arXiv subjects

Fabio Acero

Publications and source records attributed to Fabio Acero.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Possible Detection of X-Ray Emitting Circumstellar Material in the Synchrotron-Dominated Supernova Remnant RX J 1713.7-3946

We report on a discovery of an X-ray emitting circumstellar material knot inside the synchrotron dominant supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946. This knot was previously thought to be a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 85), but we realized that it is in fact $\sim$40$^{\prime\prime}$ away from WR 85, indicating no relation to WR 85. We performed high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. The RGS spectrum clearly resolves a number of emission lines, such as N Ly$α$, O Ly$α$, Fe XVIII, Ne X, Mg XI, and Si XIII. The spectrum can be well represented by an absorbed thermal emission model with a temperature of $k_{\rm B}T_{\rm e} = 0.65\pm 0.02$ keV. The elemental abundances are obtained to be ${\rm N/H} = 3.5\pm 0.8{\rm \left(N/H\right)_{\odot}}$, ${\rm O/H} = 0.5\pm0.1{\rm \left(O/H\right)_{\odot}}$, ${\rm Ne/H} = 0.9\pm0.1{\rm \left(Ne/H\right)_{\odot}}$, ${\rm Mg/H} = 1.0\pm0.1{\rm \left(Mg/H\right)_{\odot}}$, ${\rm Si/H} = 1.0\pm0.2{\rm \left(Si/H\right)_{\odot}}$, and ${\rm Fe/H} = 1.3\pm0.1{\rm \left(Fe/H\right)_{\odot}}$. The enhanced N abundance with others being about the solar values allows us to infer that this knot is circumstellar material ejected when the progenitor star evolved into a red supergiant. The abundance ratio of N to O is obtained to be $\rm N/O = 6.8_{-2.1}^{+2.5}\left(N/O\right)_{\odot}$. By comparing this to those in outer layers of red supergiant stars expected from stellar evolution simulations, we estimate the initial mass of the progenitor star to be $15\, \rm M_{\odot} \lesssim \rm M \lesssim 20\, \rm M_{\odot}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Three-dimensional morphological asymmetries in the ejecta of Cassiopeia A using a component separation method in X-rays

Recent simulations have shown that asymmetries in the ejecta distribution of supernova remnants (SNR) can still reflect asymmetries from the initial supernova explosion. Thus, their study provides a great means to test and constrain model predictions in relation to the distributions of heavy elements or the neutron star kicks, both of which are key to better understanding the explosion mechanisms in core-collapse supernovae. The use of a novel blind source separation method applied to the megasecond X-ray observations of the well-known Cassiopeia A SNR has revealed maps of the distribution of the ejecta endowed with an unprecedented level of detail and clearly separated from continuum emission. Our method also provides a three-dimensional view of the ejecta by disentangling the red- and blue-shifted spectral components and associated images of the Si, S, Ar, Ca and Fe, providing insights into the morphology of the ejecta distribution in Cassiopeia A. These mappings allow us to thoroughly investigate the asymmetries in the heavy elements distribution and probe simulation predictions about the neutron star kicks and the relative asymmetries between the different elements. We find in our study that most of the ejecta X-ray flux stems from the red-shifted component, suggesting an asymmetry in the explosion. In addition, the red-shifted ejecta can physically be described as a broad, relatively symmetric plume, whereas the blue-shifted ejecta is more similar to a dense knot. The neutron star also moves directly opposite to the red-shifted parts of the ejecta similar to what is seen with 44Ti. Regarding the morphological asymmetries, it appears that heavier elements have more asymmetrical distributions, which confirms predictions made by simulations. This study is a showcase of the capacities of new analysis methods to revisit archival observations to fully exploit their scientific content.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Discovery of Double-Ring Structure in the Supernova Remnant N103B: Evidence for Bipolar Winds from a Type Ia Supernova Progenitor

The geometric structure of supernova remnants (SNR) provides a clue to unveiling the pre-explosion evolution of their progenitors. Here we present an X-ray study of N103B (0509-68.7), a Type Ia SNR in the Large Magellanic Cloud, that is known to be interacting with dense circumstellar matter (CSM). Applying our novel method for feature extraction to deep Chandra observations, we have successfully resolved the CSM, Fe-rich ejecta, and intermediate-mass element (IME) ejecta components, and revealed each of their spatial distribution. Remarkably, the IME ejecta component exhibits a double-ring structure, implying that the SNR expands into an hourglass-shape cavity and thus forms bipolar bubbles of the ejecta. This interpretation is supported by more quantitative spectroscopy that reveals a clear bimodality in the distribution of the ionization state of the IME ejecta. These observational results can be naturally explained if the progenitor binary system had formed a dense CSM torus on the orbital plane prior to the explosion, providing further evidence that the SNR N103B originates from a single-degenerate progenitor.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

A novel method for component separation of extended sources in X-ray astronomy

In high-energy astronomy, spectro-imaging instruments such as X-ray detectors allow investigation of the spatial and spectral properties of extended sources including galaxy clusters, galaxies, diffuse interstellar medium, supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae. In these sources, each physical component possesses a different spatial and spectral signature, but the components are entangled. Extracting the intrinsic spatial and spectral information of the individual components from this data is a challenging task. Current analysis methods do not fully exploit the 2D-1D (x,y,E) nature of the data, as the spatial and spectral information are considered separately. Here we investigate the application of a Blind Source Separation algorithm that jointly exploits the spectral and spatial signatures of each component in order to disentangle them. We explore the capabilities of a new BSS method (General Morphological Component Analysis; GMCA), initially developed to extract an image of the Cosmic Microwave Background from Planck data, in an X-ray context. The performance of GMCA on X-ray data is tested using Monte-Carlo simulations of supernova remnant toy models, designed to represent typical science cases. We find that GMCA is able to separate highly entangled components in X-ray data even in high contrast scenarios, and can extract with high accuracy the spectrum and map of each physical component. A modification is proposed to improve the spectral fidelity in the case of strongly overlapping spatial components, and we investigate a resampling method to derive realistic uncertainties associated to the results of the algorithm. Applying the modified algorithm to the deep Chandra observations of Cassiopeia A, we are able to produce detailed maps of the synchrotron emission at low energies (0.6-2.2 keV), and of the red/blue shifted distributions of a number of elements including Si and Fe K.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Spatially resolved broad-band synchrotron emission from the non-thermal limbs of SN1006

We present ~400ks NuSTAR observations of the northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) non-thermal limbs of the Galactic SNR SN1006. We discovered three sources with X-ray emission detected at >50keV. Two of them are identified as background AGN. We extract the NuSTAR spectra from a few regions along the non-thermal limbs and jointly analyze them with the XMM-Newton spectra and the radio data. The broad-band radio/X-ray spectra can be well described with a synchrotron emission model from a single population of CR electrons with a power law energy distribution and an exponential cutoff. The power law index of the electron particle distribution function (PDF) is ~1.88-1.95 for both the NE and SW limbs, and we do not find significant evidence for a variation of this index at different energy (curvature). There are significant spatial variations of the synchrotron emission parameters. The highest energy electrons are accelerated in regions with the lowest expansion velocity, which is opposite to what has been found in the Tycho's SNR. In addition to a gradual steepening of synchrotron emission from the center of the non-thermal limbs to larger azimuthal angles, we also find that both the emission spectrum and the PDF are significantly flatter in three regions in the SW limb where the shock encounters higher density ambient medium. The NE limb also shows significantly higher cutoff energy in the PDF than the SW limb. By comparing with the roughly symmetric TeV emission and largely asymmetric GeV emission from the two non-thermal limbs, we conclude that the asymmetry in the ambient medium and magnetic fields may have largely modified the acceleration and emission of CR leptons.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Detection of two TeV shell-type remnants at GeV energies with Fermi-LAT: HESS J1731-347 and SN 1006

We report the first high-significance GeV gamma-ray detections of supernova remnants HESS J1731-347 and SN 1006, both of which have been previously detected by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes above 1 TeV. Using 8 years of Fermi Pass 8 data at energies between 1 GeV and 2 TeV, we detect emission at the position of HESS J1731-347 with a significance of $\sim 5σ$ and a spectral index of $Γ= 1.66 \pm 0.16_{\rm stat} \pm 0.12_{\rm syst}$. The hardness of the index and the good connection with the TeV spectrum of HESS J1731-347 support an association between the two sources. We also confirm the detection of SN 1006 at $\sim 6σ$ with a spectral index of $Γ= 1.79 \pm 0.17_{\rm stat} \pm 0.27_{\rm syst}$. The northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) limbs of SN 1006 were also fit separately, resulting in the detection of the NE region ($Γ= 1.47 \pm 0.26_{\rm stat}$) and the non-detection of the SW region. The significance of different spectral components for the two limbs is $3.6σ$, providing first indications of an asymmetry in the GeV $γ$-ray emission.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Gammapy - A prototype for the CTA science tools

Gammapy is a Python package for high-level gamma-ray data analysis built on Numpy, Scipy and Astropy. It enables us to analyze gamma-ray data and to create sky images, spectra and lightcurves, from event lists and instrument response information, and to determine the position, morphology and spectra of gamma-ray sources. So far Gammapy has mostly been used to analyze data from H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT, and is now being used for the simulation and analysis of observations from the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). We have proposed Gammapy as a prototype for the CTA science tools. This contribution gives an overview of the Gammapy package and project and shows an analysis application example with simulated CTA data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Measurement of the X-ray proper motion in the south-east rim of RX J1713.7-3946

We report on the first proper motion measurement in the supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 using the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope on a 13 year time interval. This expansion measurement is carried out in the south-east region of the remnant where two sharp filament structures are observed. For the outermost filament, the proper motion is $0.73\pm0.047_{\rm stat} \pm 0.069_{\rm syst}$ arcsec yr$^{-1}$ which is equivalent to a shock speed of 3500 km s$^{-1}$ at a distance of 1 kpc. In contrast with the bright north-west region where the shock is interacting with the border of the cavity, the shock in the south-east region is probably expanding in the original ambient medium carved by the progenitor and can be used to derive the current density at the shock and the age of the remnant. In the case where the shock is evolving in a wind profile ($ρ\propto r^{-s}$, s=2) or in a uniform medium (s=0), we estimate an age of 2300 yrs and 1800 yrs respectively for an ejecta power-law index n=9. The specific case of n=7 and s=0, yields an age of 1550 yrs which would reconcile RX J1713.7-3946 with the historical records of SN 393. In all scenarios, we derive similar upstream densities of the order of 0.01 cm$^{-3}$, compatible with the lack of thermal X-rays from the shocked ambient medium.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

325 and 610 MHz Radio Counterparts of SNR G353.6$-$0.7 a.k.a. HESS J1731$-$347

HESS J1731$-$347 a.k.a. SNR G353.6$-$0.7 is one of the five known shell-type supernova remnants (SNRs) emitting in the very high energy (VHE, Energy $>$ 0.1 TeV) $γ$-ray domain. We observed this TeV SNR with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in 1390, 610 and 325 MHz bands. In this paper, we report the discovery of 325 and 610 MHz radio counterparts of the SNR HESS J1731$-$347 with the GMRT. Various filaments of the SNR are clearly seen in the 325 and 610 MHz bands. However, the faintest feature in the radio bands corresponds to the peak in VHE emission. We explain this anti-correlation in terms of a possible leptonic origin of the observed VHE $γ$-ray emission. We determine the spectral indices of the bright individual filaments, which were detected in both the 610 and the 325 MHz bands. Our values range from $-$1.11 to $-$0.15, consistent with the non-thermal radio emission. We also report a possible radio counterpart of a nearby TeV source HESS J1729$-$345 from the 843 MHz Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey and the 1.4 GHz Southern Galactic Plane Survey maps. The positive radio spectral index of this possible counterpart suggests a thermal origin of the radio emission of this nearby TeV source.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Fe K and ejecta emission in SNR G15.9+0.2 with XMM-Newton

Aims: We present a study of the Galactic supernova remnant SNR G15.9+0.2 with archival XMM-Newton observations. Methods: EPIC data are used to investigate the morphological and spectral properties of the remnant, searching in particular for supernova ejecta and Fe K line emission. By comparing the SNR's X-ray absorption column density with the atomic and molecular gas distribution along the line of sight, we attempt to constrain the distance to the SNR. Results: Prominent line features reveal the presence of ejecta. Abundance ratios of Mg, Si, S, Ar, and Ca strongly suggest that the progenitor of SNR G15.9+0.2 was a massive star with a main sequence mass likely in the range 20-25 $M_{\odot}$, strengthening the physical association with a candidate central compact object detected with Chandra. Using EPIC's collective power, Fe K line emission from SNR G15.9+0.2 is detected for the first time. We measure the line properties and find evidence for spatial variations. We discuss how the source fits within the sample of SNRs with detected Fe K emission and find that it is the core-collapse SNR with the lowest Fe K centroid energy. We also present some caveats regarding the use of Fe K line centroid energy as a typing tool for SNRs. Only a lower limit of 5 kpc is placed on the distance to SNR G15.9+0.2, constraining its age to $t_{SNR} \gtrsim 2$ kyr.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Constraining the geometry of PSR J0855-4644: A nearby Pulsar Wind Nebula with Double Torus/Jet Morphology

Aims: PSR J0855-4644 is a fast-spinning, energetic pulsar discovered at radio wavelengths near the south-eastern rim of the supernova remnant RX J0852.0-4622. A follow-up observation revealed the pulsar's X-ray counterpart and a slightly asymmetric PWN suggesting possible jet structures. PSR J0855-4644 is a pulsar with one of the highest \dot{E}/d^{2} from which no GeV γ-ray pulsations have been detected. Methods: With a dedicated Chandra observation, we perform detailed spatial modelling to constrain the geometry of the PWN, in particular the pulsar's line of sight ζ_{\rm PSR}. We also perform geometric radio and γ-ray light curve modelling to further constrain ζ_{\rm PSR} and the magnetic obliquity α. Results: The observation reveals that the compact XMM source, thought to be the X-ray pulsar, can be further resolved into a point source surrounded by an elongated axisymmetric nebula with a longitudinal extent of 10". The pulsar flux represents only \sim 1\% of the XMM compact source and its spectrum is well described by a blackbody of temperature kT=0.2 keV while the surrounding nebula has a much harder spectrum (Γ=1.1 for a power-law model). Assuming the origin of the extended emission is from a double torus yields ζ_{\rm PSR}=32.5\dg \pm 4.3\dg. Independent constraints from geometric light curve modelling yield α\lesssim55\dg and ζ\lesssim55\dg, and 10\dg\lesssim|ζ-α|\lesssim30\dg. A χ^2 fit to the radio light curve yields a best fit at (α,ζ_{\rm PSR}) = (22\dg, 8\dg), with an alternative fit at (α,ζ_{\rm PSR}) = (9\dg, 25\dg) within 3σ. Such a geometry would explain, in the standard caustic pulsar model picture, the radio-loud and γ-ray-quiet behaviour of this high \dot{E}/d^{2} pulsar.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Modeling the shock-cloud interaction in SN 1006: unveiling the origin of nonthermal X-ray and gamma-ray emission

The supernova remnant SN 1006 is a source of high-energy particles and its southwestern limb is interacting with a dense ambient cloud, thus being a promising region for gamma-ray hadronic emission. We aim at describing the physics and the nonthermal emission associated with the shock-cloud interaction to derive the physical parameters of the cloud (poorly constrained by the data analysis), to ascertain the origin of the observed spatial variations in the spectral properties of the X-ray synchrotron emission, and to predict spectral and morphological features of the resulting gamma-ray emission. We performed 3-D magnetohydrodynamic simulations modeling the evolution of SN 1006 and its interaction with the ambient cloud, and explored different model setups. By applying the REMLIGHT code on the model results, we synthesized the synchrotron X-ray emission, and compared it with actual observations, to constrain the parameters of the model. We also synthesized the leptonic and hadronic gamma-ray emission from the models, deriving constraints on the energy content of the hadrons accelerated at the southwestern limb. We found that the impact of the SN 1006 shock front with a uniform cloud with density 0.5 cm^-3 can explain the observed morphology, the azimuthal variations of the cutoff frequency of the X-ray synchrotron emission, and the shock proper motion in the interaction region. Our results show that the current upper limit for the total hadronic energy in the southwestern limb is 2.5e49 erg.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

The 1st Fermi Lat Supernova Remnant Catalog

To uniformly determine the properties of supernova remnants (SNRs) at high energies, we have developed the first systematic survey at energies from 1 to 100 GeV using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Based on the spatial overlap of sources detected at GeV energies with SNRs known from radio surveys, we classify 30 sources as likely GeV SNRs. We also report 14 marginal associations and 245 flux upper limits. A mock catalog in which the positions of known remnants are scrambled in Galactic longitude, allows us to determine an upper limit of 22% on the number of GeV candidates falsely identified as SNRs. We have also developed a method to estimate spectral and spatial systematic errors arising from the diffuse interstellar emission model, a key component of all Galactic Fermi LAT analyses. By studying remnants uniformly in aggregate, we measure the GeV properties common to these objects and provide a crucial context for the detailed modeling of individual SNRs. Combining our GeV results with multiwavelength (MW) data, including radio, X-ray, and TeV, demonstrates the need for improvements to previously sufficient, simple models describing the GeV and radio emission from these objects. We model the GeV and MW emission from SNRs in aggregate to constrain their maximal contribution to observed Galactic cosmic rays.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Evidence for Thermal X-Ray Line Emission from the Synchrotron-Dominated Supernova Remnant RX J1713.7-3946

We report the first detection of thermal X-ray line emission from the supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946, the prototype of the small class of synchrotron dominated SNRs. A softness-ratio map generated using XMM-Newton data shows that faint interior regions are softer than bright shell regions. Using Suzaku and deep XMM-Newton observations, we have extracted X-ray spectra from the softest area, finding clear line features at 1 keV and 1.35 keV. These lines can be best explained as Ne Ly-alpha and Mg He-alpha from a thermal emission component. Since the abundance ratios of metals to Fe are much higher than solar values in the thermal component, we attribute the thermal emission to reverse-shocked SN ejecta. The measured Mg/Ne, Si/Ne, and Fe/Ne ratios of 2.0-2.6, 1.5-2.0, and <0.05 solar suggest that the progenitor star of RX J1713.7-3946 was a relatively low-mass star (<~20 M_sun), consistent with a previous inference based on the effect of stellar winds of the progenitor star on the surrounding medium. Since the mean blastwave speed of ~6000 km/s (the radius of 9.6 pc divided by the age of 1600 yr) is relatively fast compared with other core-collapse SNRs, we propose that RX J1713.7-3946 is a result of a Type Ib/c supernova whose progenitor was a member of an interacting binary. While our analysis provides strong evidence for X-ray line emission, our interpretation of its nature as thermal emission from SN ejecta requires further confirmation especially through future precision spectroscopic measurements using ASTRO-H.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Discovery of the mysterious gamma-ray source HESS J1832-093 in the vicinity of SNR G22.7-0.2

Thanks to the use of advanced analysis techniques, the H.E.S.S. imaging Cherenkov telescope array has now reached a sensitivity level allowing the detection of sources with fluxes around 1% of the Crab with a limited observation time (less than ~100 hours). 67 hours of observations in the region of the supernova remnant G22.7-0.2 thus yielded the detection of the faint point-like source HESS J1832-093 in spatial coincidence with a part of the radio shell of the supernova remnant. A multi-wavelength search for counterparts was then performed and led to the elaboration of various scenarii in order to explain the origin of the very high energy excess. The presence of molecular clouds in the line of sight could indicate a hadronic origin through π^0 production and decay. However, the discovery of an X-ray point source and its potential infrared counterpart give rise to other possibilities such as a pulsar wind nebula nature or a binary system. The latest results on this source are presented as well as the different scenarii brought by the multi-wavelength observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

H.E.S.S. deeper observations on SNR RX J0852.0-4622

Supernova Remnants (SNRs) are believed to be acceleration sites of Galactic cosmic rays. Therefore, deep studies of these objects are instrumental for an understanding of the high energy processes in our Galaxy. RX J0852.0-4622, also known as Vela Junior, is one of the few (4) shell-type SNRs resolved at Very High Energies (VHE; E > 100 GeV). It is one of the largest known VHE sources (~ 1.0 deg radius) and its flux level is comparable to the flux level of the Crab Nebula in the same energy band. These characteristics allow for a detailed analysis, shedding further light on the high-energy processes taking place in the remnant. In this document we present further details on the spatial and spectral morphology derived with an extended data set. The analysis of the spectral morphology of the remnant is compatible with a constant power-law photon index of 2.11 +/- 0.05_stat +/- 0.20_syst from the whole SNR in the energy range from 0.5 TeV to 7 TeV. The analysis of the spatial morphology shows an enhanced emission towards the direction of the pulsar PSR J0855-4644, however as the pulsar is lying on the rim of the SNR, it is difficult to disentangle both contributions. Therefore, assuming a point source, the upper limit on the flux of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) between 1 TeV and 10 TeV, is estimated to be ~ 2% of the Crab Nebula flux in the same energy range.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Suzaku Observations of the Non-thermal Supernova Remnant HESS J1731-347

A detailed analysis of the nonthermal X-ray emission from the North-Western and Southern parts of the supernova remnant (SNR) HESS J1731$ - $347 with {\it Suzaku} is presented. The shell portions covered by the observations emit hard and line-less X-rays. The spectrum can be reproduced by a simple absorbed power-law model with a photon index $Γ$ of 1.8-2.7 and an absorption column density $N_{\rm H}$ of (1.0-2.1)$\times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. These quantities change significantly from region to region; the North-Western part of the SNR has the hardest and most absorbed spectrum. The Western part of the X-ray shell has a smaller curvature than North-Western and Southern shell segments. A comparison of the X-ray morphology to the Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray and radio images was performed. The efficiency of electron acceleration and emission mechanism in each portion of the shell are discussed. Thermal X-ray emission from the SNR was searched for but could not be detected at a significant level.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Evidence for VHE emission from SNR G22.7-0.2 region with H.E.S.S

Observations of the supernova remnant G22.7-0.2 in the field of view of W41 with the H.E.S.S. telescope array have resulted in evidence for a very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from the direction of the object. The emission region is spatially coincident with molecular clouds visible in 13CO data, suggesting a hadronic origin of the TeV emission, although other scenarios brought by X-ray observations with the XMM-Newton satellite are also discussed. The latest results obtained on this SNR with H.E.S.S. and associated multi-wavelength information are presented here.

astro-ph.HE↗