The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray observatory. The Observation Execution System (OES) team within the CTA project is designing and prototyping ...the software to execute the observations and to handle the acquisition of scientific data at GB/s rates. In this contribution we show the OES system as it is being designed using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Systems Modeling (SysML) formalisms. In addition, we present the status of the associated prototyping activities.
Observations of astrophysical transients have brought many novel discoveries and provided new insights into the physical processes at work under extreme conditions in the Universe. Multi-wavelength ...and multi-messenger observations of variable objects require dedicated procedures and follow-up systems capable of digesting and reacting to external alerts to execute coordinated follow-up campaigns. The main functions of such follow-up systems are the processing, filtering, and ranking of the incoming alerts, the fully automated rapid execution of the observations according to an observation strategy tailored to the instrument, and real-time data analysis with feedback to the operators and other instruments. The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) has been searching for transient phenomena since its inauguration in 2003. In this paper, we describe the transients follow-up system of H.E.S.S. which became operational in 2016. The system allows H.E.S.S. to conduct a more versatile, optimised, and largely autonomous transient follow-up programme, combining all major functionalities in one systematic approach. We describe the design, central functionalities, and interfaces of the follow-up system in general and its three main components in detail: the Target of Opportunity (ToO) alert system, the data acquisition and central control system, and the real-time analysis. We highlight architectural decisions and features that enable fully automatic ToO follow-up and indicate key performance metrics of the subsystems. We discuss the system's capabilities and highlight the need for a fine-tuned interplay of the different subsystems in order to react quickly and reliably. Lessons learnt from the development, integration, and operation of the follow-up system are reviewed in light of new and large science infrastructures and associated challenges in this exciting new era of inter-operable astronomy.
Observations of astrophysical transients have brought many novel discoveries and provided new insights into physical processes at work under extreme conditions in the Universe. Multi-wavelength and ...multi-messenger observations of variable objects require dedicated procedures and follow-up systems capable of digesting and reacting to external alerts to execute coordinated follow-up campaigns. The main functions of such follow-up systems are the processing, filtering, and ranking of the incoming alerts, the fully automated rapid execution of the observations according to an observation strategy tailored to the instrument, and real-time data analysis with feedback to the operators and other instruments. H.E.S.S. has been searching for transient phenomena since its inauguration in 2003. In this paper, we describe the transients follow-up system of H.E.S.S. which became operational in 2016. The system allows H.E.S.S. to conduct a more versatile, optimised, and largely autonomous transient follow-up program, combining all major functionalities in one systematic approach. We describe the design, central functionalities, and interfaces of the follow-up system in general and its three main components in detail: the Target of Opportunity (ToO) alert system, the data acquisition and central control system, and the real-time analysis. We highlight architectural decisions and features that enable fully automatic ToO follow-up and indicate key performance metrics of the sub-systems. We discuss the system's capabilities and highlight the need for a fine-tuned interplay of the different sub-systems in order to react quickly and reliably. Lessons learned from the development, integration, and operation of the follow-up system are reviewed in light of new and large science infrastructures and associated challenges in this exciting new era of inter-operable astronomy.
PSR B1259-63 is a gamma-ray binary system that hosts a pulsar in an eccentric orbit, with a 3.4 year period, around an O9.5Ve star. At orbital phases close to periastron passages, the system radiates ...bright and variable non-thermal emission. We report on an extensive VHE observation campaign conducted with the High Energy Stereoscopic System, comprised of ~100 hours of data taken from \(t_p-24\) days to \(t_p+127\) days around the system's 2021 periastron passage. We also present the timing and spectral analyses of the source. The VHE light curve in 2021 is consistent with the stacked light curve of all previous observations. Within the light curve, we report a VHE maximum at times coincident with the third X-ray peak first detected in the 2021 X-ray light curve. In the light curve -- although sparsely sampled in this time period -- we see no VHE enhancement during the second disc crossing. In addition, we see no correspondence to the 2021 GeV flare in the VHE light curve. The VHE spectrum obtained from the analysis of the 2021 dataset is best described by a power law of spectral index \(\Gamma = 2.65 \pm 0.04_{\text{stat}}\) \(\pm 0.04_{\text{sys}}\), a value consistent with the previous H.E.S.S. observations of the source. We report spectral variability with a difference of \(\Delta \Gamma = 0.56 ~\pm~ 0.18_{\text{stat}}\) \(~\pm~0.10_{\text{sys}}\) at 95% c.l., between sub-periods of the 2021 dataset. We also find a linear correlation between contemporaneous flux values of X-ray and TeV datasets, detected mainly after \(t_p+25\) days, suggesting a change in the available energy for non-thermal radiation processes. We detect no significant correlation between GeV and TeV flux points, within the uncertainties of the measurements, from \(\sim t_p-23\) days to \(\sim t_p+126\) days. This suggests that the GeV and TeV emission originate from different electron populations.
The radio galaxy M87 is a variable very-high energy (VHE) gamma-ray source, exhibiting three major flares reported in 2005, 2008, and 2010. Despite extensive studies, the origin of the VHE gamma-ray ...emission is yet to be understood. In this study, we investigate the VHE gamma-ray spectrum of M87 during states of high gamma-ray activity, utilizing 20.2\(\,\) hours the H.E.S.S. observations. Our findings indicate a preference for a curved spectrum, characterized by a log-parabola model with extra-galactic background light (EBL) model above 0.3\(\,\)TeV at the 4\(\sigma\) level, compared to a power-law spectrum with EBL. We investigate the degeneracy between the absorption feature and the EBL normalization and derive upper limits on EBL models mainly sensitive in the wavelength range 12.4$\,$$\mu\(m - 40\)\,$$\mu$m.
HESS J1813\(-\)178 is a very-high-energy \(\gamma\)-ray source spatially coincident with the young and energetic pulsar PSR J1813\(-\)1749 and thought to be associated with its pulsar wind nebula ...(PWN). Recently, evidence for extended high-energy emission in the vicinity of the pulsar has been revealed in the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. This motivates revisiting the HESS J1813\(-\)178 region, taking advantage of improved analysis methods and an extended data set. Using data taken by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) experiment and the Fermi-LAT, we aim to describe the \(\gamma\)-ray emission in the region with a consistent model, to provide insights into its origin. We performed a likelihood-based analysis on 32 hours of H.E.S.S. data and 12 years of Fermi-LAT data and fit a spectro-morphological model to the combined datasets. These results allowed us to develop a physical model for the origin of the observed \(\gamma\)-ray emission in the region. In addition to the compact very-high-energy \(\gamma\)-ray emission centered on the pulsar, we find a significant yet previously undetected component along the Galactic plane. With Fermi-LAT data, we confirm extended high-energy emission consistent with the position and elongation of the extended emission observed with H.E.S.S. These results establish a consistent description of the emission in the region from GeV energies to several tens of TeV. This study suggests that HESS J1813\(-\)178 is associated with a \(\gamma\)-ray PWN powered by PSR J1813\(-\)1749. A possible origin of the extended emission component is inverse Compton emission from electrons and positrons that have escaped the confines of the pulsar and form a halo around the PWN.
The Crab Nebula is a unique laboratory for studying the acceleration of electrons and positrons through their non-thermal radiation. Observations of very-high-energy \(\gamma\) rays from the Crab ...Nebula have provided important constraints for modelling its broadband emission. We present the first fully self-consistent analysis of the Crab Nebula's \(\gamma\)-ray emission between 1 GeV and \(\sim\)100 TeV, that is, over five orders of magnitude in energy. Using the open-source software package Gammapy, we combined 11.4 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope and 80 h of High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) data at the event level and provide a measurement of the spatial extension of the nebula and its energy spectrum. We find evidence for a shrinking of the nebula with increasing \(\gamma\)-ray energy. Furthermore, we fitted several phenomenological models to the measured data, finding that none of them can fully describe the spatial extension and the spectral energy distribution at the same time. Especially the extension measured at TeV energies appears too large when compared to the X-ray emission. Our measurements probe the structure of the magnetic field between the pulsar wind termination shock and the dust torus, and we conclude that the magnetic field strength decreases with increasing distance from the pulsar. We complement our study with a careful assessment of systematic uncertainties.
SS 433 is a microquasar, a stellar binary system with collimated relativistic jets. We observed SS 433 in gamma rays using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), finding an energy-dependent ...shift in the apparent position of the gamma-ray emission of the parsec-scale jets. These observations trace the energetic electron population and indicate the gamma rays are produced by inverse-Compton scattering. Modelling of the energy-dependent gamma-ray morphology constrains the location of particle acceleration and requires an abrupt deceleration of the jet flow. We infer the presence of shocks on either side of the binary system at distances of 25 to 30 parsecs and conclude that self-collimation of the precessing jets forms the shocks, which then efficiently accelerate electrons.
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