The different background components in a low-Earth orbit have been modeled in the 10 keV to 100 GeV energy range. The model is based on data from previous instruments and it considers both primary ...and secondary particles, charged particles, neutrons and photons. The necessary corrections to consider the geomagnetic cutoff are applied to calculate the flux at different inclinations and altitudes for a mean solar activity. Activation simulations from such a background have been carried out using the model of a possible future gamma-ray mission (e-ASTROGAM). The event rates and spectra from these simulations were then compared to those from the isotopes created by the particles present in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). The primary protons are found to be the main contributor of the activation, while the contributions of the neutrons, and that of the secondary protons can be considered negligible. The long-term activation from the passage through the SAA becomes the main source of background at high inclination (i
≳
1
0
∘
). The used models have been collected in a Python class openly available on github.
The search for diffuse non-thermal inverse Compton (IC) emission from galaxy clusters at hard X-ray energies has been undertaken with many instruments, with most detections being either of low ...significance or controversial. In this work, we present 266 ks NuSTAR observations of the Bullet cluster, which is detected in the energy range 3-30 keV. NuSTAR's unprecedented hard X-ray focusing capability largely eliminates confusion between diffuse IC and point sources; however, at the highest energies, the background still dominates and must be well understood. To this end, we have developed a complete background model constructed of physically inspired components constrained by extragalactic survey field observations, the specific parameters of which are derived locally from data in non-source regions of target observations. In addition to discussing the possible origin of this discrepancy, we remark on the potential implications of this analysis for the prospects for detecting IC in galaxy clusters in the future.
The signature of positron annihilation, namely the 511 keV γ-ray line, was first detected coming from the direction of the Galactic center in the 1970s, but the source of Galactic positrons still ...remains a puzzle. The measured flux of the annihilation corresponds to an intense steady source of positron production, with an annihilation rate on the order of ∼1043 . The 511 keV emission is the strongest persistent Galactic γ-ray line signal, and it shows a concentration toward the Galactic center region. An additional low-surface brightness component is aligned with the Galactic disk; however, the morphology of the latter is not well constrained. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a balloon-borne soft γ-ray (0.2-5 MeV) telescope designed to perform wide-field imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy. One of its major goals is to further our understanding of Galactic positrons. COSI had a 46-day balloon flight in 2016 May-July from Wanaka, New Zealand, and here we report on the detection and spectral and spatial analyses of the 511 keV emission from those observations. To isolate the Galactic positron annihilation emission from instrumental background, we have developed a technique to separate celestial signals using the COMPTEL Data Space. With this method, we find a 7.2 detection of the 511 keV line. We find that the spatial distribution is not consistent with a single point source, and it appears to be broader than what has previously been reported.
ABSTRACT We present the 3-8 keV and 8-24 keV number counts of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) identified in the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) extragalactic surveys. NuSTAR has now ...resolved 33%-39% of the X-ray background in the 8-24 keV band, directly identifying AGNs with obscuring columns up to . In the softer 3-8 keV band the number counts are in general agreement with those measured by XMM-Newton and Chandra over the flux range S(3-8 keV)/ probed by NuSTAR. In the hard 8-24 keV band NuSTAR probes fluxes over the range S(8-24 keV)/ , a factor ∼100 fainter than previous measurements. The 8-24 keV number counts match predictions from AGN population synthesis models, directly confirming the existence of a population of obscured and/or hard X-ray sources inferred from the shape of the integrated cosmic X-ray background. The measured NuSTAR counts lie significantly above simple extrapolation with a Euclidian slope to low flux of the Swift/BAT 15-55 keV number counts measured at higher fluxes (S(15-55 keV) 10−11 ), reflecting the evolution of the AGN population between the Swift/BAT local ( ) sample and NuSTAR's sample. CXB synthesis models, which account for AGN evolution, lie above the Swift/BAT measurements, suggesting that they do not fully capture the evolution of obscured AGNs at low redshifts.
Abstract
This feasibility study explores the possibility of using 3D CZT drift strip detectors
developed by DTU Space in a small Compton camera payload, with the primary objective of technology
...demonstration. We have defined a scalable mass model for the payload, comprising eight 3D CZT
drift strip detectors surrounded by CsI scintillator detectors for active shielding. The payload's
angular resolution, effective area, and efficiency are evaluated through simulations of far-field
monochromatic point sources. The instrument's sensitivity is assessed in a low Earth orbit
background environment for
nuclear line and continuum emission sources.
With a 3σ point source
sensitivity in the order of 10
-4
ph/cm
2
/s, it is evident that such an instrument only
allows for limited scientific goals. In-orbit simulations of bright sources are conducted,
resulting in reasonable observation times for the Crab Nebula at a 5σ significance
level. Furthermore, in-orbit simulations of a selection of bright gamma-ray bursts indicate the
potential for observing bright transient events. The study underscores the potential of using 3D
CZT drift strip detectors in Compton camera configurations but also highlights the need for a
larger effective area to improve sensitivity. However, for a technology demonstration aimed at
increasing the Technology Readiness Level of the 3D CZT drift strip detector, a small Compton
camera configuration like the one presented in this study could be a viable solution.
A long duration gamma-ray burst, GRB 160530A, was detected by the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) during the 2016 COSI Super Pressure Balloon campaign. As a Compton telescope, COSI is ...inherently sensitive to the polarization of gamma-ray sources in the energy range 0.2-5.0 MeV. We measured the polarization of GRB 160530A using (1) a standard method (SM) based on fitting the distribution of azimuthal scattering angles with a modulation curve and (2) an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM). In both cases, the measured polarization level was below the 99% confidence minimum detectable polarization levels of 72.3% 0.8% (SM) and 57.5% 0.8% (MLM). Therefore, COSI did not detect polarized gamma-ray emission from this burst. Our most constraining 90% confidence upper limit on the polarization level was 46% (MLM).
At DTU Space, a high-resolution 3D CZT drift strip detector has been developed and a number of prototype detectors were fabricated, allowing for sub-mm position resolution at high energies (>100 ...keV), as well as high energy resolution. For spectral and spatial performance, the 3D CZT prototype detectors were characterized with a fine collimated high-energy (Cs137) monochromatic beam (0.2 mm × 40 mm) using a digitizer with which the pulse shapes of the bi-polar signals from all electrodes could be analysed. Data analysis consist of position determination for single as well as double interaction events handled within the detector. The double interaction events (e.g. Compton interaction) are utilized to characterize the imaging performance of the 3D CZT drift strip detector prototype when operating as a Compton camera.
NuSTAR Observations of G11.2-0.3 Madsen, K. K.; Fryer, C. L.; Grefenstette, B. W. ...
Astrophysical journal/The Astrophysical journal,
01/2020, Volume:
889, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We present in this paper the hard X-ray view of the pulsar wind nebula in G11.2−0.3 and its central pulsar powered pulsar J1811−1925 as seen by NuSTAR. We complement the data with Chandra for a more ...complete picture and confirm the existence of a hard, power-law component in the shell with photon index , which we attribute to synchrotron emission. Our imaging observations of the shell show a slightly smaller radius at higher energies, consistent with Chandra results, and we find shrinkage as a function of increased energy along the jet direction, indicating that the electron outflow in the PWN may be simpler than that seen in other young PWNe. Combining NuSTAR with INTEGRAL, we find that the pulsar spectrum can be fit by a power law with up to 300 keV without evidence of curvature.
Airborne gamma-ray surveys are useful for many applications, ranging from geology and mining to public health and nuclear security. In all these contexts, the ability to decompose a measured spectrum ...into a linear combination of background source terms can provide useful insights into the data and lead to improvements in the techniques that use spectral energy windows. Multiple methods for the linear decomposition of spectra exist but are subject to various drawbacks, such as allowing negative photon fluxes or requiring detailed Monte Carlo modeling. We propose using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) as a data-driven approach to spectral decomposition. Using aerial surveys that include flights over water, we demonstrate that the mathematical approach of NMF finds physically relevant structure in the aerial gamma-ray background, namely, that measured spectra can be expressed as the sum of nearby terrestrial emission, distant terrestrial emission, and radon and cosmic emission. These NMF background components are compared with the background components obtained by noise-adjusted singular value decomposition (NASVD), which contain negative photon fluxes and, thus, do not represent the emission spectra in as straightforward a way. Finally, we comment on the potential areas of research that are enabled by NMF decompositions, such as new approaches to spectral anomaly detection and data fusion.
Soft-gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are galactic X-ray stars that emit numerous short-duration (about 0.1 s) bursts of hard X-rays during sporadic active periods. They are thought to be magnetars: ...strongly magnetized neutron stars with emissions powered by the dissipation of magnetic energy. Here we report the detection of a long (380 s) giant flare from SGR 1806-20, which was much more luminous than any previous transient event observed in our Galaxy. (In the first 0.2 s, the flare released as much energy as the Sun radiates in a quarter of a million years.) Its power can be explained by a catastrophic instability involving global crust failure and magnetic reconnection on a magnetar, with possible large-scale untwisting of magnetic field lines outside the star. From a great distance this event would appear to be a short-duration, hard-spectrum cosmic gamma-ray burst. At least a significant fraction of the mysterious short-duration gamma-ray bursts may therefore come from extragalactic magnetars.
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