arXiv subjects

Pierrick Martin

Publications and source records attributed to Pierrick Martin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The impact of circumstellar wind-blown bubbles on the dynamics of pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants

The core-collapse supernova explosion of most massive stars is followed by the development of a supernova remnant (SNR) and pulsar wind nebula (PWN) system whose evolution is in part dictated by its surrounding environment. The latter is frequently assumed to be the typical interstellar medium (ISM). However, massive stars emit powerful winds during their lifetime and carve extended circumstellar cavities known as wind-blown bubbles (WBBs). We investigated the impact of WBBs on the dynamics, energetics, and thermal X-ray emission of a SNR-PWN system. We performed numerical simulations of a 1D hydrodynamical analogue of the system, for different stellar progenitors and pulsar parameters, in a WBB or ISM environment. The system initially expands to large sizes in the low-density interior of a WBB, until the SNR fills the entire bubble. The PWN grows to $\gtrsim10~\mathrm{pc}$ ($30~\mathrm{pc}$) after $\sim5~\mathrm{kyr}$ ($\sim25~\mathrm{kyr}$) for a $M=8~\mathrm{M}_\odot$ ($M=20~\mathrm{M}_\odot$) progenitor, $5-6$ times larger than in an ISM environment. The impact of the SNR on the massive outer shell of the WBB generates a strong reflected shock that efficiently returns energy to the inner parts of the system. At late times, after a strong compression of the PWN by an order of magnitude in size, back-and-forth shock crossings of the cavity maintain the SNR at very high temperatures and drive a vigorous reverberation of the PWN, with changes in radius by up to $3-4$. In this stage, the PWN is on average $2-4$ times larger than in an ISM environment and contains up to an order of magnitude more energy. Thermal radiation from the system occurs in few very localised emission bursts, as low-velocity shocks are transmitted across the bubble shell when it is hit by blast waves. WBBs offer a possible explanation for the large sizes of many PWNe and the non-detection of their parent SNRs.

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arXiv2026

Fermi-LAT View on Three Ultra-high-energy 1LHAASO Sources in the $52^{\circ}<l<55^{\circ}$ Region

Using more than 17 yr of Fermi-LAT data, we performed a detailed investigation of the complex $52^{\circ}<l<55^{\circ}$ region, which encompasses the three ultra-high-energy sources 1LHAASO J1928+1746u, 1LHAASO J1928+1813u, and 1LHAASO J1929+1846u. This region hosts multiple SNRs, pulsars, GeV and TeV sources. Our analysis resolves the GeV emission into three pointlike sources (J1925+1729P, J1930+1851P, and J1932+1916P) and two extended sources (J1929+1732E and J1930+1826E), and improves significantly on the description based on the 4FGL-DR4 catalog. Source J1932+1916P is identified as the known gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1932+1916, while J1925+1729P may be a new gamma-ray pulsar candidate distinct from the known gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1925+1720. This warrants future investigation and a search for pulsations. Source J1930+1851P coincides with the TeV source PWN/SNR G54.1+0.3 and its GeV-TeV spectrum is consistent with both leptonic and hadronic interpretations, although a leptonic origin in relation to the known PWN is more likely. The GeV-TeV spectrum of J1929+1732E is consistent with a hybrid lepto-hadronic scenario in which the TeV emission traces the PWN powered by the pulsar PSR J1928+1746, while the GeV emission may result from interactions between particles escaped from the parent SNR and illuminating the gas environment. Similarly, J1930+1826E is likely connected to PWN/SNR G54.1+0.3 under a hadronic scenario involving escaped particles in their early propagation stage. Owing to spectral and/or morphological mismatches, the connection of these five GeV sources to the three LHAASO sources is not clear. This warrants deeper observations with HAWC and LHAASO, and a dedicated study of the modeling of the Galactic diffuse emission. Future CTAO observations with higher angular resolution are expected to deliver crucial information for the study of this region.

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arXiv2026

Probing the $\gamma$-ray Emission Origin of Two Star-forming Galaxies NGC 2403 and NGC 3424 with the Fermi-LAT

Star-forming galaxies (SFGs) are a subclass of $\gamma$-ray emitters and a correlation between their $\gamma$-ray luminosity ($L_{\rm \gamma}$) and the total infrared (IR) luminosity ($L_{\rm IR}$) has been established based on the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. NGC 2403 and NGC 3424 have been reported as outliers in the $L_{\rm \gamma}$-$L_{\rm IR}$ correlation with light curves showing significant variability, which contrasts with the temporally stable $\gamma$-ray emission in other SFGs, originating primarily from cosmic rays interacting with interstellar medium. In this study, we reanalyze the $\gamma$-ray emission in the directions of NGC 2403 and NGC 3424 using more than 16.5 yr Fermi-LAT data. NGC 3424 is found to be spatially coincident with the detected $\gamma$-ray source, while NGC 2403 is significantly offset from the nearest $\gamma$-ray source, suggesting an implausible association. We confirm the previously reported variability of both $\gamma$-ray sources and the significant deviation from the $L_{\rm \gamma}$-$L_{\rm IR}$ correlation when assuming an association of both $\gamma$-ray sources with the two galaxies. Our findings lend further support to the interpretation that their $\gamma$-ray emission is driven primarily by alternative radiative processes-rather than by star formation activity-such as the ejecta of the Type IIP supernova SN 2004dj in NGC 2403 interacting with a surrounding high-density shell and an obscured active galactic nucleus in NGC 3424.

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arXiv2026

Radio streaks in the Lighthouse Nebula discovered with MeerKAT -- Particles escaping from the tail and illuminating the ambient magnetic field

Bow-shock pulsar wind nebulae are valuable sources to investigate the dynamics of relativistic pulsar winds and the mechanisms by which they are converted into cosmic-ray leptons at the highest energies. The Lighthouse Nebula is one such object, famous for the high velocity of its pulsar and a long misaligned X-ray jet that is understood as a specific escape channel for the most energetic particles. We aim to get a better understanding of how the bulk of non-thermal particles are released into the interstellar medium. We focus on GHz radio observations, which probe lower-energy particles that are dominant in number and long-lived, thus offering a picture of how escape proceeds in the long run. We analyze 10.5h of MeerKAT observations in the 0.9-1.7GHz band. MeerKAT observations reveal a highly structured synchrotron nebula downstream of pulsar PSR J1101-6101. A cometary tail is detected up to beyond 5pc from the pulsar, while a system of multiple transverse two-sided emission streaks is observed for the first time. No radio counterpart of the misaligned X-ray jet is seen. The radio streaks are interpreted as the occasional charge-independent release of energetic leptons from the tail into the surrounding medium, as a result of dynamical instabilities and reconfiguration in the downstream flow. The intensity layout suggests that most of the particle content of the nebula is discharged into the ambient medium within several parsec. Once escaped, particles light up the ambient magnetic field, which appears to have a coherence length of at least a few parsec. The length and persistence of the streaks indicate a low level of magnetic turbulence, possibly slightly enhanced with respect to average cosmic-ray transport conditions in the Galaxy. Such a confinement may result from self-generated turbulence by resonant streaming instability, or be due to past activity of the progenitor star.

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arXiv2025

Pulsar+escape: the recipe for LHAASO sources ?

Observations of our Galaxy at very-high and ultra-high photon energies have revealed a rich population of sources, many of which have significant angular extension and/or are positionally coincident with energetic pulsars. We assessed whether the properties of these gamma-ray emitters are consistent with the predictions of a model for the non-thermal leptonic emission of a pulsar wind nebula expanding within a supernova remnant, including the possibility of particle escape across the different components of the system up to the ambient medium. We used a multi-zone model framework that describes the transport and radiation of a population of ultra-relativistic electron-positron pairs. The dynamics of the system is retrieved from numerical hydrodynamics simulations, which allows to follow the evolution through advanced stages. Model predictions for typical parameter setups are compared to source catalogs issued by the H.E.S.S. and LHAASO collaborations. If particles remain confined in the nebula, 1-100TeV emission is only partially consistent with the properties of observed sources in terms of surface brightness, angular extent, and photon index. In particular, the systems spend a long time in a bright and soft state that has no equivalent in observations. Conversely, including the possibility of energy-dependent particle escape across the object results in a much better agreement, both in the 1-10TeV range explored with H.E.S.S. or LHAASO-WCDA, and in the 20-100TeV range explored by LHAASO-KM2A. Emission components with intermediate to low brightnesses and large to very large sizes result from particles trapped in the remnant or escaped in the surrounding medium. Particle escape, clearly seen in the form of misaligned jets or halos around middle-aged pulsars, is a very important process in much younger systems with 1-100kyr ages, and shapes their appearance as TeV/PeV sources.

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arXiv2025

The environment of TeV halo progenitors

TeV haloes are extended sources of very-high-energy gamma rays found around some middle-aged pulsars. The emission spanning several tens of parsecs suggests an efficient confinement of the ultra-relativistic lepton pairs produced by pulsars in their vicinity. The physical mechanism responsible for this suppressed transport has not yet been identified. In some scenarios, pair confinement may be linked to the medium the pulsars are located in. We aim at understanding the type of medium pulsars probe over their lifetime. We developed a model for the environment probed by moving pulsars, from their birth in core-collapse explosions - where they receive a natal kick - until their entry into the interstellar medium. The model involves: (i) a Monte-Carlo sampling of the properties of the massive-star progenitors of pulsars; (ii) a calculation of the structure of the surrounding medium shaped by these progenitors for the two cases of isolated stars and star clusters; and (iii) a computation of the evolution of supernova remnants in these parent environments. Ultimately, from a distribution of neutron star kick velocities, we assess the medium in which pulsars are located as a function of time. We first derived the statistical properties of a fully synthetic Galactic population and then applied the model to a selection of known pulsars to assess the likely nature of their environment. We show that pulsars escape into the interstellar medium at around 300 kyr, significantly later than assumed in the literature. Given our assumptions, all known pulsars with a confirmed TeV halo have high probabilities of still being in their parent environment, which suggests that efficient pair confinement is connected to the region influenced by progenitor stars. To test this, we provide the probability that known pulsars still reside in their parent environment for a list of known pulsars.

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arXiv2025

Teleios (G305.4-2.2) -- the mystery of a perfectly shaped new Galactic supernova remnant

We present the serendipitous radio-continuum discovery of a likely Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G305.4-2.2. This object displays a remarkable circular symmetry in shape, making it one of the most circular Galactic SNRs known. Nicknamed Teleios due to its symmetry, it was detected in the new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) radio-continuum images with an angular size of 1320"x1260" and PA = 0 deg. While there is a hint of possible H$\alpha$ and gamma-ray emission, Teleios is exclusively seen at radio-continuum frequencies. Interestingly, Teleios is not only almost perfectly symmetric, but it also has one of the lowest surface brightnesses discovered among Galactic SNRs and a steep spectral index of $\alpha=-0.6\pm 0.3$. Our estimates from HI studies and the Sigma-D relation place Teleios as a type Ia SNR at a distance of either ~2.2 kpc of ~7.7 kpc. This indicates two possible scenarios, either a young (under 1000 yr) or an older SNR (over 10000 yr). With a corresponding diameter of 14/48 pc, our evolutionary studies place Teleios at the either early or late Sedov phase, depending on the distance estimate. However, our modelling also predicts X-ray emission, which we do not see in the present generation of eROSITA images. We also explored a type Iax explosion scenario that points to a much closer distance of <1 kpc and Teleios size of only ~3.3 pc, which would be similar to the only known type Iax remnant SN1181. Unfortunately, all examined scenarios have their challenges, and no definitive supernova (SN) origin type can be established at this stage. Teleios's symmetrical shape suggests expansion into a rarefied and isotropic ambient medium. The low radio surface brightness and the lack of pronounced polarisation can be explained by a high level of ambient rotation measure (RM), with the largest RM being observed at centre.

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arXiv2025

Detecting dark matter sub-halos in the Galactic plane with the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

Numerous observations confirm the existence of dark matter (DM) at astrophysical and cosmological scales. Theory and simulations of galaxy formation predict that DM should cluster on small scales in bound structures called sub-halos or DM clumps. While the most massive DM sub-halos host baryonic matter, less massive, unpopulated sub-halos could be abundant in the Milky Way (MW), as well and yield high-energy gamma rays as final products of DM annihilation. Recently, it has been highlighted that the brightest halos should also have a sizeable extension in the sky. In this study, we examine the prospects offered by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), a next-generation gamma-ray instrument, for detecting and characterizing such objects. Previous studies have primarily focused on high-latitude observations; here, we assess the potential impact of the CTAO's Galactic Plane Survey, which will provide unprecedentedly deep survey data for the inner five degrees of the Galactic plane. Our modeling accounts for tidal effects on the sub-halo population, examining the conditions under which DM sub-halos can be detected and distinguished from conventional astrophysical sources. We find that regions a few degrees above or below the Galactic plane offer the highest likelihood for DM sub-halo detection. For an individual sub-halo -- the brightest from among various realizations of the MW subhalo population -- we find that detection at the 5$\sigma$ level is achievable for an annihilation cross section of $\langle \sigma v \rangle \sim 3\times10^{-25}$ cm$^3$/s for TeV-scale DM annihilating into $b\bar{b}$. For a full population study, depending on the distribution and luminosity model of Galactic sub-halos, yet unconstrained cross sections in the range $\langle \sigma v \rangle \sim 10^{-23}-10^{-22}$ cm$^3$/s for TeV DM candidates are necessary for the brightest sub-halos to be detected.

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arXiv2024

Extended gamma-ray emission from particle escape in pulsar wind nebulae -- Application to HESS J1809-193 and HESS J1825-137

There is growing evidence from gamma-ray observations at high and very high energies that particle escape is a key aspect shaping the morphological properties of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) at various evolutionary stages. We aim to provide a simple model for the gamma-ray emission from these objects including the transport of particles across the different components of the system. We applied it to sources HESS J1809-193 and HESS J1825-137. We developed a multi-zone framework applicable to dynamically young PWNe, taking into account the diffusive escape of relativistic electron-positron pairs out of the nebula into the parent supernova remnant (SNR) and their confinement downstream of the magnetic barrier of the forward shock until an eventual release into the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). For a wide range of turbulence properties in the nebula, the GeV-TeV inverse-Compton radiation from pairs that escaped into the remnant can be a significant if not dominant contribution to the emission from the system. It may dominate the pion-decay radiation from cosmic rays accelerated at the forward shock and advected downstream of it. In the TeV-PeV range, the contribution from particles escaped into the ISM can exceed by far that of the SNR+PWN components. Applied to HESS J1809-193 and HESS J1825-137, we found that spatially extended GeV-TeV emission components can be accounted for mostly from particles escaped into the ISM, while morphologically more compact components above 50-100TeV are ascribed to the PWNe. In these two cases, the model suggests high turbulence in the nebula and a forward shock accelerating cosmic rays up to ~100TeV at most. The model provides the temporal and spectral properties of the flux of particles originally energized by the pulsar wind and ultimately released in the ISM. (Abridged).

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arXiv2024

Kinetic simulations of electron-positron induced streaming instability in the context of gamma-ray halos around pulsars

The possibility of slow diffusion regions as the origin for extended TeV emission halos around some pulsars (such as PSR J0633+1746 and PSR B0656+14) challenges the standard scaling of the electron diffusion coefficient in the interstellar medium. Self-generated turbulence by electron-positron pairs streaming out of the pulsar wind nebula was proposed as a possible mechanism to produce the enhanced turbulence required to explain the morphology and brightness of these TeV halos. We perform fully kinetic 1D3V particle-in-cell simulations of this instability, considering the case where streaming electrons and positrons have the same density. This implies purely resonant instability as the beam does not carry any current. We compare the linear phase of the instability with analytical theory and find very reasonable agreement. The non-linear phase of the instability is also studied, which reveals that the intensity of saturated waves is consistent with a momentum exchange criterion between a decelerating beam and growing magnetic waves. With the adopted parameters, the instability-driven wavemodes cover both the Alfv\'enic (fluid) and kinetic scales. The spectrum of the produced waves is non-symmetric, with left-handed circular polarisation waves being strongly damped when entering the ion-cyclotron branch, while right-handed waves are suppressed at smaller wavelength when entering the Whistler branch. The low-wavenumber part of the spectrum remains symmetric when in the Alfv\'enic branch. As a result, positrons behave dynamically differently compared to electrons. We also observed a second harmonic plasma emission in the wave spectrum. An MHD-PIC approach is warranted to probe hotter beams and investigate the Alfv\'en branch physics. This work confirms that the self-confinement scenario develops essentially according to analytical expectations [...](abridged)

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arXiv2022

Detecting and characterizing pulsar haloes with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The recently identified source class of pulsar haloes may be numerous and bright enough in the TeV range to constitute a large fraction of the sources that will be observed with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). In this work, we quantify the prospects for detecting and characterizing pulsar haloes in observations of the projected Galactic Plane Survey (GPS), using a simple phenomenological diffusion model for individual pulsar haloes and their population in the Milky Way. Our ability to uncover pulsar haloes and constrain their main physical parameters in the CTA GPS is assessed in the framework of a full spatial-spectral likelihood analysis of simulated survey observations, using the most recent estimates for the instrument response function and prototypes for the science tools. For a model setup representative of the halo around Geminga, we find that about three hundred objects could give rise to detectable emission in the GPS survey. Yet, only a third of them could be identified through their energy-dependent morphology, and only one-tenth of them would allow the derivation of strong constraints on key physical parameters like the magnitude or extent of suppressed diffusion around the pulsar. We also provide a list of known pulsars that could be hosting a detectable (Geminga-like) halo in the GPS and assess the robustness of our findings against several systematic uncertainties.

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arXiv2022

Population synthesis of pulsar wind nebulae and pulsar halos in the Milky Way -- Predicted contributions to the very-high-energy sky

The discovery of extended gamma-ray emission toward a number of middle-aged pulsars suggests the possibility of long-lived particle confinement beyond the classical pulsar wind nebula (PWN) stage. How this emerging source class can be extrapolated to a Galactic population remains unclear. We aim to evaluate how pulsar halos fit in existing TeV observations, under the assumption that all middle-aged pulsars develop halos similar to those observed toward the J0633+1746 or B0656+14 pulsars. We modeled the populations of supernova remnants, PWNe, and pulsar halos in the Milky Way. The PWN-halo evolutionary sequence is described in a simple yet coherent framework, and both kinds of objects are assumed to share the same particle injection properties. We then assessed the contribution of the different source classes to the very-high-energy emission from the Galaxy. The synthetic population can be made consistent with the flux distribution of all known objects, including unidentified objects, for a reasonable set of parameters. The fraction of the populations predicted to be detectable in surveys of the Galactic plane with HESS. and HAWC is then found to be in good agreement with their actual outcome, with a number of detectable halos ranging from 30 to 80% of the number of detectable PWNe. Prospects for CTA involve the detection of 250-300 sources in the Galactic Plane Survey, including 170 PWNe and up to 100 halos. The extent of diffusion suppression in halos has a limited impact on such prospects but its magnitude has a strong influence. The level of diffuse emission from unresolved populations in each survey is found to be dominated by halos and comparable to large-scale interstellar radiation powered by cosmic rays above 0.1-1TeV. Pulsar halos are shown to be viable counterparts to a fraction of the currently unidentified sources if they develop around most middle-aged pulsars (abridged).

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arXiv2022

Are pulsar halos rare ?

Extended gamma-ray emission, interpreted as halos formed by the inverse-Compton scattering of ambient photons by electron-positron pairs, is observed toward a number of middle-aged pulsars. The physical origin and actual commonness of the phenomenon in the Galaxy remain unclear. The conditions of pair confinement seem extreme compared to what can be achieved in recent theoretical models. We searched for scenarios minimizing as much as possible the extent and magnitude of diffusion suppression in the halos in J0633+1746 and B0656+14, and explored the implications on the local positron flux if they are applied to all nearby middle-aged pulsars. We used a phenomenological static two-zone diffusion framework and compared its predictions with Fermi-LAT and HAWC observations of the two halos, and with the local positron flux measured with AMS-02. While strong diffusion suppression by 2-3 orders of magnitude at ~100TeV is required by the data, it is possible to find solutions with diffusion suppression extents as small as 30pc for both objects. If all nearby middle-aged pulsars develop such halos, their combined positron flux including the contribution from Geminga would saturate the >100GeV AMS-02 measurement for injection efficiencies that are much smaller than those inferred for the canonical halos in J0633+1746 and B0656+14, and more generally with the values typical of younger pulsar wind nebulae. Conversely, if positrons from other nearby pulsars are released in the interstellar medium without any confinement around the source, their total positron flux fits into the observed spectrum for the same injection efficiencies of a few tens of percent for all pulsars, from kyr-old objects powering pulsar wind nebulae to 100kyr-old objects like J0633+1746 and B0656+14. It seems a simpler scenario to assume that most middle-aged pulsars do not develop halos (abridged).

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arXiv2022

The carbon footprint of IRAP

We present an assessment of the greenhouse gases emissions of the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP), located in Toulouse (France). It was performed following the established "Bilan Carbone" methodology, over a large scope compared to similar previous studies, including in particular the contribution from the purchase of goods and services as well as IRAP's use of external research infrastructures, such as ground-based observatories and space-borne facilities. The carbon footprint of the institute for the reference year 2019 is 7400 +/- 900 tCO2e. If we exclude the contribution from external research infrastructures to focus on a restricted perimeter over which the institute has some operational control, IRAP's emissions in 2019 amounted to 3300 +/- 400 tCO2e. Over the restricted perimeter, the contribution from purchasing goods and services is dominant, about 40% of the total, slightly exceeding the contribution from professional travel including hotel stays, which accounts for 38%. Local infrastructures make a smaller contribution to IRAP's carbon footprint, about 25% over the restricted perimeter. We note that this repartition may be specific to IRAP, since the energy used to produce the electricity and heating has a relatively low carbon footprint. Over the full perimeter, the large share from the use of ground-based observatories and space-borne facilities and the fact that the majority of IRAP purchases are related to instrument development indicate that research infrastructures represent the most significant challenge for reducing the carbon footprint of research at our institute. With ~260 staff members employed, our results imply that performing research in astronomy and astrophysics at IRAP according to the standards of 2019 produces average GHG emissions of 28 tCO2e/yr per person involved in that activity (Abridged).

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arXiv2022

Estimate of the carbon footprint of astronomical research infrastructures

The carbon footprint of astronomical research is an increasingly topical issue with first estimates of research institute and national community footprints having recently been published. As these assessments have typically excluded the contribution of astronomical research infrastructures, we complement these studies by providing an estimate of the contribution of astronomical space missions and ground-based observatories using greenhouse gas emission factors that relates cost and payload mass to carbon footprint. We find that worldwide active astronomical research infrastructures currently have a carbon footprint of 20.3$\pm$3.3 MtCO$_2$ equivalent (CO$_2$e) and an annual emission of 1,169$\pm$249 ktCO$_2$e yr$^{-1}$ corresponding to a footprint of 36.6$\pm$14.0 tCO$_2$e per year per astronomer. Compared with contributions from other aspects of astronomy research activity, our results suggest that research infrastructures make the single largest contribution to the carbon footprint of an astronomer. We discuss the limitations and uncertainties of our method and explore measures that can bring greenhouse gas emissions from astronomical research infrastructures towards a sustainable level.

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arXiv2021

Gamma rays as probes of cosmic-ray propagation and interactions in galaxies

Continuum gamma-ray emission produced by interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar matter and radiation fields is a probe of non-thermal particle populations in galaxies. After decades of continuous improvements in experimental techniques and an ever-increasing sky and energy coverage, gamma-ray observations reveal in unprecedented detail the properties of galactic cosmic rays. A variety of scales and environments are now accessible to us, from the local interstellar medium near the Sun and the vicinity of cosmic-ray accelerators, out to the Milky Way at large and beyond, with a growing number of gamma-ray emitting star-forming galaxies. Gamma-ray observations have been pushing forward our understanding of the life cycle of cosmic rays in galaxies and, combined with advances in related domains, they have been challenging standard assumptions in the field and have spurred new developments in modelling approaches and data analysis methods. We provide a review of the status of the subject and discuss perspectives on future progress.

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arXiv2020

Steady-state nucleosynthesis throughout the Galaxy

Measurement and astrophysical interpretation of characteristic gamma-ray lines from nucleosynthesis was one of the prominent science goals of the INTEGRAL mission and in particular its spectrometer SPI. Emission from 26Al and from 60Fe decay lines originates from accumulated ejecta of nucleosynthesis sources, and appears diffuse in nature. 26Al and 60Fe are believed to originate mostly from massive star clusters. Gamma-ray observations open an interesting window to trace the fate and flow of nucleosynthesis ejecta, after they have left the immediate sources and their birth sites, and on their path to mix with ambient interstellar gas. The INTEGRAL 26Al emission image confirms earlier findings of clumpiness and an extent along the entire plane of the Galaxy, supporting its origin from massive-star groups. INTEGRAL spectroscopy resolved the line and found Doppler broadenings and systematic shifts from large-scale galactic rotation. But an excess velocity of ~200 km/s suggests that 26Al decays preferentially within large superbubbles that extend in forward directions between spiral arms. The detection of 26Al line emission from nearby Orion and the Eridanus superbubble supports this interpretation. Positrons from beta+ decays of 26Al and other nucleosynthesis ejecta have been found to not explain the morphology of positron annihilation gamma-rays at 511 keV that have been measured by INTEGRAL. The 60Fe signal measured by INTEGRAL is diffuse but too weak for an imaging interpretation, an origin from point-like/concentrated sources is excluded. The 60Fe/26Al ratio is constrained to a range 0.2-0.4. Beyond improving precision of these results, diffuse nucleosynthesis contributions from novae (through 22Na radioactivity) and from past neutron star mergers in our Galaxy (from r-process radioactivity) are exciting new prospects for the remaining mission extensions.

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arXiv2019

Analysis of the H.E.S.S. public data release with ctools

The ctools open-source software package was developed for the scientific analysis of astronomical data from Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), such as H.E.S.S., VERITAS, MAGIC, and the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). To date, the software has been mainly tested using simulated CTA data; however, upon the public release of a small set of H.E.S.S. observations of the Crab nebula, MSH 15-52, RX J1713.7-3946, and PKS 2155-304 validation using real data is now possible. We analysed the data of the H.E.S.S. public data release using ctools version 1.6 and compared our results to those published by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration for the respective sources. We developed a parametric background model that satisfactorily describes the expected background rate as a function of reconstructed energy and direction for each observation. We used that model, and tested all analysis methods that are supported by ctools, including novel unbinned and joint or stacked binned analyses of the measured event energies and reconstructed directions, and classical On-Off analysis methods that are comparable to those used by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration. For all analysis methods, we found a good agreement between the ctools results and the H.E.S.S. Collaboration publications considering that they are not always directly comparable due to differences in the datatsets and event processing software. We also performed a joint analysis of H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT data of the Crab nebula, illustrating the multi-wavelength capacity of ctools. The joint Crab nebula spectrum is compatible with published literature values within the systematic uncertainties. We conclude that the ctools software is mature for the analysis of data from existing IACTs, as well as from the upcoming CTA.

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