arXiv subjects

M. Mayer

Publications and source records attributed to M. Mayer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Search for cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission in Galaxy Clusters

Current theories predict relativistic hadronic particle populations in clusters of galaxies in addition to the already observed relativistic leptons. In these scenarios hadronic interactions give rise to neutral pions which decay into $γ$ rays, that are potentially observable with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi space telescope. We present a joint likelihood analysis searching for spatially extended $γ$-ray emission at the locations of 50 galaxy clusters in 4 years of Fermi-LAT data under the assumption of the universal cosmic-ray model proposed by Pinzke & Pfrommer (2010). We find an excess at a significance of $2.7σ$ which upon closer inspection is however correlated to individual excess emission towards three galaxy clusters: Abell 400, Abell 1367 and Abell 3112. We discuss these cases in detail and conservatively attribute the emission to unmodeled background (for example, radio galaxies within the clusters). Through the combined analysis of 50 clusters we exclude hadronic injection efficiencies in simple hadronic models above 21% and establish limits on the cosmic-ray to thermal pressure ratio within the virial radius, $R_{200}$, to be below 1.2-1.4% depending on the morphological classification. In addition we derive new limits on the $γ$-ray flux from individual clusters in our sample.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Inferred cosmic-ray spectrum from ${\it Fermi}$-LAT $γ$-ray observations of the Earth's limb

Recent accurate measurements of cosmic-ray (CR) species by ATIC-2, CREAM, and PAMELA reveal an unexpected hardening in the proton and He spectra above a few hundred GeV, a gradual softening of the spectra just below a few hundred GeV, and a harder spectrum of He compared to that of protons. These newly-discovered features may offer a clue to the origin of high-energy CRs. We use the ${\it Fermi}$ Large Area Telescope observations of the $γ$-ray emission from the Earth's limb for an indirect measurement of the local spectrum of CR protons in the energy range $\sim 90~$GeV-$6~$TeV (derived from a photon energy range $15~$GeV-$1~$TeV). Our analysis shows that single power law and broken power law spectra fit the data equally well and yield a proton spectrum with index $2.68 \pm 0.04$ and $2.61 \pm 0.08$ above $\sim 200~$GeV, respectively.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Dark Matter Constraints from Observations of 25 Milky Way Satellite Galaxies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are some of the most dark-matter-dominated objects known. Due to their proximity, high dark matter content, and lack of astrophysical backgrounds, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are widely considered to be among the most promising targets for the indirect detection of dark matter via gamma rays. Here we report on gamma-ray observations of 25 Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies based on 4 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. None of the dwarf galaxies are significantly detected in gamma rays, and we present gamma-ray flux upper limits between 500 MeV and 500 GeV. We determine the dark matter content of 18 dwarf spheroidal galaxies from stellar kinematic data and combine LAT observations of 15 dwarf galaxies to constrain the dark matter annihilation cross section. We set some of the tightest constraints to date on the the annihilation of dark matter particles with masses between 2 GeV and 10 TeV into prototypical Standard Model channels. We find these results to be robust against systematic uncertainties in the LAT instrument performance, diffuse gamma-ray background modeling, and assumed dark matter density profile.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Rapid Gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare

We report on a bright flare in the Crab Nebula detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The period of significantly increased luminosity occurred in 2013 March and lasted for approximately 2 weeks. During this period, we observed flux variability on timescales of approximately 5\,hours. The combined photon flux above 100 MeV from the pulsar and its nebula reached a peak value of $(12.5\pm 0.8)\cdot 10^{-6}$\,cm$^{-2}$\,s$^{-1}$ on 2013 March 6. This value exceeds the average flux by almost a factor of 6 and implies a $\sim20$ times higher flux for the synchrotron component of the nebula alone. This is the second brightest flare observed from this source. Spectral and temporal analysis of the LAT data collected during the outburst reveal a rapidly varying synchrotron component of the Crab Nebula while the pulsar emission remains constant in time.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

A Population of Teraelectronvolt Pulsar Wind Nebulae in the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey

The most numerous source class that emerged from the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey are Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe). The 2013 reanalysis of this survey, undertaken after almost 10 years of observations, provides us with the most sensitive and most complete census of gamma-ray PWNe to date. In addition to a uniform analysis of spectral and morphological parameters, for the first time also flux upper limits for energetic young pulsars were extracted from the data. We present a discussion of the correlation between energetic pulsars and TeV objects, and their respective properties. We will put the results in context with the current theoretical understanding of PWNe and evaluate the plausibility of previously non-established PWN candidates.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Comparison of JET main chamber erosion with dust collected in the divertor

A complete global balance for carbon in JET requires knowledge of the net erosion in the main chamber, net deposition in the divertor and the amount of dust and flakes collecting in the divertor region. This paper describes a number of measurements on aspects of this global picture. Profiler measurements and cross section microscopy on tiles that were removed in the 2009 JET intervention are used to evaluate the net erosion in the main chamber and net deposition in the divertor. In addition the mass of dust and flakes collected from the JET divertor during the same intervention is also reported and included as part of the balance. Spectroscopic measurements of carbon erosion from the main chamber are presented and compared with the erosion measurements for the main chamber.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

Demonstration of a novel technique to measure two-photon exchange effects in elastic $e^\pm p$ scattering

The discrepancy between proton electromagnetic form factors extracted using unpolarized and polarized scattering data is believed to be a consequence of two-photon exchange (TPE) effects. However, the calculations of TPE corrections have significant model dependence, and there is limited direct experimental evidence for such corrections. We present the results of a new experimental technique for making direct $e^\pm p$ comparisons, which has the potential to make precise measurements over a broad range in $Q^2$ and scattering angles. We use the Jefferson Lab electron beam and the Hall B photon tagger to generate a clean but untagged photon beam. The photon beam impinges on a converter foil to generate a mixed beam of electrons, positrons, and photons. A chicane is used to separate and recombine the electron and positron beams while the photon beam is stopped by a photon blocker. This provides a combined electron and positron beam, with energies from 0.5 to 3.2 GeV, which impinges on a liquid hydrogen target. The large acceptance CLAS detector is used to identify and reconstruct elastic scattering events, determining both the initial lepton energy and the sign of the scattered lepton. The data were collected in two days with a primary electron beam energy of only 3.3 GeV, limiting the data from this run to smaller values of $Q^2$ and scattering angle. Nonetheless, this measurement yields a data sample for $e^\pm p$ with statistics comparable to those of the best previous measurements. We have shown that we can cleanly identify elastic scattering events and correct for the difference in acceptance for electron and positron scattering. The final ratio of positron to electron scattering: $R=1.027\pm0.005\pm0.05$ for $ =0.206$ GeV$^2$ and $0.830\leq ε\leq 0.943$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2013

Constraints on the Galactic Population of TEV Pulsar Wind Nebulae Using Fermi Large Area Telescope Observations

Pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) have been established as the most populous class of TeV gamma-ray emitters. Since launch, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT)identified five high-energy (100MeV <E< 100 GeV) gamma-ray sources as PWNe, and detected a large number of PWNe candidates, all powered by young and energetic pulsars. The wealth of multi-wavelength data available and the new results provided by Fermi-LAT give us an opportunity to find new PWNe and to explore the radiative processes taking place in known ones. The TeV gamma-ray unidentifiedsources (UNIDs) are the best candidates for finding new PWNe. Using 45 months of Fermi-LAT data for energies above 10 GeV, an analysis was performed near the position of 58TeV PWNe and UNIDs within 5deg of the Galactic Plane to establish new constraints on PWNe properties and find new clues on the nature of UNIDs. Of the 58 sources, 30 were detected, and this work provides their gamma-rayfluxes for energies above 10 GeV. The spectral energy distributions (SED) andupper limits, in the multi-wavelength context, also provide new information on the source nature and can help distinguish between emission scenarios, i.e. between classification as a pulsar candidate or as a PWN candidate. Six new GeV PWNe candidates are described in detail and compared with existing models. A population study of GeV PWNe candidates as a function of the pulsar/PWN system characteristics is presented.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Predicting the X-ray flux of evolved pulsar wind nebulae based on VHE gamma-ray observations

Energetic pulsars power winds of relativistic leptons which produce photon nebulae (so- called pulsar wind nebulae, PWNe). Their spectral energy distribution has a double-humped structure: the first hump lies in the X-ray regime, the second in the gamma-ray range. The X-ray emission is generally understood as synchrotron radiation by highly energetic leptons, the gamma-ray emission as Inverse Compton scattering of energetic leptons with ambient photon fields. The spectral evolution is influenced by the time-dependent spin-down of the pulsar and the decrease of the magnetic field strength with time. Thus, the present spectral appearance of a PWN depends on the age of the pulsar: while young PWNe are bright in X-rays and gamma-rays, the X-ray emission of evolved PWNe is suppressed. Hence, evolved pulsar wind nebulae may offer an explanation of the nature of some of the unidentified VHE (very high-energy, E > 100GeV) gamma-ray sources not yet associated with a counterpart at other wavelengths. The purpose of this work is to develop a model which allows to calculate the expected X-ray fluxes of unidentified VHE gamma-ray sources considered to be PWN candidates. Such an estimate may help to evaluate the prospects of detecting the X-ray signal in deep observations with current X-ray observatories in future studies. We present a time-dependent leptonic model which predicts the broad-band emission of a PWN according to the characteristics of its pulsar. For a sample of representative PWNe, the resulting model predictions in the X-ray and gamma-ray range are compared to observations. The comparison shows that the energy flux of the X-ray emission of identified PWNe from different states of evolution can be roughly predicted by the model. This implies the possibility of an estimate of the non-thermal X-ray emission of unidentified VHE gamma-ray sources in case of an evolved PWN scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants

Cosmic rays are particles (mostly protons) accelerated to relativistic speeds. Despite wide agreement that supernova remnants (SNRs) are the sources of galactic cosmic rays, unequivocal evidence for the acceleration of protons in these objects is still lacking. When accelerated protons encounter interstellar material, they produce neutral pions, which in turn decay into gamma rays. This offers a compelling way to detect the acceleration sites of protons. The identification of pion-decay gamma rays has been difficult because high-energy electrons also produce gamma rays via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. We detected the characteristic pion-decay feature in the gamma-ray spectra of two SNRs, IC 443 and W44, with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This detection provides direct evidence that cosmic-ray protons are accelerated in SNRs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Transverse Polarization of $Σ^{+}(1189)$ in Photoproduction on a Hydrogen Target in CLAS

Experimental results on the $Σ^+(1189)$ hyperon transverse polarization in photoproduction on a hydrogen target using the CLAS detector at Jefferson laboratory are presented. The $Σ^+(1189)$ was reconstructed in the exclusive reaction $γ+p\rightarrow K^{0}_{S} + Σ^+(1189)$ via the $Σ^{+} \to p π^{0}$ decay mode. The $K^{0}_S$ was reconstructed in the invariant mass of two oppositely charged pions with the $π^0$ identified in the missing mass of the detected $pπ^+π^-$ final state. Experimental data were collected in the photon energy range $E_γ$ = 1.0-3.5 GeV ($\sqrt{s}$ range 1.66-2.73 GeV). We observe a large negative polarization of up to 95%. As the mechanism of transverse polarization of hyperons produced in unpolarized photoproduction experiments is still not well understood, these results will help to distinguish between different theoretical models on hyperon production and provide valuable information for the searches of missing baryon resonances.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2013

Deep exclusive $π^+$ electroproduction off the proton at CLAS

The exclusive electroproduction of $π^+$ above the resonance region was studied using the $\rm{CEBAF}$ Large Acceptance Spectrometer ($\rm{CLAS}$) at Jefferson Laboratory by scattering a 6 GeV continuous electron beam off a hydrogen target. The large acceptance and good resolution of $\rm{CLAS}$, together with the high luminosity, allowed us to measure the cross section for the $γ^* p \to n π^+$ process in 140 ($Q^2$, $x_B$, $t$) bins: $0.16<x_B<0.58$, 1.6 GeV$^2<$$Q^2$$<4.5$ GeV$^2$ and 0.1 GeV$^2<$$-t$$<5.3$ GeV$^2$. For most bins, the statistical accuracy is on the order of a few percent. Differential cross sections are compared to two theoretical models, based either on hadronic (Regge phenomenology) or on partonic (handbag diagram) degrees of freedom. Both can describe the gross features of the data reasonably well, but differ strongly in their ingredients. If the handbag approach can be validated in this kinematical region, our data contain the interesting potential to experimentally access transversity Generalized Parton Distributions.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Near Threshold Neutral Pion Electroproduction at High Momentum Transfers and Generalized Form Factors

We report the measurement of near threshold neutral pion electroproduction cross sections and the extraction of the associated structure functions on the proton in the kinematic range $Q^2$ from 2 to 4.5 GeV$^2$ and $W$ from 1.08 to 1.16 GeV. These measurements allow us to access the dominant pion-nucleon s-wave multipoles $E_{0+}$ and $S_{0+}$ in the near-threshold region. In the light-cone sum-rule framework (LCSR), these multipoles are related to the generalized form factors $G_1^{π^0 p}(Q^2)$ and $G_2^{π^0 p}(Q^2)$. The data are compared to these generalized form factors and the results for $G_1^{π^0 p}(Q^2)$ are found to be in good agreement with the LCSR predictions, but the level of agreement with $G_2^{π^0 p}(Q^2)$ is poor.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Binary Millisecond Pulsar Discovery via Gamma-Ray Pulsations

Millisecond pulsars, old neutron stars spun-up by accreting matter from a companion star, can reach high rotation rates of hundreds of revolutions per second. Until now, all such "recycled" rotation-powered pulsars have been detected by their spin-modulated radio emission. In a computing-intensive blind search of gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (with partial constraints from optical data), we detected a 2.5-millisecond pulsar, PSR J1311-3430. This unambiguously explains a formerly unidentified gamma-ray source that had been a decade-long enigma, confirming previous conjectures. The pulsar is in a circular orbit with an orbital period of only 93 minutes, the shortest of any spin-powered pulsar binary ever found.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Measurement of Exclusive $π^0$ Electroproduction Structure Functions and their Relationship to Transversity GPDs

Exclusive $π^0$ electroproduction at a beam energy of 5.75 GeV has been measured with the Jefferson Lab CLAS spectrometer. Differential cross sections were measured at more than 1800 kinematic values in $Q^2$, $x_B$, $t$, and $ϕ_π$, in the $Q^2$ range from 1.0 to 4.6 GeV$^2$,\ $-t$ up to 2 GeV$^2$, and $x_B$ from 0.1 to 0.58. Structure functions $σ_T +εσ_L, σ_{TT}$ and $σ_{LT}$ were extracted as functions of $t$ for each of 17 combinations of $Q^2$ and $x_B$. The data were compared directly with two handbag-based calculations including both longitudinal and transversity GPDs. Inclusion of only longitudinal GPDs very strongly underestimates $σ_T +εσ_L$ and fails to account for $σ_{TT}$ and $σ_{LT}$, while inclusion of transversity GPDs brings the calculations into substantially better agreement with the data. There is very strong sensitivity to the relative contributions of nucleon helicity flip and helicity non-flip processes. The results confirm that exclusive $π^0$ electroproduction offers direct experimental access to the transversity GPDs.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2012

Evidence for the Onset of Color Transparency in $ρ^0$ Electroproduction off Nuclei

We have measured the nuclear transparency of the incoherent diffractive $A(e,e'ρ^0)$ process in $^{12}$C and $^{56}$Fe targets relative to $^2$H using a 5 GeV electron beam. The nuclear transparency, the ratio of the produced $ρ^0$'s on a nucleus relative to deuterium, which is sensitive to $ρA$ interaction, was studied as function of the coherence length ($l_c$), a lifetime of the hadronic fluctuation of the virtual photon, and the four-momentum transfer squared ($Q^2$). While the transparency for both $^{12}$C and $^{56}$Fe showed no $l_c$ dependence, a significant $Q^2$ dependence was measured, which is consistent with calculations that included the color transparency effects.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

Precise Measurements of Beam Spin Asymmetries in Semi-Inclusive $π^0$ production

We present studies of single-spin asymmetries for neutral pion electroproduction in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering of 5.776 GeV polarized electrons from an unpolarized hydrogen target, using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. A substantial $\sin ϕ_h$ amplitude has been measured in the distribution of the cross section asymmetry as a function of the azimuthal angle $ϕ_h$ of the produced neutral pion. The dependence of this amplitude on Bjorken $x$ and on the pion transverse momentum is extracted with significantly higher precision than previous data and is compared to model calculations.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2010

Near-threshold Photoproduction of Phi Mesons from Deuterium

We report the first measurement of the differential cross section on $ϕ$-meson photoproduction from deuterium near the production threshold for a proton using the CLAS detector and a tagged-photon beam in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The measurement was carried out by a triple coincidence detection of a proton, $K^+$ and $K^-$ near the theoretical production threshold of 1.57 GeV. The extracted differential cross sections $\frac{dσ}{dt}$ for the initial photon energy from 1.65-1.75 GeV are consistent with predictions based on a quasifree mechanism. This experiment establishes a baseline for a future experimental search for an exotic $ϕ$-N bound state from heavier nuclear targets utilizing subthreshold/near-threshold production of $ϕ$ mesons.

nucl-ex↗