arXiv subjects

S. Covino

Publications and source records attributed to S. Covino.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long $γ$-ray burst

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from ultra-relativistic jets launched from the collapsing cores of dying massive stars. They are characterised by an initial phase of bright and highly variable radiation in the keV-MeV band that is likely produced within the jet and lasts from milliseconds to minutes, known as the prompt emission. Subsequently, the interaction of the jet with the external medium generates external shock waves, responsible for the afterglow emission, which lasts from days to months, and occurs over a broad energy range, from the radio to the GeV bands. The afterglow emission is generally well explained as synchrotron radiation by electrons accelerated at the external shock. Recently, an intense, long-lasting emission between 0.2 and 1 TeV was observed from the GRB 190114C. Here we present the results of our multi-frequency observational campaign of GRB~190114C, and study the evolution in time of the GRB emission across 17 orders of magnitude in energy, from $5\times10^{-6}$ up to $10^{12}$\,eV. We find that the broadband spectral energy distribution is double-peaked, with the TeV emission constituting a distinct spectral component that has power comparable to the synchrotron component. This component is associated with the afterglow, and is satisfactorily explained by inverse Compton upscattering of synchrotron photons by high-energy electrons. We find that the conditions required to account for the observed TeV component are not atypical, supporting the possibility that inverse Compton emission is commonly produced in GRBs.

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arXiv2020

Testing two-component models on very-high-energy gamma-ray emitting BL Lac objects

Context. It has become evident that one-zone synchrotron self-Compton models are not always adequate for very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitting blazars. While two-component models are performing better, they are difficult to constrain due to the large number of free parameters. Aims. In this work, we make a first attempt to take into account the observational constraints from Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) data, long-term light curves (radio, optical, and X-rays) and optical polarisation to limit the parameter space for a two-component model and test if it can still reproduce the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) of the blazars. Methods. We selected five TeV BL Lac objects based on the availability of VHE gamma-ray and optical polarisation data. We collected constraints for the jet parameters from VLBI observations. We evaluated the contributions of the two components to the optical flux by means of decomposition of long-term radio and optical light curves as well as modeling of the optical polarisation variability of the objects. We selected eight epochs for these five objects, based on the variability observed at VHE gamma rays, for which we constructed the SEDs that we then modeled with a two-component model. Results. We found parameter sets which can reproduce the broadband SED of the sources in the framework of two-component models considering all available observational constraints from VLBI observations. Moreover, the constraints obtained from the long-term behavior of the sources in the lower energy bands could be used to determine the region where the emission in each band originates. Finally, we attempted to use optical polarisation data to shed new light on the behavior of the two components in the optical band. Our observationally constrained two zone model allows explanation of the entire SED from radio to VHE with two co-located emission regions.

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arXiv2020

MAGIC observations of the diffuse $γ$-ray emission in the vicinity of the Galactic Centre

Aims: $γ$ rays can be used as a tracer in the search of sources of Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). We present deep observations of the Galactic Centre (GC) region with the MAGIC telescopes, which we use for inferring the underlying CR distribution. Methods: We observed the GC region for ${\approx}100$ hours with the MAGIC telescopes from 2012 to 2017, at high zenith angles (58-70~deg). This implies a larger energy threshold, but also an increased effective collection area compared to low zenith observations. Using new software, we derive instrument response and background models, enabling us to study the diffuse emission in the region. We use pre-existing data of the gas distribution in the GC region to derive the underlying distribution of CRs. Results: We obtain a significant detection for all four model components used to fit our data (Sgr~A*, ``Arc'', G0.9+0.1, and an extended component for the Galactic Ridge). We find that the diffuse component is best described as a power-law with index 2 and an exponential cut-off at around 20~TeV with the significance of the cut-off being only 2~$σ$. The derived cosmic-ray profile hints to a peak at the GC position, with a measured profile index of $1.2 \pm 0.3$, supporting the hypothesis of a CR accelerator at the GC. We argue that the measurements of this profile are presently limited by our knowledge of the gas distribution in the GC vicinity.

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arXiv2020

A search for dark matter in Triangulum II with the MAGIC telescopes

We present the first results from very-high-energy observations of the dwarf spheroidal satellite candidate Triangulum II with the MAGIC telescopes from 62.4 hours of good-quality data taken between August 2016 and August 2017. We find no gamma-ray excess in the direction of Triangulum II, and upper limits on both the differential and integral gamma-ray flux are presented. Currently, the kinematics of Triangulum II are affected by large uncertainties leading to a bias in the determination of the properties of its dark matter halo. Using a scaling relation between the annihilation J-factor and heliocentric distance of well-known dwarf spheroidal galaxies, we estimate an annihilation J-factor for Triangulum II for WIMP dark matter of $\log[J_{\text{ann}}({0.5^{\circ}})/$ GeV$^{2}$ cm$^{-5}] = 19.35 \pm 0.37$. We also derive a dark matter density profile for the object relying on results from resolved simulations of Milky Way sized dark matter halos. We obtain 95% confidence-level limits on the thermally averaged annihilation cross section for WIMP annihilation into various Standard Model channels. The most stringent limits are obtained in the $τ^{+}τ^{-}$ final state, where a cross section for annihilation down to $\langle σ_{\text{ann}} v \rangle = 3.05 \times 10^{-24}$ cm$^{3}$ s$^{-1}$ is excluded.

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arXiv2020

Broadband characterisation of the very intense TeV flares of the blazar 1ES 1959+650 in 2016

1ES 1959+650 is a bright TeV high-frequency-peaked BL Lac object exhibiting interesting features like "orphan" TeV flares and a broad emission in the high-energy regime, that are difficult to interpret using conventional one-zone Synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) scenarios. We report the results from the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) observations in 2016 along with the multi-wavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and Swift instruments. MAGIC observed 1ES 1959+650 with different emission levels in the very-high-energy (VHE, E >100 GeV) gamma-ray band during 2016. In the long-term data, the X-ray spectrum becomes harder with increasing flux and a hint of a similar trend is also visible in the VHE band. An exceptionally high VHE flux reaching ~ 3 times the Crab Nebula flux was measured by MAGIC on the 13th, 14th of June and 1st July 2016 (the highest flux observed since 2002). During these flares, the high-energy peak of the spectral energy distribution (SED) lies in the VHE domain and extends up to several TeV. The spectrum in the gamma-ray (both Fermi-LAT and VHE bands) and the X-ray bands are quite hard. On 13th June and 1st July 2016, the source showed rapid variations of the VHE flux within timescales of less than an hour. A simple one-zone SSC model can describe the data during the flares requiring moderate to high values of the Doppler factors (>=30-60). Alternatively, the high-energy peak of the SED can be explained by a purely hadronic model attributed to proton-synchrotron radiation with jet power L_{jet}~10^{46} erg/s and under high values of the magnetic field strength (~100 G) and maximum proton energy (~few EeV). Mixed lepto-hadronic models require super-Eddington values of the jet power. We conclude that it is difficult to get detectable neutrino emission from the source during the extreme VHE flaring period of 2016.

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arXiv2020

Statistics of VHE gamma-Rays in Temporal Association with Radio Giant Pulses from the Crab Pulsar

The aim of this study is to search for evidence of a common emission engine between radio giant pulses (GPs) and very-high-energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma-rays from the Crab pulsar. 16 hours of simultaneous observations of the Crab pulsar at 1.4 GHz with the Effelsberg radio telescope and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), and at energies above 60 GeV with the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes were performed. We searched for a statistical correlation between the radio and VHE gamma-ray emission with search windows of different lengths and different time lags to the arrival times of a radio GP. A dedicated search for an enhancement in the number of VHE gamma-rays correlated with the occurrence of radio GPs was carried out separately for the P1 and P2 phase ranges respectively. 99444 radio GPs have been detected in the radio data sample. We find no significant correlation between the GPs and VHE photons in any of the search windows. Depending on phase cuts and the chosen search windows we find upper limits at 95% confidence level on an increase in VHE gamma-ray events correlated with radio GPs between 7% and 61% of the average Crab pulsar VHE flux for the P1 and P2 phase ranges respectively. This puts upper limits on the flux increase during a radio GP of 12% to 2900% (depending on search window duration and phase cuts) of the pulsed VHE flux. This is the most stringent upper limit on a correlation between gamma-ray emission and radio GPs reported so far.}

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arXiv2020

MAGIC very large zenith angle observations of the Crab Nebula up to 100 TeV

Aims: We aim to measure the Crab Nebula gamma-ray spectral energy distribution in the ~100 TeV energy domain and test the validity of existing leptonic emission models at these high energies. Methods: We use the novel very large zenith angle observations with the MAGIC telescope system to increase the collection area above 10 TeV. We also develop an auxiliary procedure of monitoring atmospheric transmission in order to assure proper calibration of the accumulated data. This employs recording of optical images of the stellar field next to the source position, which provides a better than 10% accuracy for the transmission measurements. Results: We demonstrate that MAGIC very large zenith angle observations yield a collection area larger than a square kilometer. In only ~56 hr of observations, we detect the gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula up to 100 TeV, thus providing the highest energy measurement of this source to date with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. Comparing accumulated and archival MAGIC and Fermi/LAT data with some of the existing emission models, we find that none of them provides an accurate description of the 1 GeV to 100 TeV gamma-ray signal.

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arXiv2020

Search for the optical counterpart of the GW170814 gravitationalwave event with the VLT Survey Telescope

We report on the search for the optical counterpart of the gravitational event GW170814, which was carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) by the GRAvitational Wave Inaf TeAm (GRAWITA). Observations started 17.5 hours after the LIGO/Virgo alert and we covered an area of 99 deg$^2$ that encloses $\sim 77\%$ and $\sim 59\%$ of the initial and refined localization probability regions, respectively. A total of six epochs were secured over nearly two months. The survey reached an average limiting magnitude of 22 AB mag in the $r-$band. After assuming the model described in Perna et al. 2019 that derives as possible optical counterpart of a BBH event a transient source declining in about one day, we have computed a survey efficiency of about $5\%$. This paper describes the VST observational strategy and the results obtained by our analysis pipelines developed to search for optical transients in multi-epoch images. We report the catalogue of the candidates with possible identifications based on light-curve fitting. We have identified two dozens of SNe, nine AGNs, one QSO. Nineteen transients characterized by a single detection were not classified. We have restricted our analysis only to the candidates that fall into the refined localization map. None out of 39 left candidates could be positively associated with GW170814. This result implies that the possible emission of optical radiation from a BBH merger had to be fainter than r $\sim$ 22 ($L_{optical}$ $\sim$ $1.4 \times 10^{42}$ erg/s) on a time interval ranging from a few hours up to two months after the GW event.

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arXiv2020

Unravelling the complex behavior of Mrk 421 with simultaneous X-ray and VHE observations during an extreme flaring activity in April 2013

We report on a multi-band variability and correlation study of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 during an exceptional flaring activity observed from 2013 April 11 to 2013 April 19. The study uses, among others, data from GASP-WEBT, Swift, NuSTAR, Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and MAGIC. The large blazar activity, and the 43 hours of simultaneous NuSTAR and MAGIC/VERITAS observations, permitted variability studies on 15 minute time bins, and over three X-ray bands (3-7 keV, 7-30 keV and 30-80 keV) and three very-high-energy (>0.1 TeV, hereafter VHE) gamma-ray bands (0.2-0.4 TeV, 0.4-0.8 TeV and >0.8 TeV). We detected substantial flux variations on multi-hour and sub-hour timescales in all the X-ray and VHE gamma-ray bands. The characteristics of the sub-hour flux variations are essentially energy-independent, while the multi-hour flux variations can have a strong dependence on the energy of the X-ray and the VHE gamma rays. The three VHE bands and the three X-ray bands are positively correlated with no time-lag, but the strength and the characteristics of the correlation changes substantially over time and across energy bands. Our findings favour multi-zone scenarios for explaining the achromatic/chromatic variability of the fast/slow components of the light curves, as well as the changes in the flux-flux correlation on day-long timescales. We interpret these results within a magnetic reconnection scenario, where the multi-hour flux variations are dominated by the combined emission from various plasmoids of different sizes and velocities, while the sub-hour flux variations are dominated by the emission from a single small plasmoid moving across the magnetic reconnection layer.

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arXiv2020

A comparison between short GRB afterglows and AT2017gfo: shedding light on kilonovae properties

Multi-messenger astronomy received a great boost following the discovery of kilonova AT2017gfo, the optical counterpart of the gravitational wave source GW170817 associated with the short gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A. AT2017gfo was the first kilonova that could be extensively monitored in time both photometrically and spectroscopically. Previously, only few candidates have been observed against the glare of short GRB afterglows. In this work, we aim to search the fingerprints of AT2017gfo-like kilonova emissions in the optical/NIR light curves of 39 short GRBs with known redshift. For the first time, our results allow us to study separately the range of luminosity of the blue and red components of AT2017gfo-like kilonovae in short GRBs. In particular, the red component is similar in luminosity to AT2017gfo, while the blue kilonova can be more than 10 times brighter. Finally, we find further evidence to support all the claimed kilonova detections and we exclude an AT2017gfo-like kilonova in GRBs 050509B and 061201.

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arXiv2019

Testing emission models on the extreme blazar 2WHSP J073326.7+515354 detected at very high energies with the MAGIC telescopes

Extreme high-energy peaked BL Lac objects (EHBLs) are an emerging class of blazars. Their typical two-hump structured spectral energy distribution (SED) peaks at higher energies with respect to conventional blazars. Multi-wavelength (MWL) observations constrain their synchrotron peak in the medium to hard X-ray band. Their gamma-ray SED peaks above the GeV band, and in some objects it extends up to several TeV. Up to now, only a few EHBLs have been detected in the TeV gamma-ray range. In this paper, we report the detection of the EHBL 2WHSP J073326.7+515354, observed and detected during 2018 in TeV gamma rays with the MAGIC telescopes. The broad-band SED is studied within a MWL context, including an analysis of the Fermi-LAT data over ten years of observation and with simultaneous Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT, and KVA data. Our analysis results in a set of spectral parameters that confirms the classification of the source as an EHBL. In order to investigate the physical nature of this extreme emission, different theoretical frameworks were tested to model the broad-band SED. The hard TeV spectrum of 2WHSP J073326.7+515354 sets the SED far from the energy equipartition regime in the standard one-zone leptonic scenario of blazar emission. Conversely, more complex models of the jet, represented by either a two-zone spine-layer model or a hadronic emission model, better represent the broad-band SED.

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arXiv2019

GRB 190114C in the nuclear region of an interacting galaxy -- A detailed host analysis using ALMA, HST and VLT

GRB 190114C is the first GRB for which the detection of very-high energy emission up to the TeV range has been reported. It is still unclear whether environmental properties might have contributed to the production of these very high-energy photons, or if it is solely related to the released GRB emission. The relatively low redshift of the GRB (z=0.425) allows us to study the host galaxy of this event in detail, and to potentially identify idiosyncrasies that could point to progenitor characteristics or environmental properties responsible for such a unique event. We use ultraviolet, optical, infrared and submillimetre imaging and spectroscopy obtained with HST, VLT and ALMA to obtain an extensive dataset on which the analysis of the host galaxy is based. The host system is composed of a close pair of interacting galaxies (Delta v = 50 km s^-1), both of which are well-detected by ALMA in CO(3-2). The GRB occurred within the nuclear region (~170 pc from the centre) of the less massive but more star-forming galaxy of the pair. The host is more massive (log(M/M_odot)=9.3) than average GRB hosts at that redshift and the location of the GRB is rather unique. The enhanced star-formation rate was probably triggered by tidal interactions between the two galaxies. Our ALMA observations indicate that both host galaxy and companion have a high molecular gas fraction, as has been observed before in interacting galaxy pairs. The location of the GRB within the core of an interacting galaxy with an extinguished line-of-sight is indicative of a denser environment than typically observed for GRBs and could have been crucial for the generation of the very-high-energy photons that were observed.

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arXiv2019

GRB171010A / SN2017htp: a GRB-SN at z=0.33

The number of supernovae known to be connected with long-duration gamma-ray bursts is increasing and the link between these events is no longer exclusively found at low redshift ($z \lesssim 0.3$) but is well established also at larger distances. We present a new case of such a liaison at $z = 0.33$ between GRB\,171010A and SN\,2017htp. It is the second closest GRB with an associated supernova of only three events detected by Fermi-LAT. The supernova is one of the few higher redshift cases where spectroscopic observations were possible and shows spectral similarities with the well-studied SN\,1998bw, having produced a similar Ni mass ($M_{\rm Ni}=0.33\pm0.02 ~\rm{M_{\odot}}$) with slightly lower ejected mass ($M_{\rm ej}=4.1\pm0.7~\rm{M_{\odot}}$) and kinetic energy ($E_{\rm K} = 8.1\pm2.5 \times 10^{51} ~\rm{erg}$). The host-galaxy is bigger in size than typical GRB host galaxies, but the analysis of the region hosting the GRB revealed spectral properties typically observed in GRB hosts and showed that the progenitor of this event was located in a very bright HII region of its face-on host galaxy, at a projected distance of $\sim$ 10 kpc from its galactic centre. The star-formation rate (SFR$_{GRB} \sim$ 0.2 M$_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$) and metallicity (12 + log(O/H) $\sim 8.15 \pm 0.10$) of the GRB star-forming region are consistent with those of the host galaxies of previously studied GRB-SN systems.

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arXiv2019

Constraints on gamma-ray and neutrino emission from NGC 1068 with the MAGIC telescopes

Starburst galaxies and star-forming active galactic nuclei (AGN) are among the candidate sources thought to contribute appreciably to the extragalactic gamma-ray and neutrino backgrounds. NGC 1068 is the brightest of the star-forming galaxies found to emit gamma rays from 0.1 to 50 GeV. Precise measurements of the high-energy spectrum are crucial to study the particle accelerators and probe the dominant emission mechanisms. We have carried out 125 hours of observations of NGC 1068 with the MAGIC telescopes in order to search for gamma-ray emission in the very high energy band. We did not detect significant gamma-ray emission, and set upper limits at 95\% confidence level to the gamma-ray flux above 200 GeV f<5.1x10^{-13} cm^{-2} s ^{-1} . This limit improves previous constraints by about an order of magnitude and allows us to put tight constraints on the theoretical models for the gamma-ray emission. By combining the MAGIC observations with the Fermi-LAT spectrum we limit the parameter space (spectral slope, maximum energy) of the cosmic ray protons predicted by hadronuclear models for the gamma-ray emission, while we find that a model postulating leptonic emission from a semi-relativistic jet is fully consistent with the limits. We provide predictions for IceCube detection of the neutrino signal foreseen in the hadronic scenario. We predict a maximal IceCube neutrino event rate of 0.07 yr^{-1}.

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arXiv2019

New constraints on the physical conditions in H$_2$-bearing GRB-host damped Lyman-$α$ absorbers

We report the detections of molecular hydrogen (H$_2$), vibrationally-excited H$_2$ (H$^*_2$), and neutral atomic carbon (CI), in two new afterglow spectra of GRBs\,181020A ($z=2.938$) and 190114A ($z=3.376$), observed with X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Both host-galaxy absorption systems are characterized by strong damped Lyman-$α$ absorbers (DLAs) and substantial amounts of molecular hydrogen with $\log N$(HI, H$_2$) = $22.20\pm 0.05,~20.40\pm 0.04$ (GRB\,181020A) and $\log N$(HI, H$_2$) = $22.15\pm 0.05,~19.44\pm 0.04$ (GRB\,190114A). The DLA metallicites, depletion levels and dust extinctions are [Zn/H] = $-1.57\pm 0.06$, [Zn/Fe] = $0.67\pm 0.03$, and $A_V = 0.27\pm 0.02$\,mag (GRB\,181020A) and [Zn/H] = $-1.23\pm 0.07$, [Zn/Fe] = $1.06\pm 0.08$, and $A_V = 0.36\pm 0.02$\,mag (GRB\,190114A). We then examine the molecular gas content of all known H$_2$-bearing GRB-DLAs and explore the physical conditions and characteristics of these systems. We confirm that H$_2$ is detected in all CI- and H$^*_2$-bearing GRB absorption systems, but that these rarer features are not necessarily detected in all GRB H$_2$ absorbers. We find that a large molecular fraction of $f_{\rm H_2} \gtrsim 10^{-3}$ is required for CI to be detected. The defining characteristic for H$^*_2$ to be present is less clear, though a large H$_2$ column density is an essential factor. We then derive the H$_2$ excitation temperatures of the molecular gas and find that they are relatively low with $T_{\rm ex} \approx 100 - 300$\,K, however, there could be evidence of warmer components populating the high-$J$ H$_2$ levels in GRBs\,181020A and 190114A. Finally, we demonstrate that the otherwise successful X-shooter GRB afterglow campaign is hampered by a significant dust bias excluding the most dust-obscured H$_2$ absorbers from identification [Abridged].

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arXiv2019

GRB 190114C: from prompt to afterglow?

GRB 190114C is the first gamma-ray burst detected at Very High Energies (VHE, i.e. >300 GeV) by the MAGIC Cherenkov telescope. The analysis of the emission detected by the Fermi satellite at lower energies, in the 10 keV -- 100 GeV energy range, up to ~ 50 seconds (i.e. before the MAGIC detection) can hold valuable information. We analyze the spectral evolution of the emission of GRB 190114C as detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) in the 10 keV -- 40 MeV energy range up to ~60 sec. The first 4 s of the burst feature a typical prompt emission spectrum, which can be fit by a smoothly broken power-law function with typical parameters. Starting on ~4 s post-trigger, we find an additional nonthermal component, which can be fit by a power law. This component rises and decays quickly. The 10 keV -- 40 MeV flux of the power-law component peaks at ~ 6 s; it reaches a value of 1.7e-5 erg cm-2 s-1. The time of the peak coincides with the emission peak detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board Fermi. The power-law spectral slope that we find in the GBM data is remarkably similar to that of the LAT spectrum, and the GBM+LAT spectral energy distribution seems to be consistent with a single component. This suggests that the LAT emission and the power-law component that we find in the GBM data belong to the same emission component, which we interpret as due to the afterglow of the burst. The onset time allows us to estimate the initial jet bulk Lorentz factor Gamma_0 is about 500, depending on the assumed circum-burst density.

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arXiv2019

On the dust properties of high redshift molecular clouds and the connection to the 2175 Å extinction bump

We present a study of the extinction and depletion-derived dust properties of gamma-ray burst (GRB) absorbers at $1<z<3$ showing the presence of neutral carbon (\ion{C}{I}). By modelling their parametric extinction laws, we discover a broad range of dust models characterizing the GRB \ion{C}{I} absorption systems. In addition to the already well-established correlation between the amount of \ion{C}{I} and visual extinction, $A_V$, we also observe a correlation with the total-to-selective reddening, $R_V$. All three quantities are also found to be connected to the presence and strength of the 2175\,Å dust extinction feature. While the amount of \ion{C}{I} is found to be correlated with the SED-derived dust properties, we do not find any evidence for a connection with the depletion-derived dust content as measured from [Zn/Fe] and $N$(Fe)$_{\rm dust}$. To reconcile this, we discuss a scenario where the observed extinction is dominated by the composition of dust particles confined in the molecular gas-phase of the ISM. We argue that since the depletion level trace non-carbonaceous dust in the ISM, the observed extinction in GRB \ion{C}{I} absorbers is primarily produced by carbon-rich dust in the molecular cloud and is therefore only observable in the extinction curves and not in the depletion patterns. This also indicates that the 2175\,Å dust extinction feature is caused by dust and molecules in the cold and molecular gas-phase. This scenario provides a possible resolution to the discrepancy between the depletion- and SED-derived amounts of dust in high-$z$ absorbers.

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arXiv2019

Measurement of the Extragalactic Background Light using MAGIC and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations of blazars up to z = 1

We present a measurement of the extragalactic background light (EBL) based on a joint likelihood analysis of 32 gamma-ray spectra for 12 blazars in the redshift range z = 0.03 to 0.944, obtained by the MAGIC telescopes and Fermi-LAT. The EBL is the part of the diffuse extragalactic radiation spanning the ultraviolet, visible and infrared bands. Major contributors to the EBL are the light emitted by stars through the history of the universe, and the fraction of it which was absorbed by dust in galaxies and re-emitted at longer wavelengths. The EBL can be studied indirectly through its effect on very-high energy photons that are emitted by cosmic sources and absorbed via photon-photon interactions during their propagation across cosmological distances. We obtain estimates of the EBL density in good agreement with state-of-the-art models of the EBL production and evolution. The 1-sigma upper bounds, including systematic uncertainties, are between 13% and 23% above the nominal EBL density in the models. No anomaly in the expected transparency of the universe to gamma rays is observed in any range of optical depth.We also perform a wavelength-resolved EBL determination, which results in a hint of an excess of EBL in the 0.18 - 0.62 $μ$m range relative to the studied models, yet compatible with them within systematics.

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