No Arabic abstract
The presence of dark matter in the halo of our galaxy could be revealed through indirect detection of annihilation products. Dark matter annihilation is one of the possible interpretations of the recent measured excesses in positron and electron fluxes, once boost factors of the order of 10^3 or more are taken into account. Such boost factors are actually achievable through the velocity-dependent Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation cross-section. Here we study the expected gamma-ray flux from two local dwarf galaxies for which air Cerenkov measurements are available, namely Draco and Sagittarius. We use velocity dispersion measurements to model the dark matter halos of the dwarfs, and the results of numerical simulations to model the presence of an associated population of subhalos. We incorporate the Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation cross-section. We compare our predictions with observations of Draco and Sagittarius performed by MAGIC and HESS, respectively. We also compare our results with the sensitivities of Fermi and of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array. We find that the boost factor due to the Sommerfeld enhancement is already constrained by the MAGIC and HESS data, with enhancements greater than 5 x 10^4 being excluded. While Fermi will not be able to detect gamma-rays from the dwarf galaxies s even with the most optimistic Sommerfeld effect, we show that the Cherenkov Telescope Array will be able to test enhancements greater than 1.5 x 10^3.
Misaligned AGN (MAGNs), i.e., radio-loud AGNs with the jet not pointing directly towards us, represent a new class of GeV emitters revealed by the Fermi space telescope. Although they comprise only a small fraction of the high-energy sources, MAGNs are extremely interesting objects offering a different perspective to study high-energy processes with respect to blazars. The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of the new-generation Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) on the MAGN class and propose possible observational strategies to optimize their detection.
In this paper, we compare dwarf galaxies and galaxy clusters in order to elucidate which object class is the best target for gamma-ray DM searches with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). We have built a mixed dwarfs+clusters sample containing some of the most promising nearby dwarf galaxies (Draco, Ursa Minor, Wilman 1 and Segue 1) and local galaxy clusters (Perseus, Coma, Ophiuchus, Virgo, Fornax, NGC5813 and NGC5846), and then compute their DM annihilation flux profiles by making use of the latest modeling of their DM density profiles. We also include in our calculations the effect of DM substructure. Willman 1 appears as the best candidate in the sample. However, its mass modeling is still rather uncertain, so probably other candidates with less uncertainties and quite similar fluxes, namely Ursa Minor and Segue 1, might be better options. As for galaxy clusters, Virgo represents the one with the highest flux. However, its large spatial extension can be a serious handicap for IACT observations and posterior data analysis. Yet, other local galaxy cluster candidates with more moderate emission regions, such as Perseus, may represent good alternatives. After comparing dwarfs and clusters, we found that the former exhibit annihilation flux profiles that, at the center, are roughly one order of magnitude higher than those of clusters, although galaxy clusters can yield similar, or even higher, integrated fluxes for the whole object once substructure is taken into account. Even when any of these objects are strictly point-like according to the properties of their annihilation signals, we conclude that dwarf galaxies are best suited for observational strategies based on the search of point-like sources, while galaxy clusters represent best targets for analyses that can deal with rather extended emissions. Finally, we study the detection prospects for IACTs [ABRIDGED]
We provide CTA sensitivities to Dark Matter (DM) annihilation in $gamma$-ray lines, from the observation of the Galactic Center (GC) as well as, for the first time, of dwarf Spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We compare the GC reach with that of dSphs as a function of a putative core radius of the DM distribution, which is itself poorly known. We find that the currently best dSph candidates constitute a more promising target than the GC, for core radii of one to a few kpc. We use the most recent instrument response functions and background estimations by CTA, on top of which we add the diffuse photon component. Our analysis is of particular interest for TeV-scale electroweak multiplets as DM candidates, such as the supersymmetric Wino and the Minimal Dark Matter fiveplet, whose predictions we compare with our projected sensitivities.
Clusters of galaxies are the largest known gravitationally-bound structures in the Universe. When clusters collide, they create merger shocks on cosmological scales, which transform most of the kinetic energy carried by the cluster gaseous halos into heat. Observations of merger shocks provide key information of the merger dynamics, and enable insights into the formation and thermal history of the large-scale structures. Nearly all of the merger shocks are found in systems where the clusters have already collided, knowledge of shocks in the pre-merger phase is a crucial missing ingredient. Here we report on the discovery of a unique shock in a cluster pair 1E 2216 and 1E 2215. The two clusters are observed at an early phase of major merger. Contrary to all the known merger shocks observed ubiquitously on merger axes, the new shock propagates outward along the equatorial plane of the merger. This discovery uncovers an important epoch in the formation of massive clusters, when the rapid approach of the cluster pair leads to strong compression of gas along the merger axis. Current theoretical models predict that the bulk of the shock energy might be dissipated outside the clusters, and eventually turn into heat of the pristine gas in the circum-cluster space.
We present the first 1.3 mm (230 GHz) very long baseline interferometry model image of an AGN jet using closure phase techniques with a four-element array. The model image of the quasar 1924-292 was obtained with four telescopes at three observatories: the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the Arizona Radio Observatorys Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) in Arizona, and two telescopes of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeterwave Astronomy (CARMA) in California in April 2009. With the greatly improved resolution compared with previous observations and robust closure phase measurement, the inner jet structure of 1924-292 was spatially resolved. The inner jet extends to the northwest along a position angle of $-53^circ$ at a distance of 0.38,mas from the tentatively identified core, in agreement with the inner jet structure inferred from lower frequencies, and making a position angle difference of $sim 80^{circ}$ with respect to the cm-jet. The size of the compact core is 0.15,pc with a brightness temperature of $1.2times10^{11}$,K. Compared with those measured at lower frequencies, the low brightness temperature may argue in favor of the decelerating jet model or particle-cascade models. The successful measurement of closure phase paves the way for imaging and time resolving Sgr A* and nearby AGN with the Event Horizon Telescope.