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G. Busetto

Publications and source records attributed to G. Busetto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cosmic-ray acceleration and escape from supernova remnant W44 as probed by Fermi-LAT and MAGIC

Context. The supernova remnant (SNR) W44 and its surroundings are a prime target for studying the acceleration of cosmic rays (CRs). Several previous studies established an extended gamma-ray emission that is set apart from the radio shell of W44. This emission is thought to originate from escaped high-energy CRs that interact with a surrounding dense molecular cloud complex. Aims. We present a detailed analysis of Fermi-LAT data with an emphasis on the spatial and spectral properties of W44 and its surroundings. We also report the results of the observations performed with the MAGIC telescopes of the northwestern region of W44. Finally, we present an interpretation model to explain the gamma-ray emission of the SNR and its surroundings. Methods. We first performed a detailed spatial analysis of 12 years of Fermi-LAT data at energies above 1 GeV, in order to exploit the better angular resolution, while we set a threshold of 100MeV for the spectral analysis. We performed a likelihood analysis of 174 hours of MAGIC data above 130 GeV using the spatial information obtained with Fermi-LAT. Results. The combined spectra of Fermi-LAT and MAGIC, extending from 100MeV to several TeV, were used to derive constraints on the escape of CRs. Using a time-dependent model to describe the particle acceleration and escape from the SNR, we show that the maximum energy of the accelerated particles has to be ' 40 GeV. However, our gamma-ray data suggest that a small number of lower-energy particles also needs to escape. We propose a novel model, the broken-shock scenario, to account for this effect and explain the gamma-ray emission.

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Multi-wavelength study of OT 081: broadband modelling of a transitional blazar

OT 081 is a well-known, luminous blazar that is remarkably variable in many energy bands. We present the first broadband study of the source which includes very-high-energy (VHE, $E>$100\,GeV) $\gamma$-ray data taken by the MAGIC and H.E.S.S. imaging Cherenkov telescopes. The discovery of VHE $\gamma$-ray emission happened during a high state of $\gamma$-ray activity in July 2016, observed by many instruments from radio to VHE $\gamma$-rays. We identify four states of activity of the source, one of which includes VHE $\gamma$-ray emission. Variability in the VHE domain is found on daily timescales. The intrinsic VHE spectrum can be described by a power-law with index $3.27\pm0.44_{\rm stat}\pm0.15_{\rm sys}$ (MAGIC) and $3.39\pm0.58_{\rm stat}\pm0.64_{\rm sys}$ (H.E.S.S.) in the energy range of 55--300\,GeV and 120--500\,GeV, respectively. The broadband emission cannot be sucessfully reproduced by a simple one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. Instead, an additional external Compton component is required. We test a lepto-hadronic model that reproduces the dataset well and a proton-synchrotron dominated model that requires an extreme proton luminosity. Emission models that are able to successfully represent the data place the emitting region well outside of the Broad Line Region (BLR) to a location at which the radiative environment is dominated by the infrared thermal radiation field of the dusty torus. In the scenario described by this flaring activity, the source appears to be an FSRQ, in contrast with past categorizations. This suggests that the source can be considered to be a transitional blazar, intermediate between BL~Lac and FSRQ objects.

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Standardised formats and open-source analysis tools for the MAGIC telescopes data

Instruments for gamma-ray astronomy at Very High Energies ($E>100\,{\rm GeV}$) have traditionally derived their scientific results through proprietary data and software. Data standardisation has become a prominent issue in this field both as a requirement for the dissemination of data from the next generation of gamma-ray observatories and as an effective solution to realise public data legacies of current-generation instruments. Specifications for a standardised gamma-ray data format have been proposed as a community effort and have already been successfully adopted by several instruments. We present the first production of standardised data from the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes. We converted $166\,{\rm h}$ of observations from different sources and validated their analysis with the open-source software Gammapy. We consider six data sets representing different scientific and technical analysis cases and compare the results obtained analysing the standardised data with open-source software against those produced with the MAGIC proprietary data and software. Aiming at a systematic production of MAGIC data in this standardised format, we also present the implementation of a database-driven pipeline automatically performing the MAGIC data reduction from the calibrated down to the standardised data level. In all the cases selected for the validation, we obtain results compatible with the MAGIC proprietary software, both for the manual and for the automatic data productions. Part of the validation data set is also made publicly available, thus representing the first large public release of MAGIC data. This effort and this first data release represent a technical milestone toward the realisation of a public MAGIC data legacy.

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Constraints on Lorentz invariance violation from the extraordinary Mrk 421 flare of 2014 using a novel analysis method

The Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV), a proposed consequence of certain quantum gravity (QG) scenarios, could instigate an energy-dependent group velocity for ultra-relativistic particles. This energy dependence, although suppressed by the massive QG energy scale $E_\mathrm{QG}$, expected to be on the level of the Planck energy $1.22 \times 10^{19}$ GeV, is potentially detectable in astrophysical observations. In this scenario, the cosmological distances traversed by photons act as an amplifier for this effect. By leveraging the observation of a remarkable flare from the blazar Mrk\,421, recorded at energies above 100 GeV by the MAGIC telescopes on the night of April 25 to 26, 2014, we look for time delays scaling linearly and quadratically with the photon energies. Using for the first time in LIV studies a binned-likelihood approach we set constraints on the QG energy scale. For the linear scenario, we set $95\%$ lower limits $E_\mathrm{QG}>2.7\times10^{17}$ GeV for the subluminal case and $E_\mathrm{QG}> 3.6 \times10^{17}$ GeV for the superluminal case. For the quadratic scenario, the $95\%$ lower limits for the subluminal and superluminal cases are $E_\mathrm{QG}>2.6 \times10^{10}$ GeV and $E_\mathrm{QG}>2.5\times10^{10}$ GeV, respectively.

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The variability patterns of the TeV blazar PG 1553+113 from a decade of MAGIC and multi-band observations

PG 1553+113 is one of the few blazars with a convincing quasi-periodic emission in the gamma-ray band. The source is also a very high-energy (VHE; >100 GeV) gamma-ray emitter. To better understand its properties and identify the underlying physical processes driving its variability, the MAGIC Collaboration initiated a multiyear, multiwavelength monitoring campaign in 2015 involving the OVRO 40-m and Medicina radio telescopes, REM, KVA, and the MAGIC telescopes, Swift and Fermi satellites, and the WEBT network. The analysis presented in this paper uses data until 2017 and focuses on the characterization of the variability. The gamma-ray data show a (hint of a) periodic signal compatible with literature, but the X-ray and VHE gamma-ray data do not show statistical evidence for a periodic signal. In other bands, the data are compatible with the gamma-ray period, but with a relatively high p-value. The complex connection between the low and high-energy emission and the non-monochromatic modulation and changes in flux suggests that a simple one-zone model is unable to explain all the variability. Instead, a model including a periodic component along with multiple emission zones is required.

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Performance and first measurements of the MAGIC Stellar Intensity Interferometer

In recent years, a new generation of optical intensity interferometers has emerged, leveraging the existing infrastructure of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The MAGIC telescopes host the MAGIC-SII system (Stellar Intensity Interferometer), implemented to investigate the feasibility and potential of this technique on IACTs. After the first successful measurements in 2019, the system was upgraded and now features a real-time, dead-time-free, 4-channel, GPU-based correlator. These hardware modifications allow seamless transitions between MAGIC's standard very-high-energy gamma-ray observations and optical interferometry measurements within seconds. We establish the feasibility and potential of employing IACTs as competitive optical Intensity Interferometers with minimal hardware adjustments. The measurement of a total of 22 stellar diameters are reported, 9 corresponding to reference stars with previous comparable measurements, and 13 with no prior measurements. A prospective implementation involving telescopes from the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory's northern hemisphere array, such as the first prototype of its Large-Sized Telescopes, LST-1, is technically viable. This integration would significantly enhance the sensitivity of the current system and broaden the UV-plane coverage. This advancement would enable the system to achieve competitive sensitivity with the current generation of long-baseline optical interferometers over blue wavelengths.

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Insights into the broad-band emission of the TeV blazar Mrk 501 during the first X-ray polarization measurements

We present the first multi-wavelength study of Mrk 501 including very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations simultaneous to X-ray polarization measurements from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). We use radio-to-VHE data from a multi-wavelength campaign organized between 2022-03-01 and 2022-07-19. The observations were performed by MAGIC, Fermi-LAT, NuSTAR, Swift (XRT and UVOT), and several instruments covering the optical and radio bands. During the IXPE pointings, the VHE state is close to the average behavior with a 0.2-1 TeV flux of 20%-50% the emission of the Crab Nebula. Despite the average VHE activity, an extreme X-ray behavior is measured for the first two IXPE pointings in March 2022 with a synchrotron peak frequency >1 keV. For the third IXPE pointing in July 2022, the synchrotron peak shifts towards lower energies and the optical/X-ray polarization degrees drop. The X-ray polarization is systematically higher than at lower energies, suggesting an energy-stratification of the jet. While during the IXPE epochs the polarization angle in the X-ray, optical and radio bands align well, we find a clear discrepancy in the optical and radio polarization angles in the middle of the campaign. We model the broad-band spectra simultaneous to the IXPE pointings assuming a compact zone dominating in the X-rays and VHE, and an extended zone stretching further downstream the jet dominating the emission at lower energies. NuSTAR data allow us to precisely constrain the synchrotron peak and therefore the underlying electron distribution. The change between the different states observed in the three IXPE pointings can be explained by a change of magnetization and/or emission region size, which directly connects the shift of the synchrotron peak to lower energies with the drop in polarization degree.

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Constraints on axion-like particles with the Perseus Galaxy Cluster with MAGIC

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons that emerge in various theories beyond the standard model. These particles can interact with high-energy photons in external magnetic fields, influencing the observed gamma-ray spectrum. This study analyzes 41.3 hrs of observational data from the Perseus Galaxy Cluster collected with the MAGIC telescopes. We focused on the spectra the radio galaxy in the center of the cluster: NGC 1275. By modeling the magnetic field surrounding this target, we searched for spectral indications of ALP presence. Despite finding no statistical evidence of ALP signatures, we were able to exclude ALP models in the sub-micro electronvolt range. Our analysis improved upon previous work by calculating the full likelihood and statistical coverage for all considered models across the parameter space. Consequently, we achieved the most stringent limits to date for ALP masses around 50 neV, with cross sections down to $g_{a\gamma} = 3 \times 10^{-12}$ GeV$^{-1}$.

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First characterization of the emission behavior of Mrk421 from radio to VHE gamma rays with simultaneous X-ray polarization measurements

We perform the first broadband study of Mrk421 from radio to TeV gamma rays with simultaneous measurements of the X-ray polarization from IXPE. The data were collected within an extensive multiwavelength campaign organized between May and June 2022 using MAGIC, Fermi-LAT, NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, Swift, and several optical and radio telescopes to complement IXPE. During the IXPE exposures, the measured 0.2-1 TeV flux is close to the quiescent state and ranges from 25% to 50% of the Crab Nebula without intra-night variability. Throughout the campaign, the VHE and X-ray emission are positively correlated at a $4\sigma$ significance level. The IXPE measurements unveil a X-ray polarization degree that is a factor of 2-5 higher than in the optical/radio bands; that implies an energy-stratified jet in which the VHE photons are emitted co-spatially with the X-rays, in the vicinity of a shock front. The June 2022 observations exhibit a rotation of the X-ray polarization angle. Despite no simultaneous VHE coverage being available during a large fraction of the swing, the Swift-XRT monitoring unveils an X-ray flux increase with a clear spectral hardening. It suggests that flares in high synchrotron peaked blazars can be accompanied by a polarization angle rotation, as observed in some flat spectrum radio quasars. Finally, during the polarization angle rotation, NuSTAR data reveal two contiguous spectral hysteresis loops in opposite directions (clockwise and counter-clockwise), implying important changes in the particle acceleration efficiency on $\sim$hour timescales.

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MAGIC detection of GRB 201216C at $z=1.1$

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are explosive transient events occurring at cosmological distances, releasing a large amount of energy as electromagnetic radiation over several energy bands. We report the detection of the long GRB~201216C by the MAGIC telescopes. The source is located at $z=1.1$ and thus it is the farthest one detected at very high energies. The emission above \SI{70}{\GeV} of GRB~201216C is modelled together with multi-wavelength data within a synchrotron and synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) scenario. We find that SSC can explain the broadband data well from the optical to the very-high-energy band. For the late-time radio data, a different component is needed to account for the observed emission. Differently from previous GRBs detected in the very-high-energy range, the model for GRB~201216C strongly favors a wind-like medium. The model parameters have values similar to those found in past studies of the afterglows of GRBs detected up to GeV energies.

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Multi-year characterisation of the broad-band emission from the intermittent extreme BL Lac 1ES~2344+514

The BL Lac 1ES 2344+514 is known for temporary extreme properties (e.g., a shift of the synchrotron SED peak energy $\nu_{synch,p}$ above 1keV). While those extreme states were so far observed only during high flux levels, additional multi-year observing campaigns are required to achieve a coherent picture. Here, we report the longest investigation of the source from radio to VHE performed so far, focusing on a systematic characterisation of the intermittent extreme states. While our results confirm that 1ES 2344+514 typically exhibits $\nu_{synch,p}>$1keV during elevated flux periods, we also find periods where the extreme state coincides with low flux activity. A strong spectral variability thus happens in the quiescent state, and is likely caused by an increase of the electron acceleration efficiency without a change in the electron injection luminosity. We also report a strong X-ray flare (among the brightest for 1ES 2344+514) without a significant shift of $\nu_{synch,p}$. During this particular flare, the X-ray spectrum is among the softest of the campaign. It unveils complexity in the spectral evolution, where the common harder-when-brighter trend observed in BL Lacs is violated. During a low and hard X-ray state, we find an excess of the UV flux with respect to an extrapolation of the X-ray spectrum to lower energies. This UV excess implies that at least two regions contribute significantly to the infrared/optical/ultraviolet/X-ray emission. Using the simultaneous MAGIC, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and AstroSat observations, we argue that a region possibly associated with the 10 GHz radio core may explain such an excess. Finally, we investigate a VHE flare, showing an absence of simultaneous variability in the 0.3-2keV band. Using a time-dependent leptonic modelling, we show that this behaviour, in contradiction to single-zone scenarios, can instead be explained by a two-component model.

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Performance of the joint LST-1 and MAGIC observations evaluated with Crab Nebula data

Aims. LST-1, the prototype of the Large-Sized Telescope for the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, is concluding its commissioning in Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma. The proximity of LST-1 (Large-Sized Telescope 1) to the two MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes permits observations of the same gamma-ray events with both systems. Methods. We describe the joint LST-1+MAGIC analysis pipeline and use simultaneous Crab Nebula observations and Monte Carlo simulations to assess the performance of the three-telescope system. The addition of the LST-1 telescope allows the recovery of events in which one of the MAGIC images is too dim to survive analysis quality cuts. Results. Thanks to the resulting increase in the collection area and stronger background rejection, we find a significant improvement in sensitivity, allowing the detection of 30% weaker fluxes in the energy range between 200 GeV and 3 TeV. The spectrum of the Crab Nebula, reconstructed in the energy range ~60 GeV to ~10 TeV, is in agreement with previous measurements.

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Search for Gamma-ray Spectral Lines from Dark Matter Annihilation up to 100 TeV towards the Galactic Center with MAGIC

Line-like features in TeV $\gamma$-rays constitute a ''smoking gun'' for TeV-scale particle dark matter and new physics. Probing the Galactic Center region with ground-based Cherenkov telescopes enables the search for TeV spectral features in immediate association with a dense dark matter reservoir at a sensitivity out of reach for satellite $\gamma$-ray detectors, and direct detection and collider experiments. We report on 223 hours of observations of the Galactic Center region with the MAGIC stereoscopic telescope system reaching $\gamma$-ray energies up to 100 TeV. We improved the sensitivity to spectral lines at high energies using large-zenith-angle observations and a novel background modeling method within a maximum-likelihood analysis in the energy domain. No line-like spectral feature is found in our analysis. Therefore, we constrain the cross section for dark matter annihilation into two photons to $\langle \sigma v \rangle \lesssim 5 \times 10^{-28}\,\mathrm{cm^3\,s^{-1}}$ at 1 TeV and $\langle \sigma v \rangle \lesssim 1 \times 10^{-25}\,\mathrm{cm^3\,s^{-1}}$ at 100 TeV, achieving the best limits to date for a dark matter mass above 20 TeV and a cuspy dark matter profile at the Galactic Center. Finally, we use the derived limits for both cuspy and cored dark matter profiles to constrain supersymmetric wino models.

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MAGIC observations provide compelling evidence of the hadronic multi-TeV emission from the putative PeVatron SNR G106.3+2.7

The SNR G106.3+2.7, detected at 1--100 TeV energies by different $\gamma$-ray facilities, is one of the most promising PeVatron candidates. This SNR has a cometary shape which can be divided into a head and a tail region with different physical conditions. However, it is not identified in which region the 100 TeV emission is produced due to the limited position accuracy and/or angular resolution of existing observational data. Additionally, it remains unclear whether the origin of the $\gamma$-ray emission is leptonic or hadronic. With the better angular resolution provided by these new MAGIC data compared to earlier $\gamma$-ray datasets, we aim to reveal the acceleration site of PeV particles and the emission mechanism by resolving the SNR G106.3+2.7 with 0.1$^\circ$ resolution at TeV energies. We detected extended $\gamma$-ray emission spatially coincident with the radio continuum emission at the head and tail of SNR G106.3+2.7. The fact that we detected a significant $\gamma$-ray emission with energies above 6.0 TeV from the tail region only suggests that the emissions above 10 TeV, detected with air shower experiments (Milagro, HAWC, Tibet AS$\gamma$ and LHAASO), are emitted only from the SNR tail. Under this assumption, the multi-wavelength spectrum of the head region can be explained with either hadronic or leptonic models, while the leptonic model for the tail region is in contradiction with the emission above 10 TeV and X-rays. In contrast, the hadronic model could reproduce the observed spectrum at the tail by assuming a proton spectrum with a cutoff energy of $\sim 1$ PeV for the tail region. Such a high energy emission in this middle-aged SNR (4--10 kyr) can be explained by considering the scenario that protons escaping from the SNR in the past interact with surrounding dense gases at present.

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Long-term multi-wavelength study of 1ES 0647+250

The BL Lac object 1ES 0647+250 is one of the few distant $γ$-ray emitting blazars detected at very high energies (VHE, $\gtrsim$100 GeV) during a non-flaring state. It was detected with the MAGIC telescopes during its low activity in the years 2009-2011, as well as during three flaring activities in the years 2014, 2019 and 2020, with the highest VHE flux in the latter epoch. An extensive multi-instrument data set was collected within several coordinated observing campaigns throughout these years. We aim to characterise the long-term multi-band flux variability of 1ES 0647+250, as well as its broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) during four distinct activity states selected in four different epochs, in order to constrain the physical parameters of the blazar emission region under certain assumptions. We evaluate the variability and correlation of the emission in the different energy bands with the fractional variability and the Z-transformed Discrete Correlation Function, as well as its spectral evolution in X-rays and $γ$ rays. Owing to the controversy in the redshift measurements of 1ES 0647+250 reported in the literature, we also estimate its distance in an indirect manner through the comparison of the GeV and TeV spectra from simultaneous observations with Fermi-LAT and MAGIC during the strongest flaring activity detected to date. Moreover, we interpret the SEDs from the four distinct activity states within the framework of one-component and two-component leptonic models, proposing specific scenarios that are able to reproduce the available multi-instrument data.

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Proton acceleration in thermonuclear nova explosions revealed by gamma rays

Classical novae are cataclysmic binary star systems in which the matter of a companion star is accreted on a white dwarf (WD). Accumulation of hydrogen in a layer eventually causes a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the WD, brightening the WD to ~10^5 solar luminosities and triggering ejection of the accumulated matter.They provide extreme conditions required to accelerate particles, electrons or protons, to high energies. Here we present the detection of gamma rays by the MAGIC telescopes from the 2021 outburst of RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph), a recurrent nova with a red giant (RG) companion, that allowed us, for the first time, to accurately characterize the emission from a nova in the 60 GeV to 250 GeV energy range. The theoretical interpretation of the combined Fermi-LAT and MAGIC data suggests that protons are accelerated to hundreds of GeV in the nova shock. Such protons should create bubbles of enhanced Cosmic Ray density, on the order of 10 pc, from the recurrent novae.

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A lower bound on intergalactic magnetic fields from time variability of 1ES 0229+200 from MAGIC and Fermi/LAT observations

Extended and delayed emission around distant TeV sources induced by the effects of propagation of gamma rays through the intergalactic medium can be used for the measurement of the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF). We search for delayed GeV emission from the hard-spectrum TeV blazar 1ES 0229+200 with the goal to detect or constrain the IGMF-dependent secondary flux generated during the propagation of TeV gamma rays through the intergalactic medium. We analyze the most recent MAGIC observations over a 5 year time span and complement them with historic data of the H.E.S.S. and VERITAS telescopes along with a 12-year long exposure of the Fermi/LAT telescope. We use them to trace source evolution in the GeV-TeV band over one-and-a-half decade in time. We use Monte Carlo simulations to predict the delayed secondary gamma-ray flux, modulated by the source variability, as revealed by TeV-band observations. We then compare these predictions for various assumed IGMF strengths to all available measurements of the gamma-ray flux evolution. We find that the source flux in the energy range above 200 GeV experiences variations around its average on the 14 years time span of observations. No evidence for the flux variability is found in 1-100 GeV energy range accessible to Fermi/LAT. Non-detection of variability due to delayed emission from electromagnetic cascade developing in the intergalactic medium imposes a lower bound of B>1.8e-17 G for long correlation length IGMF and B>1e-14 G for an IGMF of the cosmological origin. Though weaker than the one previously derived from the analysis of Fermi/LAT data, this bound is more robust, being based on a conservative intrinsic source spectrum estimate and accounting for the details of source variability in the TeV energy band. We discuss implications of this bound for cosmological magnetic fields which might explain the baryon asymmetry of the Universe.

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Gamma-ray observations of MAXI J1820+070 during the 2018 outburst

MAXI J1820+070 is a low-mass X-ray binary with a black hole as a compact object. This binary underwent an exceptionally bright X-ray outburst from March to October 2018, showing evidence of a non-thermal particle population through its radio emission during this whole period. The combined results of 59.5 hours of observations of the MAXI J1820+070 outburst with the H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS experiments at energies above 200 GeV are presented, together with Fermi-LAT data between 0.1 and 500 GeV, and multiwavelength observations from radio to X-rays. Gamma-ray emission is not detected from MAXI J1820+070, but the obtained upper limits and the multiwavelength data allow us to put meaningful constraints on the source properties under reasonable assumptions regarding the non-thermal particle population and the jet synchrotron spectrum. In particular, it is possible to show that, if a high-energy gamma-ray emitting region is present during the hard state of the source, its predicted flux should be at most a factor of 20 below the obtained Fermi-LAT upper limits, and closer to them for magnetic fields significantly below equipartition. During the state transitions, under the plausible assumption that electrons are accelerated up to ~ 500 GeV, the multiwavelength data and the gamma-ray upper limits lead consistently to the conclusion that a potential high-energy and very-high-energy gamma-ray emitting region should be located at a distance from the black hole ranging between 10^11 and 10^13 cm. Similar outbursts from low-mass X-ray binaries might be detectable in the near future with upcoming instruments such as CTA.

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