Gamma-ray direct observations from space

Summary This paper is devoted to problems of gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range <10¹¹ eV. Measurements of spectra and fluxes in this energy range are carried out by means of direct observations from space. Most of the discussed results have been performed with the four telescopes of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The main topics of the paper are: diffuse galactic gamma-ray emission, point-like galactic gamma-ray sources, gamma-ray line emission, gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei. Rapporteur talk given at the XXIV International Cosmic-Ray Conference, Rome, August 28–September, 8, 1995.     

The contribution of the Italian Northern Cross Radiotelescope to the Gamma-Ray Observatory Pulsar Timing Network

Summary The observation of pulsars at gamma-ray energy requires updated pulsar parameters in order to fold the gamma-ray data over time intervals of weeks. The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory Institute has set up an international agreement including several radiotelescopes and pulsar observers in order to provide a suitable timing support at radio wavelengths. In this paper we describe the system used at the Italian Northern Cross for the pulse timing observations related to the GRO mission. Paper presented at the V Cosmic Physics National Conference, S. Miniato, November 27–30, 1990.     

TEV gamma-ray astronomy

In the absence of gamma-ray observations from space in the eighties, interest has turned to ground-based observations in the TeV energy region. The best established sources are the Crab Nebula, Cygnus X-3 and Hercules X-1.     

Afterglow from GRB 070610/Swift J195509.6+261406: An explanation using the fireball model

GRB 070610, which is also named Swift J195509.6+261406, is a peculiar Galactic transient with significant variability on short timescales in both X-ray and optical light curves. One possible explanation is that GRB 070610/Swift J195509.6 + 261406 is a soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) in our Galaxy. Here, we use the fireball model, which is usually recognized as the standard model of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, and the energy injection hypothesis to interpret the X-ray and optical afterglow light curves of GRB 070610/Swift J195509.6 + 261406. It is found that the model is generally consistent with observations.

     

High-energy gamma-ray sources of cosmological origin

The current generation of instruments in gamma-ray astrophysics launched a new era in the search for a dark matter signal in the high-energy sky. Such searches are said indirect, in the sense that the presence of a dark matter particle is inferred from the detection of products of its pair-annihilation or decay. They have recently started to probe the natural domain of existence for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), the favorite dark matter candidates today. In this article, we review the basic framework for indirect searches and we present a status of current limits obtained with gamma-ray observations. We also devote a section to another possible class of cosmological gamma-ray sources, primordial black holes, also considered as a potential constituent of dark matter.     

Correlated gamma rays in synchrotron radiation

A new intensity correlation phenomenon at gamma-ray wavelengths is described. The influence of detector size on correlation effects is analyzed quantitatively. It is shown that dedicated synchrotron radiation sources, such as the Mössbauer beam line at the ESRF, will have characteristics allowing experimental observations of the correlation phenomenon.     

Can FSRQs produce the Ice Cube detected diffuse neutrino emission?

Ice Cube has reported the detection of a diffuse Te V-Pe V neutrino emission, for which the flat spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) have been proposed to be the candidate sources. Here we assume that the neutrino flux from FSRQs is proportional to their gamma-ray ones, and obtain the gamma-ray/neutrino flux ratio by the diffuse gamma-ray flux from Fermi-LAT measurement of FSRQs and the diffuse neutrino flux detected by Ice Cube. We apply this ratio to individual FSRQs and hence predict their neutrino flux. We find that a large fraction of candidate FSRQs from the northern sky in the Ice Cube point source search has predicted neutrino flux above the Ice Cube upper limit; and for the sample of stacking search for neutrinos by Ice Cube, the predicted stacked flux is even larger than the upper limit of stacked flux by orders of magnitude. Therefore the Ice Cube limit from stacking searches, combined with the Fermi-LAT observations, already rejects FSRQs as the main sources of Ice Cube-detected diffuse neutrinos: FSRQs can only account for 10%( 4%) of the Ice Cube-detected diffuse neutrino flux, according to the stacking searches from the whole(northern) sky. The derived small neutrino/gamma-ray flux ratio also implies that the gamma-ray emission from FSRQs cannot be produced by the secondary leptons and photons from the pion production processes. The caveat in the assumptions is discussed.     

Calculation and Analysis of Neutron-Induced Reactions on 58Ni Below 150MeV

Based on the experimental data of the total, the nonelastic and the elastic cross sections and the elastic scattering angular distributions for n+⁵⁸Ni reactions, a set of parameters for a neutron optical model potential is obtained in the incident neutron energy region from 0.8—150MeV. Then reaction cross sections, angular distributions, energy spectra, gamma-ray production cross sections and gamma-ray production energy spectra are calculated in terms of the optical model, the distorted wave Born approximation theory, the Hauser-Feshbach theory, the exciton model and the cascade mechanism inside nuclear. The results are analyzed and compared with the existing experimental data and other evaluated data from ENBF/B-6. They are in agreement with each other within error bars.     

Search for extraterrestrial point sources of neutrinos with AMANDA-II

We present the results of a search for point sources of high-energy neutrinos in the northern hemisphere using AMANDA-II data collected in the year 2000. Included are flux limits on several active-galactic-nuclei blazars, microquasars, magnetars, and other candidate neutrino sources. A search for excesses above a random background of cosmic-ray-induced atmospheric neutrinos and misreconstructed downgoing cosmic-ray muons reveals no statistically significant neutrino point sources. We show that AMANDA-II has achieved the sensitivity required to probe known TeV gamma-ray sources such as the blazar Markarian 501 in its 1997 flaring state at a level where neutrino and gamma-ray fluxes are equal.     

γ射线暴的最新研究进展:火球模型、余辉及前身星

γ射线暴（称简γ暴）的研究在最近几年里有了巨大的突破。观测上，人们发现了γ暴的低能余辉以及与γ射线发同时的光学爆发，还发现了它位于宇学距离的寄主星系。越来越多的观测证据还表明长时标γ暴与恒星形成区、甚至可能与超新星成协。在γ暴的相对论火球模型框架下，人们对γ暴以及余辉的产生机制的认识也有了进展。进而人们对γ暴的前身星以及环境效应等有了新的认识。本文旨在对这些进展和认识给一个扼要的评述。     

Relativistic Beaming in Gamma-Ray Bursts

Relativistic beaming effect is an important radiation mechanism in explaining gamma-ray bursts, according to recent observed data by Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO). Pair production optical depth and relationship between Lorentz factor and spectral index have been calculated in considering non-uniform distribution of beam photons in gamma-ray bursts in this paper. As a comparison, we also calculate the minimum Lorenta factor for 54 observed gamma-ray bursts by CGRO.     

Dark matter and generation of galactic magnetic fields

We look for possible spectral features and systematic effects in the Fermi LAT publicly available high-energy gamma-ray data by studying photons from the Galactic center, nearby galaxy clusters, nearby brightest galaxies, AGNs, unassociated sources, hydrogen clouds and from the Earth limb. Apart from the already known 130 GeV gamma-ray excesses from the first two sources, we find no statistically significant excesses from any of the cosmological sources nor from any control region. Therefore our main effort goes to the study of gamma rays appearing from the Earth limb. In the energy range of 30 to 200 GeV the Earth limb gamma-ray spectrum follows a power-law with spectral index 2.86±0.05 at 95 % CL, in a good agreement with the PAMELA measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectral index of 2.82–2.85, confirming the physical origin of the limb gamma-rays. In subsets of the Earth limb data at small photon incidence angle spectral features occur, including a feature at 130 GeV. We observe a systematic ～2σ-level difference in the Earth limb spectra with small and large incidence angles. The behavior of those spectral features as well as the background indicates that those may be statistical fluctuations or complicated unknown systematic effects of the Fermi LAT. In the latter case, only the Fermi LAT Collaboration can give the final answer having access to raw data and all details of the reconstruction.     

基于信息理论的γ能谱辨识新方法

提出了一种基于相对熵的放射源γ能谱识别方法。首先,利用主成分分析(PCA)算法压缩数据,构造γ射线能谱的特征空间。然后,采用随机化技术(RT)来使特征空间中γ射线能谱的特征值归一化,这样,γ射线能谱的特征空间可以看作是概率空间。最后,定义两个概率空间的相对熵来测量两个γ射线能谱的相对差异。大量实验表明,所提方法能够更加有效地辨识γ射线能谱, 不仅计算量小,而且对诸如统计浮动、谱峰偏移、底噪等因素具有很高的鲁棒性。     

Design of data acquisition system and algorithm research for omnidirectional gamma-ray positioning equipment

This article introduces the design and performance of the data acquisition system used in an omnidirectional gamma-ray positioning system, along with a new method used in this system to obtain the position of radiation sources in a large field. This data acquisition system has various built-in interfaces collecting, in real time, information from the radiation detector, the video camera and the GPS positioning module. Experiments show that the data acquisition system is capable of carrying out the proposed quantitative analysis to derive the position of radioactive sources, which also satisfies the requirements of high stability and reliability.     

中能中子与58Ni反应的理论计算

在中子与⁵⁸Ni反应的总截面、去弹性散射截面和弹性散射角分布的实验数据基础上, 获得了入射中子能量从0.825—150MeV的一组普适的中子与⁵⁸Ni反应的光学模型势参数. 利用光学模型、宽度涨落修正的Hauser-Feshbach理论、预平衡反应的激子模型和核内级联模型的中能核反应计算程序MEND, 计算了中子与⁵⁸Ni反应的所有截面、角分布和能谱, 并将理论计算结果与实验数据和评价数据进行了分析比较.     

Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy: General remarks

Summary The ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has its coming of age currently with 4 sources detected at high significance levels, after experiencing about 30 years history. The energetic gamma rays provide direct means for uncovering higher-energy non-thermal phenomena at various celestial objects. We need more data with improved sensitivities, and multitudes of such efforts are now under way. Paper presented at the Special Session on ground-based gamma-ray astronomy of the XXIV International Cosmic-Ray Conference, Rome, August 28–September 8, 1995.     

Axion-like particles and the propagation of gamma rays over astronomical distances

In this brief review, possible manifestations of mixing between axion-like particles (ALPs) and energetic photons propagating over astronomical distances are considered. We discuss the evidence for the anomalous transparency of the Universe from observations of ensembles of distant gamma-ray sources, present the general formalism for the ALP-photon mixing and explain how this mechanism may remove the anomaly. We present relevant values of ALP parameters and discuss future ways to verify the scenario and to discover the particle in question.     

Characteristics of the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope for searching for dark matter signatures

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray telescope currently under development is designed to measure fluxes of gamma rays and electron-positron cosmic-ray components, which could be associated with the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles, and to survey in detail the celestial sphere in order to search for and investigate discrete gamma-ray sources; to measure the energy spectra of Galactic and extragalactic dif- fuse gamma-ray emissions; and to study gamma-ray bursts and the gamma-ray emissions of active Sun. The GAMMA-400 energy range is 100 MeV to 3000 GeV. The gamma-ray telescope has an angular resolution of ～0.01°, an energy resolution of ～1%, and a proton rejection factor of ～10⁶. The GAMMA-400 will be installed on Russia’s Navigator space platform. Observations are planned to commence in 2018.     

Cherenkov gamma-ray telescopes: Past,present, future. The ALEGRO project

A brief overview of the history of atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescopes is given. Topical problems of modern astrophysics and fundamental physics to be solved with these instruments are listed. The ALEGRO project of a low-threshold gamma-ray observatory is characterized in detail. The aim of this project is to examine cosmic gamma-ray sources (especially the rapidly variable gamma-ray sources, gamma-ray transients) with high statistics of detected photons in the energy range of 5–50 GeV.