High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)

Abstract: The widely adopted ``lamppost'' thermal reprocessing model, in which the variable UV/optical emission is a result of the accretion disk reprocessing of the highly fluctuating X-ray emission, can be tested by measuring inter-band time lags in quasars spanning a range of X-ray power. This work reports the inter-band time lag in an apparently X-ray weak quasar, SDSS J153913.47+395423.4. A significant cross-correlation with a time delay of $\sim 33$ days (observed-frame) is detected in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) $g$ and $r$ light curves of SDSS J153913.47+395423.4. The observed X-ray power seems to be too weak to account for the observed inter-band cross-correlation with time delay. Hence the X-ray weak quasar SDSS J153913.47+395423.4 is either intrinsically X-ray normal (but observationally X-ray weak), or the X-ray emission is not the only mechanism to drive UV/optical variability. In the former case, the required X-ray power is at least 19 times stronger than observed, which requires either an exceptionally anisotropic corona or Compton-thick obscuration. Alternatively, the Corona-heated Accretion disk Reprocessing (CHAR) or the EUV torus models may account for the observed time lags.

Abstract: We present a variability study of the blazar PKS 0346-27 from December 2018 to January 2022 in its archival $\gamma$-ray observation by Fermi-LAT. We use the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the weighted wavelet transform methods in order to detect the presence of periodicity/quasi-periodicity and localize this feature in time and frequency space. The significance of the periodicity feature has been estimated using the Monte-Carlo simulation approach. We have also determined the global significance of the periodicity to test the robustness of our claim. To explore the most probable scenario, we modeled the light curve with both a straight jet and a curved jet model. We detect a periodicity feature of $\sim$ 100 days duration for the entire period of observation with a statistical significance of $3\sigma$, which amounts to a 99.7\% confidence level. The global significance of this feature is found to be 96.96\%. Based on the Akaike Information Criteria, the most probable explanation is that the observed emission is enhanced due to the helical motion of a blob within a curved jet. The origin of this QPO is very likely a region of enhanced emission moving helically inside a curved jet. This work presents strong evidence for jet curvature in the source and an independent (albeit a little serendipitous) procedure to estimate the curvature in blazar jets.

Abstract: Shear particle acceleration is a promising candidate for the origin of extended high-energy emission in extra-galactic jets. In this paper, we explore the applicability of a shear model to 24 X-ray knots in the large-scale jets of FR II radio galaxies, and study the jet properties by modeling the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in a leptonic framework including synchrotron and inverse Compton - CMB processes. In order to improve spectral modelling, we analyze Fermi-LAT data for five sources and reanalyzed archival data of Chandra on 15 knots, exploring the radio to X-ray connection. We show that the X-ray SEDs of these knots can be satisfactorily modelled by synchrotron radiation from a second, shear-accelerated electron population reaching multi-TeV energies. The inferred flow speeds are compatible with large-scale jets being mildly relativistic. We explore two different shear flow profiles (i.e., linearly decreasing and power-law) and find that the required spine speeds differ only slightly, supporting the notion that for higher flow speeds the variations in particle spectral indices are less dependent on the presumed velocity profile. The derived magnetic field strengths are in the range of a few to ten microGauss, and the required power in non-thermal particles typically well below the Eddington constraint. Finally, the inferred parameters are used to constrain the potential of FR II jets as possible UHECR accelerators.

Abstract: SNRs are likely to be significant sources of Galactic cosmic rays up to the knee. They produce gamma rays in the very-high-energy (E>100 GeV) range mainly via two mechanisms: hadronic interactions of accelerated protons with the interstellar medium and leptonic interactions of accelerated electrons with soft photons. Observations with current instruments have lead to the detection of about a dozen SNRs in VHE gamma rays and future instruments will help significantly increase this number. Yet, the details of particle acceleration at SNRs, and of the mechanisms producing VHE gamma-ray at SNRs remain poorly understood: What is the spectrum of accelerated particles? What is the efficiency of particle acceleration? Is the gamma-ray emission dominated by hadronic or leptonic origin? To address these questions, we simulate the population of SNRs in the gamma-ray domain, and confront it to the current population of TeV SNRs. This method allows us to investigate several crucial aspects of particle acceleration at SNRs, such as the level of magnetic field around SNR shocks or scanning the parameter space of the accelerated particles (spectral index, electron to proton ratio and the acceleration efficiency of the shock) with the possibility to constrain some of the parameters.

Abstract: The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a selected Small Explorer (SMEX) mission launching in 2027. It consists of a large field-of-view Compton telescope that will probe with increased sensitivity the under-explored MeV gamma-ray sky (0.2-5 MeV). We will present the current status of cosipy, a Python library that will perform spectral and polarization fits, image deconvolution, and all high-level analysis tasks required by COSI's broad science goals: uncovering the origin of the Galactic positrons, mapping the sites of Galactic nucleosynthesis, improving our models of the jet and emission mechanism of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and detecting and localizing gravitational wave and neutrino sources. The cosipy library builds on the experience gained during the COSI balloon campaigns and will bring the analysis of data in the Compton regime to a modern open-source likelihood-based code, capable of performing coherent joint fits with other instruments using the Multi-Mission Maximum Likelihood framework (3ML). In this contribution, we will also discuss our plans to receive feedback from the community by having yearly software releases accompanied by publicly-available data challenges.

Abstract: We analyzed optical/X-ray quasi-simultaneous light curves of Aql X-1, obtained by MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image), ZTF (Zwicky Transient Facility) and LCO (Las Cumbres Observatory) in about 3.6 years from 2016, for understanding electromagnetic radiation mechanisms during its outbursts. As a result, we confirmed that 5 outbursts had detected in the epoch, and that 3 outbursts underwent the X-ray state transition across Low-Hard, In-Transition, and High-Soft state while remaining 2 outbursts stayed in the Low-Hard state. We found that the optical spectral energy distribution in the High-Soft state is consistent with a simplified irradiated disk model, and that the optical color/magnitude variation can be explained by variations in the X-ray luminosity and the disk geometrical thickness.

Abstract: We examine the gravitational wave frequencies of the fundamental ($f$-) and 1st pressure ($p_1$-) modes excited in the neutron star models constructed with the quark-hadron crossover (QHC) type equations of state (EOS). We find that the $f$-mode frequencies with QHC EOS basically are smaller and the $p_1$-mode frequencies with QHC EOS are larger than those with hadronic EOS, focusing on the neutron star model with a fixed mass. We also find that the universality in the $f$-mode frequencies multiplied by the stellar mass as a function of the stellar compactness or as a function of the dimensionless tidal deformability, which is derived with various hadronic EOSs, can keep even with QHC EOS. That is, using these universal relations, one cannot distinguish QHC EOS from hadronic EOSs. Instead, using the relations one can extract the stellar radii whose evolution from low to high mass neutron stars can differentiate QHC from hadronic EOSs. On the other hand, we find that the $p_1$-mode frequencies multiplied by the stellar mass with QHC EOS significantly deviate in a certain mass range from the corresponding empirical relations derived with various hadronic EOSs, with which one may distinguish QHC EOS from hadronic EOSs.

Abstract: Correlated variability between coronal X-rays and disc optical/UV photons provides a very useful diagnostic of the interplay between the different regions around an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and how they interact. AGN that reveal strong X-ray reflection in their spectra should normally exhibit optical/UV to X-ray correlation consistent with reprocessing -- where the optical/UV emission lag behind the X-rays. While such correlated delay has been seen in some sources, it has been absent in others. \rm{Mrk~1044} is one such source that has been known to reveal strong X-ray reflection in its spectra. In our analysis of three long \textit{XMM-Newton} and several \textit{Swift} observations of the source, we found no strong evidence for correlation between its UV and X-ray lightcurves both on short and long time scales. Among other plausible causes for the non-detection, we posit that higher X-ray variability than UV and strong general relativistic effects close to the black hole may also be responsible. We also present results from the spectral analysis based on \textit{XMM-Newton} and \textit{NuSTAR} observations, which show the strong soft X-ray excess and iron K$\alpha$ line in the 0.3--50 keV spectrum that can be described by relativistic reflection.