Image and non-image parameters of atmospheric Cherenkov events: a comparative study of their γ-ray/hadron classification potential in ultrahigh energy regime

In this exploratory simulation study, we compare the event-progenitor classification potential of a variety of measurable parameters of atmospheric Cherenkov pulses which are produced by ultrahigh energy γ-ray and hadron progenitors and are likely to be recorded by the TACTIC (TeV atmospheric Cherenkov telescope with imaging camera) array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The parameters derived from Cherenkov images include Hillas, fractal and wavelet moments, while those obtained from non-image Cherenkov data consist of pulse profile rise time and base width and the relative ultraviolet to visible light content of the Cherenkov event. It is shown by a neural-net approach that these parameters, when used in suitable combinations, can bring about a proper segregation of the two event types, even with modest sized data samples of progenitor particles.     

Influence of the pulsar parameters on γ-ray burst afterglows

By applying the fireball model of γ-ray burst with a central pulsar, the radiation fluxes of the afterglows of two γ-ray bursts, GRB970228 and GRB000301c, are calculated. The results of the calculation agree very well with the observations. The differing characters of the light curves with a “break” in the optical waveband R of the afterglows of two bursts are interpreted, in terms of differing pulsar parameter values.     

General relativistic effects in the γ-ray radiation from pulsars

General relativistic and quantum-mechanical effects in the γ-ray radiation from neutron stars are studied in this paper. For three values of the magnetic dipole moment, we calculated the upper limit of the escaping energy of the γ-photon as a function of the angle between the line of sight and the magnetic axis, with and without these effects. We conclude that for low magnetic moments, the quantum-mechanical effects are unimportant but the general relativistic effects are to reduce significantly the upper limit. For high magnetic moments, the two effects nearly cancel out and the net effect is small. We discuss the implications of these results on the γ-ray spectrum.     

A new γ-ray pulsar: PSR 0740-28

We made a period folding analysis on two sets of COS-B observations and obtained a clearly pulsed phase structure in the γ-ray photons from the direction of PSR 0740-28. The phase diagrams from the two different data sets have a similar structure and the period and period rate are close to radio expectations. The probability of the two phase structures arising by chance is less than 2×10⁻⁵. Hence we believe PSR 0740-28 is a new γ-ray pulsar.     

Shallow Decay of X-ray Afterglows in Short GRBs： Energy Injection from a Millisecond Magnetar？

With the successful launch of Swift satellite,more and more data of early X-ray afterglows from short gamma-ray bursts have been collected.Some interesting features such as unusual afterglow light curves and unexpected X-ray flares are revealed.Especially,in some cases,there is a fiat segment in the X-ray afterglow light curve.Here we present a simplified model in which we believe that the flattening part is due to energy injection from the central engine.We assume that this energy injection arises from the magnetic dipole radiation of a millisecond pulsar formed after the merger of two neutron stars.We check this model with the short GRB 060313.Our numerical results suggest that energy injection from a millisecond magnetar could make part of the X-ray afterglow light curve flat.     

Strong correlation between the peak power density in the time domain and the luminosity of long γ-ray bursts

This work presents a possible luminosity estimator for long γ-ray bursts (GRBs) based on their light curves. We use the method of variability analysis in the time domain to calculate the power density spectrum (PDS) for each of the 12 GRBs with known redshifts observed by CGRO/BATSE. The peak of the power density spectrum P is a measure of the intensity of variability of the given light curve and a strong correlation is found between P and the isotropic peak luminosity L of the GRB. It is a successor to the lag-luminosity relation of Norris et al. (2000) and the variability-luminosity relation of Reichart et al. (2001).     

Search for millisecond periodicities in type I X-ray bursts of the Rapid Burster

We have searched the rising portion of type I X-ray bursts observed from the Rapid Burster with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer for the presence of periodicities. The 95 per cent confidence upper limit on the average rms variation of near coherent pulsations with a width of ≲1 Hz (in 60–2048 Hz) during the first second of the bursts is <8.8 per cent. We find a possible detection (>98 per cent significance) at 306.5 Hz.     

Relationship between low and high frequencies in the δ Scuti star KIC 9764965

Two years of Kepler spacecraft data of the δ Sct/γ Dor star KIC 9764965 revealed 67 statistically significant frequencies from 0.45 to 59.17 c d^–1 (0.005 to 0.685 mHz). The 19 low frequencies do not show equidistant period spacing predicted for gravity modes of successive radial order. We note a favored frequency spacing of 2.053 c d^–1 that appears in both the low‐frequency (gravity mode) region and high‐frequency (pressure mode) regions. The value of this frequency spacing also occurs as a dominant low frequency and in a high‐frequency triplet. A peak at exactly twice the value of the 2.053 cd^–1 mode is shown not to be a Fourier harmonic of the low‐frequency peak due to a different amplitude variability. This behavior is also seen in other δ Sct stars. The test for resonant mode coupling between low and high frequencies could not be carried out due to the small amplitudes of the peaks, making it difficult to separate the parent and child modes. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The pionic contribution to diffuse γ-rays: upper limits

Diffuse γ-rays probe the highest-energy processes at the largest scales. Here we derive model-independent constraints on the hadronic contribution to the Galactic and extragalactic γ-ray spectra at in the energy range 50 MeVE_γ10 GeV. The hadronic component is dominated by emission from neutral pions, with a characteristic spectrum symmetric about m_π⁰/2. We exploit the well-defined properties of the pion decay spectrum to quantify the maximum pionic fraction of the observed γ-ray intensity. We find that the Galactic spectrum above 30 MeV can be atmost about 50% pionic. The maximum pionic contribution to the extragalactic spectrum is energy dependent; it also depends on the redshift range over which the sources are distributed, ranging from as low as about 20% for pions generated very recently, to as much as 90% if the pions are generated around redshift 10. The implications of these constraints for models of γ-ray and neutrino emission are briefly discussed.     

The spectroscopic orbit of the K‐giant binary γ Canis Minoris

We have determined an improved orbit for the bright, evolved, double lined binary γ Canis Minoris. The system has an orbital period of 389.31 days and an eccentricity of 0.2586. We have revised the secondary to primary mass ratio to 0.987. The spectral types of the primary and secondary are K4 III and K1: III, respectively, and the components have a V magnitude difference of 2.2. Orbital fits to the Hipparcos astrometry are not definitive, but they suggest an orbital inclination of ∼ 66°, which produces masses of 1.88 and 1.85 M_⊙ for the components. A comparison with evolutionary tracks results in an age of 1.3 Gyr. STELLA very low amplitude radial velocity residuals of the secondary indicate a period of 278 days. We interpret this as the rotation period of the secondary, detectable because of star spots rotating in and out of view. This period is nearly identical to the pseudosynchronous rotation period of the star. The primary is rotating more slowly than its pseudosynchronous rate. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms: XXXII. HR 6455 (A3 III), δ Aqr (A3 V), η Lep (F2 V), and 1 Boo (A1 V)

We examine the sharp‐lined stars HR 6455 (A3 III, v sin i = 8.7 km s^–1) and η Lep (F2 V, v sin i = 13.5 km s^–1) as well as δ Aqr (A3 V, v sin i = 81 km s^–1) and 1 Boo (A1 V, v sin i = 59 km s^–1) to increase the number consistently analyzed A and F stars using high dispersion and high S/N (≥200) spectrograms obtained with CCD detectors at the long Coudé camera of the 1.22‐m telescope of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. Such studies contribute to understanding systematic abundance differences between normal and non‐magnetic main‐sequence band chemically peculiar A and early F stars. LTE fine analyses of HR 6455, δ Aqr, and 1 Boo using Kurucz's ATLAS suite programs show the same general elemental abundance trends with differences in the metal richness. Light and iron‐peak element abundances are generally solar or overabundant while heavy element and rare earth element abundances are overabundant. HR 6455 is an evolved Am star while δ Aqr and 1 Boo show the phenomenon to different extents. Most derived abundances of η Lep are solar (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms: XXXIII. β UMa (A0mA1 IV‐V), α Dra (A0 III), π Dra (A2 IIIs), and κ Cep (B9 III)

This paper presents extended analyses of β UMa (A0mA1 IV‐V), α Dra (A0 III), π Dra (A2 IIIs), and κ Cep (B9 III) which have previously been studied in this series. α Dra is a metal‐poor star while κ Cep has solar abundances. Both β UMa and π Dra are Am stars. Whenever possible, more accurate and precise gf values replace older values. High S/N (200+) and high dispersion Dominion Astrophysical Observatory spectrograms to the red of previously obtained spectra supplement the observations. The derived rotational velocities are 45, 25, 26, and 23 km s^–1, respectively. These LTE fine analyses use the ATLAS9 and the WIDTH9 programs of R. L. Kurucz. The results of the extended and the previous analyses are in good agreement. Thus in the past decade a significant improvement in the system of gf values has not been achieved although for many lines there have been changes. The use of additional regions has increased the quality of some results (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Long-term flux variations in Cen X-3: clues from flux-dependent orbital modulation and pulsed fraction

We have investigated the long-term flux variation in Cen X-3 using orbital modulation and pulsed fraction in different flux states using observations made with the All-Sky Monitor and the Proportional Counter Array on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer . In the high state, the eclipse ingress and egress are found to be sharp whereas in the intermediate state the transitions are more gradual. In the low state, instead of eclipse ingress and egress, the light curve shows a smooth flux variation with orbital phase. The orbital modulation of the X-ray light curve in the low state shows that the X-ray emission observed in this state is from an extended object. The flux-dependent orbital modulations indicate that the different flux states of Cen X-3 are primarily due to varying degree of obscuration. Measurement of the pulsed fraction in different flux states is consistent with the X-ray emission of Cen X-3 having one highly varying component with a constant pulsed fraction and an unpulsed component and in the low state, the unpulsed component becomes dominant. The observed X-ray emission in the low state is likely to be due to scattering of X-rays from the stellar wind of the companion star. Though we cannot ascertain the origin and nature of the obscuring material that causes the aperiodic long-term flux variation, we point out that a precessing accretion disc driven by radiative forces is a distinct possibility.     

Time‐series high‐resolution spectroscopy and photometry of ε Aurigae from 2006–2013: Another brick in the wall

We present continuous and time‐resolved R = 55 000 optical échelle spectroscopy of ε Aurigae from 2006–2013. Data were taken with the STELLA Echelle Spectrograph of the robotic STELLA facility at the Observatorio del Teide in Tenerife. Contemporaneous photometry with the Automatic Photoelectric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory in Arizona is presented for the years 1996–2013. Spectroscopic observations started three years prior to the photometric eclipse and are still ongoing. A total of 474 high‐resolution échelle spectra are analyzed and made available in this paper. We identify 368 absorption lines of which 161 lines show the characteristic sharp disk lines during eclipse. Another 207 spectral lines appeared nearly unaffected by the eclipse. From spectrum synthesis, we obtained the supergiant atmospheric parameters T_eff = 7395 ± 70 K, log g ≈ 1, and [Fe/H] = +0.02 ± 0.2 with ξ_t = 9 km s^–1, ζ_RT = 13 km s^–1, and v sin i = 28 ± 3 km s^–1. The residual average line broadening expressed in km s^–1 varies with a period of 62.6 ± 0.7 d, in particular at egress and after the eclipse. Two‐dimensional line‐profile periodograms show several periods, the strongest with ≈110 d evident in optically thin lines as well as in the Balmer lines. Center‐of‐intensity weighted radial velocities of individual spectral lines also show the 110‐d period but, again, additional shorter and longer periods are evident and are different in the Balmer lines. The two main spectroscopic Hα periods, ≈ 116 d from the line core and ≈ 150 d from the center‐of‐intensity radial velocities, appear at 102 d and 139 d in the photometry. The Hβ and Johnson V I photometry on the other hand shows two well‐defined and phase‐coherent periods of 77 d and 132 d. We conclude that Hα is contaminated by changes in the circumstellar environment while the Hβ and V I photometry stems predominantly from the non radial pulsations of the F0 supergiant. We isolate the disk‐rotation profile from 61 absorption lines and found that low disk eccentricity generally relates to low disk rotational velocity (but not always) while high disk eccentricity always relates to high velocity. There is also the general trend that the disk‐absorption in spectral lines with higher excitation potential comes from disk regions with higher eccentricity and thus also with higher rotational velocity. The dependency on transition probability is more complex and shows a bi‐modal trend. The outskirts of the disk is distributed asymmetrically around the disk and appears to have been built up mostly in a tail along the orbit behind the secondary. Our data show that this tail continues to eclipse the F0 Iab primary star even two years after the end of the photometric eclipse. High‐resolution spectra were also taken of the other, bona‐fide, visual‐binary components of ε Aur (ADS 3605BCDE). Only the C‐component, a K3‐4‐giant, appears at the same distance than ε Aur but its radial velocity is in disagreement with a bound orbit. The other components are a nearby (≈ 7 pc) cool DA white dwarf, a G8 dwarf, and a B9 supergiant, and not related to ε Aur. The cool white dwarf shows strong DIB lines that suggest the existence of a debris disk around this star. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)