arXiv subjects

R. Yamazaki

Publications and source records attributed to R. Yamazaki.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Revised production cross-section of gamma-rays in p-p collisions with LHC data for the study of TeV gamma-ray astronomy

We present the production cross-section of gamma-rays based on data of p-p collisions at LHC, revising the previous semi-empirical formula mainly for 1) the inelastic cross-section in p-p collisions, $σ_{pp}(E_0)$, and 2) the inclusive gamma-ray spectrum in the forward region, $σ_{pp \rightarrow γ}(E_0, E_γ)$. We find that the previous cross-section gives a significantly softer spectrum than found in the data of LHC. In this paper, we focus our interest mainly upon the LHC forward (LHCf) experiment, giving gamma-ray spectra in the very forward region with the pseudo-rapidity $η^*$ > 8.8 in the center of mass system (CMS), which have not been reported so far. We also give the pseudo-rapidity distribution of charged hadrons with -3 < $η^*$ < 3 obtained by ALICE and TOTEM experiments, both with LHC. We find that the revised cross-section reproduces quite well the accelerator data over the wide energy range from GeV to 30 PeV for projectile protons, corresponding approximately to 100 MeV to 3 PeV for secondary gamma-rays. The production cross-section of gamma-rays produced in the forward region is essential for the study of gamma-ray astronomy, while not important are those produced in the central region in CMS, and of much less importance in the backward. We discuss also the average transverse momentum of gamma-rays, $\bar{p}_{t}$, and the average inelasticity transferred to gamma-rays, $\bar{k}_γ^*$, obtaining that the former increases very slowly with $\bar{p}_{t}$ = 100 - 220 MeV/c for $E_0$ = 1 GeV - 26 PeV, and the latter is almost independent of $E_0$, with $\bar{k}_γ^* \approx 1/6$, while we can not exclude the possibility of a small increase of $\bar{k}_γ^*$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Fermi Large Area Telescope Observations of the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant

We present an analysis of the gamma-ray measurements by the Large Area Telescope(LAT) onboard the \textit{Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope} in the region of the supernova remnant(SNR) Cygnus Loop(G74.0$-$8.5). We detect significant gamma-ray emission associated with the SNR in the energy band 0.2--100 GeV. The gamma-ray spectrum shows a break in the range 2--3 GeV. The gamma-ray luminosity is $\sim$ $1 \times 10^{33}$erg s$^{-1}$ between 1--100 GeV, much lower than those of other GeV-emitting SNRs. The morphology is best represented by a ring shape, with inner/outer radii 0$^\circ$.7 $\pm$ 0$^\circ$.1 and 1$^\circ$.6 $\pm$ 0$^\circ$.1. Given the association among X-ray rims, \halpha filaments and gamma-ray emission, we argue that gamma rays originate in interactions between particles accelerated in the SNR and interstellar gas or radiation fields adjacent to the shock regions. The decay of neutral pions produced in nucleon-nucleon interactions between accelerated hadrons and interstellar gas provides a reasonable explanation for the gamma-ray spectrum.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Optical Behavior of GRB 061121 around its X-Ray Shallow Decay Phase

Aims. We report on a detailed study of the optical afterglow of GRB 061121 with our original time-series photometric data. In conjunction with X-ray observations, we discuss the origin of its optical and X-ray afterglows. Methods. We observed the optical afterglow of Swift burst GRB 061121 with the Kanata 1.5-m telescope at Higashi-Hiroshima Observatory. Our observation covers a period just after an X-ray plateau phase. We also performed deep imaging with the Subaru telescope in 2010 in order to estimate the contamination of the host galaxy. Results. In the light curve, we find that the optical afterglow also exhibited a break as in the X-ray afterglow. However, our observation suggests a possible hump structure or a flattening period before the optical break in the light curve. There is no sign of such a hump in the X-ray light curve. Conclusions. This implies that the emitting region of optical was distinct from that of X-rays. The hump in the optical light curve was possibly caused by the passage of the typical frequency of synchrotron emission from another forward shock distinct from the early afterglow. The observed decay and spectral indices are inconsistent with the standard synchrotron-shock model. Hence, the observation requires a change in microphysical parameters in the shock region or a prior activity of the central engine. Alternatively, the emission during the shallow decay phase may be a composition of two forward shock emissions, as indicated by the hump structure in the light curve.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Infrared/optical - X-ray simultaneous observations of X-ray flares in GRB 071112C and GRB 080506

We investigate the origin of short X-ray flares which are occasionally observed in early stages of afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We observed two events, GRB 071112C and GRB 080506, before the start of X-ray flares in the optical and near-infrared (NIR) bands with the 1.5-m Kanata telescope. In conjunction with published X-ray and optical data, we analyzed densely sampled light curves of the early afterglows and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the NIR-X-ray ranges. We found that the SEDs had a break between the optical and X-ray bands in the normal decay phases of both GRBs regardless of the model for the correction of the interstellar extinction in host galaxies of GRBs. In the X-ray flares, X-ray flux increased by 3 and 15 times in the case of GRB 071112C and 080506, respectively, and the X-ray spectra became harder than those in the normal decay phases. No significant variation in the optical-NIR range was detected together with the X-ray flares. These results suggest that the X-ray flares were associated with either late internal shocks or external shocks from two-component jets.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Quantum gate using qubit states separated by terahertz

A two-qubit quantum gate is realized using electronic excited states in a single ion with an energy separation on the order of a terahertz times the Planck constant as a qubit. Two phase locked lasers are used to excite a stimulated Raman transition between two metastable states $D_{3/2}$ and $D_{5/2}$ separated by 1.82 THz in a single trapped $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ion to construct a qubit, which is used as the target bit for the Cirac-Zoller two-qubit controlled NOT gate. Quantum dynamics conditioned on a motional qubit is clearly observed as a fringe reversal in Ramsey interferometry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

X-ray emission from HESS J1731-347/SNR G353.6-0.7 and Central Compact Source XMMS J173203-344518

We present new results of the HESS J1731-347/SNR G353.6-0.7 system from XMM-NEWTOM and Suzaku X-ray observations, and Delinha CO observations. We discover extended hard X-rays coincident with the bright, extended TeV source HESS J1731-347 and the shell of the radio SNR. We find that spatially-resolved X-ray spectra can generally be characterized by an absorbed power-law model, with photon-index of ~ 2, typical of non-thermal emission. A bright X-ray compact source, XMMS J173203-344518, is also detected near the center of the SNR. We find no evidence of a radio counterpart or an extended X-ray morphology for this source, making it unlikely to be a pulsar wind nebular (PWN). The spectrum of the source can be well fitted by an absorbed blackbody with a temperature of ~ 0.5 keV plus a power-law tail with a photon-index of ~ 5, reminiscent of the X-ray emission of a magnetar. CO observations toward the inner part of the HESS source reveal a bright cloud component at -20+/-4 km s^{-1}, which is likely located at the same distance of ~ 3.2 kpc as the SNR. Based on the probable association between the X-ray and $γ$-ray emissions and likely association between the CO cloud and the SNR, we argue that the extended TeV emission originates from the interaction between the SNR shock and the adjacent CO clouds rather than from a PWN.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Measuring the cosmic ray acceleration efficiency of a supernova remnant

Cosmic rays are the most energetic particles arriving at earth. Although most of them are thought to be accelerated by supernova remnants, the details of the acceleration process and its efficiency are not well determined. Here we show that the pressure induced by cosmic rays exceeds the thermal pressure behind the northeast shock of the supernova remnant RCW 86, where the X-ray emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation from ultra-relativistic electrons. We determined the cosmic-ray content from the thermal Doppler broadening measured with optical spectroscopy, combined with a proper-motion study in X- rays. The measured post-shock proton temperature in combination with the shock velocity does not agree with standard shock heating, implying that >50% of the post-shock pressure is produced by cosmic rays.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Prospects for GRB Science with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

The LAT instrument on the Fermi mission will reveal the rich spectral and temporal gamma-ray burst phenomena in the > 100 MeV band. The synergy with Fermi's GBM detectors will link these observations to those in the well explored 10-1000 keV range; the addition of the > 100 MeV band observations will resolve theoretical uncertainties about burst emission in both the prompt and afterglow phases. Trigger algorithms will be applied to the LAT data both onboard the spacecraft and on the ground. The sensitivity of these triggers will differ because of the available computing resources onboard and on the ground. Here we present the LAT's burst detection methodologies and the instrument's GRB capabilities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

POET: POlarimeters for Energetic Transients

POET (Polarimeters for Energetic Transients) is a Small Explorer mission concept proposed to NASA in January 2008. The principal scientific goal of POET is to measure GRB polarization between 2 and 500 keV. The payload consists of two wide FoV instruments: a Low Energy Polarimeter (LEP) capable of polarization measurements in the energy range from 2-15 keV and a high energy polarimeter (Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment -- GRAPE) that will measure polarization in the 60-500 keV energy range. Spectra will be measured from 2 keV up to 1 MeV. The POET spacecraft provides a zenith-pointed platform for maximizing the exposure to deep space. Spacecraft rotation will provide a means of effectively dealing with systematics in the polarization response. POET will provide sufficient sensitivity and sky coverage to measure statistically significant polarization for up to 100 GRBs in a two-year mission. Polarization data will also be obtained for solar flares, pulsars and other sources of astronomical interest.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Global Properties of X-Ray Flashes and X-Ray-Rich Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift

We describe and discuss the spectral and temporal characteristics of the prompt emission and X-ray afterglow emission of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (XRRs) detected and observed by Swift between December 2004 and September 2006. We compare these characteristics to a sample of conventional classical gamma-ray bursts (C-GRBs) observed during the same period. We confirm the correlation between Epeak_obs and fluence noted by others and find further evidence that XRFs, XRRs and C-GRBs form a continuum. We also confirm that our known redshift sample is consistent with the correlation between the peak energy in the GRB rest frame (Epeak_src) and the isotropic radiated energy (Eiso), so called the Epeak_src-Eiso relation. The spectral properties of X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs are similar, but the temporal properties of XRFs and C-GRBs are quite different. We found that the light curves of C-GRB afterglows show a break to steeper indices (shallow-to-steep break) at much earlier times than do XRF afterglows. Moreover, the overall luminosity of XRF X-ray afterglows is systematically smaller by a factor of two or more compared to that of C-GRBs. These distinct differences between the X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs may be the key to understanding not only the mysterious shallow-to-steep break in X-ray afterglow light curves, but also the unique nature of XRFs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Evidence of Exponential Decay Emission in the Swift Gamma-ray Bursts

We present a systematic study of the steep decay emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by the Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT). In contrast to the analysis described in recent literature, we produce composite Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) and XRT light curves by extrapolating the XRT data (2-10 keV) into the BAT energy range (15-25 keV) rather than extrapolating the BAT data into the XRT energy band (0.3-10 keV). Based on the fits to the composite light curves, we have confirmed the existence of an exponential decay component which smoothly connects the BAT prompt data to the XRT steep decay for several GRBs. We also find that the XRT steep decay for some of the bursts can be well fit by a combination of a power-law with an exponential decay model. We discuss this exponential component within the frame work of both the internal and the external shock model.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Swift Discovery of Gamma-Ray Bursts without Jet Break Feature in their X-Ray Afterglows

We analyze Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and X-ray afterglows for three GRBs with spectroscopic redshift determinations -- GRB 050401, XRF 050416a, and GRB 050525a. We find that the relation between spectral peak energy and isotropic energy of prompt emissions (the Amati relation) is consistent with that for the bursts observed in pre-Swift era. However, we find that the X-ray afterglow lightcurves, which extend up to 10-70 days, show no sign of the jet break that is expected in the standard framework of collimated outflows. We do so by showing that none of the X-ray afterglow lightcurves in our sample satisfies the relation between the spectral and temporal indices that is predicted for the phase after jet break. The jet break time can be predicted by inverting the tight empirical relation between the peak energy of the spectrum and the collimation-corrected energy of the prompt emission (the Ghirlanda relation). We find that there are no temporal breaks within the predicted time intervals in X-ray band. This requires either that the Ghirlanda relation has a larger scatter than previously thought, that the temporal break in X-rays is masked by some additional source of X-ray emission, or that it does not happen because of some unknown reason.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The Reionization History and Early Metal Enrichment inferred from the Gamma-Ray Burst Rate

Based on the gamma-ray burst (GRB) event rate at redshifts of $4 \leq z \leq 12$, which is assessed by the spectral peak energy-to-luminosity relation recently found by Yonetoku et al., we observationally derive the star formation rate (SFR) for Pop III stars in a high redshift universe. As a result, we find that Pop III stars could form continuously at $4 \leq z \leq 12$. Using the derived Pop III SFR, we attempt to estimate the ultraviolet (UV) photon emission rate at $7 \leq z \leq 12$ in which redshift range no observational information has been hitherto obtained on ionizing radiation intensity. We find that the UV emissivity at $7 \leq z \leq 12$ can make a noticeable contribution to the early reionization. The maximal emissivity is higher than the level required to keep ionizing the intergalactic matter at $7 \leq z \leq 12$. However, if the escape fraction of ionizing photons from Pop III objects is smaller than 10%, then the IGM can be neutralized at some redshift, which may lead to the double reionization. As for the enrichment, the ejection of all metals synthesized in Pop III objects is marginally consistent with the IGM metallicity, although the confinement of metals in Pop III objects can reduce the enrichment significantly.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

GRB Formation Rates inferred from the Spectral Peak Energy - Luminosity Relation

We investigate the GRB formation rate based on the relation between the spectral peak energy ($E_{p}$) and the isotropic luminosity. The $E_{p}$--luminosity relation covers the energy range of 50 -- 2000 keV and the luminosity range of $10^{50}$--$10^{54} erg/s, respectively. We find that the relation is considerably tighter than similar relations suggested previously. Using $E_{p}$--luminosity relation, we estimate the luminosity and the redshift of 684 GRBs with the unknown distances and derive the GRB formation rate as a function of the redshift. For $0 \le z \le 2$, the GRB formation rate is well correlated with the star formation rate while it increases monotonously from $z\sim 2$ out to $z \sim 12$. This behavior is consistent with the results of previous works using the lag--luminosity relation or the variability--luminosity relation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Fine Structure of the Thermal and Non-Thermal X-Rays in the SN 1006 Shell

The North Eastern shell of SN 1006 is the most probable acceleration site of high energy electrons (up to about 100 TeV) with the Fermi acceleration mechanism at the shock front. We resolved non-thermal filaments from thermal emission in the shell with the excellent spatial resolution of Chandra. The non-thermal filaments seem thin sheets with the scales of about 1 arcsec (0.01 pc) and about 20 arcsec (0.19 pc) upstream and downstream of the shock, respectively. In a simple diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) model with the magnetic field parallel to the shock normal, the downstream region should have a highly disordered magnetic field of 30-40 micro G. The width at the upstream side is extremely small, comparable to the gyro-radius of the maximum energy electrons. This result might imply that the possible scenario is not the conventional diffusive shock acceleration with a parallel magnetic field but that with a nearly perpendicular field or electron shock surfing acceleration.

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