ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9279-1775
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North-West University
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North-West University , South Africa
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Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201832640
Abstract: Centaurus A (Cen A) is the nearest radio galaxy discovered as a very-high-energy (VHE 100 GeV–100 TeV) γ -ray source by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). It is a faint VHE γ -ray emitter, though its VHE flux exceeds both the extrapolation from early Fermi -LAT observations as well as expectations from a (misaligned) single-zone synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) description. The latter satisfactorily reproduces the emission from Cen A at lower energies up to a few GeV. New observations with H.E.S.S., comparable in exposure time to those previously reported, were performed and eight years of Fermi -LAT data were accumulated to clarify the spectral characteristics of the γ -ray emission from the core of Cen A. The results allow us for the first time to achieve the goal of constructing a representative, contemporaneous γ -ray core spectrum of Cen A over almost five orders of magnitude in energy. Advanced analysis methods, including the template fitting method, allow detection in the VHE range of the core with a statistical significance of 12 σ on the basis of 213 hours of total exposure time. The spectrum in the energy range of 250 GeV–6 TeV is compatible with a power-law function with a photon index Γ = 2.52 ± 0.13 stat ± 0.20 sys . An updated Fermi -LAT analysis provides evidence for spectral hardening by Δ Γ ≃ 0.4 ± 0.1 at γ -ray energies above 2.8 +1.0 −0.6 GeV at a level of 4.0 σ . The fact that the spectrum hardens at GeV energies and extends into the VHE regime disfavour a single-zone SSC interpretation for the overall spectral energy distribution (SED) of the core and is suggestive of a new γ -ray emitting component connecting the high-energy emission above the break energy to the one observed at VHE energies. The absence of significant variability at both GeV and TeV energies does not yet allow disentanglement of the physical nature of this component, though a jet-related origin is possible and a simple two-zone SED model fit is provided to this end.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 15-05-2018
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935704
Abstract: The flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 is known to exhibit pronounced variability in the high-energy (100 MeV E 100 GeV) γ -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) γ -ray domain. While the observation in 2014 provides an upper limit, the observation in 2015 results in a signal with 8.7 σ 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 ≳ 1.7 × 10 17 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 .
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201732426
Abstract: Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1–100 GeV) γ -ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic γ -ray binary. Aim. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, GeV) γ -ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods. LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period of the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Results. VHE γ -ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 σ . The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the 1–10 TeV energy range is (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1035 erg s −1 . A luminosity of (5 ± 1) × 1035 erg s −1 is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE γ -ray emissions are anti-correlated. LMC P3 is the most luminous γ -ray binary known so far.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 06-2019
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935242
Abstract: Young core-collapse supernovae with dense-wind progenitors may be able to accelerate cosmic-ray hadrons beyond the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum, and this may result in measurable gamma-ray emission. We searched for gamma-ray emission from ten supernovae observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) within a year of the supernova event. Nine supernovae were observed serendipitously in the H.E.S.S. data collected between December 2003 and December 2014, with exposure times ranging from 1.4 to 53 h. In addition we observed SN 2016adj as a target of opportunity in February 2016 for 13 h. No significant gamma-ray emission has been detected for any of the objects, and upper limits on the TeV gamma-ray flux of the order of ~10 −13 cm −2 s −1 are established, corresponding to upper limits on the luminosities in the range ~2 × 10 39 to ~1 × 10 42 erg s −1 . These values are used to place model-dependent constraints on the mass-loss rates of the progenitor stars, implying upper limits between ~2 × 10 −5 and ~2 × 10 −3 M ⊙ yr −1 under reasonable assumptions on the particle acceleration parameters.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-11-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-019-1743-9
Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are brief flashes of γ-rays and are considered to be the most energetic explosive phenomena in the Universe
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935906
Abstract: Context. Flat-spectrum radio-quasars (FSRQs) are rarely detected at very high energies ( E ≥ 100 GeV) due to their low-frequency-peaked spectral energy distributions. At present, only six FSRQs are known to emit very high-energy (VHE) photons, representing only 7% of the VHE extragalactic catalog, which is largely dominated by high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae objects. Aims. Following the detection of MeV–GeV γ -ray flaring activity from the FSRQ PKS 0736+017 ( z = 0.189) with Fermi -LAT, the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes triggered target-of-opportunity (ToO) observations on February 18, 2015, with the goal of studying the γ -ray emission in the VHE band. Methods. H.E.S.S. ToO observations were carried out during the nights of February 18, 19, 21, and 24, 2015. Together with Fermi -LAT, the multi-wavelength coverage of the flare includes Swift observations in soft X-ray and optical-UV bands, and optical monitoring (photometry and spectro-polarimetry) by the Steward Observatory, and the ATOM, the KAIT, and the ASAS-SN telescopes. Results. VHE emission from PKS 0736+017 was detected with H.E.S.S. only during the night of February 19, 2015. Fermi -LAT data indicate the presence of a γ -ray flare, peaking at the time of the H.E.S.S. detection, with a flux doubling timescale of around six hours. The γ -ray flare was accompanied by at least a 1 mag brightening of the non-thermal optical continuum. No simultaneous observations at longer wavelengths are available for the night of the H.E.S.S. detection. The γ -ray observations with H.E.S.S. and Fermi -LAT are used to put constraints on the location of the γ -ray emitting region during the flare: it is constrained to be just outside the radius of the broad-line region r B L R with a bulk Lorentz factor Γ ≃ 20, or at the level of the radius of the dusty torus r torus with Γ ≃ 60. Conclusions. PKS 0736+017 is the seventh FSRQ known to emit VHE photons, and at z = 0.189 is the nearest so far. The location of the γ -ray emitting region during the flare can be tightly constrained thanks to opacity, variability, and collimation arguments.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 22-11-2017
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201833202
Abstract: Context. NGC 253 is one of only two starburst galaxies found to emit γ -rays from hundreds of MeV to multi-TeV energies. Accurate measurements of the very-high-energy (VHE E 100 GeV) and high-energy (HE E 60 MeV) spectra are crucial to study the underlying particle accelerators, probe the dominant emission mechanism(s) and to study cosmic-ray interaction and transport. Aims. The measurement of the VHE γ -ray emission of NGC 253 published in 2012 by H.E.S.S. was limited by large systematic uncertainties. Here, the most up to date measurement of the γ -ray spectrum of NGC 253 is investigated in both HE and VHE γ -rays. Assuming a hadronic origin of the γ -ray emission, the measurement uncertainties are propagated into the interpretation of the accelerated particle population. Methods. The data of H.E.S.S. observations are reanalysed using an updated calibration and analysis chain. The improved Fermi –LAT analysis employs more than 8 yr of data processed using pass 8. The cosmic-ray particle population is evaluated from the combined HE–VHE γ -ray spectrum using NAIMA in the optically thin case. Results. The VHE γ -ray energy spectrum is best fit by a power-law distribution with a flux normalisation of (1.34 ± 0.14 stat ± 0.27 sys ) × 10 −13 cm −2 s −1 TeV 1 at 1 TeV – about 40% above, but compatible with the value obtained in Abramowski et al. (2012). The spectral index Γ = 2.39 ± 0.14 stat ± 0.25 sys is slightly softer than but consistent with the previous measurement within systematic errors. In the Fermi energy range an integral flux of F ( E 60 MeV) = (1.56 ± 0.28 stat ± 0.15 sys ) × 10 −8 cm −2 s −1 is obtained. At energies above ∼3 GeV the HE spectrum is consistent with a power-law ranging into the VHE part of the spectrum measured by H.E.S.S. with an overall spectral index Γ = 2.22 ± 0.06 stat . Conclusions. Two scenarios for the starburst nucleus are tested, in which the gas in the starburst nucleus acts as either a thin or a thick target for hadronic cosmic rays accelerated by the in idual sources in the nucleus. In these two models, the level to which NGC 253 acts as a calorimeter is estimated to a range of f cal = 0.1 to 1 while accounting for the measurement uncertainties. The presented spectrum is likely to remain the most accurate measurements until the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) has collected a substantial set of data towards NGC 253.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 23-11-2018
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935458
Abstract: Context. Pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) represent the most prominent population of Galactic very-high-energy gamma-ray sources and are thought to be an efficient source of leptonic cosmic rays. Vela X is a nearby middle-aged PWN, which shows bright X-ray and TeV gamma-ray emission towards an elongated structure called the cocoon. Aims. Since TeV emission is likely inverse-Compton emission of electrons, predominantly from interactions with the cosmic microwave background, while X-ray emission is synchrotron radiation of the same electrons, we aim to derive the properties of the relativistic particles and of magnetic fields with minimal modelling. Methods. We used data from the Suzaku XIS to derive the spectra from three compact regions in Vela X covering distances from 0.3 to 4 pc from the pulsar along the cocoon. We obtained gamma-ray spectra of the same regions from H.E.S.S. observations and fitted a radiative model to the multi-wavelength spectra. Results. The TeV electron spectra and magnetic field strengths are consistent within the uncertainties for the three regions, with energy densities of the order 10 −12 erg cm −3 . The data indicate the presence of a cutoff in the electron spectrum at energies of ~ 100 TeV and a magnetic field strength of ~6 μ G. Constraints on the presence of turbulent magnetic fields are weak. Conclusions. The pressure of TeV electrons and magnetic fields in the cocoon is dynamically negligible, requiring the presence of another dominant pressure component to balance the pulsar wind at the termination shock. Sub-TeV electrons cannot completely account for the missing pressure, which may be provided either by relativistic ions or from mixing of the ejecta with the pulsar wind. The electron spectra are consistent with expectations from transport scenarios dominated either by advection via the reverse shock or by diffusion, but for the latter the role of radiative losses near the termination shock needs to be further investigated in the light of the measured cutoff energies. Constraints on turbulent magnetic fields and the shape of the electron cutoff can be improved by spectral measurements in the energy range ≳ 10 keV.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201732153
Abstract: Aims. We report on the measurement and investigation of pulsed high-energy γ -ray emission from the Vela pulsar, PSR B0833−45, based on observations with the largest telescope of H.E.S.S., CT5, in monoscopic mode, and on data obtained with the Fermi -LAT. Methods. Data from 40.3 h of observations carried out with the H.E.S.S. II array from 2013 to 2015 have been used. A dedicated very low-threshold event reconstruction and analysis pipeline was developed to achieve the lowest possible energy threshold. Eight years of Fermi -LAT data were analysed and also used as reference to validate the CT5 telescope response model and analysis methods. Results. A pulsed γ -ray signal at a significance level of more than 15 σ is detected from the P2 peak of the Vela pulsar light curve. Of a total of 15 835 events, more than 6000 lie at an energy below 20 GeV, implying a significant overlap between H.E.S.S. II-CT5 and the Fermi -LAT. While the investigation of the pulsar light curve with the LAT confirms characteristics previously known up to 20 GeV in the tens of GeV energy range, CT5 data show a change in the pulse morphology of P2, i.e. an extreme sharpening of its trailing edge, together with the possible onset of a new component at 3.4 σ significance level. Assuming a power-law model for the P2 spectrum, an excellent agreement is found for the photon indices (Γ ≃ 4.1) obtained with the two telescopes above 10 GeV and an upper bound of 8% is derived on the relative offset between their energy scales. Using data from both instruments, it is shown however that the spectrum of P2 in the 10–100 GeV has a pronounced curvature this is a confirmation of the sub-exponential cut-off form found at lower energies with the LAT. This is further supported by weak evidence of an emission above 100 GeV obtained with CT5. In contrast, converging indications are found from both CT5 and LAT data for the emergence of a hard component above 50 GeV in the leading wing (LW2) of P2, which possibly extends beyond 100 GeV. Conclusions. The detection demonstrates the performance and understanding of CT5 from 100 GeV down to the sub-20 GeV domain, i.e. unprecedented low energy for ground-based γ -ray astronomy. The extreme sharpening of the trailing edge of the P2 peak found in the H.E.S.S. II light curve of the Vela pulsar and the possible extension beyond 100 GeV of at least one of its features, LW2, provide further constraints to models of γ -Ray emission from pulsars.
No related grants have been discovered for HAMBELELENI DAVIDS.