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Register a new userDetection of distant AGN by MAGIC: the transparency of the Universe to high-energy photons
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Marco Roncadelli INFN
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The recent detection of blazar 3C279 by MAGIC has confirmed previous indications by H.E.S.S. that the Universe is more transparent to very-high-energy gamma rays than previously thought. We show that this fact can be reconciled with standard blazar emission models provided photon oscillations into a veri light Axion-Like Particle occur in extragalactic magnetic fields. A quantitative estimate of this effect explains the observed spectrum of 3C279. Our prediction can be tested in the near future by the satellite-borne GLAST detector as well as by the ground-based Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescpoes H.E.S.S., MAGIC, CANGAROO III, VERITAS and by the Extensive Air Shower arrays ARGO-YBJ and MILAGRO.
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The propagation of very high energy gamma-rays ($E>100$~GeV) over cosmological distances is suppressed by pair-production processes with the ubiquitous extra-galactic soft photon background, mainly in the optical to near infra-red. The detailed spectroscopy of gamma-ray emitting blazars has revealed the signature of this absorption process leading to a meaningful measurement of the background photon field which is linked to the star-forming history of the universe. Deviations from the expected absorption have been claimed in the past. Here the status of the observations is summarized, an update on the search for the persisting anomalous transparency is given and discussed.
We review recent results on the high-redshift universe and the cosmic evolution obtained using Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) as tracers of high-redshift galaxies. Most of the results come from photometric and spectroscopic observations of GRB host galaxies once the afterglow has faded away but also from the analysis of the GRB afterglow line of sight as revealed by absorptions in their optical spectrum.
We study the inverse Compton scattering of the CMB photons off nonthermal high-energy electrons. In the previous study, assuming the power-law distribution for electrons, we derived the analytic expression for the spectral intensity function $I(omega)$ in the Thomson approximation, which was applicable up to the photon energies of $omega <$ O(GeV). In the present paper, we extend the previous work to higher photon energies of $omega >$ O(GeV) by taking into account the terms dropped in the Thomson approximation, i.e., the Klein-Nishina formula. The analytic expression for $I(omega)$ is derived with the Klein-Nishina formula. It is shown that $I(omega)$ has a knee structure at $omega =$ O(PeV). The knee, if exists, should be accessible with gamma-ray observatories such as Fermi-LAT. We propose simple analytical formulae for $I(omega)$ which are applicable to wide photon energies from Thomson region to extreme Klein-Nishina region.
We propose the existence of ultracompact minihalos as a new type of massive compact halo object (MACHO) and suggest an observational test to discover them. These new MACHOs are a powerful probe into the nature of dark matter and physics in the high energy Universe. Non-Gaussian energy-density fluctuations produced at phase transitions (e.g., QCD) or by features in the inflaton potential can trigger primordial black hole (PBH) formation if their amplitudes are delta > 30%. We show that a PBH accumulates over time a sufficiently massive and compact minihalo to be able to modify or dominate its microlensing magnification light curve. Perturbations of amplitude 0.03% < delta < 30% are too small to form PBHs, but can nonetheless seed the growth of ultracompact minihalos. Thus, the likelihood of ultracompact minihalos as MACHOs is greater than that of PBHs. In addition, depending on their mass, they may be sites of formation of the first PopIII stars. Ultracompact minihalos and PBHs produce a microlensing light curve that can be distinguished from that of a point-like object if high-quality photometric data are taken for a sufficiently long time after the peak of the magnification event. This enables them to be detected below the stellar-lensing background toward both the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic bulge.
The Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) mission concept is optimized for study of high-z GRBs as probes of the early Universe. With a High Energy Telescope (HET) incorporating a 4.5m^2 5-600keV (CZT; 0.6mm pixels) detector plane for coded aperture imaging a 90deg x 70deg (>10% coding fraction) field of view with 2 resolution and <20 (90% conf.) positions for >5 sigma sources, EXIST will perform rapid (<200sec) slews onto GRBs. Prompt images and spectra are obtained with a co-aligned soft X-ray telescope (SXI; 0.1 - 10keV) and with a 1.1m optical-IR telescope (IRT) simultaneously in 4 bands (0.3 - 0.52micron, 0.52 - 0.9micron, 0.9 - 1.38micron, and 1.38 - 2.3micron). An initial image (100s) will yield prompt identification within the HET error circle from a <2 prompt SXI position; or from VIS vs. IR dropouts or variability. An autonomous spacecraft re-point (<30) will then put the GRB on a 0.3 x 4 slit for either R = 3000 (for AB <21) or R =30 (for AB ~21-25) prompt spectra over the 0.3 - 0.9 micron and 0.9 - 2.3 micron bands. This will provide onboard redshifts within ~500-2000sec for most GRBs, reaching z ~20 (for Lyman-alpha breaks) if such GRBs exist, and spectra for studies of the host galaxy and local re-ionization patchiness as well as intervening cosmic structure. With ~600 GRBs/yr expected, including ~7-10% expected at z >7, EXIST will open a new era in studies of the early Universe as well as carry out a rich program of AGN and transient-source science. An overview of the GRB science objectives and a brief discussion of the overall mission design and operations is given, and example high-z GRB IRT spectra are shown. EXIST is being proposed to the Astro2010 Decadal Survey as a 5 year Medium Class mission that could be launched as early as 2017.
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