arXiv subjects

C. C. Cheung

Publications and source records attributed to C. C. Cheung.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

A panchromatic view of the restless SN2009ip reveals the explosive ejection of a massive star envelope

The 2012 explosion of SN2009ip raises questions about our understanding of the late stages of massive star evolution. Here we present a comprehensive study of SN2009ip during its remarkable re-brightening(s). High-cadence photometric and spectroscopic observations from the GeV to the radio band obtained from a variety of ground-based and space facilities (including the VLA, Swift, Fermi, HST and XMM) constrain SN2009ip to be a low energy (E~ 10^50 erg for an ejecta mass ~ 0.5 Msun) and likely asymmetric explosion in a complex medium shaped by multiple eruptions of the restless progenitor star. Most of the energy is radiated as a result of the shock breaking out through a dense shell of material located at 5x10^14 cm with M~0.1 Msun, ejected by the precursor outburst ~40 days before the major explosion. We interpret the NIR excess of emission as signature of dust vaporization of material located further out (R>4x 10^15 cm), the origin of which has to be connected with documented mass loss episodes in the previous years. Our modeling predicts bright neutrino emission associated with the shock break-out if the cosmic ray energy is comparable to the radiated energy. We connect this phenomenology with the explosive ejection of the outer layers of the massive progenitor star, that later interacted with material deposited in the surroundings by previous eruptions. Future observations will reveal if the luminous blue variable (LBV) progenitor star survived. Irrespective of whether the explosion was terminal, SN2009ip brought to light the existence of new channels for sustained episodic mass-loss, the physical origin of which has yet to be identified.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

The spectroscopic evolution of the $γ$-ray emitting classical nova Nova Mon 2012. I. Implications for the ONe subclass of classical novae

Nova Mon 2012 was the first classical nova to be detected as a high energy $γ$-ray transient, by Fermi-LAT, before its optical discovery. We study a time sequence of high resolution optical echelle spectra (Nordic Optical Telescope) and contemporaneous NOT, STIS UV, and CHIRON echelle spectra (Nov 20/21/22). We use [O III] and H$β$ line fluxs to constrain the properties of the ejecta. We derive the structure from the optical and UV line profiles and compare our measured line fluxes for with predictions using Cloudy with abundances from other ONe novae. Mon 2012 is confirmed as an ONe nova. We find E(B-V)=0.85$\pm$0.05 and hydrogen column density $\approx 5\times 10^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$. The corrected continuum luminosity is nearly the same in the entire observed energy range as V1974 Cyg, V382 Mon, and Nova LMC 2000 at the same epoch after outburst. The distance, about 3.6 kpc, is quite similar to V1974 Cyg. The line profiles can be modeled using an axisymmetric bipolar geometry for the ejecta with various inclinations of the axis to the line of sight, 60 \le i \le 80 degrees, an opening angle of \approx$70 deg, inner radius $ΔR/R(t)\approx 0.4$ for permitted lines and less filled for forbidden lines. The filling factor $f\approx 0.1-0.3$ implying M(ejecta) $\leq 6\times 10^{-5}$M$_\odot$. The ONe novae appear to comprise a single physical class with bipolar high mass ejecta, similarly enhanced abundances, and a common spectroscopic evolution within a narrow range of luminosities. The detected $γ$-ray emission may be a generic phenomenon, common to all ONe novae, possibly to all classical novae, and connected with acceleration and emission processes within the ejecta (abstract severely truncated).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Looking for Stars and Finding the Moon: Effects of Lunar Gamma-ray Emission on Fermi LAT Light Curves

We are conducting a search for new gamma-ray binaries by making high signal-to-noise light curves of all cataloged Fermi LAT sources and searching for periodic variability using appropriately weighted power spectra. The light curves are created using a variant of aperture photometry where photons are weighted by the probability that they came from the source of interest. From this analysis we find that the light curves of a number of sources near the ecliptic plane are contaminated by gamma-ray emission from the Moon. This shows itself as modulation on the Moon's sidereal period in the power spectra. We demonstrate that this contamination can be removed by excluding times when the Moon was too close to a source. We advocate that this data screening should generally be used when analyzing LAT data from a source located close to the path of the Moon.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants

Cosmic rays are particles (mostly protons) accelerated to relativistic speeds. Despite wide agreement that supernova remnants (SNRs) are the sources of galactic cosmic rays, unequivocal evidence for the acceleration of protons in these objects is still lacking. When accelerated protons encounter interstellar material, they produce neutral pions, which in turn decay into gamma rays. This offers a compelling way to detect the acceleration sites of protons. The identification of pion-decay gamma rays has been difficult because high-energy electrons also produce gamma rays via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. We detected the characteristic pion-decay feature in the gamma-ray spectra of two SNRs, IC 443 and W44, with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This detection provides direct evidence that cosmic-ray protons are accelerated in SNRs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Giant Lobes of Centaurus A Radio Galaxy Observed with the Suzaku X-ray Satellite

[abridged] We report on Suzaku observations of selected regions within the Southern giant lobe of the radio galaxy Centaurus A. We focus on distinct X-ray features likely associated with fine radio structure of the lobe. We find that the spectral properties of the detected X-ray features are equally consistent with thermal emission from hot gas, or with a power-law radiation continuum. However, the plasma parameters implied by these different models favor a synchrotron origin for the analyzed X-ray spots, indicating that a very efficient acceleration of electrons is taking place within the giant structure of Centaurus A, albeit only in isolated and compact regions. We also present a detailed analysis of the diffuse X-ray emission, resulting in a tentative detection of a soft excess component best fitted by a thermal model with a temperature of 0.5 keV. The exact origin of the observed excess remains uncertain, although energetic considerations point to thermal gas filling the bulk of the volume of the lobe and mixed with the non-thermal plasma. The corresponding pressure of the thermal gas in such a case appears to be in almost exact equipartition with the pressure provided by the radio-emitting electrons and the magnetic field. Although tentative, our findings potentially imply that the structure of the extended lobes in active galaxies is likely to be highly inhomogeneous, with magnetic reconnection processes continuously converting magnetic energy to internal energy of the plasma particles, leading to spatial and temporal variations in the plasma parameters around the equilibrium condition.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Radio Detection of the Fermi LAT Blind Search Millisecond Pulsar J1311-3430

We report the detection of radio emission from PSR J1311-3430, the first millisecond pulsar discovered in a blind search of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray data. We detected radio pulsations at 2 GHz, visible for <10% of ~4.5-hrs of observations using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Observations at 5 GHz with the GBT and at several lower frequencies with Parkes, Nancay, and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope resulted in non-detections. We also report the faint detection of a steep spectrum continuum radio source (0.1 mJy at 5 GHz) in interferometric imaging observations with the Jansky Very Large Array. These detections demonstrate that PSR J1311-3430, is not radio quiet and provides additional evidence that the radio beaming fraction of millisecond pulsars is very large. The radio detection yields a distance estimate of 1.4 kpc for the system, yielding a gamma-ray efficiency of 30%, typical of LAT-detected MSPs. We see apparent excess delay in the radio pulsar as the pulsar appears from eclipse and we speculate on possible mechanisms for the non-detections of the pulse at other orbital phases and observing frequencies.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Fermi-LAT and Suzaku Observations of the Radio Galaxy Centaurus B

Centaurus B is a nearby radio galaxy positioned in the Southern hemisphere close to the Galactic plane. Here we present a detailed analysis of about 43 months of accumulated Fermi-LAT data of the gamma-ray counterpart of the source initially reported in the 2nd Fermi-LAT catalog, and of newly acquired Suzaku X-ray data. We confirm its detection at GeV photon energies, and analyze the extension and variability of the gamma-ray source in the LAT dataset, in which it appears as a steady gamma-ray emitter. The X-ray core of Centaurus B is detected as a bright source of a continuum radiation. We do not detect however any diffuse X-ray emission from the known radio lobes, with the provided upper limit only marginally consistent with the previously claimed ASCA flux. Two scenarios that connect the X-ray and gamma-ray properties are considered. In the first one, we assume that the diffuse non-thermal X-ray emission component is not significantly below the derived Suzaku upper limit. In this case, modeling the inverse-Compton emission shows that the observed gamma-ray flux of the source may in principle be produced within the lobes. This association would imply that efficient in-situ acceleration of the radiating electrons is occurring and that the lobes are dominated by the pressure from the relativistic particles. In the second scenario, with the diffuse X-ray emission well below the Suzaku upper limits, the lobes in the system are instead dominated by the magnetic pressure. In this case, the observed gamma-ray flux is not likely to be produced within the lobes, but instead within the nuclear parts of the jet. By means of synchrotron self-Compton modeling we show that this possibility could be consistent with the broad-band data collected for the unresolved core of Centaurus B, including the newly derived Suzaku spectrum.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Binary Millisecond Pulsar Discovery via Gamma-Ray Pulsations

Millisecond pulsars, old neutron stars spun-up by accreting matter from a companion star, can reach high rotation rates of hundreds of revolutions per second. Until now, all such "recycled" rotation-powered pulsars have been detected by their spin-modulated radio emission. In a computing-intensive blind search of gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (with partial constraints from optical data), we detected a 2.5-millisecond pulsar, PSR J1311-3430. This unambiguously explains a formerly unidentified gamma-ray source that had been a decade-long enigma, confirming previous conjectures. The pulsar is in a circular orbit with an orbital period of only 93 minutes, the shortest of any spin-powered pulsar binary ever found.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Nuclear X-ray properties of the peculiar radio-loud hidden AGN 4C+29.30

We present results from a study of a nuclear emission of a nearby radio galaxy, 4C+29.30, over a broad 0.5-200 keV X-ray band. This study used new XMM-Newton (~17 ksec) and Chandra (~300 ksec) data, and archival Swift/BAT data from the 58-month catalog. The hard (>2 keV) X-ray spectrum of 4C+29.30 can be decomposed into an intrinsic hard power-law (Gamma ~ 1.56) modified by a cold absorber with an intrinsic column density N_{H,z} ~ 5x10^{23} cm^{-2}, and its reflection (|Omega/2pi| ~ 0.3) from a neutral matter including a narrow iron Kalpha emission line at the rest frame energy ~6.4 keV. The reflected component is less absorbed than the intrinsic one with an upper limit on the absorbing column of N^{refl}_{H,z} < 2.5x10^{22} cm^{-2}. The X-ray spectrum varied between the XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. We show that a scenario invoking variations of the normalization of the power-law is favored over a model with variable intrinsic column density. X-rays in the 0.5-2 keV band are dominated by diffuse emission modeled with a thermal bremsstrahlung component with temperature ~0.7 keV, and contain only a marginal contribution from the scattered power-law component. We hypothesize that 4C+29.30 belongs to a class of `hidden' AGN containing a geometrically thick torus. However, unlike the majority of them, 4C+29.30 is radio-loud. Correlations between the scattering fraction and Eddington luminosity ratio, and the one between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, imply that 4C+29.30 hosts a black hole with ~10^8 M_{Sun} mass.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Toward Identifying the Unassociated Gamma-ray Source 1FGL J1311.7-3429 with X-ray and Optical Observations

We present deep optical and X-ray follow-up observations of the bright unassociated Fermi-LAT gammaray source 1FGL J1311.7-3429. The source was already known as an unidentified EGRET source (3EG J1314-3431, EGR J1314-3417), hence its nature has remained uncertain for the past two decades. For the putative counterpart, we detected a quasi-sinusoidal optical modulation of delta_m\sim2 mag with a period of ~1.5 hr in the Rc, r' and g' bands. Moreover, we found that the amplitude of the modulation and peak intensity changed by > 1 mag and 0.5 mag respectively, over our total six nights of observations from 2012 March and May. Combined with Swif t UVOT data, the optical-UV spectrum is consistent with a blackbody temperature, kT \sim1 eV, and the emission volume radius Rbb\sim 1.5x10^4 km. In contrast, deep Suzaku observations conducted in 2009 and 2011 revealed strong X-ray flares with a lightcurve characterized with a power spectrum density of P(f) propto f^(-2) but the folded X-ray light curves suggest an orbital modulation also in X-rays. Together with the non-detection of a radio counterpart, and significant curved spectrum and non-detection of variability in gamma-rays, the source may be the second radio-quiet gamma-ray emitting milli-second pulsar candidate after 1FGL J2339.7-0531, although the origin of flaring X-ray and optical variability remains an open question.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Discovery of a Kiloparsec Scale X-ray/Radio Jet in the z=4.72 Quasar GB 1428+4217

We report the discovery of a one-sided 3.6" (24 kpc, projected) long jet in the high-redshift, z=4.72, quasar GB 1428+4217 in new Chandra X-ray and VLA radio observations. This is the highest redshift kiloparsec-scale X-ray/radio jet known. Analysis of archival VLBI 2.3 and 8.6 GHz data reveal a faint one-sided jet extending out to ~200 parsecs and aligned to within ~30 deg of the Chandra/VLA emission. The 3.6" distant knot is not detected in an archival HST image, and its broad-band spectral energy distribution is consistent with an origin from inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons for the X-rays. Assuming also equipartition between the radiating particles and magnetic field, the implied jet Lorentz factor is ~5. This is similar to the other two known z ~ 4 kpc-scale X-ray jet cases and smaller than typically inferred in lower-redshift cases. Although there are still but a few such very high-redshift quasar X-ray jets known, for an inverse Compton origin, the present data suggest that they are less relativistic on large-scales than their lower-redshift counterparts.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Chandra X-ray Observations of the Two Brightest Unidentified High Galactic Latitude Fermi-LAT gamma-ray Sources

We present Chandra ACIS-I X-ray observations of 0FGL J1311.9-3419 and 0FGL J1653.4-0200, the two brightest high Galactic latitude (|b|>10 deg) gamma-ray sources from the 3 month Fermi-LAT bright source list that are still unidentified. Both were also detected previously by EGRET, and despite dedicated multi-wavelength follow-up, they are still not associated with established classes of gamma-ray emitters like pulsars or radio-loud active galactic nuclei. X-ray sources found in the ACIS-I fields of view are catalogued, and their basic properties are determined. These are discussed as candidate counterparts to 0FGL J1311.9-3419 and 0FGL J1653.4-0200, with particular emphasis on the brightest of the 9 and 13 Chandra sources detected within their respective Fermi-LAT 95% confidence regions. Further follow-up studies, including optical photometric and spectroscopic observations are necessary to identify these X-ray candidate counterparts in order to ultimately reveal the nature of these enigmatic gamma-ray objects.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

GeV Observations of Star-forming Galaxies with \textit{Fermi} LAT

Recent detections of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253 by gamma-ray telescopes suggest that galaxies rapidly forming massive stars are more luminous at gamma-ray energies compared to their quiescent relatives. Building upon those results, we examine a sample of 69 dwarf, spiral, and luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies at photon energies 0.1-100 GeV using 3 years of data collected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the \textit{Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope} (\textit{Fermi}). Measured fluxes from significantly detected sources and flux upper limits for the remaining galaxies are used to explore the physics of cosmic rays in galaxies. We find further evidence for quasi-linear scaling relations between gamma-ray luminosity and both radio continuum luminosity and total infrared luminosity which apply both to quiescent galaxies of the Local Group and low-redshift starburst galaxies (conservative $P$-values $\lesssim0.05$ accounting for statistical and systematic uncertainties). The normalizations of these scaling relations correspond to luminosity ratios of $\log(L_{0.1-100 \rm{GeV}}/L_{1.4 \rm{GHz}}) = 1.7 \pm 0.1_{\rm (statistical)} \pm 0.2_{\rm (dispersion)}$ and $\log(L_{0.1-100 \rm{GeV}}/L_{8-1000 μ\rm{m}}) = -4.3 \pm 0.1_{\rm (statistical)} \pm 0.2_{\rm (dispersion)}$ for a galaxy with a star formation rate of 1 $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, assuming a Chabrier initial mass function. Using the relationship between infrared luminosity and gamma-ray luminosity, the collective intensity of unresolved star-forming galaxies at redshifts $0<z<2.5$ above 0.1 GeV is estimated to be 0.4-2.4 $\times 10^{-6}$ ph cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ sr$^{-1}$ (4-23% of the intensity of the isotropic diffuse component measured with the LAT). We anticipate that $\sim10$ galaxies could be detected by their cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission during a 10-year \textit{Fermi} mission.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

The Chandra View of NGC 4178: The Lowest Mass Black Hole in a Bulgeless Disk Galaxy?

Using high resolution Chandra data, we report the presence of a weak X-ray point source coincident with the nucleus of NGC 4178, a late-type bulgeless disk galaxy known to have high ionization mid-infrared (mid-IR) lines typically associated with active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Although the faintness of this source precludes a direct spectral analysis, we are able to infer its basic spectral properties using hardness ratios. X-ray modeling, combined with the nuclear mid-IR characteristics, suggests that NGC 4178 may host a highly absorbed AGN accreting at a high rate with a bolometric luminosity on order of 10^43 ergs/s. The black hole mass estimate, based on our Chandra data and archival VLA data using the most recent fundamental plane relations is \sim 10^4 - 10^5 M\odot, possibly the lowest mass nuclear black hole currently known. There are also three off-nuclear sources, two with a similar brightness to the nuclear source at 36" and 32" from the center. As with the nuclear source, hardness ratios are used to estimate spectra for these two sources, and both are consistent with a simple power- law model with absorption. These two sources have X-ray luminosities of the order of \sim 10^38 ergs/s, which place them at the threshold between X-ray binaries and ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). The third off-nuclear source, located 49" from the center, is the brightest source detected, with an X-ray luminosity of \sim 10^40 ergs/s. Its spectrum is well-fit with an absorbed power law model, suggesting that it is a ULX. We also fit its spectrum with the Bulk Motion Comptonization (BMC) model and suggest that this source is consistent with an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) of mass (6\times2)\times10^3 M\odot.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Measurement of separate cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

We measured separate cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Because the instrument does not have an onboard magnet, we distinguish the two species by exploiting the Earth's shadow, which is offset in opposite directions for opposite charges due to the Earth's magnetic field. We estimate and subtract the cosmic-ray proton background using two different methods that produce consistent results. We report the electron-only spectrum, the positron-only spectrum, and the positron fraction between 20 GeV and 200 GeV. We confirm that the fraction rises with energy in the 20-100 GeV range. The three new spectral points between 100 and 200 GeV are consistent with a fraction that is continuing to rise with energy.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Suzaku X-ray Imaging of the Extended Lobe in the Giant Radio Galaxy NGC6251 Associated with the Fermi-LAT Source 2FGLJ1629.4+8236

We report the results of a Suzaku X-ray imaging study of NGC6251, a nearby giant radio galaxy with intermediate FR I/II radio properties. Our pointing direction was centered on the gamma -ray emission peak recently discovered with Fermi-LAT around the position of the north-west radio lobe 15 arcmin offset from the nucleus. After subtracting two "off-source" pointings adjacent to the radio lobe, and removing possible contaminants in the XIS field of view, we found significant residual X-ray emission most likely diffuse in nature. The spectrum of the excess X-ray emission is well fit by a power law with photon index Γ= 1.90 +- 0.15 and a 0.5 - 8 keV flux of 4 x 10^{-13} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. We interpret this diffuse X-ray emission component as being due to inverse-Compton up-scattering of the cosmic microwave background photons by ultrarelativistic electrons within the lobe, with only a minor contribution from the beamed emission of the large-scale jet. Utilizing archival radio data for the source, we demonstrate by means of broad-band spectral modeling that the -ray flux of the Fermi-LAT source 2FGL J1629.4+8236 may well be accounted for by the high-energy tail of the inverse-Compton continuum of the lobe. Thus, this claimed association of gamma-rays from the north-west lobe of NGC6251, together with the recent Fermi-LAT imaging of the extended lobes of Centaurus A, indicates that particles may be efficiently (re-)accelerated up to ultrarelativistic energies within extended radio lobes of nearby radio galaxies in general.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

The kinematic of HST-1 in the jet of M87

Aims: We aim to constrain the structural variations within the HST-1 region downstream of the radio jet of M87, in general as well as in connection to the episodes of activity at very high energy (VHE). Methods: We analyzed and compared 26 VLBI observations of the M87 jet, obtained between 2006 and 2011 with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 1.7 GHz and the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 5 GHz. Results: HST-1 is detected at all epochs; we model-fitted its complex structure with two or more components, the two outermost of which display a significant proper motion with a superluminal velocity around ~4c. The motion of a third feature that is detected upstream is more difficult to characterize. The overall position angle of HST-1 has changed during the time of our observations from -65deg to -90deg, while the structure has moved by over 80 mas downstream. Our results on the component evolution suggest that structural changes at the upstream edge of HST-1 can be related to the VHE events.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Discovery of an unidentified Fermi object as a black widow-like millisecond pulsar

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has revolutionized our knowledge of the gamma-ray pulsar population, leading to the discovery of almost 100 gamma-ray pulsars and dozens of gamma-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Although the outer-gap model predicts different sites of emission for the radio and gamma-ray pulsars, until now all of the known gamma-ray MSPs have been visible in the radio. Here we report the discovery of a "radio-quiet" gamma-ray emitting MSP candidate by using Fermi, Chandra, Swift, and optical observations. The X-ray and gamma-ray properties of the source are consistent with known gamma-ray pulsars. We also found a 4.63-hr orbital period in optical and X-ray data. We suggest that the source is a black widow-like MSP with a ~0.1 solar-mass late-type companion star. Based on the profile of the optical and X-ray light-curves, the companion star is believed to be heated by the pulsar while the X-ray emissions originate from pulsar magnetosphere and/or from intra-binary shock. No radio detection of the source has been reported yet and although no gamma-ray/radio pulsation has been found, we estimated that the spin period of the MSP is ~3-5 ms based on the inferred gamma-ray luminosity.

astro-ph.HE↗