학술논문

Constraining the cosmic-ray pressure in the inner Virgo Cluster using H.E.S.S. observations of M 87
Document Type
Working Paper
Author
Collaboration, H. E. S. S.Aharonian, F.Benkhali, F. AitArcaro, C.Aschersleben, J.Backes, M.Martins, V. BarbosaBatzofin, R.Becherini, Y.Berge, D.Bernlöhr, K.Bi, B.Böttcher, M.Boisson, C.Bolmont, J.Borowska, J.Bradascio, F.Breuhaus, M.Brose, R.Brun, F.Bruno, B.Bulik, T.Burger-Scheidlin, C.Bylund, T.Caroff, S.Casanova, S.Cecil, R.Celic, J.Cerruti, M.Chand, T.Chandra, S.Chen, A.Chibueze, J.Chibueze, O.Cotter, G.Mbarubucyeye, J. DamasceneDjannati-Ataï, A.Egberts, K.Ernenwein, J. -P.de Clairfontaine, G. FichetFilipovic, M.Fontaine, G.Füßling, M.Funk, S.Gabici, S.Ghafourizadeh, S.Giavitto, G.Glawion, D.Glicenstein, J. F.Goswami, P.Grolleron, G.Grondin, M. -H.Haerer, L.Haupt, M.Hermann, G.Hinton, J. A.Holch, T. L.Horns, D.Jamrozy, M.Jankowsky, F.Joshi, V.Jung-Richardt, I.Kasai, E.Katarzyński, K.Khatoon, R.Khélifi, B.Kluźniak, W.Komin, Nu.Kosack, K.Kostunin, D.Lang, R. G.Stum, S. LeLeitl, F.Lemière, A.Lemoine-Goumard, M.Lenain, J. -P.Leuschner, F.Lohse, T.Luashvili, A.Lypova, I.Mackey, J.Malyshev, D.Marandon, V.Marchegiani, P.Marcowith, A.Marinos, P.Martí-Devesa, G.Marx, R.Meyer, M.Mitchell, A.Moderski, R.Mohrmann, L.Montanari, A.Moulin, E.Muller, J.Nakashima, K.de Naurois, M.Niemiec, J.Noel, A. PriyanaO'Brien, P.Ohm, S.Olivera-Nieto, L.Wilhelmi, E. de OnaPanny, S.Panter, M.Parsons, R. D.Peron, G.Pita, S.Prokhorov, D. A.Prokoph, H.Pühlhofer, G.Quirrenbach, A.Reichherzer, P.Reimer, A.Reimer, O.Renaud, M.Rieger, F.Rowell, G.Rudak, B.Velasco, E. RuizSahakian, V.Salzmann, H.Sanchez, D. A.Santangelo, A.Sasaki, M.Schäfer, J.Schüssler, F.Schwanke, U.Shapopi, J. N. S.Sol, H.Specovius, A.Spencer, S.Stawarz, Ł.Steenkamp, R.Steinmassl, S.Steppa, C.Sushch, I.Suzuki, H.Takahashi, T.Tanaka, T.Taylor, A. M.Terrier, R.Tsirou, M.Tsuji, N.Uchiyama, Y.van Eldik, C.van Soelen, B.Vecchi, M.Veh, J.Venter, C.Vink, J.Wach, T.Wagner, S. J.White, R.Wierzcholska, A.Wong, Yu WunZacharias, M.Zargaryan, D.Zdziarski, A. A.Zech, A.Zouari, S.Żywucka, N.
Source
A&A 675, A138 (2023)
Subject
Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
Language
Abstract
The origin of the gamma-ray emission from M87 is currently a matter of debate. This work aims to localize the VHE (100 GeV-100 TeV) gamma-ray emission from M87 and probe a potential extended hadronic emission component in the inner Virgo Cluster. The search for a steady and extended gamma-ray signal around M87 can constrain the cosmic-ray energy density and the pressure exerted by the cosmic rays onto the intra-cluster medium, and allow us to investigate the role of the cosmic rays in the active galactic nucleus feedback as a heating mechanism in the Virgo Cluster. H.E.S.S. telescopes are sensitive to VHE gamma rays and have been utilized to observe M87 since 2004. We utilized a Bayesian block analysis to identify M87 emission states with H.E.S.S. observations from 2004 until 2021, dividing them into low, intermediate, and high states. Because of the causality argument, an extended ($\gtrsim$kpc) signal is allowed only in steady emission states. Hence, we fitted the morphology of the 120h low state data and found no significant gamma-ray extension. Therefore, we derived for the low state an upper limit of 58"(corresponding to $\approx$4.6kpc) in the extension of a single-component morphological model described by a rotationally symmetric 2D Gaussian model at 99.7% confidence level. Our results exclude the radio lobes ($\approx$30 kpc) as the principal component of the VHE gamma-ray emission from the low state of M87. The gamma-ray emission is compatible with a single emission region at the radio core of M87. These results, with the help of two multiple-component models, constrain the maximum cosmic-ray to thermal pressure ratio $X_{{CR,max.}}$$\lesssim$$0.32$ and the total energy in cosmic-ray protons (CRp) to $U_{CR}$$\lesssim$5$\times10^{58}$ erg in the inner 20kpc of the Virgo Cluster for an assumed CRp power-law distribution in momentum with spectral index $\alpha_{p}$=2.1.
Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. Corresponding authors: Victor Barbosa Martins, Stefan Ohm, Cornelia Arcaro, Natalia \.Zywucka, Mathieu de Naurois