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T. Nelson

Publications and source records attributed to T. Nelson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Multiwavelength Study of Quiescent States of Mrk 421 with Unprecedented Hard X-Ray Coverage Provided by NuSTAR in 2013

We present coordinated multiwavelength observations of the bright, nearby BL Lac object Mrk 421 taken in 2013 January-March, involving GASP-WEBT, Swift, NuSTAR, Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, VERITAS, and other collaborations and instruments, providing data from radio to very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray bands. NuSTAR yielded previously unattainable sensitivity in the 3-79 keV range, revealing that the spectrum softens when the source is dimmer until the X-ray spectral shape saturates into a steep power law with a photon index of approximately 3, with no evidence for an exponential cutoff or additional hard components up to about 80 keV. For the first time, we observed both the synchrotron and the inverse-Compton peaks of the spectral energy distribution (SED) simultaneously shifted to frequencies below the typical quiescent state by an order of magnitude. The fractional variability as a function of photon energy shows a double-bump structure which relates to the two bumps of the broadband SED. In each bump, the variability increases with energy which, in the framework of the synchrotron self-Compton model, implies that the electrons with higher energies are more variable. The measured multi-band variability, the significant X-ray-to-VHE correlation down to some of the lowest fluxes ever observed in both bands, the lack of correlation between optical/UV and X-ray flux, the low degree of polarization and its significant (random) variations, the short estimated electron cooling time, and the significantly longer variability timescale observed in the NuSTAR light curves point toward in-situ electron acceleration, and suggest that there are multiple compact regions contributing to the broadband emission of Mrk 421 during low-activity states.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2015

Swift detection of the super-swift switch-on of the super-soft phase in nova V745 Sco (2014)

V745 Sco is a recurrent nova, with the most recent eruption occurring in February 2014. V745 Sco was first observed by Swift a mere 3.7 hr after the announcement of the optical discovery, with the super-soft X-ray emission being detected around four days later and lasting for only ~two days, making it both the fastest follow-up of a nova by Swift and the earliest switch-on of super-soft emission yet detected. Such an early switch-on time suggests a combination of a very high velocity outflow and low ejected mass and, together with the high effective temperature reached by the super-soft emission, a high mass white dwarf (>1.3 M_sun). The X-ray spectral evolution was followed from an early epoch where shocked emission was evident, through the entirety of the super-soft phase, showing evolving column density, emission lines, absorption edges and thermal continuum temperature. UV grism data were also obtained throughout the super-soft interval, with the spectra showing mainly emission lines from lower ionization transitions and the Balmer continuum in emission. V745 Sco is compared with both V2491 Cyg (another nova with a very short super-soft phase) and M31N 2008-12a (the most rapidly recurring nova yet discovered). The longer recurrence time compared to M31N 2008-12a could be due to a lower mass accretion rate, although inclination of the system may also play a part. Nova V745 Sco (2014) revealed the fastest evolving super-soft source phase yet discovered, providing a detailed and informative dataset for study.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2015

Symbiotic stars in X-rays III: long term variability

We study the X-ray emission from five symbiotic stars observed with Suzaku. These objects were selected for deeper observations with Suzaku after their first detection with ROSAT and Swift. We found that the X-ray spectra can be adequately fit with absorbed optically thin thermal plasma models, either single or multi-temperature. Such a model is compatible with the X-ray emission being originated in the innermost region of the accretion disk, i.e. a boundary layer. Based on the large flickering amplitude (only detected in 4 Dra), the high plasma temperature and previous measurements of UV variability and luminosity, we conclude that all five sources are accretion-powered through predominantly opticall thick boundary layer. Given the time lapse between previous and these observations, we were able to study the long term variability of their X-ray emission and found that the intrinsic X-ray flux and the intervening absorption column can vary by factors of three or more. However, it is still elusive the location of the absorber and how the changes in the accretion rate and absorption are related.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2015

The Distance to Nova V959 Mon from VLA Imaging

Determining reliable distances to classical novae is a challenging but crucial step in deriving their ejected masses and explosion energetics. Here we combine radio expansion measurements from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array with velocities derived from optical spectra to estimate an expansion parallax for nova V959 Mon, the first nova discovered through its gamma-ray emission. We spatially resolve the nova at frequencies of 4.5-36.5 GHz in nine different imaging epochs. The first five epochs cover the expansion of the ejecta from 2012 October to 2013 January, while the final four epochs span 2014 February to 2014 May. These observations correspond to days 126 through 199 and days 615 through 703 after the first detection of the nova. The images clearly show a non-spherical ejecta geometry. Utilizing ejecta velocities derived from 3D modelling of optical spectroscopy, the radio expansion implies a distance between 0.9 +/- 0.2 and 2.2 +/- 0.4 kpc, with a most probable distance of 1.4 +/- 0.4 kpc. This distance implies a gamma-ray luminosity much less than the prototype gamma-ray-detected nova, V407 Cyg, possibly due to the lack of a red giant companion in the V959 Mon system. V959 Mon also has a much lower gamma-ray luminosity than other classical novae detected in gamma-rays to date, indicating a range of at least a factor of 10 in the gamma-ray luminosities for these explosions.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2014

Investigating Broadband Variability of the TeV Blazar 1ES 1959+650

We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959+650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift UVOT, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT), high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 17 April 2012 and 1 June 2012 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple synchrotron self Compton (SSC) model. In the SSC emission scenario, we find that the parameters required to represent the high state are significantly different than those in the low state. Motivated by possible evidence of gas in the vicinity of the blazar, we also investigate a reflected-emission model to describe the observed variability pattern. This model assumes that the non-thermal emission from the jet is reflected by a nearby cloud of gas, allowing the reflected emission to re-enter the blob and produce an elevated gamma-ray state with no simultaneous elevated synchrotron flux. The model applied here, although not required to explain the observed variability pattern, represents one possible scenario which can describe the observations. As applied to an elevated VHE state of 66% of the Crab Nebula flux, observed on a single night during the observation period, the reflected-emission scenario does not support a purely leptonic non-thermal emission mechanism. The reflected emission model does, however, predict a reflected photon field with sufficient energy to enable elevated gamma-ray emission via pion production with protons of energies between 10 and 100 TeV.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

Symbiotic stars in X-rays

Until recently, symbiotic binary systems in which a white dwarf accretes from a red giant were thought to be mainly a soft X-ray population. Here we describe the detection with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on the Swift satellite of nine white dwarf symbiotics that were not previously known to be X-ray sources and one that had previously been detected as a supersoft X-ray source. The nine new X-ray detections were the result of a survey of 41 symbiotic stars, and they increase the number of symbiotic stars known to be X-ray sources by approximately 30%. The Swift/XRT telescope detected all of the new X-ray sources at energies greater than 2 keV. Their X-ray spectra are consistent with thermal emission and fall naturally into three distinct groups. The first group contains those sources with a single, highly absorbed hard component that we identify as probably coming from an accretion-disk boundary layer. The second group is composed of those sources with a single, soft X-ray spectral component that probably originates in a region where low-velocity shocks produce X-ray emission, i.e., a colliding-wind region. The third group consists of those sources with both hard and soft X-ray spectral components. We also find that unlike in the optical, where rapid, stochastic brightness variations from the accretion disk typically are not seen, detectable UV flickering is a common property of symbiotic stars. Supporting our physical interpretation of the two X-ray spectral components, simultaneous Swift UV photometry shows that symbiotic stars with harder X-ray emission tend to have stronger UV flickering, which is usually associated with accretion through a disk. To place these new observations in the context of previous work on X-ray emission from symbiotic star.............

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span

The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 hours of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446$\pm$0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

First Results from NuSTAR Observations of Mkn 421

Mkn 421 is a nearby active galactic nucleus dominated at all wavelengths by a very broad non-thermal continuum thought to arise from a relativistic jet seen at a small angle to the line of sight. Its spectral energy distribution peaks in the X-ray and TeV gamma-ray bands, where the energy output is dominated by cooling of high-energy electrons in the jet. In order to study the electron distribution and its evolution, we carried out a dedicated multi-wavelength campaign, including extensive observations by the recently launched highly sensitive hard X-ray telescope NuSTAR, between December 2012 and May 2013. Here we present some initial results based on NuSTAR data from January through March 2013, as well as calibration observations conducted in 2012. Although the observations cover some of the faintest hard X-ray flux states ever observed for Mkn 421, the sensitivity is high enough to resolve intra-day spectral variability. We find that in this low state the dominant flux variations are smooth on timescales of hours, with typical intra-hour variations of less than 5%. We do not find evidence for either a cutoff in the hard X-ray spectrum, or a rise towards a high-energy component, but rather that at low flux the spectrum assumes a power law shape with a photon index of approximately 3. The spectrum is found to harden with increasing brightness.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

Multiwavelength observations and modeling of 1ES 1959+650 in a low flux state

We report on the VERITAS observations of the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 in the period 2007-2011. This source is detected at TeV energies by VERITAS at 16.4 standard deviation (sigma) significance in 7.6 hours of observation in a low flux state. A multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) is constructed from contemporaneous data from VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE PCA, and Swift UVOT. Swift XRT data is not included in the SED due to a lack of simultaneous observations with VERITAS. In contrast to the orphan gamma-ray flare exhibited by this source in 2002, the X-ray flux of the source is found to vary by an order of magnitude, while other energy regimes exhibit less variable emission. A quasi-equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model with an additional external radiation field is used to describe three SEDs corresponding to the lowest, highest, and average X-ray states. The variation in the X-ray spectrum is modeled by changing the electron injection spectral index, with minor adjustments of the kinetic luminosity in electrons. This scenario produces small-scale flux variability of order >~2 in the HE (E>1 MeV) and VHE (E>100 GeV) gamma-ray regimes, which is corroborated by the Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and Whipple 10m telescope light curves.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

Discovery of TeV Gamma-ray Emission Toward Supernova Remnant SNR G78.2+2.1

We report the discovery of an unidentified, extended source of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission, VER J2019+407, within the radio shell of the supernova remnant SNR G78.2+2.1, using 21.4 hours of data taken by the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory in 2009. These data confirm the preliminary indications of gamma-ray emission previously seen in a two-year (2007-2009) blind survey of the Cygnus region by VERITAS. VER J2019+407, which is detected at a post-trials significance of 7.5 standard deviations in the 2009 data, is localized to the northwestern rim of the remnant in a region of enhanced radio and X-ray emission. It has an intrinsic extent of 0.23^{\circ} \pm 0.03^{\circ} (stat)+0.04^{\circ}_{-0.02}^{\circ}(sys) and its spectrum is well-characterized by a differential power law (dN/dE = N_0 \times (E/TeV)^{-Γ}) with a photon index of Γ = 2.37 \pm 0.14 (stat) \pm 0.20 (sys) and a flux normalization of N0 = 1.5 \pm 0.2 (stat) \pm 0.4(sys) \times 10^-12 ph TeV^{-1} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. This yields an integral flux of 5.2 \pm 0.8 (stat) \pm 1.4 (sys) \times 10^-12 ph cm^{-2} s^{-1} above 320 GeV, corresponding to 3.7% of the Crab Nebula flux. We consider the relationship of the TeV gamma-ray emission with the GeV gamma-ray emission seen from SNR G78.2+2.1 as well as that seen from a nearby cocoon of freshly accelerated cosmic rays. Multiple scenarios are considered as possible origins for the TeV gamma-ray emission, including hadronic particle acceleration at the supernova remnant shock.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Discovery of TeV Gamma-ray Emission from CTA 1 by VERITAS

We report the discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission coincident with the shell-type radio supernova remnant (SNR) CTA 1 using the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory. The source, VER J0006+729, was detected as a 6.5 standard deviation excess over background and shows an extended morphology, approximated by a two-dimensional Gaussian of semi-major (semi-minor) axis 0.30 degree (0.24 degree) and a centroid 5' from the Fermi gamma-ray pulsar PSR J0007+7303 and its X-ray pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The photon spectrum is well described by a power-law dN/dE = N_0 (E/3 TeV)^(-Γ), with a differential spectral index of Γ= 2.2 +- 0.2_stat +- 0.3_sys, and normalization N_0 = (9.1 +- 1.3_stat +- 1.7_sys) x 10^(-14) cm^(-2) s^(-1) TeV^(-1). The integral flux, F_γ= 4.0 x 10^(-12) erg cm^(-2) s^(-1) above 1 TeV, corresponds to 0.2% of the pulsar spin-down power at 1.4 kpc. The energetics, co-location with the SNR, and the relatively small extent of the TeV emission strongly argue for the PWN origin of the TeV photons. We consider the origin of the TeV emission in CTA 1.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Rapid TeV Gamma-Ray Flaring of BL Lacertae

We report on the detection of a very rapid TeV gamma-ray flare from BL Lacertae on 2011 June 28 with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). The flaring activity was observed during a 34.6-minute exposure, when the integral flux above 200 GeV reached $(3.4\pm0.6) \times 10^{-6} \;\text{photons}\;\text{m}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}$, roughly 125% of the Crab Nebula flux measured by VERITAS. The light curve indicates that the observations missed the rising phase of the flare but covered a significant portion of the decaying phase. The exponential decay time was determined to be $13\pm4$ minutes, making it one of the most rapid gamma-ray flares seen from a TeV blazar. The gamma-ray spectrum of BL Lacertae during the flare was soft, with a photon index of $3.6\pm 0.4$, which is in agreement with the measurement made previously by MAGIC in a lower flaring state. Contemporaneous radio observations of the source with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) revealed the emergence of a new, superluminal component from the core around the time of the TeV gamma-ray flare, accompanied by changes in the optical polarization angle. Changes in flux also appear to have occurred at optical, UV, and GeV gamma-ray wavelengths at the time of the flare, although they are difficult to quantify precisely due to sparse coverage. A strong flare was seen at radio wavelengths roughly four months later, which might be related to the gamma-ray flaring activities. We discuss the implications of these multiwavelength results.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

VERITAS Observations of Six Bright, Hard-Spectrum Fermi-LAT Blazars

We report on VERITAS very-high-energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) observations of six blazars selected from the Fermi Large Area Telescope First Source Catalog (1FGL). The gamma-ray emission from 1FGL sources was extrapolated up to the VHE band, taking gamma-ray absorption by the extragalactic background light into account. This allowed the selection of six bright, hard-spectrum blazars that were good candidate TeV emitters. Spectroscopic redshift measurements were attempted with the Keck Telescope for the targets without Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic data. No VHE emission is detected during the observations of the six sources described here. Corresponding TeV upper limits are presented, along with contemporaneous Fermi observations and non-concurrent Swift UVOT and XRT data. The blazar broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are assembled and modeled with a single-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. The SED built for each of the six blazars show a synchrotron peak bordering between the intermediate- and high-spectrum-peak classifications, with four of the six resulting in particle-dominated emission regions.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Search for a correlation between very-high-energy gamma rays and giant radio pulses in the Crab pulsar

We present the results of a joint observational campaign between the Green Bank radio telescope and the VERITAS gamma-ray telescope, which searched for a correlation between the emission of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays ($E_γ >$ 150 GeV) and Giant Radio Pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar at 8.9 GHz. A total of 15366 GRPs were recorded during 11.6 hours of simultaneous observations, which were made across four nights in December 2008 and in November and December 2009. We searched for an enhancement of the pulsed gamma-ray emission within time windows placed around the arrival time of the GRP events. In total, 8 different time windows with durations ranging from 0.033 ms to 72 s were positioned at three different locations relative to the GRP to search for enhanced gamma-ray emission which lagged, led, or was concurrent with, the GRP event. Further, we performed separate searches on main pulse GRPs and interpulse GRPs and on the most energetic GRPs in our data sample. No significant enhancement of pulsed VHE emission was found in any of the preformed searches. We set upper limits of 5-10 times the average VHE flux of the Crab pulsar on the flux simultaneous with interpulse GRPs on single-rotation-period time scales. On $\sim$8-second time scales around interpulse GRPs, we set an upper limit of 2-3 times the average VHE flux. Within the framework of recent models for pulsed VHE emission from the Crab pulsar, the expected VHE-GRP emission correlations are below the derived limits.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Constraints on Cosmic Rays, Magnetic Fields, and Dark Matter from Gamma-Ray Observations of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies with VERITAS and Fermi

Observations of radio halos and relics in galaxy clusters indicate efficient electron acceleration. Protons should likewise be accelerated, suggesting that clusters may also be sources of very high-energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission. We report here on VHE gamma-ray observations of the Coma galaxy cluster with the VERITAS array of imaging Cherenkov telescopes, with complementing Fermi-LAT observations at GeV energies. No significant gamma-ray emission from the Coma cluster was detected. Integral flux upper limits at the 99% confidence level were measured to be on the order of (2-5)*10^-8\ ph. m^-2 s^-1 (VERITAS, >220 GeV} and ~2*10^-6 ph. m^-2 s^-1 (Fermi, 1-3 GeV), respectively. We use the gamma-ray upper limits to constrain CRs and magnetic fields in Coma. Using an analytical approach, the CR-to-thermal pressure ratio is constrained to be < 16% from VERITAS data and < 1.7% from Fermi data (averaged within the virial radius). These upper limits are starting to constrain the CR physics in self-consistent cosmological cluster simulations and cap the maximum CR acceleration efficiency at structure formation shocks to be <50%. Assuming that the radio-emitting electrons of the Coma halo result from hadronic CR interactions, the observations imply a lower limit on the central magnetic field in Coma of (2 - 5.5) muG, depending on the radial magnetic-field profile and on the gamma-ray spectral index. Since these values are below those inferred by Faraday rotation measurements in Coma (for most of the parameter space), this {renders} the hadronic model a very plausible explanation of the Coma radio halo. Finally, since galaxy clusters are dark-matter (DM) dominated, the VERITAS upper limits have been used to place constraints on the thermally-averaged product of the total self-annihilation cross section and the relative velocity of the DM particles, <σv>. (abr.)

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Multiwavelength observations of the AGN 1ES 0414+009 with VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, and MDM

We present observations of the BL Lac object 1ES 0414+009 in the >200 GeV gamma-ray band by the VERITAS array of Cherenkov telescopes. 1ES 0414+009 was observed by VERITAS between January 2008 and February 2011, resulting in 56.2 hours of good quality pointed observations. These observations resulted in a detection of 822 events from the source corresponding to a statistical significance of 6.4 standard deviations (6.4 sigma) above the background. The source flux, showing no evidence for variability, is measured as 5.2 +/- 1.1_stat +/- 2.6_sys * 10^-12 photons cm^-2 s^-1 above 200 GeV, equivalent to approximately 2% of the Crab Nebula flux above this energy. The differential photon spectrum from 230 GeV to 850 GeV is well fit by a power law with an photon index of Gamma 3.4 +/- 0.5_stat +/- 0.3_sys and a flux normalization of 1.6 +/- 0.3_stat +/- 0.8_sys * 10^-11 photons cm^-2 s^-1 at 300 GeV. We also present multiwavelength results taken in the optical (MDM), X-ray (Swift-XRT), and GeV (Fermi-LAT) bands and use these results to construct a broadband spectral energy distribution (SED). Modeling of this SED indicates that homogenous one-zone leptonic scenarios are not adequate to describe emission from the system, with a lepto-hadronic model providing a better fit to the data.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2011

Development of Readout Interconnections for the Si-W Calorimeter of SiD

The SiD collaboration is developing a Si-W sampling electromagnetic calorimeter, with anticipated application for the International Linear Collider. Assembling the modules for such a detector will involve special bonding technologies for the interconnections, especially for attaching a silicon detector wafer to a flex cable readout bus. We review the interconnect technologies involved, including oxidation removal processes, pad surface preparation, solder ball selection and placement, and bond quality assurance. Our results show that solder ball bonding is a promising technique for the Si-W ECAL, and unresolved issues are being addressed.

physics.ins-det↗