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Register a new userDiscovery of TeV gamma-ray emission from PKS 0447-439 and derivation of an upper limit on its redshift
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Very high-energy gamma-ray emission from PKS 0447-439 was detected with the H.E.S.S. Cherenkov telescope array in December 2009. This blazar is one of the brightest extragalactic objects in the Fermi Bright Source List and has a hard spectrum in the MeV to GeV range. In the TeV range, a photon index of 3.89 +- 0.37 (stat) +- 0.22 (sys) and a flux normalisation at 1 TeV, Phi(1 TeV) = (3.5 +- 1.1 (stat) +- 0.9 (sys)) x 10^{-13} cm^{-2} s^{-1} TeV^{-1}, were found. The detection with H.E.S.S. triggered observations in the X-ray band with the Swift and RXTE telescopes. Simultaneous UV and optical data from Swift UVOT and data from the optical telescopes ATOM and ROTSE are also available. The spectrum and light curve measured with H.E.S.S. are presented and compared to the multi-wavelength data at lower energies. A rapid flare is seen in the Swift XRT and RXTE data, together with a flux variation in the UV band, at a time scale of the order of one day. A firm upper limit of z < 0.59 on the redshift of PKS 0447-439 is derived from the combined Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. data, given the assumptions that there is no upturn in the intrinsic spectrum above the Fermi-LAT energy range and that absorption on the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) is not weaker than the lower limit provided by current models. The spectral energy distribution is well described by a simple one-zone Synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) scenario, if the redshift of the source is less than z <~ 0.4.
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Very-high-energy (VHE; $>$ 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the blazar RGB J2243+203 was discovered with the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope array, during the period between 21 and 24 December 2014. The VERITAS energy spectrum from this source can be fit by a power law with a photon index of $4.6 pm 0.5$, and a flux normalization at 0.15 TeV of $(6.3 pm 1.1) times 10^{-10} ~ textrm{cm}^{-2} textrm{s}^{-1} textrm{TeV}^{-1}$. The integrated textit{Fermi}-LAT flux from 1 GeV to 100 GeV during the VERITAS detection is $(4.1 pm 0.8) times 10^{textrm{-8}} ~textrm{cm}^{textrm{-2}}textrm{s}^{textrm{-1}}$, which is an order of magnitude larger than the four-year-averaged flux in the same energy range reported in the 3FGL catalog, ($4.0 pm 0.1 times 10^{textrm{-9}} ~ textrm{cm}^{textrm{-2}}textrm{s}^{textrm{-1}}$). The detection with VERITAS triggered observations in the X-ray band with the textit{Swift}-XRT. However, due to scheduling constraints textit{Swift}-XRT observations were performed 67 hours after the VERITAS detection, not simultaneous with the VERITAS observations. The observed X-ray energy spectrum between 2 keV and 10 keV can be fitted with a power-law with a spectral index of $2.7 pm 0.2$, and the integrated photon flux in the same energy band is $(3.6 pm 0.6) times 10^{-13} ~textrm{cm}^{-2} textrm{s}^{-1}$. EBL model-dependent upper limits of the blazar redshift have been derived. Depending on the EBL model used, the upper limit varies in the range from z $<~0.9$ to z $<~1.1$.
The BL-Lac blazar PKS 0447-439 was detected at very high energy gamma-rays by HESS following the discovery by Fermi-LAT. The lack of both emission and absorption lines in BL-Lacs make the estimation of their redshifts very difficult. Modeling the drop in gamma-ray spectra it was possible to have an estimation of redshift for PKS 0447-439 of z approx 0.2, which is compatible with the value z=0.205 reported by the identification of Ca II absorption lines in optical spectra. By the identification of a weak line of Mg II using spectra with average signal-to-noise S/N approx 80, it has been recently reported a lower limit for the redshift of this blazar of z<=1.246. Triggered by this controversy, we have proposed new optical observations with the Gemini South telescope to perform further spectroscopic analysis with very high S/N ratio (approx 200-500). In this work we present a new optical spectrum of PKS 0447-439, and report on the analysis and results of such observations. Even with this significantly high quality signal we were not able to identify any spectral features to allow an estimation of the redshift. In agreement with other recent studies, we identify the Mg II line reported previously as originated in the Earths atmosphere, and conclude the lower limit of the redshift is incorrect. More interestingly, we could not identify the Ca II absorption lines used to report a redshift of 0.205.
We report the discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) G120.1+1.4, known as Tychos supernova remnant. Observations performed in the period 2008-2010 with the VERITAS ground-based gamma-ray observatory reveal weak emission coming from the direction of the remnant, compatible with a point source located at $00^{rm h} 25^{rm m} 27.0^{rm s}, +64^{circ} 10^{prime} 50^{primeprime}$ (J2000). The TeV photon spectrum measured by VERITAS can be described with a power-law $dN/dE = C(E/3.42;textrm{TeV})^{-Gamma}$ with $Gamma = 1.95 pm 0.51_{stat} pm 0.30_{sys}$ and $C = (1.55 pm 0.43_{stat} pm 0.47_{sys}) times 10^{-14}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$TeV$^{-1}$. The integral flux above 1 TeV corresponds to $sim 0.9%$ percent of the steady Crab Nebula emission above the same energy, making it one of the weakest sources yet detected in TeV gamma rays. We present both leptonic and hadronic models which can describe the data. The lowest magnetic field allowed in these models is $sim 80 mu$G, which may be interpreted as evidence for magnetic field amplification.
We report the discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission coincident with the shell-type radio supernova remnant (SNR) CTA 1 using the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory. The source, VER J0006+729, was detected as a 6.5 standard deviation excess over background and shows an extended morphology, approximated by a two-dimensional Gaussian of semi-major (semi-minor) axis 0.30 degree (0.24 degree) and a centroid 5 from the Fermi gamma-ray pulsar PSR J0007+7303 and its X-ray pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The photon spectrum is well described by a power-law dN/dE = N_0 (E/3 TeV)^(-Gamma), with a differential spectral index of Gamma = 2.2 +- 0.2_stat +- 0.3_sys, and normalization N_0 = (9.1 +- 1.3_stat +- 1.7_sys) x 10^(-14) cm^(-2) s^(-1) TeV^(-1). The integral flux, F_gamma = 4.0 x 10^(-12) erg cm^(-2) s^(-1) above 1 TeV, corresponds to 0.2% of the pulsar spin-down power at 1.4 kpc. The energetics, co-location with the SNR, and the relatively small extent of the TeV emission strongly argue for the PWN origin of the TeV photons. We consider the origin of the TeV emission in CTA 1.
PKS 0625-354 (z=0.055) was observed with the four H.E.S.S. telescopes in 2012 during 5.5 hours. The source was detected above an energy threshold of 200 GeV at a significance level of 6.1$sigma$. No significant variability is found in these observations. The source is well described with a power-law spectrum with photon index $Gamma =2.84 pm 0.50_{stat} pm 0.10_{syst}$ and normalization (at $E_0$=1.0 TeV) $N_0(E_0)=(0.58 pm 0.22_{stat} pm 0.12_{syst})times10^{-12}$ TeV$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$. Multi-wavelength data collected with Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT, ATOM and WISE are also analysed. Significant variability is observed only in the Fermi-LAT $gamma$-ray and Swift-XRT X-ray energy bands. Having a good multi-wavelength coverage from radio to very high energy, we performed a broadband modelling from two types of emission scenarios. The results from a one zone lepto-hadronic, and a multi-zone leptonic models are compared and discussed. On the grounds of energetics, our analysis favours a leptonic multi-zone model. Models associated to the X-ray variability constraint supports previous results suggesting a BL Lac nature of PKS 0625-354, with, however, a large-scale jet structure typical of a radio galaxy.
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