ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9078-5507
Current Organisation
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-10-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE24290
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 29-06-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-08-2014
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 11-07-2018
Abstract: Previous detections of in idual astrophysical sources of neutrinos are limited to the Sun and the supernova 1987A, whereas the origins of the diffuse flux of high-energy cosmic neutrinos remain unidentified. On 22 September 2017, we detected a high-energy neutrino, IceCube-170922A, with an energy of ~290 tera-electron volts. Its arrival direction was consistent with the location of a known γ-ray blazar, TXS 0506+056, observed to be in a flaring state. An extensive multiwavelength c aign followed, ranging from radio frequencies to γ-rays. These observations characterize the variability and energetics of the blazar and include the detection of TXS 0506+056 in very-high-energy γ-rays. This observation of a neutrino in spatial coincidence with a γ-ray-emitting blazar during an active phase suggests that blazars may be a source of high-energy neutrinos.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2014.14
Abstract: Orphan Afterglows (OA) are slow transients produced by Gamma Ray Bursts seen off–axis that become visible on timescales of days/years at optical/NIR and radio frequencies, when the prompt emission at high energies (X and γ rays) has already ceased. Given the typically estimated jet opening angle of GRBs θ jet ~ 3°, for each burst pointing to the Earth there should be a factor ~ 700 more GRBs pointing in other directions. Despite this, no secure OAs have been detected so far. Through a population synthesis code we study the emission properties of the population of OA at radio frequencies. OAs reach their emission peak on year-timescales and they last for a comparable amount of time. The typical peak fluxes (which depend on the observing frequency) are of few μJy in the radio band with only a few OA reaching the mJy level. These values are consistent with the upper limits on the radio flux of SN Ib/c observed at late times. We find that the OA radio number count distribution has a typical slope − 1.7 at high fluxes and a flatter ( − 0.4) slope at low fluxes with a break at a frequency–dependent flux. Our predictions of the OA rates are consistent with the (upper) limits of recent radio surveys and archive searches for radio transients. Future radio surveys like VAST/ASKAP at 1.4 GHz should detect ~ 3 × 10 − 3 OA deg − 2 yr − 1 , MeerKAT and EVLA at 8.4 GHz should see ~ 3 × 10 − 1 OA deg − 2 yr − 1 . The SKA, reaching the μJy flux limit, could see up to ~ 0.2 − 1.5 OA deg − 2 yr − 1 . These rates also depend on the duration of the OA above a certain flux limit and we discuss this effect with respect to the survey cadence.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731169
Abstract: Context. The large jet kinetic power and non-thermal processes occurring in the microquasar SS 433 make this source a good candidate for a very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitter. Gamma-ray fluxes above the sensitivity limits of current Cherenkov telescopes have been predicted for both the central X-ray binary system and the interaction regions of SS 433 jets with the surrounding W50 nebula. Non-thermal emission at lower energies has been previously reported, indicating that efficient particle acceleration is taking place in the system. Aim. We explore the capability of SS 433 to emit VHE gamma rays during periods in which the expected flux attenuation due to periodic eclipses ( P orb ~ 13.1 days) and precession of the circumstellar disk ( P pre ~ 162 days) periodically covering the central binary system is expected to be at its minimum. The eastern and western SS 433/W50 interaction regions are also examined using the whole data set available. We aim to constrain some theoretical models previously developed for this system with our observations. Methods. We made use of dedicated observations from the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov telescopes (MAGIC) and High Energy Spectroscopic System (H.E.S.S.) of SS 433 taken from 2006 to 2011. These observation were combined for the first time and accounted for a total effective observation time of 16.5 h, which were scheduled considering the expected phases of minimum absorption of the putative VHE emission. Gamma-ray attenuation does not affect the jet/medium interaction regions. In this case, the analysis of a larger data set amounting to ~40–80 h, depending on the region, was employed. Results. No evidence of VHE gamma-ray emission either from the central binary system or from the eastern/western interaction regions was found. Upper limits were computed for the combined data set. Differential fluxes from the central system are found to be ≲ 10 −12 –10 −13 TeV −1 cm −2 s −1 in an energy interval ranging from ~few × 100 GeV to ~few TeV. Integral flux limits down to ~ 10 −12 –10 −13 ph cm −2 s −1 and ~ 10 −13 –10 −14 ph cm −2 s −1 are obtainedat 300 and 800 GeV, respectively. Our results are used to place constraints on the particle acceleration fraction at the inner jetregions and on the physics of the jet/medium interactions. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the fraction of the jet kinetic power that is transferred to relativistic protons must be relatively small in SS 433, q p ≤ 2.5 × 10 −5 , to explain the lack of TeV and neutrino emission from the central system. At the SS 433/W50 interface, the presence of magnetic fields ≳10 μ G is derived assuming a synchrotron origin for the observed X-ray emission. This also implies the presence of high-energy electrons with E e − up to 50 TeV, preventing an efficient production of gamma-ray fluxes in these interaction regions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-10-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE24298
Abstract: The merger of two neutron stars is predicted to give rise to three major detectable phenomena: a short burst of γ-rays, a gravitational-wave signal, and a transient optical-near-infrared source powered by the synthesis of large amounts of very heavy elements via rapid neutron capture (the r-process). Such transients, named 'macronovae' or 'kilonovae', are believed to be centres of production of rare elements such as gold and platinum. The most compelling evidence so far for a kilonova was a very faint near-infrared rebrightening in the afterglow of a short γ-ray burst at redshift z = 0.356, although findings indicating bluer events have been reported. Here we report the spectral identification and describe the physical properties of a bright kilonova associated with the gravitational-wave source GW170817 and γ-ray burst GRB 170817A associated with a galaxy at a distance of 40 megaparsecs from Earth. Using a series of spectra from ground-based observatories covering the wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, we find that the kilonova is characterized by rapidly expanding ejecta with spectral features similar to those predicted by current models. The ejecta is optically thick early on, with a velocity of about 0.2 times light speed, and reaches a radius of about 50 astronomical units in only 1.5 days. As the ejecta expands, broad absorption-like lines appear on the spectral continuum, indicating atomic species produced by nucleosynthesis that occurs in the post-merger fast-moving dynamical ejecta and in two slower (0.05 times light speed) wind regions. Comparison with spectral models suggests that the merger ejected 0.03 to 0.05 solar masses of material, including high-opacity lanthanides.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 26-01-2017
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 03-2021
Abstract: Monitoring of vibrational eigenmodes of an elastic body excited by gravitational waves was one of the first concepts proposed for the detection of gravitational waves. At laboratory scale, these experiments became known as resonant bar detectors first developed by Joseph Weber in the 1960s. Due to the dimensions of these bars, the targeted signal frequencies were in the kHz range. Weber also pointed out that monitoring of vibrations of Earth or the Moon could reveal gravitational waves in the mHz band. His Lunar Surface Gravimeter experiment deployed on the Moon by the Apollo 17 crew had a technical failure, which greatly reduced the science scope of the experiment. In this article, we revisit the idea and propose a Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). We find that LGWA could become an important partner observatory for joint observations with the space-borne, laser-interferometric detector LISA and at the same time contribute an independent science case due to LGWA’s unique features. Technical challenges need to be overcome for the deployment of the experiment, and development of inertial vibration sensor technology lays out a future path for this exciting detector concept.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE07270
Abstract: Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and so provide a window into the process of black hole formation from the collapse of massive stars. Previous early optical observations of even the most exceptional GRBs (990123 and 030329) lacked both the temporal resolution to probe the optical flash in detail and the accuracy needed to trace the transition from the prompt emission within the outflow to external shocks caused by interaction with the progenitor environment. Here we report observations of the extraordinarily bright prompt optical and gamma-ray emission of GRB 080319B that provide diagnostics within seconds of its formation, followed by broadband observations of the afterglow decay that continued for weeks. We show that the prompt emission stems from a single physical region, implying an extremely relativistic outflow that propagates within the narrow inner core of a two-component jet.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 25-09-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-04-2019
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 16-02-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-11-2011
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 03-2019
Abstract: The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was observed with gravitational waves and across the electromagnetic spectrum. However, the physical processes that produced that emission remain poorly understood, particularly the late-time x-ray and radio emission. Ghirlanda et al. observed the radio afterglow with an interferometric array of 32 radio telescopes spread across the globe. The size and position of the radio source are not compatible with a uniformly expanding cocoon, as some have suggested. Instead, the data indicate that GW170817 produced a structured jet of material that escaped the surrounding ejecta and is now expanding into the interstellar medium at relativistic speeds. Science , this issue p. 968
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-12-2010
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 09-05-2017
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 23-02-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-11-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-019-1754-6
Abstract: Long-duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from ultra-relativistic jets launched from the collapsing cores of dying massive stars. They are characterized by an initial phase of bright and highly variable radiation in the kiloelectronvolt-to-megaelectronvolt band, which is probably produced within the jet and lasts from milliseconds to minutes, known as the prompt emission
Publisher: WORLD SCIENTIFIC
Date: 26-02-2018
DOI: 10.1142/10986
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 27-04-2011
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244205
Abstract: The study of the properties of galaxies in the first billion years after the Big Bang is one of the major topics of current astrophysics. Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the afterglows of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provides a powerful diagnostic tool to probe the interstellar medium (ISM) of their host galaxies and foreground absorbers, even up to the highest redshifts. We analyze the VLT/X-shooter afterglow spectrum of GRB 210905A, triggered by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and detect neutral hydrogen, low-ionization, high-ionization, and fine-structure absorption lines from a complex system at z = 6.3118, which we associate with the GRB host galaxy. We use them to study the ISM properties of the host system, revealing the metallicity, kinematics, and chemical abundance pattern of its gas along the GRB line of sight. We also detect absorption lines from at least two foreground absorbers at z = 5.7390 and z = 2.8296. The total metallicity of the z ∼ 6.3 system is [M/H] tot = −1.72 ± 0.13, after correcting for dust depletion and taking α -element enhancement into account, as suggested by our analysis. This is consistent with the values found for the other two GRBs at z ∼ 6 with spectroscopic data showing metal absorption lines (GRB 050904 and GRB 130606A), and it is at the higher end of the metallicity distribution of quasar d ed Lyman- α systems (QSO-DLAs) extrapolated to such a high redshift. In addition, we determine the overall amount of dust and dust-to-metal mass ratio (DTM) ([Zn/Fe] fit = 0.33 ± 0.09 and DTM = 0.18 ± 0.03). We find indications of nucleosynthesis due to massive stars and, for some of the components of the gas clouds, we find evidence of peculiar nucleosynthesis, with an overabundance of aluminum (as also found for GRB 130606A). From the analysis of fine-structure lines, we determine distances of several kiloparsecs for the low-ionization gas clouds closest to the GRB. Those are farther distances than usually found for GRB host absorption systems, possibly due to the very high number of ionizing photons produced by the GRB that could ionize the line of sight up to several hundreds of parsecs. Using the HST/ F 140 W image of the GRB field, we show the GRB host galaxy (with a possible afterglow contamination) as well as multiple objects within 2″ from the GRB position. We discuss the galaxy structure and kinematics that could explain our observations, also taking into account a tentative detection of Lyman- α emission at z = 6.3449 (∼1200 km s −1 from the GRB redshift in velocity space), and the observational properties of Lyman- α emitters at very high redshift. This study shows the amazing potential of GRBs to access detailed information on the properties (metal enrichment, gas kinematic, dust content, nucleosynthesis...) of very high-redshift galaxies, independently of the galaxy luminosity. Deep spectroscopic observations with VLT/MUSE and JWST will offer the unique possibility of combining the information presented in this paper with the properties of the ionized gas, with the goal of better understanding how galaxies in the reionization era form and evolve.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 04-2021
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202038949
Abstract: The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1510−089 is known for its complex multiwavelength behaviour and it is one of only a few FSRQs detected in very-high-energy (VHE, E 100 GeV) γ rays. The VHE γ -ray observations with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC in late May and early June 2016 resulted in the detection of an unprecedented flare, which revealed, for the first time, VHE γ -ray intranight variability for this source. While a common variability timescale of 1.5 h has been found, there is a significant deviation near the end of the flare, with a timescale of ∼20 min marking the cessation of the event. The peak flux is nearly two orders of magnitude above the low-level emission. For the first time, a curvature was detected in the VHE γ -ray spectrum of PKS 1510–089, which can be fully explained by the absorption on the part of the extragalactic background light. Optical R -band observations with ATOM revealed a counterpart of the γ -ray flare, even though the detailed flux evolution differs from the VHE γ -ray light curve. Interestingly, a steep flux decrease was observed at the same time as the cessation of the VHE γ -ray flare. In the high-energy (HE, E 100 MeV) γ -ray band, only a moderate flux increase was observed with Fermi -LAT, while the HE γ -ray spectrum significantly hardens up to a photon index of 1.6. A search for broad-line region (BLR) absorption features in the γ -ray spectrum indicates that the emission region is located outside of the BLR. Radio very-long-baseline interferometry observations reveal a fast-moving knot interacting with a standing jet feature around the time of the flare. As the standing feature is located ∼50 pc from the black hole, the emission region of the flare may have been located at a significant distance from the black hole. If this is indeed a true correlation, the VHE γ rays must have been produced far down in the jet, where turbulent plasma crosses a standing shock.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 28-11-2014
Abstract: Supermassive black holes with masses of millions to billions of solar masses are commonly found in the centers of galaxies. Astronomers seek to image jet formation using radio interferometry but still suffer from insufficient angular resolution. An alternative method to resolve small structures is to measure the time variability of their emission. Here we report on gamma-ray observations of the radio galaxy IC 310 obtained with the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, revealing variability with doubling time scales faster than 4.8 min. Causality constrains the size of the emission region to be smaller than 20% of the gravitational radius of its central black hole. We suggest that the emission is associated with pulsar-like particle acceleration by the electric field across a magnetospheric gap at the base of the radio jet.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 27-06-2008
Abstract: The atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescope MAGIC, designed for a low-energy threshold, has detected very-high-energy gamma rays from a giant flare of the distant Quasi-Stellar Radio Source (in short: radio quasar) 3C 279, at a distance of more than 5 billion light-years (a redshift of 0.536). No quasar has been observed previously in very-high-energy gamma radiation, and this is also the most distant object detected emitting gamma rays above 50 gigaelectron volts. Because high-energy gamma rays may be stopped by interacting with the diffuse background light in the universe, the observations by MAGIC imply a low amount for such light, consistent with that known from galaxy counts.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201833636
Abstract: Context . Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) give us the chance to study both their extreme physics and the star-forming galaxies in which they form. Aims . GRB 100418A, at a redshift of z = 0.6239, had a bright optical and radio afterglow, and a luminous star-forming host galaxy. This allowed us to study the radiation of the explosion as well as the interstellar medium of the host both in absorption and emission. Methods . We collected photometric data from radio to X-ray wavelengths to study the evolution of the afterglow and the contribution of a possible supernova (SN) and three X-shooter spectra obtained during the first 60 h. Results . The light curve shows a very fast optical rebrightening, with an litude of ∼3 magnitudes, starting 2.4 h after the GRB onset. This cannot be explained by a standard external shock model and requires other contributions, such as late central-engine activity. Two weeks after the burst we detect an excess in the light curve consistent with a SN with peak absolute magnitude M V = −18.5 mag, among the faintest GRB-SNe detected to date. The host galaxy shows two components in emission, with velocities differing by 130 km s −1 , but otherwise having similar properties. While some absorption and emission components coincide, the absorbing gas spans much higher velocities, indicating the presence of gas beyond the star-forming regions. The host has a star formation rate of SFR = 12.2 M ⊙ yr −1 , a metallicity of 12 + log(O/H) = 8.55, and a mass of 1.6 × 10 9 M ⊙ . Conclusions . GRB 100418A is a member of a class of afterglow light curves which show a steep rebrightening in the optical during the first day, which cannot be explained by traditional models. Its very faint associated SN shows that GRB-SNe can have a larger dispersion in luminosities than previously seen. Furthermore, we have obtained a complete view of the host of GRB 100418A owing to its spectrum, which contains a remarkable number of both emission and absorption lines.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 11-2010
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 23-02-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-02-2012
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 16-10-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-07-2018
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 03-01-2014
Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), bright flashes of gamma-ray light, are thought to be associated with the collapse of massive stars. GRB 130427A was detected on 27 April 2013, and it had the longest gamma-ray duration and one of the largest isotropic energy releases observed to date (see the Perspective by Fynbo ). Ackermann et al. (p. 42 , published online 21 November) report data obtained with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, which reveal a high-energy spectral component that cannot be accounted for by the standard external shock synchrotron radiation model. Vestrand et al. (p. 38 , published online 21 November) report the detection of an extremely bright flash of visible light and unexpected similarities between the variations of optical light and the highest-energy gamma rays that indicate a common origin. A detailed analysis of the first pulse of GRB 130427A by Preece et al. (p. 51 , published online 21 November) suggests that existing models cannot explain all the observed spectral and temporal behaviors simultaneously. Maselli et al. (p. 48 , published online 21 November) present x-ray and optical light curves of the burst's prompt emission as well as of its afterglow as recorded by the Swift satellite and a range of ground-based telescopes.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 18-06-2018
No related grants have been discovered for Stefano Covino.