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Cintia S. Peri

Publications and source records attributed to Cintia S. Peri.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The unidentified PeV source LHAASO J2108+5157: A microquasar remnant?

Context. LHAASO~J2108+5157 is one of the most intriguing Galactic ultra-high-energy $γ$-ray sources. It is detected up to hundreds of TeV but lacks a clear counterpart at lower frequencies. Fermi-LAT observations have revealed a compact GeV source spatially coincident with the PeV emission, while VERITAS and LST-1 impose stringent upper limits in the intermediate TeV band, producing a pronounced spectral suppression between the GeV and TeV domains. Aims. We investigate a time-dependent hadronic scenario in which a past episode of microquasar jet activity injected relativistic protons that are now observed in a relic phase. Methods. Energy-dependent diffusion naturally segregates the particle population: Lower-energy protons remain confined near dense molecular gas and account for the GeV emission, whereas higher-energy particles reach more distant material, producing the hard TeV--PeV component. Results. For representative interstellar conditions, the model is simultaneously consistent with the broadband spectral energy distribution, the spatial compact--extended dichotomy, and the lack of detectable radio or X-ray counterparts. Conclusions. The observed bimodal $γ$-ray phenomenology thus emerges as a transport effect of a single injected proton population, supporting the interpretation of LHAASO~J2108+5157 as a fossil microquasar remnant observed at an intermediate evolutionary stage and highlighting relic jet systems as a viable class of Galactic PeVatrons.

astro-ph.HE

High resolution radio emission from RCW 49/Westerlund 2

RCW49 and its ionizing cluster form an extensive, complex region, widely studied at IR and optical wavelengths. Molonglo 843 MHz and ATCA data at 1.4 and 2.4 GHz showed two shells. Recent high-resolution IR imaging revealed a complex dust structure and ongoing star formation. New high-bandwidth and high-resolution data of the RCW49 field were obtained to survey the radio emission at arcsec scale and investigate the small-scale features and nature of the HII region.- Data were collected with the new 2-GHz bandwidth receivers and the CABB correlator of the ATCA, at 5.5 and 9.0 GHz. In addition, archival observations at 1.4 and 2.4 GHz have been re-reduced and re-analyzed, together with optical, IR, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations.- The CABB data result in the most detailed radio continuum images of RCW49 to date. The radio emission closely mimics the near-IR emission observed by Spitzer, showing pillars and filaments. The brightest continuum emission comes from the region known as the bridge. The overall flattish spectral index is consistent with a free-free emission mechanism. However, hints of nonthermal components are also present in the bridge. A jet-like structure surrounded by a bubble feature whose nature is still unclear has been discovered close to the Westerlund~2 core. Two apparent bow shocks and a number of discrete sources have been detected as well in the surroundings of RCW49. We also report on and discuss the possible detection of a H RRL.- The radio results support an association between the cm continuum and molecular emission. The detection of the RRL kinematically favors a RCW49 distance of 6--7 kpc. If the negative spectral indices measured at the bridge are caused by synchrotron emission, we propose a scenario where high-energy emission could be produced. Finally, the newly discovered jet-like structure appears to deserve a detailed study by itself.

astro-ph.SR

Runaway stars: their impact on the intestellar medium

Runaway, massive stars are not among the most numerous. However, the bow shocks built by their supersonic movement in the interstellar medium have been detected in the infrared range in many cases. Most recently, the stellar bow shocks have been proposed as particle acceleration sites, as radio data analysis at high angular resolution have shown. We present results of different manifestations of the stellar bowshock phenomenon, revealed from modern IR databases.

astro-ph.SR

Non-thermal radiation from a runaway massive star

We present a study of the radio emission from a massive runaway star. The star forms a bow shock that is clearly observed in the infrared. We have performed VLA observations under the assumption that the reverse shock in the stellar wind might accelerate charged particles up to relativistic energies. Non-thermal radio emission of synchrotron origin has been detected, confirming the hypothesis. We have then modeled the system and we predict a spectral energy distribution that extends up to gamma-rays. Under some simplifying assumptions, we find that the intensity at high energies is too low to be detected by current instruments, but the future Cherenkov Telescope Array might detect the source.

astro-ph.HE

Detection of nonthermal emission from the bow shock of a massive runaway star

The environs of massive, early-type stars have been inspected in recent years in the search for sites where particles can be accelerated up to relativistic energies. Wind regions of massive binaries that collide have already been established as sources of high-energy emission; however, there is a different scenario for massive stars where strong shocks can also be produced: the bow-shaped region of matter piled up by the action of the stellar strong wind of a runaway star interacting with the interstellar medium. We study the bow-shock region produced by a very massive runaway star, BD+43 3654, to look for nonthermal radio emission as evidence of a relativistic particle population. We observed the field of BD+43 3654 at two frequencies, 1.42 and 4.86 GHz, with the Very Large Array (VLA), and obtained a spectral index map of the radio emission. We have detected, for the first time, nonthermal radio emission from the bow shock of a massive runaway star. After analyzing the radiative mechanisms that can be at work, we conclude that the region under study could produce enough relativistic particles whose radiation might be detectable by forthcoming gamma-ray instruments, like CTA North.

astro-ph.SR