scholarly journals Gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. New discoveries and open questions

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S304) ◽  
pp. 140-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D'Ammando ◽  
M. Orienti ◽  
J. Finke ◽  
J. Larsson ◽  
M. Giroletti

AbstractThe discovery of γ-ray emission from 5 radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies revealed the presence of a possible emerging third class of AGNs with relativistic jets, in addition to blazars and radio galaxies. The existence of relativistic jets also in this subclass of Seyfert galaxies opened an unexplored research space for our knowledge of the radio-loud AGNs. Here, we discuss the radio-to-γ-rays properties of the γ-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, also in comparison with the blazar scenario.

2012 ◽  
Vol 08 ◽  
pp. 172-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUIGI FOSCHINI

The discovery of high-energy (E > 100 MeV) γ rays from Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies (γ-NLS1s) has confirmed the presence of powerful relativistic jets in this class of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Although the jet emission is similar to that of blazars and radio galaxies, γ-NLS1s have some striking differences: relatively small masses (106-8 M⊙), high accretion rates (0.1-1 times the Eddington limit) and are generally hosted by spiral galaxies. It is now possible to study a rather unexplored range of mass and accretion rates of AGN with relativistic jets. Specifically, in this work I present some results obtained by comparing a sample of blazars and γ-NLS1s with another sample of Galactic binaries with relativistic jets (stellar mass black holes and neutron stars).


Galaxies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo D’Ammando

Before the launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope satellite only two classes of active galactic nuclei (AGN) were known to generate relativistic jets and thus to emit up to the γ -ray energy range: blazars and radio galaxies, both hosted in giant elliptical galaxies. The discovery by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi satellite of variable γ -ray emission from a few radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSy1) revealed the presence of an emerging third class of AGN with powerful relativistic jets. Considering that NLSy1 are usually hosted in late-type galaxies with relatively small black hole masses, this finding opened new challenging questions about the nature of these objects, the disc/jet connection, the emission mechanisms at high energies, and the formation of relativistic jets. In this review, I will discuss the broad-band properties of the γ -ray-emitting NLSy1 included in the Fourth Fermi LAT source catalog, highlighting major findings and open questions regarding jet physics, black hole mass estimation, host galaxy and accretion process of these sources in the Fermi era.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (2) ◽  
pp. 1757-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Doi ◽  
Motoki Kino ◽  
Nozomu Kawakatu ◽  
Kazuhiro Hada

ABSTRACT The supermassive black holes (SMBHs) of narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are at the lower end of the mass function of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and reside preferentially in late-type host galaxies with pseudobulges, which are thought to be formed by internal secular evolution. On the other hand, the population of radio-loud NLS1s presents a challenge for the relativistic jet paradigm, which states that powerful radio jets are associated exclusively with very high mass SMBHs in elliptical hosts, which are built up through galaxy mergers. We investigated distorted radio structures associated with the nearest gamma-ray-emitting, radio-loud NLS1, 1H 0323+342. This provides supporting evidence for the merger hypothesis based on past optical/near-infrared observations of its host galaxy. The anomalous radio morphology consists of two different structures: the inner curved structure of the currently active jet and an outer linear structure of low-brightness relics. Such coexistence might be indicative of the stage of an established black hole binary with precession before the black holes coalesce in the galaxy merger process. 1H 0323+342 and other radio-loud NLS1s under galaxy interactions may be extreme objects on the evolutionary path from radio-quiet NLS1s to normal Seyfert galaxies with larger SMBHs in classical bulges through mergers and merger-induced jet phases.


1997 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 22-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth. W. Digel ◽  
Stanley D. Hunter ◽  
Reshmi Mukherjee ◽  
Eugéne J. de Geus ◽  
Isabelle A. Grenier ◽  
...  

EGRET, the high-energy γ-ray telescope on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, has the sensitivity, angular resolution, and background rejection necessary to study diffuse γ-ray emission from the interstellar medium (ISM). High-energy γ rays produced in cosmic-ray (CR) interactions in the ISM can be used to determine the CR density and calibrate the CO line as a tracer of molecular mass. Dominant production mechanisms for γ rays of energies ∼30 MeV–30 GeV are the decay of pions produced in collisions of CR protons with ambient matter and Bremsstrahlung scattering of CR electrons.


2013 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 05006 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D’Ammando ◽  
M. Orienti ◽  
J. Finke ◽  
J. Larsson ◽  
M. Giroletti

1996 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 489-502
Author(s):  
Tsvi Piran

Neutron star binaries, such as the one observed in the famous binary pulsar PSR 1913+16, end their life in a catastrophic merger event (denoted here NS2M). The merger releases ∼5 1053 ergs, mostly as neutrinos and gravitational radiation. A small fraction of this energy suffices to power γ-ray bursts (GRBs) at cosmological distances. Cosmological GRBs must pass, however, an optically thick fireball phase and the observed γ rays emerge only at the end of this phase. Hence, it is difficult to determine the nature of the source from present observations (the agreement between the rates of GRBs and NS2Ms providing only indirect evidence for this model). In the future a coinciding detection of a GRB and a gravitational-radiation signal could confirm this model.


1995 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 78-79
Author(s):  
I.Yu. Alekseev ◽  
N.N. Chalenko ◽  
V.P. Fomin ◽  
R.E. Gershberg ◽  
O.R. Kalekin ◽  
...  

During the 1994 coordinated observations of the red dwarf flare star EV Lac, the star was monitored in the very high energy (VHE) γ-ray range around 1012 eV with the Crimean ground-based γ-ray telescope GT-48. This telescope consists of two identical optical systems (Vladimirsky et al. 1994) which were directed in parallel on EV Lac.The detection principle of the VHE γ-rays is based on the Čerenkov radiation emitted by relativistic electrons and positrons. The latter are generated in the interaction of the γ-rays with nuclei in the Earth’s atmosphere that leads to an appearance of a shower of charged particles and γ-quanta. The duration of the Cherenkov radiation flash is very short, just about a few nanoseconds. The angular size of the shower is ∼ 1°. To detect such flashes we use an optical system with large area mirrors and a set of 37 photomultipliers (PMs) in the focal plane. Using the information from these PMs which are spaced hexagonally and correspond to a field of view of 2°.6 on the sky, we can obtain the image of an optical flash. The electronic device permits us to detect nanosecond flashes (40 ns exposure time and 12 μs readout dead-time).


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (2) ◽  
pp. 2213-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
F D’Ammando

ABSTRACT We report the analysis of all Swift observations available up to 2019 April of γ-ray-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSy1). The distribution of X-ray luminosities (and fluxes) indicates that the jet radiation significantly contributes to their X-ray emission, with Doppler boosting making values higher than other radio-loud NLSy1. The 0.3–10 keV photon indices are on average harder with respect to radio-quiet and radio-loud NLSy1, confirming a dominant jet contribution in X-rays. However, the lower variability amplitude with respect to blazars and the softening of the spectrum in some periods suggests that also the corona radiation contributes to the X-ray emission. In optical and ultraviolet (UV) significant flux changes have been observed on daily, weekly, and monthly time-scale, providing a clear indication of the significant contribution of the jet radiation in this part of spectrum. A strong correlation between X-ray, UV, and optical emission and simultaneous flux variations have been observed in 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, PMN J0948+0022 as expected in case the jet radiation is the dominant mechanism. Correlated multiband variability favours the jet-dominated scenario also in FBQS J1644+2619 and PKS 2004−447. The summed X-ray Telescope spectra of 1H 0323+342, SBS 0846+513, PMN J0948+0022, and FBQS J1644+2619 are well fitted by a broken power law with a break around 2 keV. The spectrum above 2 keV is dominated by the non-thermal emission from a beamed relativistic jet, as suggested by the hard photon index. A Seyfert-like feature like the soft X-ray excess has been observed below 2 keV, making these γ-ray-emitting NLSy1 different from typical blazars.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Damon ◽  
Dai Kaimei ◽  
Grant E. Kocharov ◽  
Irina B. Mikheeva ◽  
Alexei N. Peristykh

We selected SN1006, the brightest and closest to Earth of all supernovas historically observed, for a study of 14C production by e−,e+-bremsstrahlung cascades initiated by hard γ rays (>10 MeV) from that event. During the cascade, bremsstrahlung energies eventually fall within a giant (n,γ), (n,2γ) cross-section, peaking at 23 MeV and approaching effectively zero below 10 MeV and above 40 MeV. The neutrons are absorbed primarily in the reaction 14N(n,p)14C. Cellulose from single-year tree rings from ad 1003 to ad 1020 was measured to determine ∆14C. Three years after the first visual observation of SN1006, ∆14C rose and remained above pre-ad 1009 values until ad 1018. Comparison of the 7 years before ad 1009 with the 9 years following show an average increase of 6.1 ± 1.6 (s.d.)‰ (significant at the 99.6% confidence level). Such a pulse of 14C requires a total production of neutrons of 17.1 × 107n cm−2e, implying an input of 11.3 × 104 ergs cm−2e γ-ray energy. This requires the total supernova γ-ray energy (>10 MeV) to have been 1 × 1050 ergs.


Author(s):  
Changfan Zhang ◽  
Jian Gong ◽  
Junrui Teng ◽  
Suping Liu

Template measurement is an important method in deep nuclear disarmament. The gamma-ray spectrum of Plutonium pit shows unique property due to age, abundance, amounts and thickness of the Plutonium pit; that is, same designed pits yield similar gamma-ray spectra while different design give distinct spectra. Useful information is extracted from gamma-ray spectrum generated by the reliable Plutonium pit radiation as ‘template’. Comparison of the data from inspected objects with the template can give conclusion whether they are of the same type. This paper studies how to choose template data from gamma-ray spectrum and discusses the limits of the gamma-ray measurement. Because of the strong self-absorption of Plutonium, some characteristics of Plutonium pit can’t be identified only by gamma spectrum. MCNP simulation was employed to prove that in some cases, template depending on gamma-ray spectrum from the reliable Plutonium pit alone can’t effectively distinguish the spurious objects. And a further approach indicates that enhancing neutron counting rate of spontaneous fission of Plutonium can improve the problem. Neutron counting rate can be indirectly acquired by spontaneous fissile neutrons bombarding a 10B target. 478 keV γ rays are concomitant with the nuclear reaction 10B(n,α)7Li* from 7Li* nuclei’s deexcitation. Neutron information is gathered by detecting 478 keV γ photons. Using HPGe γ detector can both detect γ-ray spectrum and acquire neutron counting rate. This method efficiently increases confidence of template measurement and also ensures the dismantling process without revealing sensitive nuclear warhead design information.


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