scholarly journals PHYSICS INSIGHTS FROM RECENT MAGIC AGN OBSERVATIONS

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1489-1492
Author(s):  
◽  
ROBERT WAGNER

The total set of the 14 active galactic nuclei detected by MAGIC so far includes well-studied bright blazars like Mkn 501, the giant radio galaxy M 87, but also the distant flat-spectrum radio quasar 3C 279, and an intriguing gamma-ray source in the 3C 66A/B region, whose energy spectrum is not compatible with the expectations from 3C 66A. Besides scheduled observations, so far MAGIC succeeded in discovering TeV gamma rays from three blazars following triggers from high optical states. I report selected highlights from recent MAGIC observations of extragalactic TeV gamma-ray sources, emphasizing and discussing the new physics insights the MAGIC observations were able to contribute.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeo S. Kimura ◽  
Kohta Murase ◽  
Péter Mészáros

AbstractThe Universe is filled with a diffuse background of MeV gamma-rays and PeV neutrinos, whose origins are unknown. Here, we propose a scenario that can account for both backgrounds simultaneously. Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei have hot accretion flows where thermal electrons naturally emit soft gamma rays via Comptonization of their synchrotron photons. Protons there can be accelerated via turbulence or reconnection, producing high-energy neutrinos via hadronic interactions. We demonstrate that our model can reproduce the gamma-ray and neutrino data. Combined with a contribution by hot coronae in luminous active galactic nuclei, these accretion flows can explain the keV – MeV photon and TeV – PeV neutrino backgrounds. This scenario can account for the MeV background without non-thermal electrons, suggesting a higher transition energy from the thermal to nonthermal Universe than expected. Our model is consistent with X-ray data of nearby objects, and testable by future MeV gamma-ray and high-energy neutrino detectors.


1983 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 345-346
Author(s):  
M. Kafatos ◽  
Jean A. Eilek

The origin of the high energy (X-ray and gamma-ray) background may be attributed to discrete sources, which are usually thought to be active galactic nuclei (AGN) (cf. Rothschild et al. 1982, Bignami et al. 1979). At X-rays a lot of information has been obtained with HEAO-1 in the spectral range 2–165 keV. At gamma-rays the background has been estimated from the Apollo 15 and 16 (Trombka et al. 1977) and SAS-2 (Bignami et al. 1979) observations. A summary of some of the observations (Rothschild et al. 1982) is shown in Figure 1. The contribution of AGN to the diffuse high energy background is uncertain at X-rays although it is generally estimated to be in the 20–30% range (Rothschild et al. 1982). At gamma-rays, in the range 1–150 MeV, AGN (specifically Seyfert galaxies) could account for all the emission.


2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (24) ◽  
pp. 1991-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUKIO TOMOZAWA

The author reviews a model for the emission of high energy cosmic rays, gamma-rays and neutrinos from AGN (Active Galactic Nuclei) that he has proposed since 1985. Further discussion of the knee energy phenomenon of the cosmic ray energy spectrum requires the existence of a heavy particle with mass in the knee energy range. A possible method of detecting such a particle in the Pierre Auger Project is suggested. Also presented is a relation between the spectra of neutrinos and gamma-rays emitted from AGN. This relation can be tested by high energy neutrino detectors such as ICECUBE, the Mediterranean Sea Detector and possibly by the Pierre Auger Project.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S356) ◽  
pp. 355-357
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Uwitonze ◽  
Pheneas Nkundabakura ◽  
Tom Mutabazi

AbstractBlazars are radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with relativistic jets oriented towards the observer’s line-of-sight. Based on their optical spectra, blazars may be classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) or BL Lacs. FSRQs are more luminous blazars with both narrow and broad emission and absorption lines, while BL Lacs are less luminous and featureless. Recent studies show that blazars dominate (˜93%) the already-identified EGRET sources (142), suggesting that among the unidentified sources (129) there could still be faint blazars. Due to the presence of a strong non-thermal component inside their jets, blazars are found to display a weaker depression at ˜4000 Å (K 4000 ≤ 0.4). In this study, we aimed at determining the K 4000 break for a selected sample among the potential blazar candidates from unidentified EGRET sources to confirm their blazar nature. We used two blazar candidates, 3EG J1800-0146 and 3EG J1709-0817 associated with radio counterparts, J1802-0207 and J1713-0817, respectively. Their optical counterparts were obtained through spectroscopic observations using Robert Stobie spectrograph (RSS) at the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in South Africa. The observed Ca II H & K lines depression at ˜4000 Å in spectra of these sources show a shallow depression, K 4000 = 0.35 ± 0.02 and 0.24 ± 0.01, respectively, suggesting that these sources are blazar candidates. Moreover, the redshifts z = 0.165 and 0.26 measured in their spectra confirm the extragalactic nature of these sources.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1523-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. V. DERISHEV

We examine several constraints on the physical parameters in active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray burst, originating from the assumption that these sources are efficient in converting their energy into gamma-rays. It is shown that in most cases these constraints may be reformulated in terms of bounds on the jet Lorentz factor, for which both the lower and the upper limits can be evaluated.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (06) ◽  
pp. 849-857
Author(s):  
MATTHIAS BEILICKE

The giant radio galaxy M 87 is located 16.7 Mpc away and harbours a supermassive black hole in its center. Structures of its relativistic plasma jet are resolved at radio, optical and X–ray energies. M 87 belongs to the class of active galactic nuclei and is one of only a few radio galaxies detected at very-high energies (E > 100 GeV ). This makes it a unique laboratory to study jet physics and the corresponding emission processes. The results obtained from TeV gamma-ray observations during the last decade are discussed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (29) ◽  
pp. 6991-7000 ◽  
Author(s):  
GABRIELE GHISELLINI

The extragalactic gamma-ray sky is dominated by two classes of sources: Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and radio loud active galactic nuclei whose jets are pointing at us (blazars). We believe that the radiation we receive from them originates from the transformation of bulk relativistic energy into random energy. Although the mechanisms to produce, collimate and accelerate the jets in these sources are uncertain, it is fruitful to compare the characteristics of both classes of sources in search of enlightening similarities. I will review some general characteristics of radio loud AGNs and GRBs and I will discuss the possibility that both classes of sources can work in the same way. Finally, I will discuss some recent exciting prospects to use blazars to put constraints on the cosmic IR-Optical-UV backgrounds, and to use GRBs as standard candles to measure the Universe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (3) ◽  
pp. 2885-2901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario R Hoerbe ◽  
Paul J Morris ◽  
Garret Cotter ◽  
Julia Becker Tjus

ABSTRACT With the coincident detection of a gamma-ray flare and a neutrino from the blazar TXS 0506+056, active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been put into focus as possible sources of the diffuse neutrino flux. We present a space and time-resolved model of the high-energy particle emission of a plasmoid assumed to travel along the axis of an AGN jet at relativistic speed. This was achieved by modifying the publicly available crpropa (version 3.1+) propagation framework that in our work is capable of being applied to source physics on sub-kpc scales. The propagation of a population of primary protons is modelled in a purely turbulent magnetic field and we take into account interactions of these protons with photons scattered from the accretion disc, synchrotron radiation emitted by ambient relativistic electrons, as well with themselves and with other ambient matter. Our model produces a PeV-neutrino flare caused mainly by photohadronic interactions of primaries with the accretion disc field. Secondary high-energy gamma-rays partly attenuate with the ambient photon fields whose combined optical depths achieve their minimal opacity for photons of around 10 TeV. Thus, our model is well capable of producing neutrino flares with a significantly reduced emission of gamma-rays in jets with a hadronic jet component that in the future can be fit to specific AGN flare scenarios.


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