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Tatehiro Mihara

Publications and source records attributed to Tatehiro Mihara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Discovery and Long-term Broadband X-ray monitoring of Galactic Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1803-298

We report the results from the broad-band X-ray monitoring of the new Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J1803$-$298 with the MAXI/GSC and Swift/BAT during its outburst. After the discovery on 2021 May 1, the soft X-ray flux below 10 keV rapidly increased for $\sim 10$ days and then have been gradually decreasing over 5 months. At the brightest phase, the source exhibited the state transition from the low/hard state to the high/soft state via the intermediate state. The broad-band X-ray spectrum during the outburst was well described with a disk blackbody plus its thermal or non-thermal Comptonization. Before the transition the source spectrum was described by a thermal Comptonization component with a photon index of $\sim 1.7$ and an electron temperature of $\sim 30$ keV, whereas a strong disk blackbody component was observed after the transition. The spectral properties in these periods are consistent with the low/hard state and the high/soft state, respectively. A sudden flux drop with a few days duration, unassociated with a significant change in the hardness ratio, was found in the intermediate state. A possible cause of this variation is that the mass accretion rate rapidly increased at the disk transition, which induced a strong Compton-thick outflow and scattered out the X-ray flux. Assuming a non-spinning black hole, we estimated a black hole mass of MAXI J1803$-$298 as $5.8 \pm 0.4~(\cos i/\cos 70^\circ)^{-1/2} (D/8~\mathrm{kpc})~M_\odot$ (where $i$ and $D$ are the inclination angle and the distance) from the inner disk radius obtained in the high/soft state.

astro-ph.HE↗

A Comprehensive X-ray Report on AT2019wey

Here, we present MAXI, SWIFT, NICER, NuSTAR and Chandra observations of the X-ray transient AT2019wey (SRGA J043520.9+552226, SRGE J043523.3+552234). From spectral and timing analyses we classify it as a Galactic low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) with a black hole (BH) or neutron star (NS) accretor. AT2019wey stayed in the low/hard state (LHS) from 2019 December to 2020 August 21, and the hard-intermediate state (HIMS) from 2020 August 21 to 2020 November. For the first six months of the LHS, AT2019wey had a flux of $\sim 1$ mCrab, and displayed a power-law X-ray spectrum with photon index $Γ= 1.8$. From 2020 June to August, it brightened to $\sim 20$ mCrab. Spectral features characteristic of relativistic reflection became prominent. On 2020 August 21, the source left the "hard line" on the rms--intensity diagram, and transitioned from LHS to HIMS. The thermal disk component became comparable to the power-law component. A low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) was observed. The QPO central frequency increased as the spectrum softened. No evidence of pulsation was detected. We are not able to decisively determine the nature of the accretor (BH or NS). However, the BH option is favored by the position of this source on the $Γ$--$L_{\rm X}$, $L_{\rm radio}$--$L_{\rm X}$, and $L_{\rm opt}$--$L_{\rm X}$ diagrams. We find the BH candidate XTE J1752-223 to be an analog of AT2019wey. Both systems display outbursts with long plateau phases in the hard states. We conclude by noting the potential of SRG in finding new members of this emerging class of low luminosity and long-duration LMXB outbursts.

astro-ph.HE↗

Discovery of a strong 6.6 keV emission feature from EXO 1745$-$248 after the superburst in 2011 October

We discover an unidentified strong emission feature in the X-ray spectrum of EXO 1745$-$248 obtained by RXTE at 40 hr after the peak of a superburst. The structure was centered at 6.6 keV and significantly broadened with a large equivalent width of 4.3 keV, corresponding to a line photon flux of 4.7 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ ph cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The 3-20 keV spectrum was reproduced successfully by a power law continuum with narrow and broad (2.7 keV in FWHM) Gaussian emission components. Alternatively, the feature can be described by four narrow Gaussians, centered at 5.5 keV, 6.5 keV, 7.5 keV and 8.6 keV. Considering the strength and shape of the feature, it is unlikely to have originated from reflection of the continuum X-rays by some optically thick materials, such as an accretion disk. Moreover, the intensity of the emission structure decreased significantly with an exponential time scale of 1 hr. The feature was not detected in an INTEGRAL observation performed 10 h before the RXTE observation with a line flux upper limit of 1.5 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ ph cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The observed emission structure is consistent with gravitationally redshifted charge exchange emission from Ti, Cr, Fe, and Co. We suggest that the emission results from a charge exchange interaction between a highly metal-enriched fall back ionized burst wind and an accretion disk, at a distance of $\sim$60 km from the neutron star. If this interpretation is correct, the results provide new information on the understanding of nuclear burning processes during thermonuclear X-ray bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗

On the nature of the anomalous event in 2021 in the dwarf nova SS Cygni and its multi-wavelength transition

SS Cyg has long been recognized as the prototype of a group of dwarf novae that show only outbursts. However, this object has entered a quite anomalous event in 2021, which at first appeared to be standstill, i.e., an almost constant luminosity state, observed in Z Cam-type dwarf novae. This unexpected event gives us a great opportunity to reconsider the nature of standstill in cataclysmic variables. We have observed this anomalous event and its forerunner, a gradual and simultaneous increase in the optical and X-ray flux during quiescence, through many optical telescopes and the X-ray telescopes NICER and NuSTAR. We have not found any amplification of the orbital hump during quiescence before the anomalous event, which suggests that the mass transfer rate did not significantly fluctuate on average. The estimated X-ray flux was not enough to explain the increment of the optical flux during quiescence via X-ray irradiation of the disk and the secondary star. It would be natural to consider that viscosity in the quiescent disk was enhanced before the anomalous event, which increased mass accretion rates in the disk and raised not only the optical flux but also the X-ray flux. We suggest that enhanced viscosity also triggered the standstill-like phenomenon in SS Cyg, which is considered to be a series of small outbursts. The inner part of the disk would always stay in the outburst state and only its outer part would be unstable against the thermal-viscous instability during this phenomenon, which is consistent with the observed optical color variations. This scenario is in line with our X-ray spectral analyses which imply that the X-ray emitting inner accretion flow became hotter than usual and vertically expanded and that it became denser and was cooled down after the onset of the standstill-like state.

astro-ph.SR↗

Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy in the nascent era

The detections of gravitational waves (GW) by LIGO/Virgo collaborations provide various possibilities to physics and astronomy. We are quite sure that GW observations will develop a lot both in precision and in number owing to the continuous works for the improvement of detectors, including the expectation to the newly joined detector, KAGRA, and the planned detector, LIGO-India. In this occasion, we review the fundamental outcomes and prospects of gravitational wave physics and astronomy. We survey the development focusing on representative sources of gravitational waves: binary black holes, binary neutron stars, and supernovae. We also summarize the role of gravitational wave observations as a probe of new physics.

gr-qc↗

The RS CVn type star GT Mus shows most energetic X-ray flares throughout the 2010s

We report that the RS CVn-type star GT Mus (HR 4492, HD 101379 + HD 101380) was the most active star in the X-ray sky in the last decade in terms of the scale of recurrent energetic flares. We detected 11 flares from GT Mus in 8 yr of observations with Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) from 2009 August to 2017 August. The detected flare peak luminosities were 1-4 $\times$ 10$^{33}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the 2.0-20.0 keV band for its distance of 109.6 pc. Our timing analysis showed long durations ($τ_{\rm r} + τ_{\rm d}$) of 2-6 days with long decay times ($τ_{\rm d}$) of 1-4 days. The released energies during the decay phases of the flares in the 0.1-100 keV band ranged 1-11 $\times$ 10$^{38}$ erg, which are at the upper end of the observed stellar flare. The released energies during whole duration time ranged 2-13 $\times$ 10$^{38}$ erg in the same band. We carried out X-ray follow-up observations for one of the 11 flares with Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) on 2017 July 18 and found that the flare cooled quasi-statically. On the basis of a quasi-static cooling model, the flare loop length is derived to be 4 $\times$ 10$^{12}$ cm (or 60 R$_{\odot}$). The electron density is derived to be 1 $\times$ 10$^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$, which is consistent with the typical value of solar and stellar flares (10$^{10-13}$ cm$^{-3}$). The ratio of the cooling timescales between radiative cooling ($τ_{\rm rad}$) and conductive cooling ($τ_{\rm cond}$) is estimated to be $τ_{\rm rad}$ $\sim$ 0.1$τ_{\rm cond}$ from the temperature; thus radiative cooling was dominant in this flare.

astro-ph.HE↗

The Peculiar X-ray Transient Swift J0840.7-3516: an Unusual Low Mass X-ray Binary or a Tidal Disruption Event?

We report on the X-ray properties of the new transient Swift J0840.7$-$3516, discovered with Swift/BAT in 2020 February, using extensive data of Swift, MAXI, NICER, and NuSTAR. The source flux increased for $\sim 10^3$ s after the discovery, decayed rapidly over $\sim$ 5 orders of magnitude in 5 days, and then remained almost constant over 9 months. Large-amplitude short-term variations on time scales of 1--$10^4$ s were observed throughout the decay. In the initial flux rise, the source showed a hard power-law shaped spectrum with a photon index of $\sim 1.0$ extending up to $\sim 30$ keV, above which an exponential cutoff was present. The photon index increased in the following rapid decay and became $\sim 2$ at the end of the decay. A spectral absorption feature at 3--4 keV was detected in the decay. It is not straightforward to explain all the observed properties by any known class of X-ray sources. We discuss the possible nature of the source, including a Galactic low mass X-ray binary with multiple extreme properties and a tidal disruption event by a supermassive black hole or a Galactic neutron star.

astro-ph.HE↗

Discovery of the black hole X-ray binary transient MAXIJ1348-630

We report the first half-year monitoring of the new Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J1348-630, discovered on 2019 January 26 with the Gas Slit Camera (GSC) on-board MAXI. During the monitoring period, the source exhibited two outburst peaks, where the first peak flux (at T=14 day from the discovery of T =0) was ~4 Crab (2-20 keV) and the second one (at T =132 day) was ~0.4 Crab (2-20 keV). The source exhibited distinct spectral transitions between the high/soft and low/hard states and an apparent "q"-shape curve on the hardness-intensity diagram, both of which are well-known characteristics of black hole binaries. Compared to other bright black hole transients, MAXI J1348-630 is characterized by its low disk-temperature (~0.75 keV at the maximum) and high peak flux in the high/soft state. The low peak-temperature leads to a large innermost radius that is identified as the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO), determined by the black hole mass and spin. Assuming the empirical relation between the soft-to-hard transition luminosity (Ltrans) and the Eddington luminosity (LEdd), Ltrans/LEdd ~ 0.02, and a face-on disk around a non-spinning black hole, the source distance and the black hole mass are estimated to be D ~ 4 kpc and ~7 (D/4 kpc) Mo, respectively. The black hole is more massive if the disk is inclined and the black hole is spinning. These results suggest that MAXI J1348-630 may host a relatively massive black hole among the known black hole binaries in our Galaxy.

astro-ph.HE↗

Multiplexing lobster-eye optics: a concept for wide-field X-ray monitoring

We propose a concept of multiplexing lobster-eye (MuLE) optics to achieve significant reductions in the number of focal plane imagers in lobster-eye (LE) wide-field X-ray monitors. In the MuLE configuration, an LE mirror is divided into several segments and the X-rays reflected on each of these segments are focused on a single image sensor in a multiplexed configuration. If each LE segment assumes a different rotation angle, the azimuthal rotation angle of a cross-like image reconstructed from a point source by the LE optics identifies the specific segment that focuses the X-rays on the imager. With a focal length of 30 cm and LE segments with areas of 10 x 10 cm^2, ~1 sr of the sky can be covered with 36 LE segments and only four imagers (with total areas of 10 x 10 cm^2). A ray tracing simulation was performed to evaluate the nine-segment MuLE configuration. The simulation showed that the flux (0.5 to 2 keV) associated with the 5-sigma detection limit was ~2 x 10^-10 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (10 mCrab) for a transient with a duration of 100 s. The simulation also showed that the direction of the transient for flux in the range of 14 to 17 mCrab at 0.6 keV was determined correctly with 99.7% confidence limit. We conclude that the MuLE configuration can become an effective on-board device for small satellites for future X-ray wide-field transient monitoring.

astro-ph.IM↗

X-ray emission evolution of the Galactic ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 during the 2017-2018 outburst observed by the MAXI GSC

This paper reports on the X-ray emission evolution of the ultra-luminous Galactic X-ray pulsar, Swift J0243.6+6124, during the 2017-2018 giant outburst observed by the MAXI GSC. The 2-30 keV light curve and the energy spectra confirm that the luminosity $L_\mathrm{X}$ reached $2.5\times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$, 10 times higher than the Eddington limit. When the source was luminous with $L_\mathrm{X}\gtrsim 0.9\times 10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$, it exhibited a negative correlation on a hardness-intensity diagram. However, two hardness ratios, a soft color ($=$ 4-10 keV / 2-4 keV) and a hard color ($=$ 10-20 keV / 4-10 keV), showed somewhat different behavior across a characteristic luminosity of $L_\mathrm{c}\simeq 5\times 10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The soft color changed more than the hard color when $L_\mathrm{X} < L_\mathrm{c}$, whereas the opposite was observed above $L_\mathrm{c}$. The spectral change above $L_\mathrm{c}$ was represented by a broad enhanced feature at $\sim 6$ keV. The pulse profiles made a transition from a single-peak to a double-peak one as the source brightened across $L_\mathrm{c}$. These spectral and pulse-shape properties can be interpreted by a scenario that the accretion columns on the neutron star surface, producing the Comptonized X-ray emission, gradually became taller as $L_\mathrm{X}$ increased. The broad 6 keV enhancement could be a result of cyclotron-resonance absorption at $\sim 10$ keV, corresponding to a surface magnetic field $B_\mathrm{s}\simeq 1.1\times 10^{12}$ G. The spin-frequency derivatives calculated with the Fermi GBM data showed a smooth correlation with $L_\mathrm{X}$ up to the outburst peak, and its linear coefficient is comparable to those of X-ray binary pulsars whose $B_\mathrm{s}$ are $(1-8)\times 10^{12}$ G. These results suggest that $B_\mathrm{s}$ of Swift J0243.6$+$6124 is a few times $10^{12}$ G.

astro-ph.HE↗

Monitoring the Superorbital Period Variation and the Spin Period Evolution of SMC X-1

The X-ray pulsar SMC X-1 shows a superorbital modulation with an unstable cycle length in the X-ray band. We present its timing behaviors, including the spin, orbital, and superorbital modulations, beyond the end of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer mission. The time-frequency maps derived by the wavelet Z-transform and the Hilbert-Huang transform suggest that a new superorbital period excursion event occurred in ~MJD 57100 (2015 March). This indicates the excursion is recurrent and probably (quasi)periodic. The hardness ratio obtained with the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) suggests increased absorption during the transition from the high to the low state in the superorbital cycle. Compared to the regular epochs, the superorbital profile during the excursion epochs has a shallower and narrower valley, likely caused by a flatter warp. By tracking the spin period evolution with the MAXI Gas Slit Camera in 2-20 keV, we derive an averaged spin-up rate of $\dotν=2.515(3)\times10^{-11}$ s$^{-2}$ during the period between MJD 55141 (2009 November) and 58526 (2019 February). We obtain no positive correlation between the spin frequency residual and the superorbital frequency, but a torque change accompanying the superorbital period excursion is possible. We suggest that the accretion torque on the neutron star could be changed by various mechanisms, including the change of mass accretion rate and the warp angle. We update the value of the orbital decay as $\dot{P}_{\rm{orb}}/P_{\rm{orb}}=-3.380(6)\times10^{-6}$ yr$^{-1}$. Finally, we reconfirm the detection of the superorbital modulation in the optical band and its coherence in phase with the X-ray modulation.

astro-ph.HE↗

X-ray and Optical Observations of the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1828-249

We report results from X-ray and optical observations of the Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J1828-249, performed with Suzaku and the Kanata telescope around the X-ray flux peak in the 2013 outburst. The time-averaged X-ray spectrum covering 0.6--168 keV was approximately characterized by a strong multi-color disk blackbody component with an inner disk temperature of ~0.6 keV, and a power-law tail with a photon index of ~2.0. We detected an additional structure at 5-10 keV, which can be modelled neither with X-ray reflection on the disk, nor relativistic broadening of the disk emission. Instead, it was successfully reproduced with a Comptonization of disk photons by thermal electrons with a relatively low temperature (<~10 keV). We infer that the source was in the intermediate state, considering its long-term trend in the hardness intensity diagram, the strength of the spectral power-law tail, and its variability properties. The low-temperature Comptonization component could be produced in a boundary region between the truncated standard disk and the hot inner flow, or a Comptonizing region that somehow developed above the disk surface. The multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution suggests that the optical and UV fluxes were dominated by irradiated outer disk emission.

astro-ph.HE↗

Discovery and state transitions of the new Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571

We report on the detection and subsequent X-ray monitoring of the new Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571 with the MAXI/GSC. Afterthe discovery on 2017 September 2 made independently with MAXI and the Swift/BAT, the source brightened gradually, and in a few weeks, reached the peak intensity of ~5 Crab, or ~1.6 x 10^{-7} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} in terms of the 2--20 keV flux. On the initial outburst rise, the X-ray spectrum was described by a power-law model with a photon index of ~2, while after a hard-to-soft transition which occurred on September 18, the spectrum required a disk blackbody component in addition. At around the flux peak, the 2-8 keV and 15-50 keV light curves showed quasi-periodic and anti-correlated fluctuations with an amplitude of 10--20%, on a time scale of ~1-day. Based on these X-ray properties obtained with the MAXI/GSC, we discuss the evolution of the spectral state of this source, and give constraints on its system parameters.

astro-ph.HE↗

An application of the Ghosh & Lamb model to the accretion powered X-ray pulsar X Persei

The accretion-induced pulse-period changes of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar X Persei were investigated over a period of 1996 January to 2017 September. This study utilized the monitoring data acquired with the RXTE/ASM in 1.5$-$12 keV and MAXI/GSC in 2$-$20 keV. The source intensity changed by a factor of 5$-$6 over this period. The pulsar was spinning down for 1996$-$2003, and has been spinning up since 2003, as already reported. The spin up/down rate and the 3$-$12 keV flux, determined every 250 d, showed a clear negative correlation, which can be successfully explained by the accretion torque model proposed by Ghosh & Lamb (1979). When the mass, radius and distance of the neutron star are allowed to vary over a range of 1.0$-$2.4 solar masses, 9.5$-$15 km, and 0.77$-$0.85 kpc, respectively, the magnetic field strength of $B=(4-25) \times10^{13}\ \rm G$ gave the best fits to the observation. In contrast, the observed results cannot be explained by the values of $B\sim10^{12}\ \rm G$ previously suggested for X Persei, as long as the mass, radius, and distance are required to take reasonable values. Assuming a distance of $0.81\pm0.04$ kpc as indicated by optical astrometry, the mass of the neutron star is estimated as $M=2.03\pm0.17$ solar masses.

astro-ph.HE↗

The 7-year MAXI/GSC X-ray Source Catalog in the High Galactic-Latitude Sky (3MAXI)

We present the third MAXI/GSC catalog in the high Galactic-latitude sky ($|b| > 10^\circ$) based on the 7-year data from 2009 August 13 to 2016 July 31, complementary to that in the low Galactic-latitude sky ($|b| < 10^\circ$; Hori et al. 2018). We compile 682 sources detected at significances of $s_{\rm D,4-10~keV} \geq 6.5$ in the 4--10 keV band. A two-dimensional image fit based on the Poisson likelihood algorithm ($C$-statistics) is adopted for the detections and constraints on their fluxes and positions. The 4--10 keV sensitivity reaches $\approx 0.48$ mCrab, or $\approx 5.9 \times 10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, over the half of the survey area. Compared with the 37-month catalog (Hiroi et al. 2013), which adopted a threshold of $s_{\rm D,4-10~keV} \geq 7$, the source number increases by a factor of $\sim$1.4. The fluxes in the 3--4 keV and 10--20 keV bands are further estimated, and hardness ratios (HRs) are calculated using the 3--4 keV, 4--10 keV, 3--10 keV, and 10--20 keV band fluxes. We also make the 4--10 keV lightcurves in one year bins for all the sources and characterize their variabilities with an index based on a likelihood function and the excess variance. Possible counterparts are found from five major X-ray survey catalogs by Swift, Uhuru, RXTE, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT, and an X-ray galaxy-cluster catalog (MCXC). Our catalog provides the fluxes, positions, detection significances, HRs, one-year bin lightcurves, variability indices, and counterpart candidates.

astro-ph.HE↗

MAXI upper limits of the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817

We report the MAXI observation of the gravitational-wave (GW) event GW170817 and the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817. GW170817 is a binary neutron star coalescence candidate detected by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors, and it is the first event for which the optical counterpart has been discovered. In the MAXI observation, the Gas Slit Camera (GSC) covered approximately 62% of the sky region of the GW event within 90% probability during the first 92 min of orbit after the trigger. No significant X-ray transient was detected in the error region, and the upper limit of the average flux with a significance of 3 $σ$ in the 2--10 keV band was 53/26 mCrab (one-orbit observation/one-day observation). In the optical counterpart of GW170817, the observational window of GSC at the position started at 20 s after the GW trigger, but the high voltage of GSC was unfortunately off at the time because the ISS was entering a high-particle-background region. The first observation of the position by GSC was eventually performed at 16797 sec (4.6 hours) since the GW trigger, yielding the 3 $σ$ upper limit of 8.60$\times$10$^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in the 2--10 keV band, though it was the earliest X-ray observation of the counterpart.

astro-ph.HE↗

Correlation between the luminosity and spin-period changes during outbursts of 12 Be binary pulsars observed by the MAXI/GSC and the Fermi/GBM

To observationally study spin-period changes of accreting pulsars caused by the accretion torque, the present work analyzes X-ray light curves of 12 Be binary pulsars obtained by the MAXI/GSC all-sky survey and their pulse periods measured by the Fermi/GBM pulsar project, both covering more than 6 years from 2009 August to 2016 March. The 12 objects were selected because they are accompanied by clear optical identification, and accurate measurements of surface magnetic fields. The luminosity $L$ and the spin-frequency derivatives $\dotν$, measured during large outbursts with $L\gtrsim 1\times 10^{37}$ erg s$^{-1}$, were found to approximately follow the theoretical relations in the accretion torque models, represented by $\dotν \propto L^α$ ($α\simeq 1$), and the coefficient of proportionality between $\dotν$ and $L^α$, agrees, within a factor of $\sim 3$, with that proposed by Ghosh & Lamb (1979). In the course of the present study, the orbital elements of several sources were refined.

astro-ph.HE↗

X-ray upper limits of GW150914 with MAXI

We searched for X-ray candidates of the gravitational wave (GW) event GW150914 with Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI). MAXI observed the error region of the GW event GW150914 from 4 minutes after the event and covered about 90% of the error region in 25 minutes. No significant time variations on timescales of 1 s to 4 days were found in the GW error region. The $3σ$ upper limits for the X-ray emission associated with the GW event in 2--20 keV were 9.5 $\times 10^{-10}$, 2.3 $\times 10^{-10}$, and 0.8 $\times 10^{-10}$ ergs cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ for the time scale of $\sim$ 1000 s, 1 day, and 10 days, respectively. If GW events are associated with short GRBs like GRB 050709, MAXI will be able to detect X-ray emissions from the source.

astro-ph.HE↗