DP Leo is the first discovered eclipsing polar with a short period of 1.4967 hours. The period variation of the eclipsing binary was analyzed by using five new determined eclipse times together with ...those compiled from the literature. It is discovered that the O - C curve of DP Leo shows a cyclic variation with a period of 23.8 years and a semiamplitude of 31.5 s. The small-amplitude periodic change can be plausibly explained as the light-travel time effect due to the presence of a tertiary companion. The mass of the tertiary component is determined to be M 3sin i' = 0.00600(+/-0.00055) M = 6.28(+/-0.58) M Jupiter when a total mass of 0.69 M is adopted. If the tertiary companion is coplanar to the eclipsing binary (i.e., i' = 795), it should be a giant extrasolar planet with a mass of 6.39 M Jupiter at a distance of 8.6 astronomical units to the central binary. One of the most interesting things that we have learned about extrasolar planets over the last 17 years is that they can exist almost anywhere. The detection of a giant planet orbiting a polar would provide insight into the formation and evolution of circumbinary planets (planets orbiting both components of short-period binaries) as well as the late evolution of binary stars.
A correlation between the secondary cosmic ray flux and the near-earth electric field intensity, measured during thunderstorms, has been found by analyzing the data of the ARGO-YBJ experiment, a full ...coverage air shower array located at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (4300 m a. s. l., Tibet, China). The counting rates of showers with different particle multiplicities (m=1, 2, 3, and ≥4) have been found to be strongly dependent upon the intensity and polarity of the electric field measured during the course of 15 thunderstorms. In negative electric fields (i.e., accelerating negative charges downwards), the counting rates increase with increasing electric field strength. In positive fields, the rates decrease with field intensity until a certain value of the field EFmin (whose value depends on the event multiplicity), above which the rates begin increasing. By using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that this peculiar behavior can be well described by the presence of an electric field in a layer of thickness of a few hundred meters in the atmosphere above the detector, which accelerates/decelerates the secondary shower particles of opposite charge, modifying the number of particles with energy exceeding the detector threshold. These results, for the first time to our knowledge, give a consistent explanation for the origin of the variation of the electron/positron flux observed for decades by high altitude cosmic ray detectors during thunderstorms.
Abstract
We report the discovery of an ultrahigh-energy (UHE) gamma-ray source, LHAASO J2108+5157, by analyzing the LHAASO-KM2A data of 308.33 live days. A significant excess of gamma ray–induced ...showers is observed in both energy bands of 25−100 and >100 TeV with 9.5
σ
and 8.5
σ
, respectively. This source is not significantly favored as an extended source with an angular extension smaller than the point-spread function of KM2A. The measured energy spectrum from 20 to 200 TeV can be approximately described by a power-law function with an index of −2.83 ± 0.18
stat
. A harder spectrum is demanded at lower energies considering the flux upper limit set by Fermi-LAT observations. The position of the gamma-ray emission is correlated with a giant molecular cloud, which favors a hadronic origin. No obvious counterparts have been found, and deeper multiwavelength observations will help to cast new light on this intriguing UHE source.
Four new CCD eclipse timings of the white dwarf for polar UZ Fornacis and six updated CCD mid-eclipse times for SW-Sex-type nova-like V348 Puppis are obtained. Detailed O–C analyses are made for both ...cataclysmic variables (CVs) inside the period gap. Orbital period increases at a rate of 2.63(±0.58) × 10−11 s s −1 for UZ For and 5.8(±1.9) × 10−12 s s −1 for V348 Pup, respectively, are discovered in their new O–C diagrams. However, conservative mass transfer from the secondary to the massive white dwarf cannot explain the observed orbital period increases for both CVs, which are regarded as part of modulations at longer periods. Moreover, the O–C diagram of UZ For shows a possible cyclical change with a period of ∼ 23.4(±5.1) yr. To explain the observed cyclical period changes in UZ For, both mechanisms of magnetic activity cycles in late-type secondaries and the light travel-time effect are regarded as probable causes. Not only does the modulation period of 23.4 yr obey the empirical correlation between Pmod and Ω, but also the estimated fractional period change ΔP/P∼ 7.3 × 10−7 displays a behaviour similar to that of CVs below the period gap. On the other hand, a calculation for the light travel-time effect implies with a high confidence level that the tertiary component in UZ For may be a brown dwarf, when the orbital inclination of the third body is larger than 16°.
We report here the tentative discovery of a Jovian planet in orbit around the rapidly pulsating subdwarf B-type (sdB-type) eclipsing binary NY Vir. By using newly determined eclipse times together ...with those collected from the literature, we detect that the observed-calculated (O - C) curve of NY Vir shows a small-amplitude cyclic variation with a period of 7.9 yr and a semiamplitude of 6.1 s, while it undergoes a downward parabolic change (revealing a period decrease at a rate of P = ?9.2 x 10 super(?12)). The periodic variation was analyzed for the lighttravel-time effect via the presence of a third body. The mass of the tertiary companion was determined to be M sub(3) sin i' = 2.3(+ or -0.3)M sub(Jupiter) when a total mass of 0.60 M sub(middot in circle) for NY Vir is adopted. This suggests that it is most probably a giant circumbinary planet orbiting NY Vir at a distance of about 3.3 astronomical units (AU). Since the rate of period decrease cannot be explained by true angular momentum loss caused by gravitational radiation or/and magnetic braking, the observed downward parabolic change in the O - C diagram may be only a part of a long-period (longer than 15 years) cyclic variation, which may reveal the presence of another Jovian planet (~2.5 M sub(Jupiter)) in the system.
NN Ser is a short-period (P = 3.12 hr) close binary containing a very hot white dwarf primary with a mass of 0.535 M{sub sun} and a fully convective secondary with a mass of 0.111 M{sub sun}. The ...changes in the orbital period of the eclipsing binary were analyzed based on our five newly determined eclipse times together with those compiled from the literature. A small-amplitude (0fd00031) cyclic period variation with a period of 7.56 years was discovered to be superimposed on a possible long-term decrease. The periodic change was plausibly explained as the light-travel time effect via the presence of a tertiary companion. The mass of the tertiary companion is determined to be M{sub 3}sin i' = 0.0107(+-0.0017) M{sub sun} when a total mass of 0.646 M{sub sun} for NN Ser is adopted. For orbital inclinations i' >= 49.{sup 0}56, the mass of the tertiary component was calculated to be M {sub 3} <= 0.014 M{sub sun}; thus it would be an extrasolar planet. The third body is orbiting the white dwarf-red dwarf eclipsing binary at a distance shorter than 3.29 AU. Since the observed decrease rate of the orbital period is about two orders larger than that caused by gravitational radiation, it can be plausibly interpreted by magnetic braking of the fully convective component, which is driving this binary to evolve into a normal cataclysmic variable.
This paper reports on the observation of the sidereal large-scale anisotropy of cosmic rays using data collected by the ARGO-YBJ experiment over 5 years (2008-2012). This analysis extends previous ...work limited to the period from 2008 January to 2009 December, near the minimum of solar activity between cycles 23 and 24. With the new data sample, the period of solar cycle 24 from near minimum to maximum is investigated. A new method is used to improve the energy reconstruction, allowing us to cover a much wider energy range, from 4 to 520 TeV. Below 100 TeV, the anisotropy is dominated by two wide regions, the so-called "tail-in" and "loss-cone" features. At higher energies, a dramatic change of the morphology is confirmed. The yearly time dependence of the anisotropy is investigated. Finally, no noticeable variation of cosmic-ray anisotropy with solar activity is observed for a median energy of 7 TeV.
ABSTRACT We report on the extensive multi-wavelength observations of the blazar Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) covering radio to γ-rays, during the 4.5 year period of ARGO-YBJ and Fermi common operation ...time, from 2008 August to 2013 February. These long-term observations, extending over an energy range of 18 orders of magnitude, provide a unique chance to study the variable emission of Mrk 421. In particular, due to the ARGO-YBJ and Fermi data, the entire energy range from 100 MeV to 10 TeV is covered without any gap. In the observation period, Mrk 421 showed both low- and high-activity states at all wavebands. The correlations among flux variations in different wavebands were analyzed. The X-ray flux is clearly correlated with the TeV γ-ray flux, while the GeV γ-rays only show a partial correlation with the TeV γ-rays. Radio and UV fluxes seem to be weakly or not correlated with the X-ray and γ-ray fluxes. Seven large flares, including five X-ray flares and two GeV γ-ray flares with variable durations (3-58 days), and one X-ray outburst phase were identified and used to investigate the variation of the spectral energy distribution with respect to a relative quiescent phase. During the outburst phase and the seven flaring episodes, the peak energy in X-rays is observed to increase from sub-keV to a few keV. The TeV γ-ray flux increases up to 0.9-7.2 times the flux of the Crab Nebula. The behavior of GeV γ-rays is found to vary depending on the flare, a feature that leads us to classify flares into three groups according to the GeV flux variation. Finally, the one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model was adopted to describe the emission spectra. Two out of three groups can be satisfactorily described using injected electrons with a power-law spectral index around 2.2, as expected from relativistic diffuse shock acceleration, whereas the remaining group requires a harder injected spectrum. The underlying physical mechanisms responsible for different groups may be related to the acceleration process or to the environment properties.
We have performed a correlation analysis of radio and optical variations in a large sample of Fermi blazars, of which there are 36 flat spectrum radio quasars and 34 BL Lacertae objects. The discrete ...cross-correlation function (DCF) method has been employed to investigate the correlation and the possible time lag. A clear correlation has been found in 55 sources (78.6% of the sample sources). It is confirmed that the variations in optical bands lead those in radio bands by several days to several hundred days. In four cases, optical flares are found to occur simultaneously with the radio flares. A jet-in-shock model has been used to explain these results. We estimate that the lag between the radio and optical bands may range from 3 days to 2.4 years. The DCF analysis results are consistent with expectations.
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