arXiv subjects

Paula M. Chadwick

Publications and source records attributed to Paula M. Chadwick.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Photon-axion mixing within the jets of Active Galactic Nuclei and prospects for detection

Very high energy gamma-ray observations of distant active galactic nuclei (AGN) generally result in higher fluxes and harder spectra than expected, resulting in some tension with the level of the extragalactic background light (EBL). If hypothetical axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) were to exist, this tension could be relieved since the oscillation of photons to ALPs would mitigate the effects of EBL absorption and lead to softer inferred intrinsic AGN spectra. In this paper we consider the effect of photon-ALP mixing on observed spectra, including the photon-ALP mixing that would occur within AGN jets. We then simulate observations of three AGN with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a next generation gamma-ray telescope, to determine its prospects for detecting the signatures of photon-ALP mixing on the spectra. We conclude that prospects for CTA detecting these signatures or else setting limits on the ALP parameter space are quite promising. We find that prospects are improved if photon-ALP mixing within the jet is properly considered and that the best target for observations is PKS 2155-304.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

An Investigation into the Spectral Properties of Bright Fermi Blazars

We investigate the spectral properties of blazars detected with the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the high energy regime 100 MeV - 100 GeV. We find that over long timescales a log-parabola provides an adequate description of the spectrum in almost all objects and in most cases is significantly better than a simple power law or broken power law description. Broken power law descriptions appear to arise from two causes: confusion with nearby sources and as an artifact of older LAT instrument response functions. We create a light curve for 2FGLJ2253.9+1609 (3C 454.3), the brightest of the objects investigated. During the quiescent state we find the spectrum to be fairly stable and well-described by a log-parabola. There is some evidence that, on average, the peak energy of the inverse Compton emission is lower in the quiescent state than in the time-averaged state, suggesting that increases in flux are due to changing parameters within the jet as opposed to changes in an external photon field. However, no correlation between inverse Compton peak energy and flux is apparent. During high flux states, deviation of the spectral shape from a simple power law continues. In some cases a log-parabola provides a significantly better fit than a broken power law but in others the reverse is true.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Identifying Breaks and Curvature in the Fermi Spectra of Bright Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

Knowing the site of gamma-ray emission in AGN jets will do much for our understanding of the physics of the source. In particular, if the emission region is close to the black hole then absorption of gamma-rays with photons from the broad-line region could become significant. Such absorption is predicted to produce two specific spectral breaks in the gamma-ray spectra of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). We test this hypothesis using 3 years of Fermi observations of nine bright FSRQs. A simple power law fit to the spectrum of each source can be significantly improved by introducing a break, but the break energies are inconsistent with those predicted by the double-absorber model. In some cases the fit can be further improved by a log-parabola. In addition, by dividing the data from each source into two equal epochs we find that the best description of an object's spectrum often varies between a log-parabola and a broken power law.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Identifying Breaks and Curvature in the Fermi Spectra of Bright FSRQs and Constraining the Emission Region

Deviation of the gamma-ray energy spectra of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) from a simple power law has been previously observed but the cause of this remains unidentified. If the gamma-ray emission region is close to the central black hole then absorption of gamma-rays with photons from the broad line region is predicted to produce two spectral breaks in the gamma-ray spectra at fixed energies. We examine 9 bright FSRQs for evidence of breaks and curvature. Although we confirm deviation from a simple power law, break energies are usually not where predicted by the double-absorber model. In some objects a log-parabola fit is better than a broken power law. By splitting the data into two equal time epochs we find that the spectral shape of many objects varies over time.

astro-ph.HE↗