Fermi/LAT observations of lobe-dominant radio galaxy 3C 207 and possible radiation region of γ-rays

3 C 207 is a lobe-dominant radio galaxy with a one sided jet and bright knots, spanning a kpcMpc scale, which have been resolved in the radio, optical and X-ray bands. This target was confirmed as a γ-ray emitter with Fermi/LAT, but it is uncertain whether the γ-ray emission region is the core or knots due to the low spatial resolution of Fermi/LAT. We present an analysis of its Fermi/LAT data acquired during the past 9 years. Different from the radio and optical emission from the core, it is found that theγ-ray emission is steady without detection of flux variation at over a 2σ confidence level. This likely implies that the γ-ray emission is from its knots. We collect the radio, optical and X-ray data of knot-A,the closest knot from the core at 1.4′′, and compile its spectral energy distribution(SED). Although the single-zone synchrotron+SSC+IC/CMB model that assumes knot-A is at rest can reproduce the SED in the radio-optical-X-ray band, the predicted γ-ray flux is lower than the LAT observations and the derived magnetic field strength deviates from the equipartition condition by 3 orders of magnitude. Assuming that knot-A is moving relativistically, its SED from radio to γ-ray bands would be represented well with the single-zone synchrotron+SSC+IC/CMB model under the equipartition condition. These results likely suggest that the γ-ray emission may be from knot-A via the IC/CMB process and the knot should have relativistical motion. The jet power derived from our model parameters is also roughly consistent with the kinetic power estimated with radio data.     

Highly variable γ-ray emission of CTD 135 and implications for its compact symmetric structure

The γ-ray emission properties of CTD 135,a typical compact symmetric object(CSO),are investigated with ～11-year Fermi/LAT observations.We show that it has bright and significantly variable GeV emission,with the γ-ray luminosity of L_γ～ 10~(47) erg s~(-1) and a variation index of TS_(var)=1002.A quasi-periodic oscillation(QPO) with a periodicity of ～460 days is detected in the global 95% false-alarm level.These γ-ray emission features are similar to that of blazars.Its broadband spectral energy distribution(SED) can be attributed to the radiations of the relativistic electrons accelerated in the core region and the extended region.The SED modeling shows that the γ-rays are from the core region,which has a Doppler boosting factor of δ～10.8 and relativistically moves with a small viewing angle,being similar to blazar jets.On the base of the analysis results,we propose that the episodic activity of the central engine in CTD135 results in a blazar-like jet and the bubble-like lobes as the Fermi bubbles in the Galaxy.The strong 7-ray emission with obvious variability is from the jet radiations and the symmetric radio structure is attributed to the bubbles.The jet radiation power and disk luminosity in units of Eddington luminosity of CTD 135 follow the same relation as other young radio sources,indicating that its jet radiation may also be driven by the Eddington ratio.     

Evolution of M81 with Exponentially Decreasing Star Formation Rate of PEGASE

Based on the large field multicolor observations of Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut (BATC) program, we obtain the spectral energy distribution (SED) for individual regions of M81. We study the structure and evolution of M81 with an evolutionary population synthesis (EPS) model, PEGASE. We find that the exponentially deceasing star formation rate (SFR) with star formation scale 3 Gyr (hereafter Exp, τ=3 Gyr) gives the best agreement between the model predictions and the observed SEDs. We then obtain the structure, age distribution and evolutionary history of M81. There is a clear age gradient between the central and outer regions. The populations in the central regions are older than 7 Gyr,those in the outer regions are younger, at about 4.5 Gyr. The youngest components in the spiral arms have ages of about 2.5 Gyr or less.     

The Synchrotron Emission of Jets with Transverse Velocity Discrepancy

It has been commonly accepted that the bulk velocity of extragalactic jets varies in all directions. We examined the synchrotron radiation of a jet with velocity structure in the direction perpendicular to its axis and found that the spectral energy distribution (SED) is not strongly influenced by this circumstance, that there is only a small increase in the emission intensity and almost no shift in the peak frequency. For objects with smaller inclined angles θ0 between the jet axis and the line of our sight, such as Blazars, the effect is more important. When θ0 exceeds a critical value there is no longer any change in the SED. To compare the bulk speed with different velocity structure, an equivalent speed (β) is defined which would reproduce the same spectral profile. There possibly exists a stress fμ(y) between layers of the outflow when the velocity is not the same in the jet.     

X-Ray Afterglows of GRBs 050318 and 060124 and their External Shock Origin

The observations with Swift X-ray telescope (XRT) challenge the conventional gamma-ray burst model in many aspects. The XRT light curves are generally composed of four consecutive segments, i.e., a steep decay segment, a shallow decay segment, a normal decay segment, a jet-like steep decay segment, and sometimes erratic flares as well. The phys-ical origin of the X-ray emission is highly debatable. We focus here on the physical origin of the X-ray emissions of GRBs 050318 and 060124. We present the XRT light curves and spectra of the two bursts. The light curve decay slopes of the two bursts are normal, and their relations to the spectral indices are consistent with the prediction of the standard forward shock model. The multi-wavelength light curves at 0.5keV, 1.0keV, 2.0keV and 4.0keV can be reproduced by this model with an isotropic kinetic energy Ek = 2.2×1052 erg, e = 0.04, B = 0.01 for GRB 050318 and Ek = 4.2×1053 erg, e = 0.05, B = 0.01 for GRB 060124. These facts suggest that the normal decay phases of the X-rays for the two bursts are of the forward shock origin.     

High energy properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar 4C 50.11

We investigate theγ-ray and X-ray properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar(FSRQ)4C 50.11 at redshift z=1.517.The Fermi-LAT data indicate that this source was in an active state since July 2013.During this active period,the source’s emission appeared harder inγ-rays,with the flux having increased by more than a factor of three.We analyze two distinct flares seen in the active state and find that the variability is as short as several hours.The Swift-XRT data show that the source was variable at X-ray energies,but no evidence is found for flux or spectral changes related to theγ-ray activity.The broad-band X-ray spectrum obtained with Swift-XRT and Nu STAR is described well by a broken power law model,with an extremely flat spectrum(Γ_1~0.1)below the break energy,E_(break)~2.1 keV,and Γ_2~1.5 above the break energy.The spectral flattening below~3 keV is likely due to the low energy cut-off in the energy distribution of the photon-emitting electron population.We fit the broad-band spectral energy distribution of the source during both the active and quiescent states.The X-ray andγ-ray emission from the jet is mainly due to the inverse-Compton scattering process,with seed photons provided from the broad line region,and the jet is estimated to be larger than the accretion power if the jet is mainly composed of electron-proton pairs.     

Discovery of an Optical Jet in the Rosette Nebula： Rosette HH2

We report on the discovery of an optical jet-Rosette HH2-in the Rosette Nebula. The jet system bears unique features for residing at the center of a giant HII region, and its energy source is visible with apparently very low extinction along the line of sight. Unlike most other Herbig-Haro jets, this jet indicates a high-excitation origin, and its extended portion shows a seemingly intact structure, instead of normally a shocked working surface, which is attributed to photoablation.     

Comparisons of Jet Properties between GeV Radio Galaxies and Blazars

We compile a sample of spectral energy distributions(SEDs) of 12 GeV radio galaxies(RGs),including eight FR Ⅰ RGs and four FR Ⅱ RGs. These SEDs can be represented with the one-zone leptonic model. No significant unification, as expected in the unification model, is found for the derived jet parameters between FR Ⅰ RGs and BL Lacertae objects(BL Lacs) and between FR Ⅱ RGs and flat spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs). However, on average FR Ⅰ RGs have a larger γb(break Lorentz factor of electrons) and lower B(magnetic field strength) than FR Ⅱ RGs, analogous to the differences between BL Lacs and FSRQs. The derived Doppler factors(δ) of RGs are on average smaller than those of blazars, which is consistent with the unification model such that RGs are the misaligned parent populations of blazars with smaller δ. On the basis of jet parameters from SED fits, we calculate their jet powers and the powers carried by each component, and compare their jet compositions and radiation efficiencies with blazars. Most of the RG jets may be dominated by particles, like BL Lacs, not FSRQs.However, the jets of RGs with higher radiation efficiencies tend to have higher jet magnetization. A strong anticorrelation between synchrotron peak frequency and jet power is observed for GeV RGs and blazars in both the observer and co-moving frames, indicating that the "sequence" behavior among blazars, together with the GeV RGs, may be intrinsically dominated by jet power.     

Spectral Reversal and Stratification of the Jet in 3C 273

Quasi-simultaneous VLBI observations at 15-86 GHz have shown that in the classical superluminal radio source 3C 273, the spectral index α(Sv∝v^α) has a systematic variation along the jet. For epoch 1995.15, a spectral reversal was observed at core distance -1.5mas, where the superluminal knot C12 Located. Similarly, for epoch 1997.18, two spectral reversals wrer observed at core distances of -1.8 mas and -4.2 mas ,where superluminal knots C11 and C14 were, respectively. These spectral reversals are associated with local maxima of the jet width. We suggest that this phenomenon may be related to a stratification of the jet structure, i.e., its physical parameters (flow velocity, Doppler factor, electron density and energy, magnetic field strength,etc.) are substantially dependent on the distance from the jet axis. These properties may be naturally formed through gasdynamic processes when the jet expands into a lower pressure ambient medium.     

Study of a solar flare on 2005 August 22 observed in hard X-rays and microwaves

We investigate the 2005 August 22 flare event(00:54 UT) exploiting hard X-ray(HXR) observations from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager(RHESSI) and microwave(MW) observations from the Nobeyama Solar Radio Observatory. The HXR time profile exposes well-damped quasi-periodic pulsations with four sequential peaks, and the MW time profile follows the corresponding peaks.Based on this feature, we derive the time relationship of HXRs and MWs with multifrequency data from the Nobeyama Radio Polarimeter, and the spatially resolvable data from RHESSI and the Nobeyama Radioheliograph. We find that both frequency dependent delays in MWs and energy dependent delays in HXRs are significant.Furthermore, MW emissions from the south source are delayed with respect to those from the north source at both 17 GHz and 34 GHz, but no significant delays are found in HXR emissions from the different sources at the same energies. To better understand all these long time delays, we derive the electron fluxes of different energies by fitting the observed HXR spectra with a single power-law thick-target model, and speculate that these delays might be related to an extended acceleration process. We further compare the time profile of a MW spectral index derived from 17 and 34 GHz fluxes with the flux densities, and find that the spectral index shows a strong anticorrelation with the HXR fluxes.     

Inference on disk-jet connection of MAXI J1836–194 from spectral analysis with the TCAF solution

Galactic transient black hole candidate(BHC) MAXI J1836–194 was discovered on 2011 Aug30, by MAXI/GSC and Swift/BAT. The source activity during this outburst continued for ~ 3 months before entering into the quiescent state. It again became active in March 2012 and continued for another~ 2 months. In this paper, 3-25 keV RXTE/PCA spectra from the 2011 outburst and 0.5-10.0 keV Swift/XRT data during its 2012 outburst are analyzed with the two-component advective flow(TCAF)model based fits files in XSPEC. We calculate the X-ray contributions coming from jets/outflow using a newly developed method based on the deviation of the TCAF model normalization. We also study the correlation between observed radio and estimated jet X-ray fluxes. The correlation indices(b) are found to be 1.79 and 0.61, when the 7.45 GHz Very Large Array(VLA) radio flux is correlated with the total X-ray and jet X-ray fluxes in 3-25 keV range respectively. It has been found that the jet contributes in X-rays up to a maximum of 86% during its 2011 outburst. This makes the BHC MAXI J1836–194 strongly jet dominated during the initial rising phase.     

The nature of the γ-ray flare associated with blazar 3C 454.3

We have studied the simultaneous spectral energy distributions(SEDs) of the 2009 December flare and those of the quiescent state of blazar 3C 454.3 by constructing a multi-component model. We find that all six SEDs can be explained by a one-zone leptonic model involving synchrotron self-Compton(SSC) plus external Compton emission from an accretion disk(ECD) and that from a broad-line region(ECC). X-ray emission is dominated by the SSC mechanism, and the γ-ray spectrum is well represented by a combination of ECD and ECC processes. Our results indicate that the energy density of the magnetic field and electrons decrease with distance from the central engine, and the Doppler factor increases with the blob moving outward in the development of the 2009 December flare. The increase in the observed flux density is possibly due to the increase in the Doppler factor of the blob. The relation between the Doppler factor δb and the distance from the central black hole suggests the magnetically driven jets span a sub-pc scale, and the relation between the magnetic field B′ and the dimension of the emission region R′b is in good agreement with what is required by conservation of magnetic flux. The weak "harder-when-brighter" behavior of the γ-ray spectrum could be a result of the increase in Doppler factor during the outward motion of the blob. The parameters during the quiescent state obviously deviate from those during the flare state. We propose that the flare was likely caused by the ejection of a new blob. The gamma-ray emissions in different states are associated with the evolution of the blob.     

CSO CO(2–1) and Spitzer IRAC observations of a bipolar outflow in high-mass star-forming region IRAS 22506+5944

We present Caltech Submillimeter Observatory CO(2–1) and Spitzer IRAC observations toward IRAS 22506+5944, which is a 10~4 L_⊙massive star-forming region. The CO(2–1) maps show an east-west bipolar molecular outflow originating from the 3 mm dust continuum peak. The Spitzer IRAC color-composite image reveals a pair of bow-shaped tips which are prominent in excess 4.5 μm emission and are located at the leading fronts of the bipolar outflow, providing compelling evidence for the existence of bow-shocks as the driving agents of the molecular outflow. By comparing our CO(2–1) observations with previously published CO(1–0) data, we find that the CO(2–1)/(1–0) line ratio increases from low(~5 kms~(-1)) to moderate(~8–12 kms~(-1)) velocities, and then decreases at higher velocities. This is qualitatively consistent with the scenario that the molecular outflow is driven by multiple bow-shocks. We also revisit the position-velocity diagram of the CO(1–0) data, and find two spur structures along the outflow axis, which are further evidence for the presence of multiple jet bowshocks. Finally, power-law fittings to the mass spectrum of the outflow gives power law indexes more consistent with the jet bow-shock model than the wide-angle wind model.     

The Kiloparsec-scale Structure of 3C 286

We present radio images of the compact steep spectrum (CSS) quasar 3C 286 acquired with the Very Large Array (VLA) at 8.4 and 22.5 GHz. The source exhibits a two-sided core-jet structure with a bright central component and two extended components one to the east (P.A. 100°) and another to the southwest (P.A. - 116°). From the compact core, an extension runs towards the southwest component up to - 0.7 arcsecond. The emission between the primary central component and the southwest component exhibits a knotty structure. A gradual change of the jet position angles from -135° to -120° in the inner southwest jet suggests a local bend. The position angle changes of the major eastern components E2 and El suggest that the eastern jet likely follows a curved trace. The bends in the jet trace may be associated with a relativistic precession or some interaction between the jet and the ambient matter. A mean spectral index of a22.58.4 - -0.76 (Sv ∝ va) is estimated for the core component. Steep spectra are also     

Constraints on gen4eralized Chaplygin gas model including gamma-ray bursts

Generalized Chaplygin gas (whose equation of state is PGCG = -A/PGCGα) was proposed as a candidate for unification of dark energy and dark matter. We inves-tigate constraints on this model with the latest observed data. We test the model with type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, X-ray gas mass fractions in clusters, and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We calibrate the GRB lu-minosity relations without assuming any cosmological models using SNe Ia. We show that GRBs can extend the Hubble diagram to higher redshifts (z> 6). The GRB Hubble diagram is well behaved and delineates the shape of the Hubble diagram well. We mea-sure As≡A/PGCG,0α+1=0.68-0.08+0.04 (where PGCG,0 is the energy density today) and α=-0.22-0.13+0.15at the 1σconfidence level using all the datasets. Our results rule out the standard Chaplygin gas model (α = 1) at the 3a confidence level. The ACDM is allowed at the 2or confidence level. We find that acceleration could have started at a redshift of z ～ 0.70. The concordance of the generalized Chaplygin gas model with the age estimate of an old high redshift quasar is found. In addition, we show that GRBs can break the degeneracy between the generalized Chaplygin gas model and the XCDM model.     

Insight-HXMT observations of the Crab pulsar

We report on X-ray emission properties of the Crab pulsar(PSR B0531+21) using observations by Insight-HXMT during its first year after launch. We obtained high signal-to-noise profiles in the X-ray energy band 11–250 keV. We have confirmed an increase in the flux ratio of the second peak over the main peak with increasing energy, consistent with other missions. The separation of the two peaks shows no significant trend with increasing energy. The phase-averaged spectrum, fitted by a logpar model, and the phase-resolved spectra of the Crab pulsar, fitted by a powerlaw in the different energy bands of HXMT, are consistent with RXTE and NuSTAR in that photon indices evolve as a function of phase as well as a function of energy, contributing to a broadband modeling.     

Sequences in the Hardness Ratio-Peak Energy Plane of Gamma-Ray Bursts

The narrowness of the distribution of the peak energy of the vFv spectrum of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the unification of GRB populations are great puzzles yet to be solved. We investigate the two puzzles based on the global spectral behaviors of different GRB populations, the long GRBs, the short GRBs, and the X-ray flashes (XRFs), in the HR - Ep plane (HR the spectral hardness ratio) with BATSE and HETE-2 observations. It is found that the long GRBs and the XRFs observed by HETE-2 seem to follow the same sequence in the HR-Ep plane, with the XRFs at the low end of this sequence. We fit the sequence by a universal Band function, and find that this sequence is mainly defined by the low energy index α, and is insensitive to the high energy index,β. With fixed β=-5, a best fit is given by α=-1.00 with X^2min/dof=2.2. The long and short GRBs observed by BATSE follow significantly different sequences in the HR-Ep plane, with most of the short GRBs having a larger hardness ratio than the long GRBs at a given Ep. For the long GRBs a best-fit yields α=-0.30 and β=-2.05. For the short GRBs, a best fit gives α=-0.60 with x^2min=1.1 (withβfixed at-2.0 because it is numerically unstable). The α value for the short GRBs is significantly greater than that for the long GRBs. These results indicate that the global spectral behaviors of the long GRB sample and the XRF sample are similar, while that of the short GRBs is different. The short GRBs seem to be a unique subclass of GRBs, and they are not the higher energy extension of the long GRBs.     

Optical light curve of GRB 121011A:a textbook for the onset of GRB afterglow in a mixture of ISM and wind-type medium

We report the optical observations of GRB 121011 A by the 0.8m TNT facility at Xinglong observatory, China. The light curve of the optical afterglow shows a smooth and featureless bump during the epoch of ~130 s and ~5000 s with a rising index of 1.57 ± 0.28 before the break time of 539 ± 44 s, and a decaying index of about 1.29 ± 0.07 up to the end of our observations. Moreover, the X-ray light curve decays in a single power-law with a slope of about 1.51 ± 0.03 observed by XRT onboard Swift from 100 s to about 10 000 s after the burst trigger. The featureless optical light curve could be understood as an onset process under the external-shock model. The typical frequency has been below or near the optical one before the deceleration time, and the cooling frequency is located between the optical and X-ray wavelengths. The external medium density has a transition from a mixed stage of ISM and wind-type medium before the peak time to the ISM at the later phase. The joint-analysis of X-ray and optical light curves shows that the emissions from both frequencies are consistent with the prediction of the standard afterglow model without any energy injections, indicating that the central engine has stopped its activity and does not restart anymore after the prompt phase.     

A Deprojection Analysis of Abell 1650 with XMM-Newton

We revisit the XMM-Newton observation of the galaxy cluster Abell 1650 with a deprojection technique. We find that the radial deprojected spectra of Abell 1650 can be marginally fitted by a single-temperature model. In order to study the properties of the central gas, we fit the spectra of the central two regions with a two-temperature model. The fits then become significantly better and the cool gas about 1-2keV can be connected with the gas cooling. Fitting the central spectrum (r ≤ 1') by using a cooling flow model with an isothermal component yields a small mass deposition rate of 10-7 11 M⊙ yr-1, while the standard cooling flow model can not fit this spectrum satisfactorily except that there exists a cut-off temperature having a level of about 3 keV. From the isothermal model we derive the deprojected electron density profile ne(r), and then together with the deprojected temperature profile the total mass and gas mass fraction of cluster are also determined. We compare the properties of Abell 1650 with those of Abell 1835 (a large cooling flow cluster) and some other clusters, to explore the difference in properties between large and small cooling flow cluster, and what causes the difference in the cooling flow of different clusters. It has been shown that Abell 1835 has a steeper potential well and thus a higher electron density and a lower temperature in its center, indicating that the shape of the gravitational potential well in central region determines the cooling flow rates of clusters. We calculate the potential, internal and radiated energies of these two clusters, and find that the gas energies in both clusters are conserved during the collapsing stage.     

Effects of Magnetic Fields on Neutrino-dominated Accretion Model for Gamma-ray Bursts

Many models of gamma-ray bursts suggest a common central engine:a black hole of several solar masses accreting matter from a disk at an accretion rate from 0.01 to 10 M_⊙s~(-1),the inner region of the disk is cooled by neutrino emission and large amounts of its binding energy are liberated,which could trigger the fireball.We improve the neutrino- dominated accreting flows by including the effects of magnetic fields.We find that more than half of the liberated energy can be extracted directly by the large-scale magnetic fields in the disk,and it turns out that the temperature of the disk is a bit lower than the neutrino-dominated accreting flows without magnetic field.Therefore,the outflows are magnetically-dominated rather than neutrino dominated.In our model,the neutrino mechanism can fuel some GRBs (not the brightest ones),but cannot fuel X-ray flares.The magnetic processes(both BZ and electromagnetic luminosity from a disk)are viable mechanisms for most of GRBs and their following X-ray flares.