arXiv subjects

V. V. Vassiliev

Publications and source records attributed to V. V. Vassiliev.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Very High Energy Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Locations with the Whipple Telescope

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) observations at very high energies (VHE, E > 100 GeV) can impose tight constraints on some GRB emission models. Many GRB afterglow models predict a VHE component similar to that seen in blazars and plerions, in which the GRB spectral energy distribution has a double-peaked shape extending into the VHE regime. VHE emission coincident with delayed X-ray flare emission has also been predicted. GRB follow-up observations have had high priority in the observing program at the Whipple 10m Gamma-ray Telescope and GRBs will continue to be high priority targets as the next generation observatory, VERITAS, comes on-line. Upper limits on the VHE emission, at late times (>~4 hours), from seven GRBs observed with the Whipple Telescope are reported here.

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arXiv2006

Observations of the Unidentified TeV Gamma-Ray Source TeV J2032+4130 with the Whipple Observatory 10 m Telescope

We report on observations of the sky region around the unidentified TeV gamma-ray source TeV J2032+4130 carried out with the Whipple Observatory 10 m atmospheric Cherenkov telescope for a total of 65.5 hrs between 2003 and 2005. The standard two-dimensional analysis developed by the Whipple collaboration for a stand-alone telescope reveals an excess in the field of view at a pre-trials significance level of 6.1 standard deviations. The measured position of this excess is alpha(2000) =20 h 32 m 27 s, delta(2000) = 41 deg 39 min 17 s. The estimated integral flux for this gamma-ray source is about 8% of the Crab-Nebula flux. The data are consistent with a point-like source. Here we present a detailed description of the standard two-dimensional analysis technique used for the analysis of data taken with the Whipple Observatory 10 m telescope and the results for the TeV J2032+4130 campaign. We include a short discussion of the physical mechanisms that may be responsible for the observed gamma-ray emission, based on possible association with known astrophysical objects, in particular Cygnus OB2.

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arXiv2006

The First VERITAS Telescope

The first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) has been in operation since February 2005. We present here a technical description of the instrument and a summary of its performance. The calibration methods are described, along with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope and comparisons between real and simulated data. The analysis of TeV $γ$-ray observations of the Crab Nebula, including the reconstructed energy spectrum, is shown to give results consistent with earlier measurements. The telescope is operating as expected and has met or exceeded all design specifications.

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arXiv2006

TeV Gamma-Ray Observations of the Perseus and Abell 2029 Galaxy Clusters

Galaxy clusters might be sources of TeV gamma rays emitted by high-energy protons and electrons accelerated by large scale structure formation shocks, galactic winds, or active galactic nuclei. Furthermore, gamma rays may be produced in dark matter particle annihilation processes at the cluster cores. We report on observations of the galaxy clusters Perseus and Abell 2029 using the 10 m Whipple Cherenkov telescope during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 observing seasons. We apply a two-dimensional analysis technique to scrutinize the clusters for TeV emission. In this paper we first determine flux upper limits on TeV gamma-ray emission from point sources within the clusters. Second, we derive upper limits on the extended cluster emission. We subsequently compare the flux upper limits with EGRET upper limits at 100 MeV and theoretical models. Assuming that the gamma-ray surface brightness profile mimics that of the thermal X-ray emission and that the spectrum of cluster cosmic rays extends all the way from thermal energies to multi-TeV energies with a differential spectral index of -2.1, our results imply that the cosmic ray proton energy density is less than 7.9% of the thermal energy density for the Perseus cluster.

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arXiv2005

A Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Spectrum of 1ES 2344+514

The BL Lacertae (BL Lac) object 1ES 2344+514 (1ES 2344), at a redshift of 0.044, was discovered as a source of very high energy (VHE) gamma rays by the Whipple Collaboration in 1995 \citep{2344Catanese98}. This detection was recently confirmed by the HEGRA Collaboration \citep{2344Hegra03}. As is typical for high-frequency peaked blazars, the VHE gamma-ray emission is highly variable. On the night of 20 December, 1995, a gamma-ray flare of 5.3-sigma significance was detected, the brightest outburst from this object to-date. The emission region is compatible with a point source. The spectrum between 0.8 TeV and 12.6 TeV can be described by a power law $\frac{\ud^3 N}{\ud E \ud A \ud t}=(5.1\pm1.0_{st}\pm1.2_{sy})\times10^{-7} (E/ \mathrm{TeV})^{-2.54 \pm0.17_{st}\pm0.07_{sy}} \mathrm{\frac{1}{TeV m^2 s}}$. Comparing the spectral index with that of the other five confirmed TeV blazars, the spectrum of 1ES 2344 is similar to 1ES 1959+650, located at almost the same distance. The spectrum of 1ES 2344 is steeper than the brightest flare spectra of Markarian 421 (Mrk~421) and Markarian 501 (Mrk~501), both located at a distance about 2/3 that of 1ES 2344, and harder than the spectra of PKS 2155-304 and H~1426+428, which are located almost three times as far. This trend is consistent with attenuation caused by the infrared extragalactic background radiation.

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arXiv2003

Search for TeV annihilation radiation from supersymmetric dark matter in nearby galaxies

During the 2002-2003 observing season the Whipple 10m imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescope was used to search for dark matter annihilation radiation in four nearby galaxies: M32, M33, Draco, and Ursa Minor. Scientific motivations for this choice of targets are discussed as well as accumulated exposure. The analysis results are to be reported in the conference presentation.

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arXiv2002

Recent Results from the VERITAS Collaboration

A decade after the discovery of TeV gamma-rays from the blazar Mrk 421 (Punch et al. 1992), the list of TeV blazars has increased to five BL Lac objects: Mrk 421 (Punch et al. 1992; Petry et al. 1996; Piron et al. 2001), Mrk 501 (Quinn et al. 1996; Aharonian et al. 1999; Djannati-Atai et al. 1999), 1ES2344+514 (Catanese et al. 1998), H1426+428 (Horan et al. 2000, 2002; Aharonian et al. 2002; Djannati-Atai et al. 2002) and 1ES1959+650 (Nishiyama et al. 1999; Konopelko et al. 2002; Holder et al. 2002). In this paper we report results from recent observations of Mrk 421, H1426+428 and 1ES1959+650 using the Whipple Observatory 10 m telescope.

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arXiv2002

The TeV spectrum of H1426+428

The BL Lac object H1426+428 was recently detected as a high energy gamma-ray source by the VERITAS collaboration (Horan et al. 2002). We have reanalyzed the 2001 portion of the data used in the detection in order to examine the spectrum of H1426+428 above 250 GeV. We find that the time-averaged spectrum agrees with a power law of the shape dF/dE = 10^(-7.31 +- 0.15(stat) +- 0.16(syst)) x E^(-3.50 +- 0.35(stat) +- 0.05(syst)) m^(-2)s^(-1)TeV^(-1) The statistical evidence from our data for emission above 2.5 TeV is 2.6 sigma. With 95% c.l., the integral flux of H1426+428 above 2.5 TeV is larger than 3% of the corresponding flux from the Crab Nebula. The spectrum is consistent with the (non-contemporaneous) measurement by Aharonian et al. (2002) both in shape and in normalization. Below 800 GeV, the data clearly favours a spectrum steeper than that of any other TeV Blazar observed so far indicating a difference in the processes involved either at the source or in the intervening space.

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arXiv2002

Discovery of Spectral Variability of Markarian 421 at TeV Energies

The detection of spectral variability of the gamma-ray blazar Mrk 421 at TeV energies is reported. Observations with the Whipple Observatory 10m gamma-ray telescope taken in 2000/2001 revealed exceptionally strong and long-lasting flaring activity. Flaring levels of 0.4 to 13 times that of the Crab Nebula flux provided sufficient statistics for a detailed study of the energy spectrum between 380 GeV and 8.2 TeV as a function of flux level. These spectra are well described by a power law with an exponential cutoff. There is no evidence for variation in the cutoff energy with flux, and all spectra are consistent with an average value for the cutoff energy of 4.3 TeV. The spectral index varies between 1.89 in a high flux state and 2.72 in a low state. The correlation between spectral index and flux is tight when averaging over the total 2000/2001 data set. Spectral measurements of Mrk~421 from previous years (1995/96 and 1999) by the Whipple collaboration are consistent with this flux-spectral index correlation, which suggest that this may be a constant or a long-term property of the source. If a similar flux-spectral index correlation were found for other gamma-ray blazars, this universal property could help disentangle the intrinsic emission mechanism from external absorption effects.

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arXiv2001

On the application of differences in intrinsic fluctuations of Cherenkov light images for separation of air showers

The sensitivity of ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray observatories depends critically on the primary particle identification methods which are used to retain photon-initiated events and suppress the spurious background produced by cosmic rays. We suggest a new discrimination technique which utilizes differences in the fluctuations of the light intensity in the images of showers initiated by photons and those initiated by protons or heavier nuclei. The database of simulated events for the proposed VERITAS observatory has been used to evaluate the efficiency of the new technique. Analysis has been performed for both a single VERITAS imaging telescope, and a system of these telescopes. We demonstrate that a discrimination efficiency of > 1.5 - 2.0 can be achieved in addition to traditional background rejection methods based on image shape parameters.

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arXiv2001

Cutoff in the TeV Energy Spectrum of Markarian 421 During Strong Flares in 2001

Exceptionally strong and long lasting flaring activity of the blazar Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) occurred between January and March 2001. Based on the excellent signal-to-noise ratio of the data we derive the energy spectrum between 260 GeV - 17 TeV with unprecedented statistical precision. The spectrum is not well described by a simple power law even with a curvature term. Instead the data can be described by a power law with exponential cutoff: $\rm {{dN}\over{dE}} \propto \rm E^{-2.14 \pm 0.03_{stat}} \times e^{-E/E_{0}} m^{-2} s^{-1} TeV^{-1}$ with $\rm E_{0} = 4.3 \pm 0.3_{stat} TeV$. Mrk 421 is the second $γ$-ray blazar that unambiguously exhibits an absorption-like feature in its spectral energy distribution at 3-6 TeV suggesting that this may be a universal phenomenon, possibly due to the extragalactic infra-red background radiation.

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arXiv2000

Gamma-ray Observations of the Galactic Plane at Energies E > 500 GeV

In 1998 and 1999 the Whipple Observatory 10 m telescope was used to search for diffuse gamma ray emission from the Galactic Plane. No signifiant evidence of emission was found. Assuming the TeV emission profile matches EGRET observations above 1 GeV with a differential spectral index of 2.4, we derive an upper limit of {$\rm {3.0\cdot10^{-8}cm^{-2}s^{-1}sr^{-1}}$} for the average diffuse emission above {$\rm500 GeV$} in the galactic latitude range from {$\rm-2^o$ to $\rm +2^o$} at galactic longitude {$\rm 40^o$}. Comparisons with EGRET observations provide a lower limit of 2.31 for the differential spectral index of the diffuse emission, assuming there is no break in the spectrum between 30 GeV and 500 GeV. This constrains models for diffuse emission with a significant inverse Compton contribution.

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arXiv1999

Search for Pulsed TeV Gamma-ray Emission from the Crab Pulsar

We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10 m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hours between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8x10^-12 cm^-2 s^-1 or <3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cut-off of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cut-off is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

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arXiv1999

VERITAS: Performance characteristics (baseline design)

VERITAS is a proposed major ground-based gamma-ray observatory to be built at the Whipple Observatory in southern Arizona, USA. It will consist of an array of seven 10m imaging Cherenkov telescopes designed to conduct gamma-ray observations in the energy range of 50 GeV - 50 TeV. A description of the baseline VERITAS design and optimization criteria are presented. We provide basic characteristics of the array performance for observations of point sources, such as angular resolution, energy threshold, energy resolution, and integral flux sensitivity. The limiting factors of the VERITAS performance are discussed.

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arXiv1999

Extragalactic background light absorption signal in the TeV gamma-ray spectra of blazars

Recent observations of the TeV gamma-ray spectra of the two closest active galactic nuclei (AGNs), Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) and Markarian 421 (Mrk 421), by the Whipple and HEGRA collaborations have stimulated efforts to estimate or limit the spectral energy density (SED) of extragalactic background light (EBL) which causes attenuation of TeV photons via pair-production when they travel cosmological distances. In spite of the lack of any distinct cutoff-like feature in the spectra of Mrk 501 and Mrk 421 (in the interval 0.26-10 TeV) which could clearly indicate the presence of such a photon absorption mechanism, we demonstrate that strong EBL attenuation signal (survival probability of 10 TeV photon <10^{-2}) may still be present in the spectra of these AGNs. By estimating the minimal and maximal opacity of the universe to TeV gamma-ray photons, we calculate the visibility range for current and future gamma-ray observatories. Finally, we show that the proposed experiments, VERITAS, HESS, and MAGIC, may even be able to actually measure the EBL SED because their observations extend to the critical 75-150 GeV regime. In this transition region a distinct ``knee-like'' feature should exist in the spectra of blazars, which is invariant with respect to their intrinsic properties. The change of the spectral index and flux amplitude across this knee, if observed for several blazars, will provide missing pieces of information needed to measure EBL in the wavelength range 0.1-30 $μ$m.

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arXiv1999

Whipple Observations of BL Lac Objects

Only BL Lac objects have been detected as extragalactic sources of very high energy (E > 300 GeV) gamma rays. Using the Whipple Observatory Gamma-ray Telescope, we have attempted to detect more BL Lacs using three approaches. First, we have conducted surveys of nearby BL Lacs, which led to the detections of Mrk 501 and 1ES 2344+514. Second, we have observed X-ray bright BL Lacs when the RXTE All-Sky Monitor identifies high state X-ray emission in an object, in order to efficiently detect extended high emission states. Third, we have conducted rapid observations of several BL Lacs and QSOs located close together in the sky to search for very high flux, short time-scale flare states such as have been seen from Mrk 421. We will present the results of a survey using the third observational technique.

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arXiv1999

The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS)

We give an overview of the current status and scientific goals of VERITAS, a proposed hexagonal array of seven 10 m aperture imaging Cherenkov telescopes. The selected site is Montosa Canyon (1390 m a.s.l.) at the Whipple Observatory, Arizona. Each telescope, of 12 m focal length, will initially be equipped with a 499 element photomultiplier camera covering a 3.5 degree field of view. A central station will initiate the readout of 500 MHz FADCs upon receipt of multiple telescope triggers. The minimum detectable flux sensitivity will be 0.5% of the Crab Nebula flux at 200 GeV. Detailed simulations of the array's performance are presented elsewhere at this meeting. VERITAS will operate primarily as a gamma-ray observatory in the 50 GeV to 50 TeV range for the study of active galaxies, supernova remnants, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv1999

A Search for Pulsed TeV Gamma Ray Emission from the Crab Pulsar

We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hours between 1994 November and 1997 March. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250GeV to 4TeV. At these energies we do not see any evidence of the 33ms pulsations present at lower energies from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250GeV is derived to be 4.8 10^-12 cm^-2 s^-1 or <3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cut-off of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cut-off is exponential, it must begin at 60GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

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