Multiwavelength observation from radio through very-high-energy Gamma-ray of OJ 287 during the 12-year cycle flare in 2007

We performed simultaneous multiwavelength observations of OJ 287 with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array for radio, the KANATA telescope and the KVA telescope for optical, the Suzaku satellite for X-ray and the MAGIC telescope for very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray in 2007. The observations were conducted for a quiescent state in April and in a flaring state in November-December. We clearly observed increase of fluxes from radio to X-ray bands during the flaring state while MAGIC could not detect significant VHE gamma-ray emission from the source. We could derive an upper limit (95% confidence level) of 1.7% of the Crab Nebula flux above 150 GeV from about 41.2 hours of the MAGIC observation. A simple SSC model suggests that the observed flaring activity could be caused by evolutions in the distribution of the electron population rather than changes of the magnetic field strength or Doppler beaming factor in the jet.Comment: Contribution to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 200

Multiple roles for UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 in regulating gene expression and metabolite accumulation in arabidopsis under solar ultraviolet radiation

Photomorphogenic responses triggered by low fluence rates of ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B; 280–315 nm) are mediated by the UV-B photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 (UVR8). Beyond our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of UV-B perception by UVR8, there is still limited information on how the UVR8 pathway functions under natural sunlight. Here, wild-type Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and the uvr8-2 mutant were used in an experiment outdoors where UV-A (315–400 nm) and UV-B irradiances were attenuated using plastic films. Gene expression, PYRIDOXINE BIOSYNTHESIS1 (PDX1) accumulation, and leaf metabolite signatures were analyzed. The results show that UVR8 is required for transcript accumulation of genes involved in UV protection, oxidative stress, hormone signal transduction, and defense against herbivores under solar UV. Under natural UV-A irradiance, UVR8 is likely to interact with UV-A/blue light signaling pathways to moderate UV-B-driven transcript and PDX1 accumulation. UVR8 both positively and negatively affects UV-A-regulated gene expression and metabolite accumulation but is required for the UV-B induction of phenolics. Moreover, UVR8-dependent UV-B acclimation during the early stages of plant development may enhance normal growth under long-term exposure to solar UV

Latest MAGIC discoveries pushing redshift boundaries in VHE Astrophysics

The search for detection of gamma-rays from distant AGNs by Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) is challenging at high redshifts, not only because of lower flux due to the distance of the source, but also due to the consequent absorption of gamma-rays by the extragalactic background light (EBL). Before the MAGIC discoveries reported in this work, the farthest source ever detected in the VHE domain was the blazar PKS 1424+240, at z>0.6. MAGIC, a system of two 17 m of diameter IACTs located in the Canary island of La Palma, has been able to go beyond that limit and push the boundaries for VHE detection to redshifts z~ 1. The two sources detected and analyzed, the blazar QSO B0218+357 and the FSRQ PKS 1441+25 are located at redshift z=0.944 and z=0.939 respectively. QSO B0218+357 is also the first gravitational lensed blazar ever detected in VHE. The activity, triggered by Fermi-LAT in high energy gamma-rays, was followed up by other instruments, such as the KVA telescope in the optical band and the Swift-XRT in X-rays. In the present work we show results on MAGIC analysis on QSO B0218+357 and PKS 1441+25 together with multiwavelength lightcurves. The collected dataset allowed us to test for the first time the present generation of EBL models at such distances.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Synchrotron flaring behaviour of CygnusX-3 during the February-March 1994 and September 2001 outbursts

Aims: In this paper we study whether the shock-in-jet model, widely used to explain the outbursting behaviour of quasars, can be used to explain the radio flaring behaviour of the microquasar Cygnus X-3. Method: We have used a method developed to model the synchrotron outbursts of quasar jets, which decomposes multifrequency lightcurves into a series of outbursts. The method is based on the Marscher & Gear (1985) shock model, but we have implemented the modifications to the model suggested by Bjornsson & Aslaksen (2000), which make the flux density increase in the initial phase less abrupt. We study the average outburst evolution as well as specific characteristics of individual outbursts and physical jet properties of Cyg X-3. Results: We find that the lightcurves of the February-March 1994 and September 2001 outbursts can be described with the modified shock model. The average evolution shows that instead of the expected synchrotron plateau, the flux density is still increasing during the synchrotron stage. We also find that high frequency peaking outbursts are shorter in duration than the ones peaking at lower frequencies. Finally, we show that the method can be used, complementary to radio interferometric jet imaging, for deriving the physical parameters such as the magnetic field strength and the energy density of relativistic electrons in the jet of Cyg X-3.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Direct iminization of PEEK

Semi-crystalline poly(ether ketone)s are important high-temperature engineering thermoplastics, but are difficult to characterize at the molecular level because of their insolubility in conventional organic solvents. Here we report that polymers of this type, including PEEK, react cleanly at high temperatures with low-volatility aralkyl amines to afford stable, noncrystalline poly(ether-imine)s, which are readily soluble in solvents such as chloroform, THF and DMF and so characterizable by conventional size-exclusion chromatography

All-optical reversible switching of local magnetization

The authors demonstrate all-optical reversible switching of the magnetization direction in a uniformly magnetized ferrite-garnet film. The magnetization is switched by locally heating the film with a pulsed laser beam. The direction to which the magnetization flips is controlled by two parameters, the beam diameter and the pulse energy, and not by the direction of the external magnetic field. In the experiments, neither the magnitude nor the direction of the external magnetic field is changed. The results of this work illustrate the richness of optical methods to locally control the properties of magnetic materials and suggest all-optical device applications.Peer reviewe

Precursor flares in OJ 287

We have studied three most recent precursor flares in the light curve of the blazar OJ 287 while invoking the presence of a precessing binary black hole in the system to explain the nature of these flares. Precursor flare timings from the historical light curves are compared with theoretical predictions from our model that incorporate effects of an accretion disk and post-Newtonian description for the binary black hole orbit. We find that the precursor flares coincide with the secondary black hole descending towards the accretion disk of the primary black hole from the observed side, with a mean z-component of approximately z_c = 4000 AU. We use this model of precursor flares to predict that precursor flare of similar nature should happen around 2020.96 before the next major outburst in 2022.Comment: to appear in the Astrophysical Journa

Design of an electron microscope phase plate using a focused continuous-wave laser

We propose a Zernike phase contrast electron microscope that uses an intense laser focus to convert a phase image into a visible image. We present the relativistic quantum theory of the phase shift caused by the laser-electron-interaction, study resonant cavities for enhancing the laser intensity, and discuss applications in biology, soft materials science, and atomic and molecular physics.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

INTEGRAL observations of the blazar Mrk 421 in outburst (Results of a multi-wavelength campaign)

We report the results of a multi-wavelength campaign on the blazar Mrk 421 during outburst. We observed four strong flares at X-ray energies that were not seen at other wavelengths (partially because of missing data). From the fastest rise in the X-rays, an upper limit could be derived on the extension of the emission region. A time lag between high-energy and low-energy X-rays was observed, which allowed an estimation of the magnetic-field strength. The spectral analysis of the X-rays revealed a slight spectral hardening of the low-energy (3 - 43 keV) spectral index. The hardness-ratio analysis of the Swift-XRT (0.2 - 10 keV) data indicated a small correlation with the intensity; i. e., a hard-to-soft evolution was observed. At the energies of IBIS/ISGRI (20 - 150 keV), such correlations are less obvious. A multiwavelength spectrum was composed and the X-ray and bolometric luminosities are calculated.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures; accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

AGILE observation of a gamma-ray flare from the blazar 3C 279

Context. We report the detection by the AGILE satellite of an intense gamma-ray flare from the gamma-ray source 3EG J1255-0549, associated to the Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar 3C 279, during the AGILE pointings towards the Virgo Region on 2007 July 9-13. Aims. The simultaneous optical, X-ray and gamma-ray covering allows us to study the spectral energy distribution (SED) and the theoretical models relative to the flaring episode of mid-July. Methods. AGILE observed the source during its Science Performance Verification Phase with its two co-aligned imagers: the Gamma- Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) and the hard X-ray imager (Super-AGILE) sensitive in the 30 MeV - 50 GeV and 18 - 60 keV respectively. During the AGILE observation the source was monitored simultaneously in optical band by the REM telescope and in the X-ray band by the Swift satellite through 4 ToO observations. Results. During 2007 July 9-13 July 2007, AGILE-GRID detected gamma-ray emission from 3C 279, with the source at ~2 deg from the center of the Field of View, with an average flux of (210+-38) 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 for energy above 100 MeV. No emission was detected by Super-AGILE, with a 3-sigma upper limit of 10 mCrab. During the observation lasted about 4 days no significative gamma-ray flux variation was observed. Conclusions. The Spectral Energy Distribution is modelled with a homogeneous one-zone Synchrotron Self Compton emission plus the contributions by external Compton scattering of direct disk radiation and, to a lesser extent, by external Compton scattering of photons from the Broad Line Region.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic