arXiv subjects

Fulvio Melia

Publications and source records attributed to Fulvio Melia.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Gamma-Rays and the Far-Infrared-Radio Continuum Correlation Reveal a Powerful Galactic Centre Wind

We consider the thermal and non-thermal emission from the inner 200 pc of the Galaxy. The radiation from this almost star-burst-like region is ultimately driven dominantly by on-going massive star formation. We show that this region's radio continuum (RC) emission is in relative deficit with respect to the expectation afforded by the Far- infrared-Radio Continuum Correlation (FRC). Likewise we show that the region's gamma-ray emission falls short of that expected given its star formation and resultant supernova rates. These facts are compellingly explained by positing that a powerful (400-1200 km/s) wind is launched from the region. This wind probably plays a number of important roles including advecting positrons into the Galactic bulge thus explaining the observed ~kpc extension of the 511 keV positron annihilation signal around the GC. We also show that the large-scale GC magnetic field falls in the range ~100-300 microG and that - in the time they remain in the region - GC cosmic rays do not penetrate into the region's densest molecular material.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

Diffusive Cosmic Ray Acceleration at the Galactic Centre

The diffuse TeV emission detected from the inner $\sim2^\circ$ of the Galaxy appears to be strongly correlated with the distribution of molecular gas along the Galactic ridge. Although it is not yet entirely clear whether the origin of the TeV photons is due to hadronic or leptonic interactions, the tight correlation of the intensity distribution with the molecular gas strongly points to a pionic-decay process involving relativistic protons. But the spectrum of the TeV radiation---a power law with index $α\approx -2.3$---cannot be accommodated easily with the much steeper distribution of cosmic rays seen at Earth. In earlier work, we examined the possible sources of these relativistic protons and concluded that neither the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (identified with the HESS source J1745-290), nor several pulsar wind nebulae dispersed along the Galactic plane, could produce a TeV emission profile morphologically similar to that seen by HESS. We concluded from this earlier study that only relativistic protons accelerated throughout the inter-cloud medium could account for the observed diffuse TeV emission from this region. In this paper, we develop a model for diffusive proton acceleration driven by a turbulent Alfvénic magnetic field present throughout the gaseous medium. Though circumstantial, this appears to be the first evidence that at least some cosmic rays are accelerated diffusively within the inner $\sim300$ pc of the Galaxy.

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arXiv2010

High Energy Cosmic-ray Diffusion in Molecular Clouds: A Numerical Approach

The propagation of high-energy cosmic rays through giant molecular clouds constitutes a fundamental process in astronomy and astrophysics. The diffusion of cosmic-rays through these magnetically turbulent environments is often studied through the use of energy-dependent diffusion coefficients, although these are not always well motivated theoretically. Now, however, it is feasible to perform detailed numerical simulations of the diffusion process computationally. While the general problem depends upon both the field structure and particle energy, the analysis may be greatly simplified by dimensionless analysis. That is, for a specified purely turbulent field, the analysis depends almost exclusively on a single parameter -- the ratio of the maximum wavelength of the turbulent field cells to the particle gyration radius. For turbulent magnetic fluctuations superimposed over an underlying uniform magnetic field, particle diffusion depends on a second dimensionless parameter that characterizes the ratio of the turbulent to uniform magnetic field energy densities. We consider both of these possibilities and parametrize our results to provide simple quantitative expressions that suitably characterize the diffusion process within molecular cloud environments. Doing so, we find that the simple scaling laws often invoked by the high-energy astrophysics community to model cosmic-ray diffusion through such regions appear to be fairly robust for the case of a uniform magnetic field with a strong turbulent component, but are only valid up to $\sim 50$ TeV particle energies for a purely turbulent field. These results have important consequences for the analysis of cosmic-ray processes based on TeV emission spectra associated with dense molecular clouds.

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arXiv2010

A lower limit of 50 microgauss for the magnetic field near the Galactic Centre

The amplitude of the magnetic field near the Galactic Centre has been uncertain by two orders of magnitude for several decades. On a scale of approximately 100 pc fields of approximately 1000 microG have been reported, implying a magnetic energy density more than 10,000 times stronger than typical for the Galaxy. Alternatively, the assumption of pressure equilibrium between the various phases of the Galactic Centre interstellar medium (including turbulent molecular gas; the contested "very hot" plasma; and the magnetic field) suggests fields of approximately 100 microG over approximately 400 pc size scales. Finally, assuming equipartition, fields of only approximately 6 microG have been inferred from radio observations for 400 pc scales. Here we report a compilation of previous data that reveals a down-break in the region's non-thermal radio spectrum (attributable to a transition from bremsstrahlung to synchrotron cooling of the in situ cosmic-ray electron population). We show that the spectral break requires that the Galactic Centre field be at least 50 microG on 400 pc scales, lest the synchrotron-emitting electrons produce too much gamma-ray emission given existing constraints. Other considerations support a field of 100 microG, implying that > 10% of the Galaxy's magnetic energy is contained in only < 0.05% of its volume.

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arXiv2009

The Cosmological Spacetime

We present here the transformations required to recast the Robertson-Walker metric and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker equations in terms of observer-dependent coordinates for several commonly assumed cosmologies. The overriding motivation is the derivation of explicit expressions for the radius R_h of our cosmic horizon in terms of measurable quantities for each of the cases we consider. We show that the cosmological time dt diverges for any finite interval ds associated with a process at R -> R_h, which therefore represents a physical limit to our observations. This is a key component required for a complete interpretation of the data, particularly as they pertain to the nature of dark energy. With these results, we affirm the conclusion drawn in our earlier work that the identification of dark energy as a cosmological constant does not appear to be consistent with the data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

X-ray and Radio Variability of M31*, The Andromeda Galaxy Nuclear Supermassive Black Hole

We confirm our earlier tentative detection of M31* in X-rays and measure its light-curve and spectrum. Observations in 2004-2005 find M31* rather quiescent in the X-ray and radio. However, X-ray observations in 2006-2007 and radio observations in 2002 show M31* to be highly variable at times. A separate variable X-ray source is found near P1, the brighter of the two optical nuclei. The apparent angular Bondi radius of M31* is the largest of any black hole, and large enough to be well resolved with Chandra. The diffuse emission within this Bondi radius is found to have an X-ray temperature ~0.3 keV and density 0.1 cm-3, indistinguishable from the hot gas in the surrounding regions of the bulge given the statistics allowed by the current observations. The X-ray source at the location of M31* is consistent with a point source and a power law spectrum with energy slope 0.9+/-0.2. Our identification of this X-ray source with M31* is based solely on positional coincidence.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Star Formation at the Galactic Center

Molecular clouds at the Galactic center (GC) have environments considerably different from their disk counterparts. The GC may therefore provide important clues about how the environment affects star formation. Interestingly, while the inner 50 parsecs of our Galaxy include a remarkable population of high-mass stars, the initial mass function (IMF) appears to be consistent with a Salpeter slope down to ~ 1 solar mass. We show here that the loss of turbulent pressure due to ambipolar diffusion and the damping of Alfven and fast MHD waves can lead to the formation of dense condensations exceeding their Jeans limit. The fragmentation and subsequent collapse of these condensations is similar to the diffusion-driven protostellar collapse mechanism expected to occur within nearby "regular" molecular clouds. As such, a Salpeter IMF at the GC is not surprising, though the short dynamical timescales associated with the GC molecular clouds may help explain the lower star formation efficiency observed from this region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Constraints on Dark Energy from the Observed Expansion of our Cosmic Horizon

Within the context of standard cosmology, an accelerating universe requires the presence of a third `dark' component of energy, beyond matter and radiation. The available data, however, are still deemed insufficient to distinguish between an evolving dark energy component and the simplest model of a time-independent cosmological constant. In this paper, we examine the cosmological expansion in terms of observer-dependent coordinates, in addition to the more conventional co-moving coordinates. This procedure explicitly reveals the role played by the radius R_h of our cosmic horizon in the interrogation of the data. (In Rindler's notation, R_h coincides with the `event horizon' in the case of de Sitter, but changes in time for other cosmologies that also contain matter and/or radiation.) With this approach, we show that the interpretation of dark energy as a cosmological constant is clearly disfavored by the observations. Within the framework of standard Friedman-Robertson-Walker cosmology, we derive an equation describing the evolution of R_h, and solve it using the WMAP and Type Ia supernova data. In particular, we consider the meaning of the observed equality (or near equality) R_h(t_0) ~ ct_0, where t_0 is the age of the Universe. This empirical result is far from trivial, for a cosmological constant would drive R_h(t) towards ct (where t is the cosmic time) only once--and that would have to occur right now. Though we are not here espousing any particular alternative model of dark energy, for comparison we also consider scenarios in which dark energy is given by scaling solutions, which simultaneously eliminate several conundrums in the standard model, including the `coincidence' and `flatness' problems, and account very well for the fact that R_h(t_0) ~ ct_0.

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arXiv2008

Neutrinos and Gamma Rays from Galaxy Clusters

The next generation of neutrino and gamma-ray detectors should provide new insights into the creation and propagation of high-energy protons within galaxy clusters, probing both the particle physics of cosmic rays interacting with the background medium and the mechanisms for high-energy particle production within the cluster. In this paper we examine the possible detection of gamma-rays (via the GLAST satellite) and neutrinos (via the ICECUBE and Auger experiments) from the Coma cluster of galaxies, as well as for the gamma-ray bright clusters Abell 85, 1758, and 1914. These three were selected from their possible association with unidentified EGRET sources, so it is not yet entirely certain that their gamma-rays are indeed produced diffusively within the intracluster medium, as opposed to AGNs. It is not obvious why these inconspicuous Abell-clusters should be the first to be seen in gamma-rays, but a possible reason is that all of them show direct evidence of recent or ongoing mergers. Their identification with the EGRET gamma-ray sources is also supported by the close correlation between their radio and (purported) gamma-ray fluxes. Under favorable conditions (including a proton spectral index of 2.5 in the case of Abell 85, and sim 2.3 for Coma, and Abell 1758 and 1914), we expect ICECUBE to make as many as 0.3 neutrino detections per year from the Coma cluster of galaxies, and as many as a few per year from the Abell clusters 85, 1758, and 1914. Also, Auger may detect as many as 2 events per decade at ~ EeV energies from these gamma-ray bright clusters.

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arXiv2008

Decaying Dark Matter and the Deficit of Dwarf Haloes

The hierarchical clustering inherent in Lambda-CDM cosmology seems to produce many of the observed characteristics of large-scale structure. But some glaring problems still remain, including the over-prediction (by a factor 10) of the number of dwarf galaxies within the virialized population of the local group. Several secondary effects have already been proposed to resolve this problem. It is still not clear, however, whether the principal solution rests with astrophysical processes, such as early feedback from supernovae, or possibly with as yet undetermined properties of the dark matter itself. In this paper, we carry out a detailed calculation of the dwarf halo evolution incorporating the effects of a hypothesized dark-matter decay, D -> D'+l, where D is the unstable particle, D' is the more massive daughter particle and l is the other, lighter (or possibly massless) daughter particle. This process preferentially heats the smaller haloes, expanding them during their evolution and reducing their present-day circular velocity. We find that this mechanism can account very well for the factor 4 deficit in the observed number of systems with velocity 10--20 km/s compared to those predicted by the numerical simulations, if dm/m_D' ~ 5-7 x 10^{-5}, where dm is the mass difference between the initial and final states. The corresponding lifetime tau cannot be longer than ~30 Gyr, but may be as short as just a few Gyr.

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arXiv2008

Diffuse TeV Emission at the Galactic Centre

The High-Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) has detected intense diffuse TeV emission correlated with the distribution of molecular gas along the galactic ridge at the centre of our Galaxy. Earlier HESS observations of this region had already revealed the presence of several point sources at these energies, one of them (HESS J1745-290) coincident with the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. It is still not entirely clear what the origin of the TeV emission is, nor even whether it is due to hadronic or leptonic interactions. It is reasonable to suppose, however, that at least for the diffuse emission, the tight correlation of the intensity distribution with the molecular gas indicates a pionic-decay process involving relativistic protons. In this paper, we explore the possible source(s) of energetic hadrons at the galactic centre, and their propagation through a turbulent medium. We conclude that though Sagittarius A* itself may be the source of cosmic rays producing the emission in HESS J1745-290, it cannot be responsible for the diffuse emission farther out. A distribution of point sources, such as pulsar wind nebulae dispersed along the galactic plane, similarly do not produce a TeV emission profile consistent with the HESS map. We conclude that only a relativistic proton distribution accelerated throughout the inter-cloud medium can account for the TeV emission profile measured with HESS.

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arXiv2007

The Broadband Spectrum of Galaxy Clusters

We examine whether nonthermal protons energized during a cluster merger are simultaneously responsible for the Coma cluster's diffuse radio flux (via secondary decay) and the departure of its intra-cluster medium (ICM) from a thermal profile via Coulomb collisions between the quasithermal electrons and the hadrons. Rather than approximating the influence of nonthermal proton/thermal electron collisions as extremely rare events which cause an injection of nonthermal, power-law electrons (the `knock-on' approximation), we self-consistently solve (to our knowledge, for the first time) the covariant kinetic equations for the two populations. The electron population resulting from these collisions is out of equilibrium, yet not a power law, and importantly displays a higher bremsstrahlung radiative efficiency than a pure power law. Observations with GLAST will test this model directly.

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arXiv2007

Dark Energy in Light of the Cosmic Horizon

Based on dramatic observations of the CMB with WMAP and of Type Ia supernovae with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based facilities, it is now generally believed that the Universe's expansion is accelerating. Within the context of standard cosmology, the Universe must therefore contain a third `dark' component of energy, beyond matter and radiation. However, the current data are still deemed insufficient to distinguish between an evolving dark energy component and the simplest model of a time-independent cosmological constant. In this paper, we examine the role played by our cosmic horizon R0 in our interrogation of the data, and reach the rather firm conclusion that the existence of a cosmological constant is untenable. The observations are telling us that R0=c t0, where t0 is the perceived current age of the Universe, yet a cosmological constant would drive R0 towards ct (where t is the cosmic time) only once, and that would have to occur right now. In contrast, scaling solutions simultaneously eliminate several conundrums in the standard model, including the `coincidence' and `flatness' problems, and account very well for the fact that R0=c t0. We show here that for such dynamical dark energy models, either R0=ct for all time (thus eliminating the apparent coincidence altogether), or that what we believe to be the current age of the universe is actually the horizon time th=R0/c, which is always shorter than t0. Our best fit to the Type Ia supernova data indicates that t0 would then have to be ~16.9 billion years. Though surprising at first, an older universe such as this would actually eliminate several other long-standing problems in cosmology, including the (too) early appearance of supermassive black holes (at a redshift > 6) and the glaring deficit of dwarf halos in the local group.

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arXiv2007

The Cosmic Horizon

The cosmological principle, promoting the view that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic, is embodied within the mathematical structure of the Robertson-Walker (RW) metric. The equations derived from an application of this metric to the Einstein Field Equations describe the expansion of the universe in terms of comoving coordinates, from which physical distances may be derived using a time-dependent expansion factor. These coordinates, however, do not explicitly reveal properties of the cosmic spacetime manifested in Birkhoff's theorem and its corollary. In this paper, we compare two forms of the metric--written in (the traditional) comoving coordinates, and a set of observer-dependent coordinates--first for the well-known de Sitter universe containing only dark energy, and then for a newly derived form of the RW metric, for a universe with dark energy and matter. We show that Rindler's event horizon--evident in the co-moving system--coincides with what one might call the "curvature horizon" appearing in the observer-dependent frame. The advantage of this dual prescription of the cosmic spacetime is that with the latest WMAP results, we now have a much better determination of the universe's mass-energy content, which permits us to calculate this curvature with unprecedented accuracy. We use it here to demonstrate that our observations have probed the limit beyond which the cosmic curvature prevents any signal from having ever reached us. In the case of de Sitter, where the mass-energy density is a constant, this limit is fixed for all time. For a universe with a changing density, this horizon expands until de Sitter is reached asymptotically, and then it too ceases to change.

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arXiv2007

Radio Synchrotron Emission from Secondary Leptons in the Vicinity of Sgr A*

A point-like source of ~TeV gamma-rays has recently been seen towards the Galactic center by HESS and other air Cerenkov telescopes. In recent work (Ballantyne et al. 2007), we demonstrated that these gamma-rays can be attributed to high-energy protons that (i) are accelerated close to the event horizon of the central black hole, Sgr A*, (ii) diffuse out to ~pc scales, and (iii) finally interact to produce gamma-rays. The same hadronic collision processes will necessarily lead to the creation of electrons and positrons. Here we calculate the synchrotron emissivity of these secondary leptons in the same magnetic field configuration through which the initiating protons have been propagated in our model. We compare this emission with the observed ~GHz radio spectrum of the inner few pc region which we have assembled from archival data and new measurements we have made with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We find that our model predicts secondary synchrotron emission with a steep slope consistent with the observations but with an overall normalization that is too large by a factor of ~ 2. If we further constrain our theoretical gamma-ray curve to obey the implicit EGRET upper limit on emission from this region we predict radio emission that is consistent with observations, i.e., the hadronic model of gamma ray emission can, simultaneously and without fine-tuning, also explain essentially all the diffuse radio emission detected from the inner few pc of the Galaxy.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Supermassive Black Holes

Supermassive black holes have generally been recognized as the most destructive force in nature. But in recent years, they have undergone a dramatic shift in paradigm. These objects may have been critical to the formation of structure in the early universe, spawning bursts of star formation and nucleating proto-galactic condensations. Possibly half of all the radiation produced after the Big Bang may be attributed to them, whose number is now known to exceed 300 million. The most accessible among them is situated at the Center of Our Galaxy. In the following pages, we will examine the evidence that has brought us to this point, and we will understand why many expect to actually image the event horizon of the Galaxy's central black hole within this decade.

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arXiv2007

General Relativistic Flux Modulations from Disk Instabilities in Sagittarius A*

Near-IR and X-ray flares have been detected from the supermassive black hole Sgr A* at the center of our Galaxy with a (quasi)-period of ~17-20 minutes, suggesting an emission region only a few Schwarzschild radii above the event horizon. The latest X-ray flare, detected with XMM-Newton, is notable for its detailed lightcurve, yielding not only the highest quality period thus far, but also important structure reflecting the geometry of the emitting region. Recent MHD simulations of Sgr A*'s disk have demonstrated the growth of a Rossby wave instability, that enhances the accretion rate for several hours, possibly accounting for the observed flares. In this Letter, we carry out ray-tracing calculations in a Schwarzschild metric to determine as accurately as possible the lightcurve produced by general relativistic effects during such a disruption. We find that the Rossby wave induced spiral pattern in the disk is an excellent fit to the data, implying a disk inclination angle of ~77 deg. Note, however, that if this association is correct, the observed period is not due to the underlying Keplerian motion but, rather, to the pattern speed. The favorable comparison between the observed and simulated lightcurves provides important additional evidence that the flares are produced in Sgr A*'s inner disk.

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arXiv2007

The Cosmic Ray Distribution in Sagittarius B

The HESS instrument has observed a diffuse flux of ~ TeV gamma rays from a large solid angle around the Galactic center (GC). This emission is correlated with the distribution of gas in the region suggesting that the gamma rays originate in collisions between cosmic ray hadrons (CRHs) and ambient matter. Of particular interest, HESS has detected gamma rays from the Sagittarius (Sgr) B Molecular Cloud Complex. Prompted by the suggestion of a hadronic origin for the gamma rays, we have examined archival 330 and 74 MHz Very Large Array radio data and 843 MHz Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey data covering Sgr B, looking for synchrotron emission from secondary electrons and positrons (expected to be created in the same interactions that supply the observed gamma rays). Intriguingly, we have uncovered non-thermal emission, but at a level exceeding expectation. Adding to the overall picture, recent observations by the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope show that the cosmic ray ionization rate is ten times greater in the Sgr B2 region of Sgr B than the local value. Lastly, Sgr B2 is also a very bright X-ray source. We examine scenarios for the spectra of CRHs and/or primary electrons that would reconcile all these different data. We determine that (i) a hard (~ E^-2.2), high-energy (> TeV) population CRHs is unavoidably required by the HESS gamma ray data and (ii) the remaining broad-band, non-thermal phenomenology is explained either by a rather steep (~ E^-2.9) spectrum of primary electrons or a (~ E^-2.7) population of CRHs. No single, power-law population of either leptons or hadrons can explain the totality of broadband, non-thermal Sgr B phenomenology.

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