Possible Contribution of Mature γ-ray Pulsars to Cosmic-ray Positrons

We restudy the possible contribution of mature gamma-ray pulsars to cosmic ray positrons based on the new version of outer gap model. In this model, the inclination angle and average properties of the outer gap are taken into account, and more mature pulsars can have the outer gap and emit high energy photons. Half of the primary particles in the outer gaps will flow back toward the star surface and emit synchrotron photons, which can produce electron/positron pairs by the cascade of pair production. Some of these pairs will escape from the light cylinder and be accelerated to relativistic energies in the pulsar wind driven by low-frequency electromagnetic waves. Using a Monte Carlo method, we obtain a sample of mature gamma-ray pulsars and then calculate the production of the positrons from these pulsars. The observed excess of cosmic positrons can be well explained by this model.     

Possible Contribution of Mature γ-ray Pulsars to Cosmic-ray Positrons

We restudy the possible contribution of mature gamma-ray pulsars to cosmic ray positrons based on the new version of outer gap model. In this model, the inclination angle and average properties of the outer gap are taken into account, and more mature pulsars can have the outer gap and emit high energy photons. Half of the primary particles in the outer gaps will flow back toward the star surface and emit synchrotron photons, which can produce electron/positron pairs by the cascade of pair production. Some of these pairs will escape from the light cylinder and be accelerated to relativistic energies in the pulsar wind driven by low-frequency electromagnetic waves. Using a Monte Carlo method, we obtain a sample of mature gamma-ray pulsars and then calculate the production of the positrons from these pulsars. The observed excess of cosmic positrons can be well explained by this model.     

Possible Contribution of Mature γ-ray Pulsars to Cosmic-ray Positrons

We restudy the possible contribution of mature gamma-ray pulsars to cosmic ray positrons based on the new version of outer gap model. In this model, the inclination angle and average properties of the outer gap are taken into account, and more mature pulsars can have the outer gap and emit high energy photons. Half of the primary particles in the outer gaps will flow back toward the star surface and emit synchrotron photons, which can produce electron/positron pairs by the cascade of pair production. Some of these pairs will escape from the light cylinder and be accelerated to relativistic energies in the pulsar wind driven by low-frequency electromagnetic waves. Using a Monte Carlo method, we obtain a sample of mature gamma-ray pulsars and then calculate the production of the positrons from these pulsars. The observed excess of cosmic positrons can be well explained by this model.     

The luminosity of γ-ray pulsars

We point out that in the polar cap model, the visible part is only part of the cap and this fact should be taken into account when calculating the pulsar luminosity. When this is done, the calculated luminosities are in basic agreement with the observed values. Based on our calculations we give a list of 12 possible γ-ray candidates.     

The intrinsic γ-ray emissions of Fermi blazars

The beaming effect is important for understanding the observational properties of blazars.In this work, we collect 91 Fermi blazars with available radio Doppler factors. γ-ray Doppler factors are estimated and compared with radio Doppler factors for some sources. The intrinsic(de-beamed)γ-ray flux density(f_γ~(in)), intrinsic γ-ray luminosity(L_γ~(in)) and intrinsic synchrotron peak frequency(V_P~(in))are calculated. Then we study the correlations between finγand redshift and find that they follow the theoretical relation: log f =-2.0 log z + const. When the subclasses are considered, we find that stationary jets are perhaps dominant in low synchrotron peaked blazars. Sixty-three Fermi blazars with both available short variability time scales(?T) and Doppler factors are also collected. We find that the intrinsic relationship between L_γ~(in) and ?Tinobeys the Elliot Shapiro and Abramowicz Nobili relations. Strong positive correlation between f_γ~(in)and V_P~(in)is found, suggesting that synchrotron emissions are highly correlated with γ-ray emissions.     

The Contribution from Radio Quiet Quasars to γ-ray Background

The EGRET observations have confirmed and proposed the new isotropically distributed γ-ray background, but the known objects radiating γ-rays can not supply so much radiation. Meanwhile, EGRET also reveals a population of γ-ray sources with no radio counterparts which are isotropically distributed in the sky, indicating their possible cosmological origins. Wang et al.^[13] proposed a new γ-ray radiation process driven by the radiation feedback of AGNs. The energy of the radiation peaks around 1 GeV—0.1 TeV with the typical luminosity of 10⁴²—10⁴³ ergs · s^?1. This kind of radiation process in the radio quiet quasars make them the potential γ-ray radiation sources as well as the contributors to the γ-ray background. We consider two cases in which the seed photons in the inverse-Compton processes are from the accretion disks of quasars and cosmic microwave background (CMB), respectively. We find that the former contributes 78%—92% of the background radiation around 1 GeV, while the contribution from the latter is negligible. The radio quiet quasars are highly likely to become the objects which contribute the most energy to the γ-ray background around 1 GeV.     

Gamma-ray astronomy and the study of electrons >1013 eV and bursts using an array of γ-ray detectors in space platform

We have discussed the possiblity of employing an array of high-energy -ray detectors in space platform in order to achieve higher sensitivity than by using a single detector. It is shown that such a detector system can be utilized for the study of faint galactic and extragalactic sources, and for deep survey of complex regions. The array can also be operated in the -ray burst mode to detect bursts. The energy spectrum of bursts can be obtained over a wide range from 0.1 MeV to 50 GeV, and their direction determined accurately. Further, the array can be used for the study of cosmic-ray electrons above 10¹³ eV, for which there is no other technique exists today to detect them. Detection of ultra-high energy electrons would open up a new dimension in the understanding of cosmic-ray propagation in the solar neighbourhood and of the local distribution of cosmic-ray sources.     

Direct demodulation imaging of the γ-ray burst GRB 910601

The COMPTEL observation of the γ-ray burst GRB 910601 has been reanalyzed using a direct demodulation method. The imaging result indicates that the location of GRB 910601 is closer to the annulus obtained by the Ulysses-BATSE system than that with the maximum-likelihood method. This confirms the feasibility of processing γ-ray bursts, a kind of transient source with good signal-to-noise ratio but poor statistics, with a direct demodulation method. The precision of locating γ-ray bursts by imaging can also be improved using this method.     

Connection between the appearance of γ-ray sources and Hα line impact linear polarization in the July 23, 2002 flare

Astronomy Letters - During our spectropolarimetric observations of the 2B/4.8X flare on July 23, 2002, with the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope (LSVT), we detected impact linear polarization in the...     

An Annular Gap Acceleration Model for γ-ray Emission of Pulsars

If the binding energy of the pulsar's surface is not so high (the case of a neutron star), both negative and positive charges will flow out freely from the surface of the star. An annular free flow model for γ-ray emission of pulsars is suggested. It is emphasized that: (1) Two kinds of acceleration regions (annular and core) need to be taken into account. The annular acceleration region is defined by the magnetic field lines that cross the null charge surface within the light cylinder. (2) If the potential drop in the annular region of a pulsar is high enough (normally the case for young pulsars), charges in both the annular and the core regions could be accelerated and produce primary gamma-rays. Secondary pairs are generated in both regions and stream outwards to power the broadband radiations. (3) The potential drop grows more rapidly in the annular region than in the core region. The annular acceleration process is a key process for producing the observed wide emission beams. (4) The advantages of both the polar cap and outer gap models are retained in this model. The geometric properties of the γ-ray emission from the annular flow are analogous to that pre-sented in a previous work by Qiao et al., which match the observations well. (5) Since charges with different signs leave the pulsar through the annular and the core regions respectively, the current closure problem can be partially solved.     

Optical monitoring observations of two γ-ray narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

1H 0323+342 is a rather radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) with γ-ray emission. Optical observations were carried out in B and R bands which covered 6 nights in 2011 to obtain light curves of 1H 0323+342. The difference image subtraction method was used to deal with the data of 1H 0323+342 because of the existence of extended host galaxy. Optical variability on day timescale was reported here. We also monitored the first γ-ray NLS1 SDSS J094857.3+002225 and confirmed the existence of intranight optical variability (INOV). These indicated the existence of a relativistic jet in these NLS1s.     

A Study of the γ-ray and X-ray Radiations of BL Lac Objects

The X-ray and γ-ray flux densities of 18 γ-loud BL Lac objects as well as their average spectral indices of X-ray wave band (1 keV) and γ-ray wave band (>100 MeV) are collected, and the correlations among the various quantities are examined. The results indicate: (1) The X-ray flux density and the γ-ray flux density exhibit rather strong correlations in all the states, high, low or mediate. (2) Between the mean spectral indices in X-ray and γ-ray wave bands there is a comparatively intense anti-correlation. (3) Between the average spectral indices and the X-ray and γ- flux densities there is no evident correlation either in the high or the mediate state. (4) Between the average spectral index of γ-ray wave band and the flux density of X-rays in low state there is a rather strong anticorrelation. Between the mean spectral index of X-ray wave band and the γ-flux density in low state there also exists a weak correlation. The results of our analysis support the viewpoint that both the X-ray and γ-ray emissions of BL Lac objects come from the synchrotron radiation and synchrotron self Compton (SSC) radiation with one and the same distribution of relativistic electrons.     

Energetic ions in solar γ-ray flares

Solar flares emit line and continuum -radiation as well as neutrons and charged particles. These high-energy emissions require the presence of energetic ions within the magnetic structures of the flare proper. We have already learned a great deal about the location and mode of particle acceleration. The observations have now become extensive enough so that we can begin to study the dynamics of the energetic ions within the flare structures themselves. This paper reviews the -ray and neutron observations and the theory of their emission, and discusses on this basis the presence of energetic ions deep within the flaring atmosphere.     

Searching for γ-ray counterparts to very faint X-ray transient neutron star binaries

Very faint X-ray transients(VFXTs) are a group of X-ray binaries with low luminosities,displaying peak X-ray luminosities during their outbursts of only 10~(34)–10~(36) erg s~(-1). Using γ-ray data obtained with the Large Area Telescope(LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope(Fermi),we investigate their possible nature of containing rotation-powered pulsars, or more specifically being transitional millisecond pulsars(MSPs). Among more than 40 known VFXTs, we select 12 neutron star systems. We analyze the LAT data for the fields of 12 VFXTs in the energy range 0.2–300 Ge V,but do not find any counterparts likely detected by Fermi. We obtain luminosity upper limits for the 12 sources. While the distances to the sources are largely uncertain, the upper limits are comparable to the luminosities of two transitional systems, PSR J1023-0038 and XSS J12270-4859. From our study,we conclude that no evidence is found at γ-rays for the suggestion that some VFXTs could contain rotation-powered MSPs(or be transitional MSP systems).     

Study of terrestrial γ-ray background in presence of variable radioactivity from rain water

A number of groups have reported significant reduction in the flux of low energy (0.1–3 MeV) γ-rays in observations carried out during the past total solar eclipses. However, the contribution of the radon induced radioactivity to the overall γ-ray background can become substantial, especially during episodes of rain. Depending upon the pattern of the rainfall radon induced γ-ray background may vary significantly on time scales of ∼10 min, making the interpretation of the data in terms of an extraterrestrial effect such as a total solar eclipse rather difficult. A reliable estimate of the low energy terrestrial γ-ray (TGR) background is necessary before attempting to measure the possible contribution of any extraterrestrial phenomenon. The knowledge of the precise energies and branching ratios of radon and other radio-isotope induced γ-rays was exploited to accurately reproduce the TGR background, even in the presence of a large and variable contribution from radon induced radioactivity from fresh rain water. The measurement of the TGR background has paved the way for studying the variation of the soft γ-ray flux during the long duration total solar eclipse that occurred on 22 July 2009 in the middle of the Monsoon season in India.     

Spectroscopic study of the envelope of Nova Mon 2012, a γ-ray source

Based on our spectrophotometric observations, we have studied the envelope of the HeN Nova Mon 2012. The abundances of some chemical elements in the envelope and its mass have been estimated. Our results show that the helium, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon abundances in the Nova envelope exceed the solar ones by a factor of 1.5, 33, 9, and 95, respectively. The envelope mass has been found to be 2.3 × 10^?4 M _⊙.     

Ionospheric techniques for the detection of transient X- and γ-ray bursts

Calculations are presented of the amount of excess ionization produced in the lower ionosphere by various transient X- and -ray bursts under different assumptions about the incident spectrum and the ion recombination rates in the ionosphere. These calculations show that the bursts will have only a small effect on the ionosphere, due in part to their short duration. An experiment has been started to measure the power spectrum of the phase and amplitude of the night-time fluctuations of a CW signal in order to determine if it is possible to improve the sensitivity of the ionospheric technique by using the transient nature of the bursts. Preliminary results from this experiment are presented.Paper presented at the COSPAR Symposium on Fast Transients in X- and Gamma-Rays, held at Varna, Bulgaria, 29–31 May, 1975.