, both as in-source emission and as cascade emission.}, language = {en} } @article{AliuArchambaultBeheraetal.2013, author = {Aliu, E. and Archambault, S. and Behera, B. and Berger, K. and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Bird, R. and Bouvier, A. and Bugaev, V. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, Xuhui and Ciupik, L. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Dumm, J. and Falcone, A. and Federici, Simone and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fortin, P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Griffiths, S. T. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Hughes, G. and Humensky, T. B. and Kaaret, P. and Kertzman, M. and Khassen, Y. and Kieda, D. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M. J. and Maier, G. and Majumdar, P. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and de Bhroithe, A. O'Faolain and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Perkins, J. S. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Prokoph, H. and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Rajotte, J. and Ratliff, G. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Sembroski, G. H. and Sheidaei, F. and Skole, C. and Smith, A. W. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tyler, J. and Varlotta, A. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weekes, T. C. and Weinstein, A. and Welsing, R. and Zajczyk, A. and Zitzer, B.}, title = {Multiwavelemght oservatons of the TeV binary LS I+61 degrees 303 with veritas, fermi-lat, and swift/XRT during a TeV outburst}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, volume = {779}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0004-637X}, doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/779/1/88}, pages = {7}, year = {2013}, abstract = {We present the results of a multiwavelength observational campaign on the TeV binary system LS I +61 degrees 303 with the VERITAS telescope array (>200 GeV), Fermi-LAT (0.3-300 GeV), and Swift/XRT (2-10 keV). The data were taken from 2011 December through 2012 January and show a strong detection in all three wavebands. During this period VERITAS obtained 24.9 hr of quality selected livetime data in which LS I +61 degrees 303 was detected at a statistical significance of 11.9 sigma. These TeV observations show evidence for nightly variability in the TeV regime at a post-trial significance of 3.6 sigma. The combination of the simultaneously obtained TeV and X-ray fluxes do not demonstrate any evidence for a correlation between emission in the two bands. For the first time since the launch of the Fermi satellite in 2008, this TeV detection allows the construction of a detailed MeV-TeV spectral energy distribution from LS I +61 degrees 303. This spectrum shows a distinct cutoff in emission near 4 GeV, with emission seen by the VERITAS observations following a simple power-law above 200 GeV. This feature in the spectrum of LS I +61 degrees 303, obtained from overlapping observations with Fermi-LAT and VERITAS, may indicate that there are two distinct populations of accelerated particles producing the GeV and TeV emission.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Alawashra2024, author = {Alawashra, Mahmoud}, title = {Plasma instabilities of TeV pair beams induced by blazars}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63013}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-630131}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xxi, 130}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Relativistic pair beams produced in the cosmic voids by TeV gamma rays from blazars are expected to produce a detectable GeV-scale cascade emission missing in the observations. The suppression of this secondary cascade implies either the deflection of the pair beam by intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMFs) or an energy loss of the beam due to the electrostatic beam-plasma instability. IGMF of femto-Gauss strength is sufficient to significantly deflect the pair beams reducing the flux of secondary cascade below the observational limits. A similar flux reduction may result in the absence of the IGMF from the beam energy loss by the instability before the inverse Compton cooling. This dissertation consists of two studies about the instability role in the evolution of blazar-induced beams. Firstly, we investigated the effect of sub-fG level IGMF on the beam energy loss by the instability. Considering IGMF with correlation lengths smaller than a few kpc, we found that such fields increase the transverse momentum of the pair beam particles, dramatically reducing the linear growth rate of the electrostatic instability and hence the energy-loss rate of the pair beam. Our results show that the IGMF eliminates beam plasma instability as an effective energy-loss agent at a field strength three orders of magnitude below that needed to suppress the secondary cascade emission by magnetic deflection. For intermediate-strength IGMF, we do not know a viable process to explain the observed absence of GeV-scale cascade emission and hence can be excluded. Secondly, we probed how the beam-plasma instability feeds back on the beam, using a realistic two-dimensional beam distribution. We found that the instability broadens the beam opening angles significantly without any significant energy loss, thus confirming a recent feedback study on a simplified one-dimensional beam distribution. However, narrowing diffusion feedback of the beam particles with Lorentz factors less than 1e6 might become relevant even though initially it is negligible. Finally, when considering the continuous creation of TeV pairs, we found that the beam distribution and the wave spectrum reach a new quasi-steady state, in which the scattering of beam particles persists and the beam opening angle may increase by a factor of hundreds. This new intrinsic scattering of the cascade can result in time delays of around ten years, thus potentially mimicking the IGMF deflection. Understanding the implications on the GeV cascade emission requires accounting for inverse Compton cooling and simulating the beam-plasma system at different points in the IGM.}, language = {en} } @article{AbeysekaraArchambaultArcheretal.2016, author = {Abeysekara, A. U. and Archambault, S. and Archer, A. and Benbow, W. and Bird, R. and Biteau, Jonathan and Buchovecky, M. and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Byrum, K. and Cardenzana, J. V. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, Xuhui and Christiansen, J. L. and Ciupik, L. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Dickinson, H. J. and Dumm, J. and Eisch, J. D. and Errando, M. and Falcone, A. and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Flinders, A. and Fortin, P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and Huetten, M. and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Humensky, T. B. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kelley-Hoskins, N. and Kertzman, M. and Kieda, D. and Krause, M. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M. J. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Pelassa, V. and Petrashyk, A. and Petry, D. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Pueschel, Elisa and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Ratliff, G. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Reynolds, K. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Rulten, C. and Santander, M. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Smith, A. W. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weiner, O. M. and Weinstein, A. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Zitzer, B.}, title = {VERITAS and multiwavelength observations of the BL Lacertae object 1ES 1741+196}, series = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, volume = {459}, journal = {Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stw664}, pages = {2550 -- 2557}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We present results from multiwavelength observations of the BL Lacertae object 1ES 1741 + 196, including results in the very high energy gamma-ray regime using the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). The VERITAS time-averaged spectrum, measured above 180 GeV, is well modelled by a power law with a spectral index of 2.7 +/- 0.7(stat) +/- 0.2(syst). The integral flux above 180 GeV is (3.9 +/- 0.8(stat) +/- 1.0(syst)) x 10(-8) m(-2) s(-1), corresponding to 1.6 per cent of the Crab nebula flux on average. The multiwavelength spectral energy distribution of the source suggests that 1ES 1741+196 is an extreme-high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object. The observations analysed in this paper extend over a period of six years, during which time no strong flares were observed in any band. This analysis is therefore one of the few characterizations of a blazar in a non-flaring state.}, language = {en} } @article{AbdallaAdamAharonianetal.2019, author = {Abdalla, Hassan E. and Adam, R. and Aharonian, Felix A. and Benkhali, F. Ait and Ang{\"u}ner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan and Arakawa, M. and Arcaro, C. and Armand, C. and Ashkar, H. and Backes, M. and Martins, V. Barbosa and Barnard, M. and Becherini, Y. and Berge, D. and Bernloehr, K. and Blackwell, R. and B{\"o}ttcher, M. and Boisson, C. and Bolmont, J. and Bonnefoy, S. and Bregeon, J. and Breuhaus, M. and Brun, F. and Brun, P. and Bryan, M. and B{\"u}chele, M. and Bulik, T. and Bylund, T. and Capasso, M. and Caroff, S. and Carosi, A. and Casanova, Sabrina and Cerruti, M. and Chand, T. and Chandra, S. and Chen, A. and Colafrancesco, S. and Curylo, M. and Davids, I. D. and Deil, C. and Devin, J. and DeWilt, P. and Dirson, L. and Djannati-Ata, A. and Dmytriiev, A. and Donath, A. and Doroshenko, V and Dyks, J. and Egberts, Kathrin and Emery, G. and Ernenwein, J-P and Eschbach, S. and Feijen, K. and Fegan, S. and Fiasson, A. and Fontaine, G. and Funk, S. and F{\"u}ßling, Matthias and Gabici, S. and Gallant, Y. A. and Gate, F. and Giavitto, G. and Glawion, D. and Glicenstein, J. F. and Gottschall, D. and Grondin, M-H and Hahn, J. and Haupt, M. and Heinzelmann, G. and Henri, G. and Hermann, G. and Hinton, James Anthony and Hofmann, W. and Hoischen, Clemens and Holch, Tim Lukas and Holler, M. and Horns, D. and Huber, D. and Iwasaki, H. and Jamrozy, M. and Jankowsky, D. and Jankowsky, F. and Jardin-Blicq, A. and Jung-Richardt, I and Kastendieck, M. A. and Katarzynski, K. and Katsuragawa, M. and Katz, U. and Khangulyan, D. and Khelifi, B. and King, J. and Klepser, S. and Kluzniak, W. and Komin, Nu and Kosack, K. and Kostunin, D. and Kraus, M. and Lamanna, G. and Lau, J. and Lemiere, A. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Lenain, J-P and Leser, Eva and Levy, C. and Lohse, T. and Lypova, I and Mackey, J. and Majumdar, J. and Malyshev, D. and Marandon, V and Marcowith, Alexandre and Mares, A. and Mariaud, C. and Marti-Devesa, G. and Marx, R. and Maurin, G. and Meintjes, P. J. and Mitchell, A. M. W. and Moderski, R. and Mohamed, M. and Mohrmann, L. and Moore, C. and Moulin, Emmanuel and Muller, J. and Murach, T. and Nakashima, S. and de Naurois, M. and Ndiyavala, H. and Niederwanger, F. and Niemiec, J. and Oakes, L. and Odaka, H. and Ohm, S. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Ostrowski, M. and Oya, I and Panter, M. and Parsons, R. D. and Perennes, C. and Petrucci, P-O and Peyaud, B. and Piel, Q. and Pita, S. and Poireau, V and Priyana Noel, A. and Prokhorov, D. A. and Prokoph, H. and P{\"u}hlhofer, G. and Punch, M. and Quirrenbach, A. and Raab, S. and Rauth, R. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, O. and Remy, Q. and Renaud, M. and Rieger, F. and Rinchiuso, L. and Romoli, C. and Rowell, G. and Rudak, B. and Ruiz-Velasco, E. and Sahakian, V and Saito, S. and Sanchez, David M. and Santangelo, A. and Sasaki, M. and Schlickeiser, R. and Sch{\"u}ssler, F. and Schulz, A. and Schutte, H. and Schwanke, U. and Schwemmer, S. and Seglar-Arroyo, M. and Senniappan, M. and Seyffert, A. S. and Shafi, N. and Shiningayamwe, K. and Simoni, R. and Sinha, A. and Sol, H. and Specovius, A. and Spir-Jacob, M. and Stawarz, L. and Steenkamp, R. and Stegmann, Christian and Steppa, Constantin Beverly and Takahashi, T. and Tavernier, T. and Taylor, A. M. and Terrier, R. and Tiziani, D. and Tluczykont, M. and Trichard, C. and Tsirou, M. and Tsuji, N. and Tuffs, R. and Uchiyama, Y. and van Der Walt, D. J. and van Eldik, C. and van Rensburg, C. and van Soelen, B. and Vasileiadis, G. and Veh, J. and Venter, C. and Vincent, P. and Vink, J. and Voisin, F. and Voelk, H. J. and Vuillaume, T. and Wadiasingh, Z. and Wagner, S. J. and White, R. and Wierzcholska, A. and Yang, R. and Yoneda, H. and Zacharias, Michael and Zanin, R. and Zdziarski, A. A. and Zech, Alraune and Ziegler, A. and Zorn, J. and Zywucka, N. and Meyer, M.}, title = {Constraints on the emission region of 3C 279 during strong flares in 2014 and 2015 through VHE gamma-ray observations with HESS}, series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, volume = {627}, journal = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, address = {Les Ulis}, organization = {HESS Collaboration}, issn = {1432-0746}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201935704}, pages = {19}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 is known to exhibit pronounced variability in the high-energy (100MeV < E < 100 GeV) gamma-ray band, which is continuously monitored with Fermi-LAT. During two periods of high activity in April 2014 and June 2015 target-of-opportunity observations were undertaken with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) in the very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray domain. While the observation in 2014 provides an upper limit, the observation in 2015 results in a signal with 8 : 7 sigma significance above an energy threshold of 66 GeV. No VHE variability was detected during the 2015 observations. The VHE photon spectrum is soft and described by a power-law index of 4.2 +/- 0.3. The H.E.S.S. data along with a detailed and contemporaneous multiwavelength data set provide constraints on the physical parameters of the emission region. The minimum distance of the emission region from the central black hole was estimated using two plausible geometries of the broad-line region and three potential intrinsic spectra. The emission region is confidently placed at r greater than or similar to 1 : 7 X 1017 cm from the black hole, that is beyond the assumed distance of the broad-line region. Time-dependent leptonic and lepto-hadronic one-zone models were used to describe the evolution of the 2015 flare. Neither model can fully reproduce the observations, despite testing various parameter sets. Furthermore, the H.E.S.S. data were used to derive constraints on Lorentz invariance violation given the large redshift of 3C 279.}, language = {en} }