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M. Krause

Publications and source records attributed to M. Krause.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2019

CHANG-ES XIII: Transport processes and the magnetic fields of NGC 4666 - indication of a reversing disk magnetic field

We analyze the magnetic field geometry and the transport processes of the cosmic rays of the edge-on spiral starburst galaxy NGC 4666 from CHANG-ES radio continuum data in two frequencies; 6 GHz (C-band) and 1.5 GHz (L-band). Supplementary X-ray data are used to investigate the hot gas in NGC 4666. We determine the radio scale heights of total power emission at both frequencies for this galaxy. We show the magnetic field orientations derived from the polarization data. Using rotation measure (RM) synthesis we further study the behavior of the RM values along the disk in C-band to investigate the large-scale magnetic-field pattern. We use the revised equipartition formula to calculate a map of the magnetic field strength. Furthermore, we model the processes of cosmic-ray transport into the halo with the 1D SPINNAKER model. The extended radio halo of NGC 4666 is box-shaped and is probably produced by the previously observed supernova-driven superwind. This is supported by our finding of an advective cosmic-ray transport such as that expected for a galactic wind. The scaleheight analysis revealed an asymmetric halo above and below the disk as well as between the two sides of the major axis. A central point source as well as a bubble structure is seen in the radio data for the first time. Our X-ray data show a box-shaped hot halo around NGC 4666 and furthermore confirm the AGN nature of the central source. NGC 4666 has a large-scale X-shaped magnetic field in the halo, as has been observed in other edge-on galaxies. The analysis furthermore revealed that the disk of NGC 4666 shows hints of field reversals along its radius, which is the first detection of this phenomenon in an external galaxy.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2018

Periastron Observations of TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from a Binary System with a 50-year Period

We report on observations of the pulsar / Be star binary system PSR J2032+4127 / MT91 213 in the energy range between 100 GeV and 20 TeV with the VERITAS and MAGIC imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays. The binary orbit has a period of approximately 50 years, with the most recent periastron occurring on 2017 November 13. Our observations span from 18 months prior to periastron to one month after. A new, point-like, gamma-ray source is detected, coincident with the location of PSR J2032+4127 / MT91 213. The gamma-ray light curve and spectrum are well-characterized over the periastron passage. The flux is variable over at least an order of magnitude, peaking at periastron, thus providing a firm association of the TeV source with the pulsar / Be star system. Observations prior to periastron show a cutoff in the spectrum at an energy around 0.5 TeV. This result adds a new member to the small population of known TeV binaries, and it identifies only the second source of this class in which the nature and properties of the compact object are firmly established. We compare the gamma-ray results with the light curve measured with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board the Neil Gehrels \textit{Swift} Observatory and with the predictions of recent theoretical models of the system. We conclude that significant revision of the models is required to explain the details of the emission we have observed, and we discuss the relationship between the binary system and the overlapping steady extended source, TeV J2032+4130.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

VERITAS and Fermi-LAT observations of new HAWC sources

The HAWC (High Altitude Water Cherenkov) collaboration recently published their 2HWC catalog, listing 39 very high energy (VHE; >100~GeV) gamma-ray sources based on 507 days of observation. Among these, there are nineteen sources that are not associated with previously known TeV sources. We have studied fourteen of these sources without known counterparts with VERITAS and Fermi-LAT. VERITAS detected weak gamma-ray emission in the 1~TeV-30~TeV band in the region of DA 495, a pulsar wind nebula coinciding with 2HWC J1953+294, confirming the discovery of the source by HAWC. We did not find any counterpart for the selected fourteen new HAWC sources from our analysis of Fermi-LAT data for energies higher than 10 GeV. During the search, we detected GeV gamma-ray emission coincident with a known TeV pulsar wind nebula, SNR G54.1+0.3 (VER J1930+188), and a 2HWC source, 2HWC J1930+188. The fluxes for isolated, steady sources in the 2HWC catalog are generally in good agreement with those measured by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. However, the VERITAS fluxes for SNR G54.1+0.3, DA 495, and TeV J2032+4130 are lower than those measured by HAWC and several new HAWC sources are not detected by VERITAS. This is likely due to a change in spectral shape, source extension, or the influence of diffuse emission in the source region.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

Measurement of Cosmic-ray Electrons at TeV Energies by VERITAS

Cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (CREs) at GeV-TeV energies are a unique probe of our local Galactic neighborhood. CREs lose energy rapidly via synchrotron radiation and inverse-Compton scattering processes while propagating within the Galaxy and these losses limit their propagation distance. For electrons with TeV energies, the limit is on the order of a kiloparsec. Within that distance there are only a few known astrophysical objects capable of accelerating electrons to such high energies. It is also possible that the CREs are the products of the annihilation or decay of heavy dark matter (DM) particles. VERITAS, an array of imaging air Cherenkov telescopes in southern Arizona, USA, is primarily utilized for gamma-ray astronomy, but also simultaneously collects CREs during all observations. We describe our methods of identifying CREs in VERITAS data and present an energy spectrum, extending from 300 GeV to 5 TeV, obtained from approximately 300 hours of observations. A single power-law fit is ruled out in VERITAS data. We find that the spectrum of CREs is consistent with a broken power law, with a break energy at 710 $\pm$ 40$_{stat}$ $\pm$ 140$_{syst}$ GeV.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

Measurement of the Iron Spectrum in Cosmic Rays by VERITAS

We present a new measurement of the energy spectrum of iron nuclei in cosmic rays from 20 to 500 TeV. The measurement makes use of a template-based analysis method, which, for the first time, is applied to the energy reconstruction of iron-induced air showers recorded by the VERITAS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The event selection makes use of the direct Cherenkov light which is emitted by charged particles before the first interaction, as well as other parameters related to the shape of the recorded air shower images. The measured spectrum is well described by a power law $\frac{\mathrm{d} F}{\mathrm{d} E}=f_0\cdot \left(\frac{E}{E_0}\right)^{-γ}$ over the full energy range, with $γ= 2.82 \pm 0.30 \mathrm{(stat.)} ^{+0.24}_{-0.27} \mathrm{(syst.)}$ and $f_0 = \left( 4.82 \pm 0.98 \mathrm{(stat.)}^{+2.12}_{-2.70} \mathrm{(syst.)} \right)\cdot 10^{-7}$m$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$TeV$^{-1}$ at $E_0=50$TeV, with no indication of a cutoff or spectral break. The measured differential flux is compatible with previous results, with improved statistical uncertainty at the highest energies.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

VERITAS observations of the BL Lac object TXS 0506+056

On 2017 September 22, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory reported the detection of the high-energy neutrino event \icnu, of potential astrophysical origin. It was soon determined that the neutrino direction was consistent with the location of the gamma-ray blazar \txs~(3FGL J0509.4+0541), which was in an elevated gamma-ray emission state as measured by the \emph{Fermi} satellite. VERITAS observations of the neutrino/blazar region started on 2017 September 23 in response to the neutrino alert and continued through 2018 February 6. While no significant very-high-energy (VHE; E $>$ 100 GeV) emission was observed from the blazar by VERITAS in the two-week period immediately following the IceCube alert, TXS 0506+056 was detected by VERITAS with a significance of 5.8 standard deviations ($σ$) in the full 35-hour data set. The average photon flux of the source during this period was $(8.9 \pm 1.6) \times 10^{-12} \; \mathrm{cm}^{-2} \, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$, or 1.6\% of the Crab Nebula flux, above an energy threshold of 110 GeV, with a soft spectral index of $4.8 \pm 1.3$.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

HESS J1943+213: An Extreme Blazar Shining Through The Galactic Plane

HESS J1943+213 is a very-high-energy (VHE; $>$100 GeV) $γ$-ray source in the direction of the Galactic Plane. Studies exploring the classification of the source are converging towards its identification as an extreme synchrotron BL Lac object. Here we present 38 hours of VERITAS observations of HESS J1943+213 taken over two years. The source is detected with $\sim$20 standard deviations significance, showing a remarkably stable flux and spectrum in VHE $γ$-rays. Multi-frequency very-long-baseline array (VLBA) observations of the source confirm the extended, jet-like structure previously found in the 1.6 GHz band with European VLBI Network and detect this component in the 4.6 GHz and the 7.3 GHz bands. The radio spectral indices of the core and the jet and the level of polarization derived from the VLBA observations are in a range typical for blazars. Data from VERITAS, $Fermi$-LAT, $Swift$-XRT, FLWO 48$''$ telescope, and archival infrared and hard X-ray observations are used to construct and model the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source with a synchrotron-self-Compton model. The well-measured $γ$-ray peak of the SED with VERITAS and $Fermi$-LAT provides constraining upper limits on the source redshift. Possible contribution of secondary $γ$-rays from ultra-high-energy cosmic ray-initiated electromagnetic cascades to the $γ$-ray emission is explored, finding that only a segment of the VHE spectrum can be accommodated with this process. A variability search is performed across X-ray and $γ$-ray bands. No statistically significant flux or spectral variability is detected.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

A Very High Energy $γ$-Ray Survey towards the Cygnus Region of the Galaxy

We present results from deep observations towards the Cygnus region using 300 hours of very-high-energy (VHE) $γ$-ray data taken with the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope array and over seven years of high-energy $γ$-ray data taken with the Fermi satellite at an energy above 1 GeV. As the brightest region of diffuse $γ$-ray emission in the northern sky, the Cygnus region provides a promising area to probe the origins of cosmic rays. We report the identification of a potential Fermi-LAT counterpart to VER J2031+415 (TeV J2032+4130), and resolve the extended VHE source VER J2019+368 into two source candidates (VER J2018+367* and VER J2020+368*) and characterize their energy spectra. The Fermi-LAT morphology of 3FGL 2021.0+4031e (the Gamma-Cygni supernova remnant) was examined and a region of enhanced emission coincident with VER J2019+407 was identified and jointly fit with the VERITAS data. By modeling 3FGL J2015.6+3709 as two sources, one located at the location of the pulsar wind nebula CTB 87 and one at the quasar QSO J2015+371, a continuous spectrum from 1 GeV to 10 TeV was extracted for VER J2016+371 (CTB 87). An additional 71 locations coincident with Fermi-LAT sources and other potential objects of interest were tested for VHE $γ$-ray emission, with no emission detected and upper limits on the differential flux placed at an average of 2.3% of the Crab Nebula ux. We interpret these observations in a multiwavelength context and present the most detailed $γ$-ray view of the region to date.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

Investigation of the cosmic ray population and magnetic field strength in the halo of NGC 891

Low-frequency radio continuum observations of edge-on galaxies are ideal to study cosmic-ray electrons (CREs) in halos via radio synchrotron emission and to measure magnetic field strengths. We obtained new observations of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 at 129-163 MHz with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) and at 13-18 GHz with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) and combine them with recent high-resolution Very Large Array (VLA) observations at 1-2 GHz, enabling us to study the radio continuum emission over two orders of magnitude in frequency. The spectrum of the integrated nonthermal flux density can be fitted by a power law with a spectral steepening towards higher frequencies or by a curved polynomial. Spectral flattening at low frequencies due to free-free absorption is detected in star-forming regions of the disk. The mean magnetic field strength in the halo is 7 +- 2 $μ$G. The scale heights of the nonthermal halo emission at 146 MHz are larger than those at 1.5 GHz everywhere, with a mean ratio of 1.7 +- 0.3, indicating that spectral ageing of CREs is important and that diffusive propagation dominates. The halo scale heights at 146 MHz decrease with increasing magnetic field strengths which is a signature of dominating synchrotron losses of CREs. On the other hand, the spectral index between 146 MHz and 1.5 GHz linearly steepens from the disk to the halo, indicating that advection rather than diffusion is the dominating CRE transport process. This issue calls for refined modelling of CRE propagation.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2018

A strong limit on the very-high-energy emission from GRB 150323A

On 2015 March 23, VERITAS responded to a $Swift$-BAT detection of a gamma-ray burst, with observations beginning 270 seconds after the onset of BAT emission, and only 135 seconds after the main BAT emission peak. No statistically significant signal is detected above 140 GeV. The VERITAS upper limit on the fluence in a 40 minute integration corresponds to about 1% of the prompt fluence. Our limit is particularly significant since the very-high-energy (VHE) observation started only $\sim$2 minutes after the prompt emission peaked, and $Fermi$-LAT observations of numerous other bursts have revealed that the high-energy emission is typically delayed relative to the prompt radiation and lasts significantly longer. Also, the proximity of GRB~150323A ($z=0.593$) limits the attenuation by the extragalactic background light to $\sim 50$ % at 100-200 GeV. We conclude that GRB 150323A had an intrinsically very weak high-energy afterglow, or that the GeV spectrum had a turnover below $\sim100$ GeV. If the GRB exploded into the stellar wind of a massive progenitor, the VHE non-detection constrains the wind density parameter to be $A\gtrsim 3\times 10^{11}$ g cm$^{-1}$, consistent with a standard Wolf-Rayet progenitor. Alternatively, the VHE emission from the blast wave would be weak in a very tenuous medium such as the ISM, which therefore cannot be ruled out as the environment of GRB 150323A.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

Radio haloes in nearby galaxies modelled with 1D cosmic-ray transport using SPINNAKER

We present radio continuum maps of 12 nearby ($D\leq 27~\rm Mpc$), edge-on ($i\geq 76^{\circ}$), late-type spiral galaxies mostly at $1.4$ and 5 GHz, observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, Very Large Array, Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, Effelsberg 100-m and Parkes 64-m telescopes. All galaxies show clear evidence of radio haloes, including the first detection in the Magellanic-type galaxy NGC 55. In 11 galaxies, we find a thin and a thick disc that can be better fitted by exponential rather than Gaussian functions. We fit our SPINNAKER (SPectral INdex Numerical Analysis of K(c)osmic-ray Electron Radio-emission) 1D cosmic-ray transport models to the vertical model profiles of the non-thermal intensity and to the non-thermal radio spectral index in the halo. We simultaneously fit for the advection speed (or diffusion coefficient) and magnetic field scale height. In the thick disc, the magnetic field scale heights range from 2 to 8 kpc with an average across the sample of $3.0\pm 1.7~\rm kpc$; they show no correlation with either star-formation rate (SFR), SFR surface density ($Σ_{\rm SFR}$) or rotation speed ($V_{\rm rot}$). The advection speeds range from 100 to $700~\rm km\,s^{-1}$ and display correlations of $V\propto \rm SFR^{0.36\pm 0.06}$ and $V\propto Σ_{\rm SFR}^{0.39\pm 0.09}$; they agree remarkably well with the escape velocities ($0.5\leq V/V_{\rm esc}\leq 2$), which can be explained by cosmic-ray driven winds. Radio haloes show the presence of disc winds in galaxies with $Σ_{\rm SFR} > 10^{-3}~\rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}\,kpc^{-2}$ that extend over several kpc and are driven by processes related to the distributed star formation in the disc.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2017

M82 - A radio continuum and polarisation study II. Polarisation and rotation measures

The composition and morphology of the interstellar medium in starburst galaxies has been well investigated, but the magnetic field properties are still uncertain. The nearby starburst galaxy M82 provides a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms leading to the amplification and reduction of turbulent and regular magnetic fields. Possible scenarios of the contribution of the magnetic field to the star-formation rate are evaluated. Archival data from the VLA and WSRT were combined and re-reduced to cover the wavelength regime between 3cm and 22cm. All observations revealed polarised emission in the inner part of the galaxy, while extended polarised emission up to a distance of 2kpc from the disk was only detected at 18cm and 22cm. The observations hint at a magnetised bar in the inner part of the galaxy. We calculate the mass inflow rate due to magnetic stress of the bar to 7.1 solar masses per year, which can be a significant contribution to the star-formation rate of M82 of approximately 13 solar masses per year. The halo shows polarised emission, which might be the remnant of a regular disk field. Indications for a helical field in the inner part of the outflow cone are provided. The coherence length of the magnetic field in the centre is similar to the size of giant molecular clouds. Using polarisation spectra more evidence for a close coupling of the ionised gas and the magnetic field as well as a two-phase magnetic field topology were found. Electron densities in the halo are similar to the ones found in the Milky Way. The magnetic field morphology is similar to the one in other nearby starburst galaxies with possible large-scale magnetic loops in the halo and a helical magnetic field inside the outflow cones. The special combination of a magnetic bar and a circumnuclear ring are able to significantly raise the star-formation rate in this galaxy by magnetic braking.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2017

Discovery of very-high-energy emission from RGB J2243+203 and derivation of its redshift upper limit

Very-high-energy (VHE; $>$ 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the blazar RGB J2243+203 was discovered with the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope array, during the period between 21 and 24 December 2014. The VERITAS energy spectrum from this source can be fit by a power law with a photon index of $4.6 \pm 0.5$, and a flux normalization at 0.15 TeV of $(6.3 \pm 1.1) \times 10^{-10} ~ \textrm{cm}^{-2} \textrm{s}^{-1} \textrm{TeV}^{-1}$. The integrated \textit{Fermi}-LAT flux from 1 GeV to 100 GeV during the VERITAS detection is $(4.1 \pm 0.8) \times 10^{\textrm{-8}} ~\textrm{cm}^{\textrm{-2}}\textrm{s}^{\textrm{-1}}$, which is an order of magnitude larger than the four-year-averaged flux in the same energy range reported in the 3FGL catalog, ($4.0 \pm 0.1 \times 10^{\textrm{-9}} ~ \textrm{cm}^{\textrm{-2}}\textrm{s}^{\textrm{-1}}$). The detection with VERITAS triggered observations in the X-ray band with the \textit{Swift}-XRT. However, due to scheduling constraints \textit{Swift}-XRT observations were performed 67 hours after the VERITAS detection, not simultaneous with the VERITAS observations. The observed X-ray energy spectrum between 2 keV and 10 keV can be fitted with a power-law with a spectral index of $2.7 \pm 0.2$, and the integrated photon flux in the same energy band is $(3.6 \pm 0.6) \times 10^{-13} ~\textrm{cm}^{-2} \textrm{s}^{-1}$. EBL model-dependent upper limits of the blazar redshift have been derived. Depending on the EBL model used, the upper limit varies in the range from z $<~0.9$ to z $<~1.1$.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2017

Very-High-Energy $γ$-Ray Observations of the Blazar 1ES 2344+514 with VERITAS

We present very-high-energy $γ$-ray observations of the BL Lac object 1ES 2344+514 taken by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) between 2007 and 2015. 1ES 2344+514 is detected with a statistical significance above background of $20.8σ$ in $47.2$ hours (livetime) of observations, making this the most comprehensive very-high-energy study of 1ES 2344+514 to date. Using these observations the temporal properties of 1ES 2344+514 are studied on short and long times scales. We fit a constant flux model to nightly- and seasonally-binned light curves and apply a fractional variability test, to determine the stability of the source on different timescales. We reject the constant-flux model for the 2007-2008 and 2014-2015 nightly-binned light curves and for the long-term seasonally-binned light curve at the $> 3σ$ level. The spectra of the time-averaged emission before and after correction for attenuation by the extragalactic background light are obtained. The observed time-averaged spectrum above 200 GeV is satisfactorily fitted (${χ^2/NDF = 7.89/6}$) by a power-law function with index $Γ= 2.46 \pm 0.06_{stat} \pm 0.20_{sys} $ and extends to at least 8 TeV. The extragalactic-background-light-deabsorbed spectrum is adequately fit (${χ^2/NDF = 6.73/6}$) by a power-law function with index $Γ= 2.15 \pm 0.06_{stat} \pm 0.20_{sys} $ while an F-test indicates that the power-law with exponential cutoff function provides a marginally-better fit ($χ^2/NDF $ = $2.56 / 5 $) at the 2.1$σ$ level. The source location is found to be consistent with the published radio location and its spatial extent is consistent with a point source.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2017

Dark Matter Constraints from a Joint Analysis of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Observations with VERITAS

We present constraints on the annihilation cross section of WIMP dark matter based on the joint statistical analysis of four dwarf galaxies with VERITAS. These results are derived from an optimized photon weighting statistical technique that improves on standard imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope (IACT) analyses by utilizing the spectral and spatial properties of individual photon events. We report on the results of $\sim$230 hours of observations of five dwarf galaxies and the joint statistical analysis of four of the dwarf galaxies. We find no evidence of gamma-ray emission from any individual dwarf nor in the joint analysis. The derived upper limit on the dark matter annihilation cross section from the joint analysis is $1.35\times 10^{-23} {\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the bottom quark ($b\bar{b}$) final state, $2.85\times 10^{-24}{\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the tau lepton ($τ^{+}τ^{-}$) final state and $1.32\times 10^{-25}{\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the gauge boson ($γγ$) final state.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2017

Strong First Order Electroweak Phase Transition in the CP-Conserving 2HDM Revisited

The discovery of the Higgs boson by the LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS has marked a milestone for particle physics. Yet, there are still many open questions that cannot be answered within the Standard Model (SM). For example, the generation of the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe through baryogenesis can only be explained qualitatively in the SM. A simple extension of the SM compatible with the current theoretical and experimental constraints is given by the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) where a second Higgs doublet is added to the Higgs sector. We investigate the possibility of a strong first order electroweak phase transition in the CP-conserving 2HDM type I and type II where either of the CP-even Higgs bosons is identified with the SM-like Higgs boson. The renormalisation that we apply on the loop-corrected Higgs potential allows us to efficiently scan the 2HDM parameter space and simultaneously take into account all relevant theoretical and up-to-date experimental constraints. The 2HDM parameter regions found to be compatible with the applied constraints and a strong electroweak phase transition are analysed systematically. Our results show that there is a strong interplay between the requirement of a strong phase transition and collider phenomenology with testable implications for searches at the LHC.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2017

Gamma-ray Observations Under Bright Moonlight with VERITAS

Imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) are equipped with sensitive photomultiplier tube (PMT) cameras. Exposure to high levels of background illumination degrades the efficiency of and potentially destroys these photo-detectors over time, so IACTs cannot be operated in the same configuration in the presence of bright moonlight as under dark skies. Since September 2012, observations have been carried out with the VERITAS IACTs under bright moonlight (defined as about three times the night-sky-background (NSB) of a dark extragalactic field, typically occurring when Moon illumination > 35%) in two observing modes, firstly by reducing the voltage applied to the PMTs and, secondly, with the addition of ultra-violet (UV) bandpass filters to the cameras. This has allowed observations at up to about 30 times previous NSB levels (around 80% Moon illumination), resulting in 30% more observing time between the two modes over the course of a year. These additional observations have already allowed for the detection of a flare from the 1ES 1727+502 and for an observing program targeting a measurement of the cosmic-ray positron fraction. We provide details of these new observing modes and their performance relative to the standard VERITAS observations.

astro-ph.IM↗