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Context. About 40% of the observation time of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is dedicated to studying active galactic nuclei (AGN), with the aim of increasing the sample of known extragalactic very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) sources and constraining the physical processes at play in potential emitters.
Aims. H.E.S.S. observations of AGN, spanning a period from April 2004 to December 2011, are investigated to constrain their gamma-ray fluxes. Only the 47 sources without significant excess detected at the position of the targets are presented.
Methods. Upper limits on VHE fluxes of the targets were computed and a search for variability was performed on the nightly time scale.
Results. For 41 objects, the flux upper limits we derived are the most constraining reported to date. These constraints at VHE are compared with the flux level expected from extrapolations of Fermi-LAT measurements in the two-year catalog of AGN. The H.E.S.S. upper limits are at least a factor of two lower than the extrapolated Fermi-LAT fluxes for 11 objects Taking into account the attenuation by the extragalactic background light reduces the tension for all but two of them, suggesting intrinsic curvature in the high-energy spectra of these two AGN.
Conclusions. Compilation efforts led by current VHE instruments are of critical importance for target-selection strategies before the advent of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).
Selective preparation and detection of phonon polariton wavepackets by stimulated Raman scattering
(2014)
Wavevector-selective impulsive excitation of phonon-polaritons by a spectrally broad femtosecond transient grating produces wavepackets propagating in opposite directions. The photons in spectrally narrow probe pulses are scattered from these elementary excitations in lithium niobate (LiNbO3). Both elastically and inelastically scattered photons are simultaneously detected in a spectrometer. The Stokes- and anti-Stokes shifted probe pulses uniquely determine the propagation direction of the detected polariton wavepacket components and correspond to creation or annihilation of phonon-polaritons. Our experiments with spectrally broad pump and spectrally narrow probe pulses allows dissecting the four-wave-mixing process into two sequential stimulated Raman scattering events.
Recent observations reveal that the central star of the planetary nebula Abell 48 exhibits spectral features similar to massive nitrogen-sequence Wolf-Rayet stars. This raises a pertinent question, whether it is still a planetary nebula or rather a ring nebula of a massive star. In this study, we have constructed a three-dimensional photoionization model of Abell 48, constrained by our new optical integral field spectroscopy. An analysis of the spatially resolved velocity distributions allowed us to constrain the geometry of Abell 48. We used the collisionally excited lines to obtain the nebular physical conditions and ionic abundances of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulphur and argon, relative to hydrogen. We also determined helium temperatures and ionic abundances of helium and carbon from the optical recombination lines. We obtained a good fit to the observations for most of the emission-line fluxes in our photoionization model. The ionic abundances deduced from our model are in decent agreement with those derived by the empirical analysis. However, we notice obvious discrepancies between helium temperatures derived from the model and the empirical analysis, as overestimated by our model. This could be due to the presence of a small fraction of cold metal-rich structures, which were not included in our model. It is found that the observed nebular line fluxes were best reproduced by using a hydrogen-deficient expanding model atmosphere as the ionizing source with an effective temperature of T-eff = 70 kK and a stellar luminosity of L-star = 5500 L-circle dot, which corresponds to a relatively low-mass progenitor star (similar to 3 M-circle dot) rather than a massive Pop I star.
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.
The results of follow-up observations of the TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1640-465 from 2004 to 2011 with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) are reported in this work. The spectrum is well described by an exponential cut-off power law with photon index Gamma = 2.11 +/- 0.09(stat) +/- 0.10(sys), and a cut-off energy of E-2 = 6.0(-1.2)(+2.0) TeV. The TeV emission is significantly extended and overlaps with the northwestern part of the shell of the SNR G338.3-0.0. The new HESS results, a re-analysis of archival XMM-Newton data and multiwavelength observations suggest that a significant part of the gamma-ray emission from HESS J1640-465 originates in the supernova remnant shell. In a hadronic scenario, as suggested by the smooth connection of the GeV and TeV spectra, the product of total proton energy and mean target density could be as high as W(p)n(H) similar to 4 x 10(52)(d/10kpc)(2) erg cm(-3).
We introduce a new and simple method to quantify the effective extraction mobility in organic solar cells at low electric fields and charge carrier densities comparable to operation conditions under one sun illumination. By comparing steady-state carrier densities at constant illumination intensity and under open-circuit conditions, the gradient of the quasi-Fermi potential driving the current is estimated as a function of external bias and charge density. These properties are then related to the respective steady-state current to determine the effective extraction mobility. The new technique is applied to different derivatives of the well-known low-band-gap polymer PCPDTBT blended with PC70BM. We show that the slower average extraction due to lower mobility accounts for the moderate fill factor when solar cells are fabricated with mono- or difluorinated PCPDTBT. This lower extraction competes with improved generation and reduced nongeminate recombination, rendering the monofluorinated derivative the most efficient donor polymer.
The rapid worldwide spread of severe viral infections, often involving novel mutations of viruses, poses major challenges to our health-care systems. This means that tools that can efficiently and specifically diagnose viruses are much needed. To be relevant for broad applications in local health-care centers, such tools should be relatively cheap and easy to use. In this paper, we discuss the biophysical potential for the macroscopic detection of viruses based on the induction of a mechanical stress in a bundle of prestretched DNA molecules upon binding of viruses to the DNA. We show that the affinity of the DNA to the charged virus surface induces a local melting of the double helix into two single-stranded DNA. This process effects a mechanical stress along the DNA chains leading to an overall contraction of the DNA. Our results suggest that when such DNA bundles are incorporated in a supporting matrix such as a responsive hydrogel, the presence of viruses may indeed lead to a significant, macroscopic mechanical deformation of the matrix. We discuss the biophysical basis for this effect and characterize the physical properties of the associated DNA melting transition. In particular, we reveal several scaling relations between the relevant physical parameters of the system. We promote this DNA-based assay as a possible tool for efficient and specific virus screening.
Internal signals like one's heartbeats are centrally processed via specific pathways and both their neural representations as well as their conscious perception (interoception) provide key information for many cognitive processes. Recent empirical findings propose that neural processes in the insular cortex, which are related to bodily signals, might constitute a neurophysiological mechanism for the encoding of duration. Nevertheless, the exact nature of such a proposed relationship remains unclear. We aimed to address this question by searching for the effects of cardiac rhythm on time perception by the use of a duration reproduction paradigm. Time intervals used were of 0.5, 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, 25, and 40s length. In a framework of synchronization hypothesis, measures of phase locking between the cardiac cycle and start/stop signals of the reproduction task were calculated to quantify this relationship. The main result is that marginally significant synchronization indices (Sls) between the heart cycle and the time reproduction responses for the time intervals of 2, 3, 10, 14, and 25s length were obtained, while results were not significant for durations of 0.5, 7, and 40s length. On the single participant level, several subjects exhibited some synchrony between the heart cycle and the time reproduction responses, most pronounced for the time interval of 25s (8 out of 23 participants for 20% quantile). Better time reproduction accuracy was not related with larger degree of phase locking, but with greater vagal control of the heart. A higher interoceptive sensitivity (IS) was associated with a higher synchronization index (SI) for the 2s time interval only. We conclude that information obtained from the cardiac cycle is relevant for the encoding and reproduction of time in the time span of 2-25s. Sympathovagal tone as well as interoceptive processes mediate the accuracy of time estimation.
We present deep VERITAS observations of the blazar PKS 1424+240, along with contemporaneous Fermi Large Area Telescope, Swift X-ray Telescope, and Swift UV Optical Telescope data between 2009 February 19 and 2013 June 8. This blazar resides at a redshift of z >= 0.6035, displaying a significantly attenuated gamma-ray flux above 100 GeV due to photon absorption via pair-production with the extragalactic background light. We present more than 100 hr of VERITAS observations over three years, a multiwavelength light curve, and the contemporaneous spectral energy distributions. The source shows a higher flux of (2.1 +/- 0.3) x 10(-7) photons m(-2) s(-1) above 120 GeV in 2009 and 2011 as compared to the flux measured in 2013, corresponding to (1.02 +/- 0.08) x 10-7 photons m(-2) s(-1) above 120 GeV. The measured differential very high energy (VHE; E >= 100 GeV) spectral indices are Gamma = 3.8 +/- 0.3, 4.3 +/- 0.6 and 4.5 +/- 0.2 in 2009, 2011, and 2013, respectively. No significant spectral change across the observation epochs is detected. We find no evidence for variability at gamma-ray opacities of greater than tau = 2, where it is postulated that any variability would be small and occur on timescales longer than a year if hadronic cosmic-ray interactions with extragalactic photon fields provide a secondary VHE photon flux. The data cannot rule out such variability due to low statistics.
We demonstrate the emergence of a complex state in a homogeneous ensemble of globally coupled identical oscillators, reminiscent of chimera states in nonlocally coupled oscillator lattices. In this regime some part of the ensemble forms a regularly evolving cluster, while all other units irregularly oscillate and remain asynchronous. We argue that the chimera emerges because of effective bistability, which dynamically appears in the originally monostable system due to internal delayed feedback in individual units. Additionally, we present two examples of chimeras in bistable systems with frequency-dependent phase shift in the global coupling.