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288 results on '"S., Vercellone"'

151. AGILE and Swift simultaneous observations of the blazar S50716+714 during the bright flare of October 2007

Author: Andrea Bulgarelli, G. Pucella, Francesco Longo, V. Vittorini, Filippo D'Ammando, S. Cutini, A. W. Chen, I. Donnarumma, S. Vercellone, Luigi Pacciani, Marco Tavani, Sergio Colafrancesco, Paolo Giommi, C. Pittori, M. Perri, A. Giuliani, P. Marchegiani, F. Verrecchia, Giommi P, Colafrancesco S, Cutini S, Marchegiani P, Perri M, Pittori C, Verrecchia F, Bulgarelli A, Chen A, DAmmando F, Donnarumma I, Giuliani A, Longo F, Pacciani L, Pucella G, Vercellone S, Vittorini V, Tavani M, P., Giommi, S., Colafrancesco, S., Cutini, P., Marchegiani, M., Perri, C., Pittori, F., Verrecchia, A., Bulgarelli, A., Chen, F., D'Ammando, I., Donnarumma, A., Giuliani, Longo, Francesco, L., Pacciani, G., Pucella, S., Vercellone, V., Vittorini, and M., Tavani
Subjects: Physics, High Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy, Active Galactic Nuclei, AGILE satellite, Photon, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics (astro-ph), Synchrotron radiation, Flux, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, law.invention, Space and Planetary Science, law, Spectral slope, Spectral energy distribution, galaxies: BL Lacertae objects: individual: BL Lac -- galaxies: active -- gamma rays: observations, Blazar, Flare, BL Lac object
Abstract: We present the results of a series of optical, UV, X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the BL Lac object S50716+714 carried out by the Swift and AGILE satellites in late 2007 when this blazar was flaring close to its historical maximum at optical frequencies. We have found that the optical through soft X-ray emission, likely due to Synchrotron radiation, was highly variable and displayed a different behavior in the optical UV and soft X-ray bands. The 4-10 keV flux, most probably dominated by the inverse Compton component, remained instead constant. The counting statistics in the relatively short AGILE GRID observation was low and consistent with a constant gamma-ray flux at a level similar to the maximum observed by EGRET. An estimate of the gamma-ray spectral slope gives a value of the photon index that is close to 2 suggesting that the peak of the inverse Compton component in the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) is within the AGILE energy band. The different variability behavior observed in different parts of the SED exclude interpretations predicting highly correlated flux variability like changes of the beaming factor or of the magnetic field in simple SSC scenarios. The observed SED changes may instead be interpreted as due to the sum of two SSC components, one of which is constant while the other is variable and with a systematically higher synchrotron peak energy., 4 pages, 2 figures, A&A Letters in press
Published: 2008

152. The AGILE mission and its scientific instrument

Author: F. Fuschino, Marco Feroci, Luigi Pacciani, Claudio Labanti, Francesco Lazzarotto, L. Foggetta, Alessio Trois, F. Mauri, M. Prest, E. Rossi, Sandro Mereghetti, F. Boffelli, Alda Rubini, F. Perotti, A. W. Chen, G. De Paris, M. Trifoglio, E. Vallazza, M. Fiorini, I. Donnarumma, Massimo Rapisarda, M. Basset, Ennio Morelli, A. Pellizzoni, Martino Marisaldi, M. Galli, I. Lapshov, E. Mattaini, G. Di Cocco, A. Giuliani, Paolo Lipari, Fulvio Gianotti, A. Argan, P. A. Caraveo, Andrea Bulgarelli, F. Longo, Enrico Costa, M. Mastropietro, Guido Barbiellini, A. Morselli, C. Pontoni, F. Liello, Marco Tavani, A. Zambra, Alessandro Traci, E. Del Monte, G. Pucella, Massimo Frutti, C. Pittori, T. Froysland, D. Zanello, Geiland Porrovecchio, P. Picozza, Paolo Soffitta, S. Vercellone, Turner, Martin J. L., Hasinger, Günther, M., Tavani, BARBIELLINI AMIDEI, Guido, A., Argan, M., Basset, F., Boffelli, A., Bulgarelli, P., Caraveo, A., Chen, E., Costa, Paris, G., Monte, E., Cocco, G., I., Donnarumma, M., Feroci, M., Fiorini, L., Foggetta, T., Froysland, M., Frutti, F., Fuschino, M., Galli, F., Gianotti, A., Giuliani, C., Labanti, I., Lapshov, F., Lazzarotto, F., Liello, P., Lipari, Longo, Francesco, M., Marisaldi, M., Mastropietro, E., Mattaini, F., Mauri, S., Mereghetti, E., Morelli, A., Morselli, L., Pacciani, A., Pellizzoni, F., Perotti, P., Picozza, C., Pittori, C., Pontoni, G., Porrovecchio, M., Prest, G., Pucella, M., Rapisarda, E., Rossi, A., Rubini, P., Soffitta, A., Traci, M., Trifoglio, A., Troi, E., Vallazza, S., Vercellone, A., Zambra, and D., Zanello
Subjects: Physics, Scientific instrument, Active galactic nucleus, business.industry, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Detector, Astronomy, Astrophysics, High Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy, Universe, Supernova, gamma ray physics, Pulsar, Angular resolution, AGILE mission, business, Agile software development, media_common
Abstract: The AGILE Mission will explore the gamma-ray Universe with a very innovative instrument combining for the first time a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the range 30 MeV - 50 GeV) and a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 15-45 keV). An optimal angular resolution and a large field of view are obtained by the use of state-of-the-art Silicon detectors integrated in a very compact instrument. AGILE will be operational at the beginning of 2007 and it will provide crucial data for the study of Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma-Ray Bursts, unidentified gamma-ray sources, Galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing.
Published: 2006
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153. AGILE and Gamma-Ray Bursts

Author: A. Rubini, M. Trifoglio, E. Vallazza, F. Perotti, Geiland Porrovecchio, F. Liello, C. Pontoni, F. Lazzarotto, Francesco Longo, A. Trois, Martino Marisaldi, P. W. Cattaneo, I. Donnarumma, M. Feroci, A. Argan, E. Rossi, E. Mattaini, G. Di Cocco, F. Mauri, P. Picozza, F. Boffelli, Andrea Bulgarelli, G. Barbiellini, M. Fiorini, Enrico Costa, L. Foggetta, Claudio Labanti, A. Morselli, C. Pittori, E. Del Monte, D. Zanello, M. Mastropietro, T. Froysland, M. Prest, Sandro Mereghetti, G. Di Persio, L. Pacciani, A. W. Chen, M. Galli, E. Morelli, A. Pellizzoni, M. Basset, Alessandro Traci, P. A. Caraveo, A. Giuliani, P. Lipari, I. Lapshov, Marco Tavani, Massimo Frutti, M. Rapisarda, S. Vercellone, P. Soffitta, F. Gianotti, F. Fuschino, Longo, Francesco, M., Tavani, BARBIELLINI AMIDEI, Guido, A., Argan, M., Basset, F., Boffelli, A., Bulgarelli, P., Caraveo, P. W., Cattaneo, A., Chen, E., Costa, E., DEL MONTE, G., DI COCCO, G., DI PERSIO, I., Donnarumma, M., Feroci, M., Fiorini, L., Foggetta, T., Froysland, M., Frutti, F., Fuschino, M., Galli, F., Gianotti, A., Giuliani, C., Labanti, I., Lapshov, F., Lazzarotto, F., Liello, P., Lipari, M., Marisaldi, M., Mastropietro, E., Mattaini, F., Mauri, S., Mereghetti, E., Morelli, A., Morselli, L., Pacciani, A., Pellizzoni, F., Perotti, P., Picozza, C., Pittori, C., Pontoni, G., Porrovecchio, M., Prest, M., Rapisarda, E., Rossi, A., Rubini, P., Soffitta, A., Traci, M., Trifoglio, A., Troi, E., Vallazza, S., Vercellone, and D., Zanello
Subjects: Physics, Photon, Calorimeter (particle physics), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, gamma ray burst, Particle acceleration, Microsecond, AGILE satellite, Sky, Broadband, Satellite, Nuclear Experiment, Gamma-ray burst, media_common
Abstract: AGILE is a Scientific Mission dedicated to high‐energy astrophysics supported by ASI with scientific participation of INAF and INFN. The AGILE instrument is designed to simultaneously detect and image photons in the 30 MeV – 50 GeV and 15 – 45 keV energy bands with excellent imaging and timing capabilities, and a large field of view covering ∼ 1/5 of the entire sky at energies above 30 MeV. A CsI calorimeter is capable of GRB triggering in the energy band 0.3–50 MeV. The broadband detection of GRBs and the study of implications for particle acceleration and high energy emission are primary goals of th emission. AGILE can image GRBs with 2–3 arcminutes error boxes in the hard X‐ray range, and provide broadband photon‐by photon detection in the 15–45 keV, 03–50 MeV, and 30 MeV–30 GeV energy ranges. Microsecond on‐board photon tagging and a ∼ 100 microsecond gamma‐ray detection deadtime will be crucial for fast GRB timing. On‐board calculated GRB coordinates and energy fluxes will be quickly transmitted to the ground by an ORBCOMM transceiver. AGILE have recently (December 2005) completed its gamma‐ray calibration. It is now (January 2006) undergoing satellite integration and testing. The PLSV launch is planned in early 2006. AGILE is then foreseen to be fully operational during the summer of 2006. It will be the only mission entirely dedicated to high‐energy astrophysics above 30 MeV during the period mid‐2006/mid‐2007.
Published: 2006
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154. Two active states of the narrow-line gamma-ray-loud AGN GB 1310+487

Author: Frank K. Schinzel, Y. Ikejiri, S. J. Fegan, Anthony C. S. Readhead, Koji S. Kawabata, K. I. Clubb, Benoit Lott, Masayuki Yamanaka, H. Ungerechts, Filippo D'Ammando, Alexander B. Pushkarev, Kirill Sokolovsky, Pavel Abolmasov, K. Sakimoto, F. Verrecchia, Justin D. Finke, C. C. Cheung, I. Nestoras, Yuri Y. Kovalev, Michitoshi Yoshida, Matthew L. Lister, C. Pittori, S. B. Cenko, R. W. Schmidt, T. Komatsu, Alexei V. Filippenko, Stefan Larsson, Roger W. Romani, Yasuyuki T. Tanaka, Luis Carrasco, D. Riquelme, M. S. Shaw, D. J. Thompson, Emmanouil Angelakis, Walter Max-Moerbeck, S. E. Healey, Elizabeth Hays, Lars Fuhrmann, Joseph L. Richards, J. A. Zensus, S. Vercellone, L. Escande, Mahito Sasada, Makoto Uemura, T. Pursimo, Yu. A. Kovalev, Andrea Bulgarelli, E. Recillas, A. Sievers, Ryosuke Itoh, Thomas P. Krichbaum, Yasushi Fukazawa, GLAST, Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan (CENBG), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet (LLR), Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sokolovsky KV, Schinzel FK, Tanaka YT, Abolmasov PK, Angelakis E, Bulgarelli A, Carrasco L, Cenko SB, Cheung CC, Clubb KI, DAmmando F, Escande L, Fegan SJ, Filippenko AV, Finke JD, Fuhrmann L, Fukazawa Y, Hays E, Healey SE, Ikejiri Y, Itoh R, Kawabata KS, Komatsu T, Kovalev YA, Kovalev YY, Krichbaum TP, Larsson S, Lister ML, Lott B, Max-Moerbeck W, Nestoras I, Pittori C, Pursimo T, Pushkarev AB, Readhead ACS, Recillas E, Richards JL, Riquelme D, Romani RW, Sakimoto K, Sasada M, Schmidt R, Shaw MS, Sievers A, Thompson DJ, Uemura M, Ungerechts H, Vercellone S, Verrecchia F, Yamanaka M, Yoshida M, and Zensus JA
Subjects: [PHYS.ASTR.HE]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena [astro-ph.HE], Active galactic nucleus, Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, quasars: individual: GB 1310+487 / galaxies: jets / gamma rays: galaxies / radiation mechanisms: non-thermal / galaxies: active, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, 0103 physical sciences, Blazar, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics, Physics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Spectral index, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, [SDU.ASTR.HE]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena [astro-ph.HE], Astronomy and Astrophysics, Redshift, Galaxy, 3. Good health, Gravitational lens, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Spectral energy distribution, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
Abstract: Previously unremarkable, the extragalactic radio source GB 1310+487 showed a gamma-ray flare on 2009 November 18, reaching a daily flux of ~10^-6 photons/cm^2/s at energies E>100 MeV and becoming one of the brightest GeV sources for about two weeks. Its optical spectrum is not typical for a blazar, instead, it resembles those of narrow emission-line galaxies. We investigate changes of the object's radio-to-GeV spectral energy distribution (SED) during and after the prominent GeV flare with the aim to determine the nature of the object and constrain the origin of the variable high-energy emission. The data collected by the Fermi and AGILE satellites at gamma-ray energies, Swift at X-ray and ultraviolet, Kanata, NOT, and Keck telescopes at optical, OAGH and WISE at infrared, and IRAM 30m, OVRO 40m, Effelsberg 100m, RATAN-600, and VLBA at radio, are analysed together to trace the SED evolution on timescales of months. The gamma-ray/radio-loud narrow-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) is located at redshift z=0.638. It is shining through an unrelated foreground galaxy at z=0.500. The AGN light is likely amplified by a factor of a few because of gravitational lensing. The AGN SED shows a two-humped structure typical of blazars and gamma-ray-loud NLSy1 galaxies, with the high-energy (inverse-Compton) emission dominating by more than an order of magnitude over the low-energy (synchrotron) emission during gamma-ray flares. The difference between the two SED humps is smaller during the low-activity state. Fermi observations reveal a strong correlation between the gamma-ray flux and spectral index, with the hardest spectrum observed during the brightest gamma-ray state. If the gamma-ray flux is a mixture of synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) and external Compton (EC) emission, the observed GeV spectral variability may result from varying relative contributions of these two emission components., 18 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables; accepted to A&A
Published: 2014
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155. The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing

Author: Antonios Manousakis, S. Boutloukos, F. Zwart, Jose M. Torrejon, C. Pittori, Alessandro Drago, Dieter H. Hartmann, Feryal Özel, T. J. L. Courvoisier, Tim Johannsen, Jordi José, M. Michalska, Christian Schmid, I. Rashevskaya, Gottfried Kanbach, V. Petracek, L. Bradley, Allan Hornstrup, M. H. Erkut, Sergio Campana, Rudy Wijnands, Andrew Cumming, Nils Andersson, Tomaso Belloni, M. C. Miller, Roman Wawrzaszek, Stefano Bianchi, Enrique García-Berro, Sandro Mereghetti, C. Guidorzi, C. Corral Van Damme, Søren Brandt, Francesco Tombesi, Felix Ryde, Didier Barret, Simon Vaughan, Marco Feroci, T. Di Salvo, C. van Baren, Angelo Antonelli, Marc Ribó, J. L. Atteia, P. Soleri, Alessio Trois, Silvia Zane, G. Mouret, Ersin Gogus, Emanuele Perinati, J. Coker, Piero Malcovati, V. Mangano, F. Jetter, P. Uter, P. Romano, M. Nowak, Roberto Turolla, Laura Tolos, Antonino D'Ai, Laura Alvarez, C. Amoros, Simone Scaringi, A. Possenti, David M. Smith, M. Falanga, A. Goldwurm, René Hudec, Ignacio Negueruela, M. van der Klis, Francesco Longo, José A. Pons, I. M. McHardy, R. Rohlfs, P. Cais, Luigi Stella, S. Di Cosimo, Antoine Rousseau, M. Ayre, M. Gschwender, D. Klochkov, Niels Lund, Chryssa Kouveliotou, P. Azzarello, F. Château, Michael Gabler, S. Vercellone, Martin Durant, I. Donnarumma, Giorgio Matt, Mauro Orlandini, P. Kaaret, Patrick Smith, P. T. O'Brien, A. Argan, M. Orienti, Marco Grassi, Claudio Labanti, Edward F. Brown, Christopher S. Reynolds, Gloria Sala, Y. Evangelista, Gabriel Török, José Braga, Riccardo Campana, Alan Smith, C. Gouiffes, Nevin N. Weinberg, Leonardo Gualtieri, Yannick Favre, P.G. Jonker, Gabriele Giovannini, D. de Martino, Irfan Kuvvetli, S. Motta, Teresa Mineo, Paul J. Groot, Pablo Reig, Martino Marisaldi, Andrea Sanna, Lorenzo Amati, G. L. Israel, D. Macera, K. S. Wood, Pablo Cerdá-Durán, F. Fuschino, Suvi Gezari, Mariano Mendez, Slawomir Suchy, Damien Rambaud, Nanda Rea, R. Artigue, J.-Y. Seyler, S. N. Shore, Frederick K. Lamb, Jörn Wilms, Mark G. Alford, Margarita Hernanz, Thomas M. Tauris, Luca Izzo, Tobias Boenke, J. J. M. in 't Zand, J. Mulačová, P. Binko, Daniel Maier, Jan Schee, Bruce Gendre, Enrico Bozzo, Paul S. Ray, Giuseppe Bertuccio, Simone Migliari, Ignazio Bombaci, Vladimir Karas, Nikolaos Stergioulas, P. P. Laubert, D. Karelin, A. C. Fabian, Giovanni Miniutti, Dacheng Lin, L. Guy, Martine Mouchet, Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, Valeria Ferrari, Kai Hebeler, Mark H. Finger, Shigeto Watanabe, Pawel Haensel, H. Jacobs, Adrian Martindale, A. A. Zdziarski, Andrea Santangelo, Giuseppe Baldazzi, Piergiorgio Casella, Fabio Muleri, M. Hailey, Antonio Bianchini, Giuseppe Lodato, E. Del Monte, M. Rapisarda, Zdeněk Stuchlík, Alain Cros, V. Sochora, Laurens Keek, Jorge Casares, Andrew Melatos, Pere Blay, E. Rossi, A. P. Spencer, G. Stratta, Conrado Albertus, J. M. Paredes, M. Ahangarianabhari, Anna L. Watts, M. Del Santo, I. Kreykenbohm, Alessandro Patruno, G. A. Caliandro, C. Feldman, M. Pohl, Fabrizio Tamburini, G. Zampa, Marina Orio, Flemming Hansen, P. Ramon, Ruben Salvaterra, David H. Lumb, Edward M. Cackett, Andrew Shearer, Sharon M. Morsink, L. Pacciani, J.-M. Bonnet Bidaud, A. De Luca, Jérôme Chenevez, Sebastian Diebold, N. Zampa, Carole A. Haswell, Luciano Burderi, E. Cavazzuti, Adam Ingram, Dhiren Kataria, Berend Winter, A. Vacchi, W. Hermsen, P. Giommi, Dong Lai, N. A. Webb, P. Bodin, Dom Walton, Solen Balman, Benjamin Stappers, M. Burgay, Luca Zampieri, Carl Budtz-Jørgensen, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Giancarlo Cusumano, J. L. Galvez Sanchez, Raffaella Schneider, Luciano Rezzolla, Alexander Heger, S. Korpela, Dimitrios Emmanoulopoulos, Biswajit Paul, Diego Götz, B. Artigues, Paolo Soffitta, M. H. Finger, J. W. den Herder, Paolo Esposito, Kazushi Iwasawa, Poul Erik Holmdahl Olsen, J. Neilsen, Marco Barbera, Deepto Chakrabarty, R. A. Osten, M. Reina Aranda, A. J. Castro-Tirado, Andrea Tramacere, D. Haas, Johannes Dercksen, John A. Tomsick, A. V. Penacchioni, V. D'Elia, Alfonso Collura, Altan Baykal, P. Le Provost, S. Turriziani, Kostas D. Kokkotas, Duncan K. Galloway, Ron Remillard, Juhani Huovelin, Somak Bhattacharyya, Pavel Bakala, Phil Uttley, Richard E. Cole, Mahesh Prakash, L. Kuiper, T. Munoz-Darias, Diego F. Torres, S. Mahmoodifar, G. Ramsay, Andrew Norton, T. Kennedy, Achim Schwenk, L. Zdunik, A. B. Giles, Jerome Rodriguez, C. Motch, Ilya Mandel, Marcello Giroletti, Dimitrios Psaltis, J. Sandberg, Fiamma Capitanio, Remon Cornelisse, M. R. Gilfanov, Peggy Varniere, Franck Cadoux, Peter J. Wheatley, M. de Pasquale, Juri Poutanen, S. Maestre, A. Pellizzoni, Axel Schwope, Diego Altamirano, Piotr Orleanski, V. Vrba, Agata Różańska, Kateřina Goluchová, P. Rodríguez Gil, Niccolò Bucciantini, Stéphane Schanne, Carlo Ferrigno, Thomas J. Maccarone, H. Wende, Tod E. Strohmayer, Tadayuki Takahashi, Francois Lebrun, E. Kuulkers, Jeroen Homan, Maurizio Paolillo, M. A. Perez, J. P. Osborne, A. Alpar, Sanjay Reddy, G.W. Fraser, V. Sulemainov, D. Linder, L. Sabau-Graziati, A. Rachevski, Bing Zhang, Alessandro Papitto, C. Tenzer, Alex Markowitz, J. Portell, Roberto Mignani, Fabrizio Bocchino, Arnau Rios, R. de la Rie, M. Wille, A. de Rosa, Alessandro Riggio, M. Frericks, Andrew W. Steiner, Michal Bursa, Federico Bernardini, Jon M. Miller, W. Kluzniak, INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma ( OAR ), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica ( INAF ), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées ( LATT ), Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse 3 ( UPS ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées ( OMP ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur ( RIIP ) -Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mullard Space Science Laboratory ( MSSL ), University College of London [London] ( UCL ), FORMATION STELLAIRE 2014, Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux ( L3AB ), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers ( OASU ), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] ( LAB ), Université de Bordeaux ( UB ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université de Bordeaux ( UB ), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía ( IAA ), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] ( CSIC ), Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers ( IRFU ), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives ( CEA ) -Université Paris-Saclay, Interactions et dynamique des environnements de surface ( IDES ), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 ( UP11 ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Licryl Laboratory ( CNR-IPCF UOS Cosenza ), University of Calabria, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati ( LNF ), National Institute for Nuclear Physics ( INFN ), PCAS, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica - Milano ( IASF-MI ), AstroParticule et Cosmologie ( APC - UMR 7164 ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS ( IN2P3 ) -Observatoire de Paris-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 ( UPD7 ) -Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives ( CEA ), Astrophysique Interactions Multi-échelles ( AIM - UMR 7158 - UMR E 9005 ), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives ( CEA ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 ( UPD7 ), Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics ( TRIUMF ), NRC, Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita degli Studi di Bologna, Università di Bologna [Bologna] ( UNIBO ), Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l'environnement de Lyon ( IRCELYON ), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 ( UCBL ), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Laboratoire Univers et Théories ( LUTH ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Observatoire de Paris-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 ( UPD7 ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Laboratoire de Spectrochimie Infrarouge et Raman - UMR 8516 ( LASIR ), Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche [Naples], Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Energétique, propulsion, espace, environnement ( EPEE ), Université d'Orléans ( UO ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Department of Physics and Astronomy [Hanover], Dartmouth College [Hanover], Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie ( IRAP ), Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse 3 ( UPS ) -Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées ( OMP ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique - UMR 8518 ( LOA ), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille ( IBDM ), Aix Marseille Université ( AMU ) -Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale ( INSERM ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya [Barcelona] ( UPC ), INAF-IASF Milano, Climate and Environmental Physics [Bern], University of Bern, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales ( CNES ), Institute of Geology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule [Zürich] ( ETH Zürich ), IEEC-CSIC, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [Barcelona] ( UAB ), MedisysResearch Lab ( Medisys ), Philips Research, European Space Astronomy Center ( ESAC ), European Space Agency ( ESA ), High Energy Astrophys. & Astropart. Phys (API, FNWI), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (OAR), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (LATT), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP), Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), University College of London [London] (UCL), Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux (L3AB), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bordeaux (UB), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (IRFU), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay, Interactions et dynamique des environnements de surface (IDES), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Licryl Laboratory (CNR-IPCF UOS Cosenza), Università della Calabria [Arcavacata di Rende] (Unical), Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica - Milano (IASF-MI), AstroParticule et Cosmologie (APC (UMR_7164)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Canada's particle accelerator centre (TRIUMF), Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO), Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l'environnement de Lyon (IRCELYON), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Univers et Théories (LUTH (UMR_8102)), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Intéractions la Réactivité et l'Environnement - UMR 8516 (LASIRE), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Naples Federico II = Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Energétique, propulsion, espace, environnement (EPEE), Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique - UMR 8518 (LOA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille (IBDM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya [Barcelona] (UPC), Climate and Environmental Physics [Bern] (CEP), Physikalisches Institut [Bern], Universität Bern [Bern] (UNIBE)-Universität Bern [Bern] (UNIBE), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), MedisysResearch Lab (Medisys), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), SPIE, Takahashi, Tadayuki, Feroci M., Den Herder J.W., Bozzo E., Barret D., Brandt S., Hernanz M., Van Der Klis M., Pohl M., Santangelo A., Stella L., Watts A., Wilms J., Zane S., Ahangarianabhari M., Albertus C., Alford M., Alpar A., Altamirano D., Alvarez L., Amati L., Amoros C., Andersson N., Antonelli A., Argan A., Artigue R., Artigues B., Atteia J.-L., Azzarello P., Bakala P., Baldazzi G., Balman S., Barbera M., Van Baren C., Bhattacharyya S., Baykal A., Belloni T., Bernardini F., Bertuccio G., Bianchi S., Bianchini A., Binko P., Blay P., Bocchino F., Bodin P., Bombaci I., Bonnet Bidaud J.-M., Boutloukos S., Bradley L., Braga J., Brown E., Bucciantini N., Burderi L., Burgay M., Bursa M., Budtz-Jorgensen C., Cackett E., Cadoux F.R., Cais P., Caliandro G.A., Campana R., Campana S., Capitanio F., Casares J., Casella P., Castro-Tirado A.J., Cavazzuti E., Cerda-Duran P., Chakrabarty D., Chateau F., Chenevez J., Coker J., Cole R., Collura A., Cornelisse R., Courvoisier T., Cros A., Cumming A., Cusumano G., D'ai A., D'elia V., Del Monte E., De Luca A., De Martino D., Dercksen J.P.C., De Pasquale M., De Rosa A., Del Santo M., Di Cosimo S., Diebold S., Di Salvo T., Donnarumma I., Drago A., Durant M., Emmanoulopoulos D., Erkut M.H., Esposito P., Evangelista Y., Fabian A., Falanga M., Favre Y., Feldman C., Ferrari V., Ferrigno C., Finger M., Finger M.H., Fraser G.W., Frericks M., Fuschino F., Gabler M., Galloway D.K., Galvez Sanchez J.L., Garcia-Berro E., Gendre B., Gezari S., Giles A.B., Gilfanov M., Giommi P., Giovannini G., Giroletti M., Gogus E., Goldwurm A., Goluchova K., Gotz D., Gouiffes C., Grassi M., Groot P., Gschwender M., Gualtieri L., Guidorzi C., Guy L., Haas D., Haensel P., Hailey M., Hansen F., Hartmann D.H., Haswell C.A., Hebeler K., Heger A., Hermsen W., Homan J., Hornstrup A., Hudec R., Huovelin J., Ingram A., In't Zand J.J.M., Israel G., Iwasawa K., Izzo L., Jacobs H.M., Jetter F., Johannsen T., Jonker P., Jose J., Kaaret P., Kanbach G., Karas V., Karelin D., Kataria D., Keek L., Kennedy T., Klochkov D., Kluzniak W., Kokkotas K., Korpela S., Kouveliotou C., Kreykenbohm I., Kuiper L.M., Kuvvetli I., Labanti C., Lai D., Lamb F.K., Laubert P.P., Lebrun F., Lin D., Linder D., Lodato G., Longo F., Lund N., Maccarone T.J., Macera D., Maestre S., Mahmoodifar S., Maier D., Malcovati P., Mandel I., Mangano V., Manousakis A., Marisaldi M., Markowitz A., Martindale A., Matt G., Mchardy I.M., Melatos A., Mendez M., Mereghetti S., Michalska M., Migliari S., Mignani R., Miller M.C., Miller J.M., Mineo T., Miniutti G., Morsink S., Motch C., Motta S., Mouchet M., Mouret G., Mulaova J., Muleri F., Munoz-Darias T., Negueruela I., Neilsen J., Norton A.J., Nowak M., O'brien P., Olsen P.E.H., Orienti M., Orio M., Orlandini M., Orleaaski P., Osborne J.P., Osten R., Ozel F., Pacciani L., Paolillo M., Papitto A., Paredes J.M., Patruno A., Paul B., Perinati E., Pellizzoni A., Penacchioni A.V., Perez M.A., Petracek V., Pittori C., Pons J., Portell J., Possenti A., Poutanen J., Prakash M., Le Provost P., Psaltis D., Rambaud D., Ramon P., Ramsay G., Rapisarda M., Rachevski A., Rashevskaya I., Ray P.S., Rea N., Reddy S., Reig P., Reina Aranda M., Remillard R., Reynolds C., Rezzolla L., Ribo M., De La Rie R., Riggio A., Rios A., Rodriguez-Gil P., Rodriguez J., Rohlfs R., Romano P., Rossi E.M.R., Rozanska A., Rousseau A., Ryde F., Sabau-Graziati L., Sala G., Salvaterra R., Sanna A., Sandberg J., Scaringi S., Schanne S., Schee J., Schmid C., Shore S., Schneider R., Schwenk A., Schwope A.D., Seyler J.-Y., Shearer A., Smith A., Smith D.M., Smith P.J., Sochora V., Soffitta P., Soleri P., Spencer A., Stappers B., Steiner A.W., Stergioulas N., Stratta G., Strohmayer T.E., Stuchlik Z., Suchy S., Sulemainov V., Takahashi T., Tamburini F., Tauris T., Tenzer C., Tolos L., Tombesi F., Tomsick J., Torok G., Torrejon J.M., Torres D.F., Tramacere A., Trois A., Turolla R., Turriziani S., Uter P., Uttley P., Vacchi A., Varniere P., Vaughan S., Vercellone S., Vrba V., Walton D., Watanabe S., Wawrzaszek R., Webb N., Weinberg N., Wende H., Wheatley P., Wijers R., Wijnands R., Wille M., Wilson-Hodge C.A., Winter B., Wood K., Zampa G., Zampa N., Zampieri L., Zdunik L., Zdziarski A., Zhang B., Zwart F., Ayre M., Boenke T., Corral Van Damme C., Kuulkers E., Lumb D., Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centrale Lille Institut (CLIL), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Universität Bern [Bern]-Universität Bern [Bern], European Space Agency (ESA), Feroci, M., den Herder, J., Bozzo, E., Barret, D., Brandt, S., Hernanz, M., van der Klis, M., Pohl, M., Santangelo, A., Stella, L., Watts, A., Wilms, J., Zane, S., Ahangarianabhari, M., Albertus, C., Alford, M., Alpar, A., Altamirano, D., Alvarez, L., Amati, L., Amoros, C., Andersson, N., Antonelli, A., Argan, A., Artigue, R., Artigues, B., Atteia, J., Azzarello, P., Bakala, P., Baldazzi, G., Balman, S., Barbera, M., van Baren, C., Bhattacharyya, S., Baykal, A., Belloni, T., Bernardini, F., Bertuccio, G., Bianchi, S., Bianchini, A., Binko, P., Blay, P., Bocchino, F., Bodin, P., Bombaci, I., Bonnet Bidaud, J., Boutloukos, S., Bradley, L., Braga, J., Brown, E., Bucciantini, N., Burderi, L., Burgay, M., Bursa, M., Budtz Jørgensen, C., Cackett, E., Cadoux, F., Caïs, P., Caliandro, G., Campana, R., Campana, S., Capitanio, F., Casares, J., Casella, P., Castro Tirado, A., Cavazzuti, E., Cerda Duran, P., Chakrabarty, D., Château, F., Chenevez, J., Coker, J., Cole, R., Collura, A., Cornelisse, R., Courvoisier, T., Cros, A., Cumming, A., Cusumano, G., D'Ai', A., D'Elia, V., Del Monte, E., de Luca, A., de Martino, D., Dercksen, J., de Pasquale, M., De Rosa, A., Del Santo, M., Di Cosimo, S., Diebold, S., DI SALVO, T., Donnarumma, I., Drago, A., Durant, M., Emmanoulopoulos, D., Erkut, M., Esposito, P., Evangelista, Y., Fabian, A., Falanga, M., Favre, Y., Feldman, C., Ferrari, V., Ferrigno, C., Finger, M., Fraser, G., Frericks, M., Fuschino, F., Gabler, M., Galloway, D., Galvez Sanchez, J., Garcia Berro, E., Gendre, B., Gezari, S., Giles, A., Gilfanov, M., Giommi, P., Giovannini, G., Giroletti, M., Gogus, E., Goldwurm, A., Goluchová, K., Götz, D., Gouiffes, C., Grassi, M., Groot, P., Gschwender, M., Gualtieri, L., Guidorzi, C., Guy, L., Haas, D., Haensel, P., Hailey, M., Hansen, F., Hartmann, D., Haswell, C., Hebeler, K., Heger, A., Hermsen, W., Homan, J., Hornstrup, A., Hudec, R., Huovelin, J., Ingram, A., In't Zand, J., Israel, G., Iwasawa, K., Izzo, L., Jacobs, H., Jetter, F., Johannsen, T., Jonker, P., Josè, J., Kaaret, P., Kanbach, G., Karas, V., Karelin, D., Kataria, D., Keek, L., Kennedy, T., Klochkov, D., Kluzniak, W., Kokkotas, K., Korpela, S., Kouveliotou, C., Kreykenbohm, I., Kuiper, L., Kuvvetli, I., Labanti, C., Lai, D., Lamb, F., Laubert, P., Lebrun, F., Lin, D., Linder, D., Lodato, G., Longo, F., Lund, N., Maccarone, T., Macera, D., Maestre, S., Mahmoodifar, S., Maier, D., Malcovati, P., Mandel, I., Mangano, V., Manousakis, A., Marisaldi, M., Markowitz, A., Martindale, A., Matt, G., Mchardy, I., Melatos, A., Mendez, M., Mereghetti, S., Michalska, M., Migliari, S., Mignani, R., Miller, M., Miller, J., Mineo, T., Miniutti, G., Morsink, S., Motch, C., Motta, S., Mouchet, M., Mouret, G., Mulačová, J., Muleri, F., Muñoz Darias, T., Negueruela, I., Neilsen, J., Norton, A., Nowak, M., O'Brien, P., Olsen, P., Orienti, M., Orio, M., Orlandini, M., Orleański, P., Osborne, J., Osten, R., Ozel, F., Pacciani, L., Paolillo, M., Papitto, A., Paredes, J., Patruno, A., Paul, B., Perinati, E., Pellizzoni, A., Penacchioni, A., Perez, M., Petracek, V., Pittori, C., Pons, J., Portell, J., Possenti, A., Poutanen, J., Prakash, M., Le Provost, P., Psaltis, D., Rambaud, D., Ramon, P., Ramsay, G., Rapisarda, M., Rachevski, A., Rashevskaya, I., Ray, P., Rea, N., Reddy, S., Reig, P., Reina Aranda, M., Remillard, R., Reynolds, C., Rezzolla, L., Ribo, M., de la Rie, R., Riggio, A., Rios, A., Rodríguez Gil, P., Rodriguez, J., Rohlfs, R., Romano, P., Rossi, E., Rozanska, A., Rousseau, A., Ryde, F., Sabau Graziati, L., Sala, G., Salvaterra, R., Sanna, A., Sandberg, J., Scaringi, S., Schanne, S., Schee, J., Schmid, C., Shore, S., Schneider, R., Schwenk, A., Schwope, A., Seyler, J., Shearer, A., Smith, A., Smith, D., Smith, P., Sochora, V., Soffitta, P., Soleri, P., Spencer, A., Stappers, B., Steiner, A., Stergioulas, N., Stratta, G., Strohmayer, T., Stuchlik, Z., Suchy, S., Sulemainov, V., Takahashi, T., Tamburini, F., Tauris, T., Tenzer, C., Tolos, L., Tombesi, F., Tomsick, J., Torok, G., Torrejon, J., Torres, D., Tramacere, A., Trois, A., Turolla, R., Turriziani, S., Uter, P., Uttley, P., Vacchi, A., Varniere, P., Vaughan, S., Vercellone, S., Vrba, V., Walton, D., Watanabe, S., Wawrzaszek, R., Webb, N., Weinberg, N., Wende, H., Wheatley, P., Wijers, R., Wijnands, R., Wille, M., Wilson Hodge, C., Winter, B., Wood, K., Zampa, G., Zampa, N., Zampieri, L., Zdunik, L., Zdziarski, A., Zhang, B., Zwart, F., Ayre, M., Boenke, T., Corral van Damme, C., Kuulkers, E., Lumb, D., Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7), Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics (TRIUMF), Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), PSL Research University (PSL)-PSL Research University (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Spectrochimie Infrarouge et Raman - UMR 8516 (LASIR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lille, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Lille, Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Collège de France (CdF)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [Barcelona] (UAB), Astronomy, den Herder, J. W., Atteia, J. L., Bonnet Bidaud, J. M., Cadoux, F. R., Cais, P., Caliandro, G. A., Castro Tirado, A. J., D'Aì, A., De Luca, A., De Martino, D., Dercksen, J. P. C., De Pasquale, M., Di Salvo, T., Erkut, M. H., Finger, M. H., Fraser, G. W., Galloway, D. K., Galvez Sanchez, J. L., Giles, A. B., Hartmann, D. H., Haswell, C. A., in't Zand, J. J. M., Jacobs, H. M., Kuiper, L. M., Lamb, F. K., Laubert, P. P., Maccarone, T. J., Mchardy, I. M., Miller, M. C., Miller, J. M., Norton, A. J., Olsen, P. E. H., Orleanski, P., Osborne, J. P., Paolillo, Maurizio, Paredes, J. M., Penacchioni, A. V., Perez, M. A., Ray, P. S., Rossi, E. M. R., Schwope, A. D., Seyler, J. Y., Smith, D. M., Smith, P. J., Steiner, A. W., Strohmayer, T. E., Torrejon, J. M., Torres, D. F., and Wilson Hodge, C. A.
Subjects: x-ray and γ-ray instrumentation, compact objects, microchannel plates, X-ray detectors, X-ray imaging, X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray timing, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Computer Science Applications1707 Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, Applied Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Vision, Observatories, Field of view, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, neutron stars, Observatory, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Physics, Equipment and services, Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Steradian, [ SDU.ASTR.IM ] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic [astro-ph.IM], Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, X-ray detector, [PHYS.ASTR.IM]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic [astro-ph.IM], Cosmic Vision, Spectral resolution, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, NO, microchannel plate, Settore FIS/05 - Astronomia e Astrofisica, X-rays, compact object, 0103 physical sciences, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM), dense hadronic matter, Sensors, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, Astronomy, Accretion (astrophysics), [SDU.ASTR.IM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic [astro-ph.IM], Neutron star, 13. Climate action, [ PHYS.ASTR.IM ] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic [astro-ph.IM], Gamma-ray burst, astro-ph.IM
Abstract: The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final down-selection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supra-nuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m 2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 deg collimated field of view) and a WideField Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g. GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the status of the mission at the end of its Phase A study., Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91442T
Published: 2014
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156. AGILE and gamma-ray astrophysics

Author: Paolo Lipari, F. Gianotti, Natalia Auricchio, Francesco Longo, Sandro Mereghetti, Claudio Labanti, E. Celesti, J. Porrovecchio, C. Pittori, Alessandro Traci, E. Vallazza, I. Lapshov, S. Vercellone, T. Froysland, D. Zanello, L. Pacciani, A. W. Chen, P. Soffitta, F. Perotti, C. Pontoni, F. Lazzarotto, A. Pellizzoni, A. Morselli, A. Rubini, G. Di Cocco, A. Mauri, V. Cocco, A. Giuliani, G. Fedel, M. Trifoglio, P. Picozza, Marco Tavani, B. Preger, E. Rossi, A. Argan, Martino Marisaldi, M. Feroci, Andrea Bulgarelli, Massimo Rapisarda, E. Morelli, Enrico Costa, M. Fiorini, Guido Barbiellini, M. Galli, P. A. Caraveo, M. Prest, F. Paladin, Longo, Francesco, A., Argan, N., Auricchio, G., Barbiellini, A., Bulgarelli, P., Caraveo, E., Celesti, A., Chen, V., Cocco, E., Costa, Cocco, G., G., Fedel, M., Feroci, M., Fiorini, T., Froysland, M., Galli, F., Gianotti, A., Giuliani, C., Labanti, I., Lapshov, F., Lazzarotto, P., Lipari, A., Mauri, M., Marisaldi, S., Mereghetti, E., Morelli, A., Morselli, L., Pacciani, F., Paladin, A., Pellizzoni, F., Perotti, P., Picozza, C., Pittori, C., Pontoni, J., Porrovecchio, B., Preger, M., Prest, M., Rapisarda, E., Rossi, A., Rubini, P., Soffitta, M., Tavani, A., Traci, M., Trifoglio, E., Vallazza, S., Vercellone, and D., Zanello
Subjects: Physics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, satellites, gamma-ray astrophysics, business.industry, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics beyond the Standard Model, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Gamma ray astrophysics, business, Agile software development
Abstract: The study of γ rays is fundamental for our understanding of the universe: γ rays probe the most energetic phenomena occurring in nature, and several signatures of new physics are associated with the emission of γ rays. The main science objectives and the status of the new generation high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics experiment AGILE are presented.
Published: 2003

157. Swift/XRT orbital monitoring of the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J17354-3255

Author: P. Romano, S. Vercellone, Hans A. Krimm, J. A. Kennea, Enrico Bozzo, Vanessa Mangano, Lorenzo Ducci, and Paolo Esposito
Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, X-ray transient, Field (physics), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Field of view, Astrophysics, Light curve, law.invention, Telescope, Space and Planetary Science, law, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Outflow, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Eclipse
Abstract: We report on the Swift/X-ray Telescope (XRT) monitoring of the field of view around the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J17354-3255, which is positionally associated with the AGILE/GRID gamma-ray transient AGL J1734-3310. Our observations, which cover 11 days for a total on-source exposure of about 24 ks, span 1.2 orbital periods (P_orb=8.4474 d) and are the first sensitive monitoring of this source in the soft X-rays. These new data allow us to exploit the timing variability properties of the sources in the field to unambiguously identify the soft X-ray counterpart of IGR J17354-3255. The soft X-ray light curve shows a moderate orbital modulation and a dip. We investigated the nature of the dip by comparing the X-ray light curve with the prediction of the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion theory, assuming both spherical and nonspherical symmetry of the outflow from the donor star. We found that the dip cannot be explained with the X-ray orbital modulation. We propose that an eclipse or the onset of a gated mechanism is the most likely explanation for the observed light curve., Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 9 pages
Published: 2013

158. The science of AGILE: part II

Author: C. Pittori, M. Tavani, G. Barbiellini, A. Argan, N. Auricchio, A. Bulgarelli, P. Caraveo, E. Celesti, A. Chen, V. Cocco, E. Costa, E. Del Monte, G. Di Cocco, G. Fedel, M. Feroci, M. Fiorini, T. Froysland, M. Galli, F. Gianotti, A. Giuliani, C. Labanti, I. Lapshov, F. Lazzarotto, P. Lipari, F. Longo, E. Mattaini, S. Mereghetti, E. Morelli, A. Morselli, L. Pacciani, A. Pellizzoni, F. Perotti, P. Picozza, C. Pontoni, G. Porrovecchio, B. Preger, M. Prest, M. Rapisarda, E. Rossi, A. Rubini, P. Soffitta, M. Trifoglio, E. Vallazza, S. Vercellone, D. Zanello, C., Pittori, M., Tavani, G., Barbiellini, A., Argan, N., Auricchio, A., Bulgarelli, P., Caraveo, E., Celesti, A., Chen, V., Cocco, E., Costa, Monte, E., Cocco, G., G., Fedel, M., Feroci, M., Fiorini, T., Froysland, M., Galli, F., Gianotti, A., Giuliani, C., Labanti, I., Lapshov, F., Lazzarotto, P., Lipari, Longo, Francesco, E., Mattaini, S., Mereghetti, E., Morelli, A., Morselli, L., Pacciani, A., Pellizzoni, F., Perotti, P., Picozza, C., Pontoni, G., Porrovecchio, B., Preger, M., Prest, M., Rapisarda, E., Rossi, A., Rubini, P., Soffitta, M., Trifoglio, E., Vallazza, S., Vercellone, and D., Zanello
Subjects: AGILE, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, gamma-ray astrophysics, satellite, track reconstruction, X and gamma imaging, point spread function, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Published: 2002

159. The science of AGILE: part I

Author: C. Pontoni, S. Vercellone, A. Rubini, E. Mattaini, G. Di Cocco, E. Rossi, L. Pacciani, Geiland Porrovecchio, G. Fedel, Marco Tavani, Natalia Auricchio, M. Prest, A. Pellizzoni, C. Pittori, Sandro Mereghetti, G. Barbiellini, A. Giuliani, A. Argan, T. Froysland, Andrea Bulgarelli, P. Picozza, Massimo Rapisarda, Enrico Costa, I. Lapshov, P. A. Caraveo, P. Lipari, Claudio Labanti, M. Feroci, E. Del Monte, F. Gianotti, M. Fiorini, D. Zanello, M. Galli, E. Vallazza, B. Preger, A. W. Chen, E. Celesti, V. Cocco, M. Trifoglio, A. Morselli, P. Soffitta, E. Morelli, F. Perotti, F. Lazzarotto, F. Longo, V., Cocco, M., Tavani, G., Barbiellini, A., Argan, N., Auricchio, A., Bulgarelli, P., Caraveo, E., Celesti, A., Chen, E., Costa, Monte, E., Cocco, G., G., Fedel, M., Feroci, M., Fiorini, T., Froysland, M., Galli, F., Gianotti, A., Giuliani, C., Labanti, I., Lapshov, F., Lazzarotto, P., Lipari, Longo, Francesco, E., Mattaini, S., Mereghetti, E., Morelli, A., Morselli, L., Pacciani, A., Pellizzoni, F., Perotti, P., Picozza, C., Pittori, C., Pontoni, G., Porrovecchio, B., Preger, M., Prest, M., Rapisarda, E., Rossi, A., Rubini, P., Soffitta, M., Trifoglio, E., Vallazza, S., Vercellone, and D., Zanello
Subjects: Physics, Point spread function, Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Active galactic nucleus, Photon, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Astronomy, Astrophysics, gamma ray satellite, point spread function, on-board data processing, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, AGILE, gamma-ray astrophysics, satellites, Pulsar, Sky, Temporal resolution, Satellite, gamma-ray astrophysics, satellites, on-board data processing, temporal resolution, Image resolution, media_common
Abstract: AGILE is an ASI Small Scientific Mission dedicated to gamma-ray astrophysics, which will detect and image photons in the 30 MeV – 50 GeV and in the 10–40 keV energy ranges. It is planned to be operational in early 2004 and it will be the only Mission entirely dedicated to source detection above 30 MeV during the period 2004–2006. AGILE will be an excellent gamma-ray imager with a spatial resolution of ∼ 40 μm and a very large FOV (∼ 1/5 of the sky). It allows simultaneous observations in the hard X-ray and in the γ-ray bands and it is characterized by an optimal temporal resolution (absolute timing of ∼ 2 μs and deadtimes of ∼ 100 μs for the GRID and of ∼ 5 μs for Super-AGILE and the Mini-Calorimeter). AGILE main scientific objectives will be: Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma-Ray Bursts, Pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources and diffuse Galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray emission. In this paper (Part I) we focus on the AGILE scientific goals, the AGILE instrument and the on-board data processing.
Published: 2002

160. The Swift Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients Project: a review, new results, and future perspectives

Author: Lorenzo Ducci, J. A. Kennea, Paolo Esposito, Ruben Farinelli, Fabrizio Bocchino, C. Ceccobello, Hans A. Krimm, N. Gehrels, V. Mangano, P. Romano, S. Vercellone, and David N. Burrows
Subjects: Swift, Physics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Atmospheric Science, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Aerospace Engineering, Astronomy, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Duty cycle, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: We present a review of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) Project, a systematic investigation of the properties of SFXTs with a strategy that combines Swift monitoring programs with outburst follow-up observations. This strategy has quickly tripled the available sets of broad-band data of SFXT outbursts, and gathered a wealth of out-of-outburst data, which have led us to a broad-band spectral characterization, an assessment of the fraction of the time these sources spend in each phase, and their duty cycle of inactivity. We present some new observational results obtained through our outburst follow-ups, as fitting examples of the exceptional capabilities of Swift in catching bright flares and monitor them panchromatically., Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research. Proceedings of the 39th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, E1.4, "Unveiling Properties of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients". 9 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables
Published: 2013
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161. Long-term monitoring of PKS 0537-441 with Fermi-LAT and multiwavelength observations

Author: P. Romano, Dario Gasparrini, S. Vercellone, Justin D. Finke, B. Sbarufatti, M. Perri, Domenico Impiombato, Stefano Ciprini, M. Hauser, Frank K. Schinzel, Stefan Larsson, Marco Ajello, Stefano Covino, Mark Gurwell, A. Zook, Elisa Antolini, G. Polenta, Ann E. Wehrle, G. Tosti, Massimo Persic, Stefan Wagner, Aldo Treves, Filippo D'Ammando, Elena Pian, D'Ammando, F., Antolini, E., Tosti, G., Finke, J., Ciprini, S., Larsson, S., Ajello, M., Covino, S., Gasparrini, D., Gurwell, M., Hauser, M., Romano, P., Schinzel, F., Wagner, S. J., Impiombato, D., Perri, M., Persic, M., Pian, E., Polenta, G., Sbarufatti, B., Treves, A., Vercellone, S., Wehrle, A., and Zook, A.
Subjects: astro-ph.HE, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Quasar, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Submillimeter Array, law.invention, Telescope, Space and Planetary Science, law, Long term monitoring, astro-ph.CO, galaxies: active, BL Lacertae objects: general, BL Lacertae objects: individual: PKS 0537−441, galaxies: quasars: general, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Blazar, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, BL Lac object
Abstract: We report on multiwavelength observations of the blazar PKS 0537-441 (z = 0.896) obtained from microwaves through gamma rays by SMA, REM, ATOM, Swift and Fermi during 2008 August-2010 April. Strong variability has been observed in gamma rays, with two major flaring episodes (2009 July and 2010 March) and a harder-when-brighter behaviour, quite common for FSRQs and low-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs, in 2010 March. In the same way the SED of the source cannot be modelled by a simple synchrotron self-Compton model, as opposed to many BL Lacs, but the addition of an external Compton component of seed photons from a dust torus is needed. The 230 GHz light curve showed an increase simultaneous with the gamma-ray one, indicating co-spatiality of the mm and gamma-ray emission region likely at large distance from the central engine. The low, average, and high activity SED of the source could be fit changing only the electron distribution parameters, but two breaks in the electron distribution are necessary. The ensuing extra spectral break, located at NIR-optical frequencies, together with that in gamma rays seem to indicate a common origin, most likely due to an intrinsic feature in the underlying electron distribution. An overall correlation between the gamma-ray band with the R-band and K-band has been observed with no significant time lag. On the other hand, when inspecting the light curves on short time scales some differences are evident. In particular, flaring activity has been detected in NIR and optical bands with no evident gamma-ray counterparts in 2009 September and November. Moderate variability has been observed in X-rays with no correlation between flux and photon index. An increase of the detected X-ray flux with no counter part at the other wavelengths has been observed in 2008 October, suggesting once more a complex correlation between the emission at different energy bands., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, MNRAS in press - Minor editing changes
Published: 2013

162. Variable gamma-ray emission from the crab nebula: Short flares and long 'waves'

Author: C. Pittori, M. Cardillo, Attilio Ferrari, A. Pellizzoni, V. Vittorini, E. Striani, A. Giuliani, M. Trifoglio, A. Argan, Andrea Bulgarelli, Paolo Soffitta, Enrico Costa, I. Donnarumma, Massimo Rapisarda, E. Del Monte, F. Verrecchia, S. Vercellone, Alessio Trois, G. Piano, Sandro Mereghetti, Luigi Pacciani, Marco Tavani, S. Sabatini, Sergio Colafrancesco, G. Pucella, and Pucella, G.
Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Gamma ray, FOS: Physical sciences, Flux, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Plasma, Astrophysics, Kinetic energy, acceleration of particles, gamma rays: stars, pulsars: individual (Crab Nebula), law.invention, Crab Nebula, Pulsar, Space and Planetary Science, law, gamma rays: star, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Event (particle physics), acceleration of particle, Flare
Abstract: Gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula has been recently shown to be unsteady. In this paper, we study the flux and spectral variability of the Crab above 100 MeV on different timescales ranging from days to weeks. In addition to the four main intense and day-long flares detected by AGILE and Fermi-LAT between Sept. 2007 and Sept. 2012, we find evidence for week-long and less intense episodes of enhanced gamma-ray emission that we call "waves". Statistically significant "waves" show timescales of 1-2 weeks, and can occur by themselves or in association with shorter flares. We present a refined flux and spectral analysis of the Sept. - Oct. 2007 gamma-ray enhancement episode detected by AGILE that shows both "wave" and flaring behavior. We extend our analysis to the publicly available Fermi-LAT dataset and show that several additional "wave" episodes can be identified. We discuss the spectral properties of the September 2007 "wave"/flare event and show that the physical properties of the "waves" are intermediate between steady and flaring states. Plasma instabilities inducing "waves" appear to involve spatial distances l \sim 10^{16} cm and enhanced magnetic fields B \sim (0.5 - 1) mG. Day-long flares are characterized by smaller distances and larger local magnetic fields. Typically, the deduced total energy associated with the "wave" phenomenon (E_w \sim 10^{42} erg, where E_w is the kinetic energy of the emitting particles) is comparable with that associated to the flares, and can reach a few percent of the total available pulsar spindown energy. Most likely, flares and waves are the product of the same class of plasma instabilities that we show acting on different timescales and radiation intensities., 11 pages, 10 figures
Published: 2013

163. AGILE OBSERVATIONS OF THE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE EVENT GW150914

Author: Marco Tavani, C. Pittori, Sandro Mereghetti, E. Del Monte, G. Minervini, S. Colafrancesco, Arnaud Ferrari, Guido Barbiellini, Martino Marisaldi, V. Vittorini, Francesco Longo, P. Picozza, M. Galli, S. Sabatini, Andrea Zoli, A. Argan, P. W. Cattaneo, Andrea Bulgarelli, Paolo Giommi, F. Verrecchia, A. Rappoldi, Enrico Costa, Fabrizio Lucarelli, Marco Feroci, Luigi Pacciani, S. Vercellone, G. Piano, M. Cardillo, Louis Antonelli, A. Pellizzoni, Maura Pilia, P. Munar-Adrover, Alessio Trois, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, A. Giuliani, A. Morselli, Valentina Fioretti, P. A. Caraveo, F. Fuschino, Galli, M., Tavani, M., Pittori, C., Verrecchia, F., Bulgarelli, A., Giuliani, A., Donnarumma, I., Argan, A., Trois, A., Lucarelli, F., Marisaldi, M., Monte, E. Del, Evangelista, Y., Fioretti, V., Zoli, A., Piano, G., Munar Adrover, P., Antonelli, L. A., Barbiellini, G., Caraveo, P., Cattaneo, P. W., Costa, E., Feroci, M., Ferrari, A., Longo, Francesco, Mereghetti, S., Minervini, G., Morselli, A., Pacciani, L., Pellizzoni, A., Picozza, P., Pilia, M., Rappoldi, A., Sabatini, S., Vercellone, S., Vittorini, V., Giommi, P., Colafrancesco, S., Cardillo, M., Fuschino, F., and ITA
Subjects: gamma rays: general, gravitational waves, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Event (relativity), FOS: Physical sciences, 01 natural sciences, 0103 physical sciences, Gamma ray detectors, gravitational wave, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, Gravitational wave, business.industry, Astronomy, Astronomy and Astrophysic, LIGO, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, business, general [gamma rays], Agile software development
Abstract: We report the results of an extensive search in the AGILE data for a gamma-ray counterpart of the LIGO gravitational wave event GW150914. Currently in spinning mode, AGILE has the potential of covering with its gamma-ray instrument 80 % of the sky more than 100 times a day. It turns out that AGILE came within a minute from the event time of observing the accessible GW150914 localization region. Interestingly, the gamma-ray detector exposed about 65 % of this region during the 100 s time intervals centered at -100 s and +300 s from the event time. We determine a 2-sigma flux upper limit in the band 50 MeV - 10 GeV, $UL = 1.9 \times 10^{-8} \rm \, erg \, cm^{-2} \, s^{-1}$ obtained about 300 s after the event. The timing of this measurement is the fastest ever obtained for GW150914, and significantly constrains the electromagnetic emission of a possible high-energy counterpart. We also carried out a search for a gamma-ray precursor and delayed emission over timescales ranging from minutes to days: in particular, we obtained an optimal exposure during the interval -150 / -30 s. In all these observations, we do not detect a significant signal associated with GW150914. We do not reveal the weak transient source reported by Fermi-GBM 0.4 s after the event time. However, even though a gamma-ray counterpart of the GW150914 event was not detected, the prospects for future AGILE observations of gravitational wave sources are decidedly promising., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters on April 1, 2016
Published: 2016
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164. Search of MeV–GeV counterparts of TeV sources with AGILE in pointing mode

Author: C. Pittori, A. Morselli, A. Rappoldi, Andrea Bulgarelli, I. Donnarumma, F. Longo, Marco Tavani, S. Sabatini, Sergio Colafrancesco, A. Giuliani, P. W. Cattaneo, A. W. Chen, F. Verrecchia, S. Vercellone, Fabrizio Lucarelli, ITA, ZAF, Rappoldi, A, Lucarelli, F., Pittori, C., Longo, Francesco, Cattaneo, P. W., Verrecchia, F., Tavani, M., Bulgarelli, A., Chen, A. W., Colafrancesco, S., Donnarumma, I., Giuliani, A., Morselli, A., Sabatini, S., and Vercellone, S.
Subjects: Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Gamma rays: general, Observation period, general [Gamma rays], FOS: Physical sciences, Flux, Context (language use), Sample (statistics), Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Maximum likelihood algorithm, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, business.industry, Mode (statistics), Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astronomy and Astrophysic, Space and Planetary Science, Catalog, Catalogs, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, business, Agile software development
Abstract: Context. Known TeV sources detected by major Cerenkov telescopes are investigated to identify possible MeV-GeV gamma-ray counterparts. Aims. A systematic study of the known sources in the web-based TeVCat Catalog has been performed to search for possible gamma-ray counterpart on the AGILE data collected during the first period of operations in observing pointing mode. Methods. For each TeV source, a search for a possible gamma-ray counterpart based on a multi-source Maximum Likelihood algorithm is performed on the AGILE data taken with the GRID instrument from July 2007 to October 2009. Results. In case of high-significance detection, the average gamma-ray flux is estimated. For the cases of low-significance detection the 95 % Confidence Level (C.L.) flux upper limit is given. 52 TeV sources out of 152 (corresponding to ~34 % of the analysed sample) show a significant excess in the AGILE data covering the pointing observation period. Conclusions. This analysis found 26 new AGILE sources with respect to the AGILE reference catalogs, 15 of which are Galactic, 7 are extragalactic and 4 are unidentified. Detailed tables with all available information on the analysed sources are presented., 14 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables
Published: 2016
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165. Swift monitoring of IGR J16418-4532

Author: P. Romano, S. Vercellone, L. Ducci, V. Mangano, and Paolo Esposito
Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, Swift, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Light curve, Orbital period, Accretion (astrophysics), Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Circular orbit, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, computer, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics, computer.programming_language
Abstract: We report on the Swift observations of the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J16418-4532, which has an orbital period of ~3.7 d. Our monitoring, for a total of ~43 ks, spans over three orbits and represents the most intense and complete sampling along the orbital period of the light curve of this source. If one assumes a circular orbit, the X-ray emission from this source can be explained by accretion from a spherically symmetric clumpy wind from a blue supergiant, composed of clumps with different masses, ranging from ~5x10^16 g to 10^21g., 4 pages; Proceedings, 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, (Gamma2012) Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-13th, 2012
Published: 2012

166. Supergiant fast X-ray transients with Swift: Spectroscopic and temporal properties

Author: J. A. Kennea, Paolo Esposito, Vanessa Mangano, C. Ceccobello, L. Ducci, Ruben Farinelli, David N. Burrows, Neil Gehrels, Hans A. Krimm, P. Romano, and S. Vercellone
Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, Swift, High energy, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, X-ray, Gamma ray, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Spectroscopy, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: Supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) are a class of high-mass X-ray binaries with possible counterparts in the high energy gamma rays. The Swift SFXT Project has conducted a systematic investigation of the properties of SFTXs on timescales ranging from minutes to years and in several intensity states (from bright flares, to intermediate intensity states, and down to almost quiescence). We also performed broad-band spectroscopy of outbursts, and intensity-selected spectroscopy outside of outbursts. We demonstrated that while the brightest phase of the outburst only lasts a few hours, further activity is observed at lower fluxes for a remarkably longer time, up to weeks. Furthermore, we assessed the fraction of the time these sources spend in each phase, and their duty cycle of inactivity. We present the most recent results from our investigation. The spectroscopic and, most importantly, timing properties of SFXTs we have uncovered with Swift will serve as a guide in search for the high energy emission from these enigmatic objects., Comment: Proceedings, 5th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, (Gamma2012) Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-13th, 2012
Published: 2012
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167. Supergiant Fast X-Ray Transients: Swift Results and Theoretical Progress

Author: Lev Titarchuk, R. Farinelli, P. Romano, S. Vercellone, and C. Ceccobello
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Field (physics), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Radiative transfer, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Supergiant, computer, Magnetic field, computer.programming_language
Abstract: We present an overview of our Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) project, by highlighting the unique observational contribution Swift is giving to this exciting new field. Since 2007 Swift has been detecting outbursts from these fast transients with the BAT and following them intensively for days with the XRT so that we now have a firm estimate of the time SFXTs spend in each intensity phase. We summarize some preliminary results on our XSPEC model that numerically solves the bulk-motion radiative transfer equation with a strong magnetic field, in the Fokker-Planck approximation.
Published: 2012

168. A two-year monitoring campaign of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with Swift

Author: P. Romano, S. Vercellone, and Paolo Esposito
Subjects: Physics, Swift, X-ray, Astrophysics, Supergiant, computer, computer.programming_language
Published: 2011
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169. High spatial resolution correlation of AGILE TGFs and global lightning activity above the equatorial belt

Author: A. Zambra, F. Fuschino, C. Pittori, Marco Feroci, Luigi Pacciani, M. Fiorini, P. Santolamazza, Claudio Labanti, A. W. Chen, Alda Rubini, E. Vallazza, S. Vercellone, P. W. Cattaneo, P. Giommi, G. Pucella, G. De Paris, G. Di Persio, Paolo Lipari, Arnaud Ferrari, A. Pellizzoni, Francesco Lazzarotto, F. Perotti, L. Salotti, L. A. Antonelli, Filippo D'Ammando, Paolo Soffitta, Elena Moretti, S. Sabatini, Massimo Rapisarda, A. Rappoldi, M. Prest, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, D. Zanello, Guido Barbiellini, V. Vittorini, E. Striani, P. Picozza, A. Giuliani, M. Trifoglio, Fabrizio Lucarelli, I. Lapshov, A. Argan, Andrea Bulgarelli, E. Del Monte, G. Di Cocco, P. A. Caraveo, S. Cutini, Enrico Costa, M. Galli, Maura Pilia, F. Verrecchia, Alessio Trois, Francesco Longo, Fulvio Gianotti, Martino Marisaldi, A. Morselli, G. Piano, Marco Tavani, Sandro Mereghetti, and S. Colafrancesco
Subjects: Physics, Correlation, Geophysics, Meteorology, Equator, High spatial resolution, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Satellite, Radio atmospheric, Lightning, Latitude, Terrestrial gamma-ray flash
Abstract: [1] The AGILE satellite detects Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) in the 0.35–100 MeV energy range using its Mini-Calorimeter (MCAL) instrument with an average detection rate of 10 TGFs/month. Thanks to its Low Earth Orbit with only 2.5 degree of inclination, AGILE guarantees an unprecedented exposure above the equator, where both lightning activity and TGF detection peak. Here we report the comparison between the AGILE TGFs detected between March 2009 and February 2010 and full climatology lightning worldwide distribution based on satellite optical observations from LIS (Lightning Imaging Sensor) and OTD (Optical Transient Detector) instruments. This approach is complementary to the one-to-one TGF/lightning correlations by ground-based sferics measurements. Based on mono and bi-dimensional Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, we show that the AGILE TGFs and time-averaged global lightning in the equatorial area are not drawn from the same distribution. However, we find significant regional differences in the degree of correlation as well as in the TGF/lightning ratio. In the case of south east Asia we find a 87% probability for the TGF and lightning being samples of the same distribution. This result supports the idea that the physical conditions at play in TGF generation can have strong geographical and climatological modulation. Based on the assumption that the observed range of TGF/flash ratio holds at all latitudes we can estimate a global rate of ≃ 220 ÷ 570 TGFs per day. The observed TGF/flash geographical modulation as well as the TGF global rate estimate are in agreement with previous observations.
Published: 2011
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170. The 'Crazy Diamond' 3C 454.3 and its siblings: confirmations and surprises

Author: S. Vercellone
Subjects: media_common.quotation_subject, engineering, Astronomy, Diamond, Art, engineering.material, media_common
Published: 2011
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171. The Swift Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients Project: recent results

Author: Valentina La Parola, P. Romano, Hans A. Krimm, Giancarlo Cusumano, S. Vercellone, Vanessa Mangano, and Paolo Esposito
Subjects: Swift, computer, Humanities, computer.programming_language
Abstract: P. Romano∗,a S. Vercellone,a V. La Parola,a G. Cusumano,a V. Mangano,a P. Esposito,b J.A. Kennea,c D.N. Burrows,c H.A. Krimm,de C. Pagani, f N. Gehrels,g aINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy bINAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, localita Poggio dei Pini, strada 54, I-09012 Capoterra, Italy cDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA dCRESST/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA eUniversities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA f Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK gNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA E-mail: romano@ifc.inaf.it http://www.ifc.inaf.it/sfxt/
Published: 2011
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172. The observation of GRBs with AGILE and the interesting cases of GRB 090618 and GRB 100724B

Author: E. Del Monte, G. Barbiellini, F. Fuschino, A. Giuliani, F. Longo, M. Marisaldi, E. Moretti, M. Trifoglio, A. Argan, A. Bulgarelli, P. Caraveo, P. W. Cattaneo, A. Chen, E. Costa, G. Di Cocco, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, M. Feroci, M. Galli, F. Gianotti, C. Labanti, I. Lapshov, F. Lazzarotto, P. Lipari, S. Mereghetti, A. Morselli, L. Pacciani, A. Pellizzoni, F. Perotti, P. Picozza, M. Pilia, M. Prest, G. Pucella, M. Rapisarda, A. Rappoldi, P. Soffitta, M. Tavani, A. Trois, E. Vallazza, S. Vercellone, V. Vittorini, C. Pittori, L. Salotti, J. E. McEnery, J. L. Racusin, and N. Gehrels
Subjects: Physics, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Delayed onset, Gamma ray, Astronomy, Spectral analysis, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Gamma-ray burst, Redshift
Abstract: The AGILE satellite, in orbit since 2007, is localizing about 0.5 GRBs per month with the hard X‐ray imager SuperAGILE (18–60 keV) and is detecting around 1 GRB per week with the non‐imaging Minicalorimeter (0.35–100 MeV). Up to now the AGILE Gamma Ray Imaging Detector firmly detected four GRBs in the energy band between 20 MeV and few GeV. In this presentation we review the status of the GRBs observation with AGILE, we discuss the upper limits in the gamma‐ray band of the non‐detected events and we show some interesting bursts, especially GRB 090618 (bright in soft and hard‐X rays, optical and radio but lacking GeV emission) and GRB 100724B (with a bright GeV emission simultaneous to hard‐X rays without delayed onset).
Published: 2011
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173. The long-lasting activity of 3C 454.3: GASP-WEBT and satellite observations in 2008-2010

Author: C. M. Raiteri, M. Villata, M. F. Aller, M. A. Gurwell, O. M. Kurtanidze, A. Lähteenmäki, V. M. Larionov, P. Romano, S. Vercellone, I. Agudo, H. D. Aller, A. A. Arkharov, U. Bach, E. Benítez, A. Berdyugin, D. A. Blinov, E. V. Borisova, M. Böttcher, O. J. A. Bravo Calle, C. S. Buemi, P. Calcidese, D. Carosati, R. Casas, W.-P. Chen, N. V. Efimova, J. L. Gómez, C. Gusbar, K. Hawkins, J. Heidt, D. Hiriart, H. Y. Hsiao, B. Jordan, S. G. Jorstad, M. Joshi, G. N. Kimeridze, E. Koptelova, T. S. Konstantinova, E. N. Kopatskaya, S. O. Kurtanidze, E. G. Larionova, L. V. Larionova, P. Leto, Y. Li, R. Ligustri, E. Lindfors, M. Lister, A. P. Marscher, S. N. Molina, D. A. Morozova, E. Nieppola, M. G. Nikolashvili, K. Nilsson, N. Palma, M. Pasanen, R. Reinthal, V. Roberts, J. A. Ros, P. Roustazadeh, A. C. Sadun, T. Sakamoto, R. D. Schwartz, L. A. Sigua, A. Sillanpää, L. O. Takalo, J. Tammi, B. Taylor, M. Tornikoski, C. Trigilio, I. S. Troitsky, G. Umana, A. Volvach, T. A. Yuldasheva, Anne Lähteenmäki Group, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: Photon, Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, education, jets [galaxies], quasars: individual: 3C 454.3 [galaxies], Synchrotron radiation, Flux, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, law, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Physics, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, quasars: general [galaxies], Astronomy and Astrophysics, Light curve, Synchrotron, Wavelength, Amplitude, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, active [galaxies], Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Abstract: We present multiwavelength observations of 3C 454.3 from April 2008 to March 2010. The radio to optical data are mostly from the GASP-WEBT, UV and X-ray data from Swift, and gamma-ray data from the AGILE and Fermi satellites. We improved the calibration of optical-UV data from the UVOT and OM instruments and estimated the Lyalpha flux to disentangle the contributions from different components in this spectral region. The observations reveal prominent variability above 8 GHz. In the optical-UV band, the variability amplitude decreases with increasing frequency due to a steadier radiation from both a broad line region and an accretion disc. The optical flux reaches nearly the same levels in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 observing seasons; the mm one shows similar behaviour, whereas the gamma and X-ray flux levels rise in the second period. Two prominent gamma-ray flares in mid 2008 and late 2009 show a double-peaked structure, with a variable gamma/optical flux ratio. The X-ray flux variations seem to follow the gamma-ray and optical ones by about 0.5 and 1 d, respectively. We interpret the multifrequency behaviour in terms of an inhomogeneous curved jet, where synchrotron radiation of increasing wavelength is produced in progressively outer and wider jet regions, which can change their orientation in time. In particular, we assume that the long-term variability is due to this geometrical effect. By combining the optical and mm light curves to fit the gamma and X-ray ones, we find that the gamma (X-ray) emission may be explained by inverse-Comptonisation of synchrotron optical (IR) photons by their parent relativistic electrons (SSC process). A slight, variable misalignment between the synchrotron and Comptonisation zones would explain the increased gamma and X-ray flux levels in 2009-2010, as well as the change in the gamma/optical flux ratio during the outbursts peaks., 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
Published: 2011

174. Two years of monitoring supergiant fast X-ray transients with Swift

Author: K. L. Page, J. A. Kennea, Lara Sidoli, Paolo Esposito, N. Gehrels, E. A. Hoversten, H. A. Krimm, V. La Parola, David N. Burrows, G. Cusumano, C. Pagani, P. Romano, and S. Vercellone
Subjects: Physics, Photon, Accretion (meteorology), Space and Planetary Science, Order (ring theory), Flux, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Supergiant, Spectroscopy, Order of magnitude, Spectral line
Abstract: We present two years of intense Swift monitoring of three SFXTs, IGR J16479-4514, XTE J1739-302, and IGR J17544-2619 (since October 2007). Out-of-outburst intensity-based X-ray (0.3-10keV) spectroscopy yields absorbed power laws with by hard photon indices (G~1-2). Their outburst broad-band (0.3-150 keV) spectra can be fit well with models typically used to describe the X-ray emission from accreting NSs in HMXBs. We assess how long each source spends in each state using a systematic monitoring with a sensitive instrument. These sources spend 3-5% of the total in bright outbursts. The most probable flux is 1-2E-11 erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} (2-10 keV, unabsorbed), corresponding to luminosities in the order of a few 10^{33} to 10^{34} erg s^{-1} (two orders of magnitude lower than the bright outbursts). The duty-cycle of inactivity is 19, 39, 55%, for IGR J16479-4514, XTE J1739-302, and IGR J17544-2619, respectively. We present a complete list of BAT on-board detections further confirming the continued activity of these sources. This demonstrates that true quiescence is a rare state, and that these transients accrete matter throughout their life at different rates. X-ray variability is observed at all timescales and intensities we can probe. Superimposed on the day-to-day variability is intra-day flaring which involves variations up to one order of magnitude that can occur down to timescales as short as ~1ks, and whichcan be explained by the accretion of single clumps composing the donor wind with masses M_cl~0.3-2x10^{19} g. (Abridged)
Published: 2010
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175. New results with Swift on Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients

Author: Neil Gehrels, L. Ducci, Vanessa Mangano, H. A. Krimm, Angela Bazzano, P. Romano, G. Cusumano, S. Vercellone, David N. Burrows, J. A. Kennea, L. Sidoli, Ada Paizis, V. La Parola, and V. Sguera
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Astronomy, Supergiant, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: L. Sidoli∗,a P. Romano,b L. Ducci,ac A. Paizis,a S. Vercellone,b G. Cusumano,b V. La Parola,b V. Mangano,b J.A. Kennea,d D.N. Burrows,d H.A. Krimm,e f g N. Gehrels,g V. Sguera,hi A. Bazzanoi aINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano, Italy bINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy cDipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, Universita degli Studi dell’Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como, Italy dDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA eCRESST/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA f Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA gNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA hINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy iINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133, Roma, Italy E-mail: sidoli@iasf-milano.inaf.it
Published: 2010
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176. The Swift-BAT hard X-ray sky monitoring unveils the orbital period of the HMXB IGR J16493−4348

Author: G. Chincarini, V. La Parola, G. Cusumano, P. Romano, S. Vercellone, and Alberto Segreto
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Orbital period, Orbit, Space and Planetary Science, Sky, High mass, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Supergiant, computer, Eclipse, computer.programming_language, media_common
Abstract: IGR J16493-4348 is a supergiant high mass X-ray binary discovered by INTEGRAL in 2004. The source is detected at a significance level of $\sim21$ standard deviations in the Swift-BAT survey data collected during the first 54 months of the Swift mission. The timing analysis reveals an orbital period of $\sim$6.78 days and the presence of a full eclipse of the compact ob\ ject. The dynamical range (variability up to a factor $\sim$20) observed during the BAT monitoring suggests that IGR J16493-4348 is a wind-fed system. The derived semi-major axis of the binary system is $\sim55 R_{\sun}$ with an orbit eccentr\ icity lower than 0.15.
Published: 2010
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177. Detection of terrestrial gamma ray flashes up to 40 MeV by the AGILE satellite

Author: Martino Marisaldi, A. Zambra, E. Striani, I. Donnarumma, M. Trifoglio, C. Pittori, Claudio Labanti, I. Lapshov, T. Froysland, M. Fiorini, D. Zanello, Marco Tavani, F. Fuschino, A. Argan, P. A. Caraveo, M. Pilia, M. Galli, Marco Feroci, Luigi Pacciani, Andrea Bulgarelli, M. Prest, L. Salotti, F. Verrecchia, F. Boffelli, G. Di Persio, Sandro Mereghetti, F. Perotti, E. Del Monte, Enrico Costa, G. Pucella, Elena Moretti, Paolo Soffitta, L. A. Antonelli, Francesco Lazzarotto, Arnaud Ferrari, A. Rappoldi, E. Vallazza, Dario Gasparrini, G. Di Cocco, S. Cutini, G. De Paris, S. Sabatini, S. Colafrancesco, A. Morselli, S. Vercellone, V. Cocco, P. Santolamazza, A. W. Chen, Paolo Lipari, Alda Rubini, P. Picozza, P. Giommi, P. W. Cattaneo, G. Piano, Massimo Rapisarda, Guido Barbiellini, V. Vittorini, Y. Evangelista, A. Pellizzoni, A. Giuliani, B. Preger, Filippo D'Ammando, Francesco Longo, Alessio Trois, and Fulvio Gianotti
Subjects: Physics, Atmospheric Science, Ecology, Detector, Bremsstrahlung, Gamma ray, Paleontology, Soil Science, Astronomy, Forestry, Aquatic Science, Oceanography, Geographic distribution, Geophysics, Relativistic runaway electron avalanche, Space and Planetary Science, Geochemistry and Petrology, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Gamma ray detectors, Satellite, Earth-Surface Processes, Water Science and Technology, Remote sensing, Terrestrial gamma-ray flash
Abstract: We report the detection by the Astrorivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) satellite of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) obtained with the minicalorimeter (MCAL) detector operating in the ...
Published: 2010
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178. The Swift view of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients

Author: L. Sidoli, P. Romano, L. Ducci, A. Paizis, S. Vercellone, G. Cusumano, V. La Parola, V. Mangano, D. N. Burrows, J. A. Kennea, H. A. Krimm, N. Gehrels, A. Comastri, L. Angelini, and M. Cappi
Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Physics, Swift, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies, Accretion disc, Pulsar, Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA), High mass, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: We report here on the recent results of a monitoring campaign we have been carrying out with Swift/XRT on a sample of four Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients. The main goal of this large programme (with a net Swift/XRT exposure of 540 ks, updated to 2009, August, 31) is to address several main open issues related to this new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries hosting OB supergiant stars as companions. Here we summarize the most important results obtained between October 2007 and August 2009., Published on the Proceedings of the conference X-Ray Astronomy 2009, Present Status, multiwavelenght approach and future perspectives, September 7 - 11, 2009, Bologna, Italy. Revised version according to the referee's report
Published: 2010

179. Another look at the BL Lacertae flux and spectral variability:Observations by GASP-WEBT, XMM- Newton, and Swift in 2008-2009

Author: Carla Buemi, P. Roustazadeh, Talvikki Hovatta, A. Sillanpää, P. Romano, S. Vercellone, M. G. Nikolashvili, P. Calcidese, L. Bruschini, Sofia O. Kurtanidze, A. Di Paola, A. A. Arkharov, Omar M. Kurtanidze, E. Forné, Merja Tornikoski, J. Sainio, D. Carosati, N. V. Efimova, Valeri M. Larionov, A. C. Sadun, Mark Gurwell, Andrei Berdyugin, Mauro Dolci, C. M. Raiteri, B. Jordan, Antti Hakola, Elena G. Larionova, D. A. Morozova, I. S. Troitsky, Alessandro Capetti, Hugh D. Aller, Ricard Casas, C. Diltz, M. Villata, M. F. Aller, Kari Nilsson, Wen Ping Chen, Alan P. Marscher, D. Blinov, Markus Böttcher, Uwe Bach, Corrado Trigilio, I. Agudo, G. Umana, J. L. Gomez, Anne Lähteenmäki, Ekaterina Koptelova, R. Ligustri, L. O. Takalo, J. A. Ros, J. M. Coloma, Paolo Leto, H. Y. Hsiao, Svetlana G. Jorstad, E. Lindfors, Anne Lähteenmäki Group, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, education, jets [galaxies], Flux, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, law.invention, Telescope, law, 0103 physical sciences, Blazar, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, individual: BL Lacertae [BL Lacertae objects], Physics, Jet (fluid), Line-of-sight, general [BL Lacertae objects], 010308 nuclear & particles physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, active [galaxies], Spectral energy distribution, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Flare
Abstract: The GLAST-AGILE Support Program (GASP) of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) monitored BL Lacertae in 2008-2009 at radio, near-IR, and optical frequencies. During this period, high-energy observations were performed by XMM-Newton, Swift, and Fermi. We analyse these data with particular attention to the calibration of Swift UV data, and apply a helical jet model to interpret the source broad-band variability. The GASP-WEBT observations show an optical flare in 2008 February-March, and oscillations of several tenths of mag on a few-day time scale afterwards. The radio flux is only mildly variable. The UV data from both XMM-Newton and Swift seem to confirm a UV excess that is likely caused by thermal emission from the accretion disc. The X-ray data from XMM-Newton indicate a strongly concave spectrum, as well as moderate flux variability on an hour time scale. The Swift X-ray data reveal fast (interday) flux changes, not correlated with those observed at lower energies. We compare the spectral energy distribution (SED) corresponding to the 2008 low-brightness state, which was characterised by a synchrotron dominance, to the 1997 outburst state, where the inverse-Compton emission was prevailing. A fit with an inhomogeneous helical jet model suggests that two synchrotron components are at work with their self inverse-Compton emission. Most likely, they represent the radiation from two distinct emitting regions in the jet. We show that the difference between the source SEDs in 2008 and 1997 can be explained in terms of pure geometrical variations. The outburst state occurred when the jet-emitting regions were better aligned with the line of sight, producing an increase of the Doppler beaming factor. Our analysis demonstrates that the jet geometry can play an extremely important role in the BL Lacertae flux and spectral variability.
Published: 2010

180. AGILE∕GRID observation of the pulsar PSR J0614+2229, PSR J1826−1334 and PSR J1856+0113

Author: T. Mineo, R. Campana, S. Vercellone, A. Comastri, L. Angelini, and M. Cappi
Subjects: Physics, Pulsar, Millisecond pulsar, Pulsar planet, Gamma ray, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Ephemeris, Grid
Abstract: We present the analysis of PSR J0614+2229, PSR J1826‐1334 and PSR J1856+0113 fields observed with AGILE/GRID. A γ‐ray source compatible with the pulsar position is detected for PSR J1856+0113. Folding the arrival times with contemporary radio ephemeris no pulsed signal was detected from any of these sources.
Published: 2010
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181. Gamma-ray quiet BL Lacs: a Swift view

Author: P. Romano, S. Vercellone, B. Sbarufatti, A. Comastri, L. Angelini, and M. Cappi
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Gamma ray, Astronomy, Quasar, Small sample, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Photometry (optics), QUIET, Spectral analysis, Blazar, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: We present the spectral energy distributions of a small sample of γ‐ray quiet BL Lacs and flat‐spectrum radio quasars that we observed with Swift and compare them with those of γ‐ray loud blazars. We exploit Swift’s broad‐band spectral capabilities and pointing flexibility to examine any possible difference and/or similarity between the synchrotron to inverse Compton transition region of γ‐ray loud and γ‐ray quiet blazars.
Published: 2010
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182. Multi-wavelength observations of the powerful gamma-ray blazar PKS 1510–089

Author: F. DʹAmmando, S. Vercellone, I. Donnarumma, A. Bulgarelli, A. Chen, A. Giuliani, F. Longo, L. Pacciani, G. Pucella, V. Vittorini, C. M. Raiteri, M. Villata, P. Romano, H. A. Krimm, S. Covino, A. Comastri, L. Angelini, and M. Cappi
Subjects: Physics, Electromagnetic spectrum, High variability, Gamma ray, Radiative transfer, Astronomy, Broad band, Multi wavelength, Quasar, Astrophysics, Blazar
Abstract: PKS 1510–089 is a Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar at z = 0.361 with radiative output dominated by the γ‐ray component and high variability over the whole electromagnetic spectrum. In particular, in the last two years very high γ‐ray activity was detected by AGILE with flaring episodes in August 2007 and March 2008 and an extraordinary activity during March 2009. Observations in optical/UV seems to indicate the presence of Seyfert‐like features in the broad band spectrum of PKS 1510–089, such as the little and big blue bumps. Moreover, X‐ray observations in March 2008 show a harder‐when‐brighter behaviour quite rare in FSRQs. We present the multiwavelength data of PKS 1510–089 collected by GASP‐WEBT, REM, Swift and AGILE during these γ‐ray flares.
Published: 2010
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183. The Swift SFXT monitoring campaign: the IGR J16479-4514 outburst in 2009

Author: V. La Parola, L. Ducci, P. Romano, L. Sidoli, G. Cusumano, S. Vercellone, V. Mangano, J. A. Kennea, H. A. Krimm, D. N. Burrows, N. Gehrels, A. Comastri, L. Angelini, and M. Cappi
Subjects: Swift, Physics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Neutron star, Brightness, X-ray binary, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Light curve, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: IGR J16479-4514 is a member of the Supergiant Fast X-ray transient (SFXT) class. We present the light curves of its latest outburst, which occurred on January 29, 2009. During this outburst, IGR J16479-4514 showed prolonged activity lasting several days. The presence of eclipses was successfully tested., Comment: Proceeding of X-ray Astronomy 2009 (Bologna, Italy September 7-11, 2009)
Published: 2010
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184. Swift monitoring of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients: the out-of-outburst behaviour and the flares from IGR J17544-2916 and XTE J1739-302

Author: C. Guidorzi, P. Romano, Phil Evans, S. Vercellone, J. A. Kennea, D. N. Burrows, N. Gehrels, V. Mangano, A. Paizis, Hans A. Krimm, Lara Sidoli, A. Pellizzoni, and Giancarlo Cusumano
Subjects: Physics, Swift, Astrophysics, Supergiant, computer, computer.programming_language
Published: 2009
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185. Swift and Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients: a novel monitoring approach

Author: L. Sidoli, J. A. Kennea, David N. Burrows, Neil Gehrels, Vanessa Mangano, H. A. Krimm, G. Cusumano, P. Romano, and S. Vercellone
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Astronomy, Supergiant, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: P. Romano∗,a L. Sidoli,b V. Mangano,a J.A. Kennea,c G. Cusumano,a S. Vercellone,ba H.A. Krimm,de f D.N. Burrows,c N. Gehrels, f aINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy bINAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano, Italy cDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA dCRESST/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA eUniversities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA f NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA E-mail: romano@ifc.inaf.it
Published: 2009
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186. AGILE detection of a strong gamma ray flare from the blazar S5 0716 714 during September-October 2007

Author: Marco Tavani, I. Donnarumma, A. W. Chen, S. Vercellone, Filippo D'Ammando, Andrea Bulgarelli, A. Giuliani, V. Vittorini, Luigi Pacciani, G. Pucella, M. Villata, C. M. Raiteri, and Francesco Longo
Subjects: Physics, law, Gamma ray, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Blazar, Flare, law.invention
Published: 2009
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187. The 'Crazy Diamond' (and other blazars)

Author: Agile Team, I. Donnarumma, L. Pacciani, F. Longo, Andrea Bulgarelli, A. W. Chen, A. Giuliani, G. Pucella, V. Vittorini, S. Vercellone, Marco Tavani, and F. D'Ammando
Subjects: Physics, Swift, Astronomy, Diamond, Quasar, Astrophysics, engineering.material, Galaxy, Target of opportunity, engineering, MAGIC (telescope), Blazar, computer, BL Lac object, computer.programming_language
Abstract: During the first year of observations, AGILE detected several blazars at high significance: 3 C 279, 3C 454.3, PKS 1510‐089, S5 0716+714, 3 C 273, MKN 421, and W Comae. We obtained long‐term coverage of the Crazy Diamond 3 C 454.3, for more than 100 days at energies above 100 MeV. 3 C 273 was the first blazar detected simultaneously by the AGILE gamma‐ray imaging detector and by its hard X‐ray monitor. S5 0716+714, an intermediate BL Lac object, exhibited a very fast and intense gamma‐ray transient event during an optical high‐state phase, while MKN 421 and W Comae where detected during an AGILE target of opportunity (ToO) repointing. Thanks to the rapid dissemination of our alerts, we were able to obtain multi‐wavelength ToO data from other observatories such as Spitzer, Swift, INTEGRAL, RXTE, Suzaku, MAGIC, VERITAS, as well as optical coverage by means of the WEBT Consortium and REM.
Published: 2009
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188. Disentangling the system geometry of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient IGR J11215-5952 with Swift

Author: P. Romano, Vanessa Mangano, H. A. Krimm, S. Vercellone, G. Cusumano, and Lara Sidoli
Subjects: Physics, Swift, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), X-ray transient, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Orbital period, Light curve, Orbit, Neutron star, Space and Planetary Science, Target of opportunity, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: IGR J11215-5952 is a hard X-ray transient discovered in 2005 April by INTEGRAL and a member of the new class of HMXB, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs). While INTEGRAL and RXTE observations have shown that the outbursts occur with a periodicity of ~330 days, Swift data have recently demonstrated that the true outburst period is ~165 days. IGR J11215-5952 is the first discovered SFXT displaying periodic outbursts, which are possibly related to the orbital period. We performed a Guest Investigator observation with Swift that lasted 20ks and several follow-up Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations, for a total of ~32ks, during the expected "apastron" passage (defined assuming an orbital period of ~330 days), between 2008 June 16 and July 4. The characteristics of this "apastron'' outburst are quite similar to those previously observed during the "periastron'' outburst of 2007 February 9. The mean spectrum of the bright peaks can be fit with an absorbed power law model with a photon index of 1 and an absorbing column of 1E22 cm^-2. This outburst reached luminosities of ~1E36 erg/s (1-10keV), comparable with the ones measured in 2007. The light curve can be modelled with the parameters obtained by Sidoli et al. (2007) for the 2007 February 9 outburst, although some differences can be observed in its shape. The properties of the rise to this new outburst and the comparison with the previous outbursts allow us to suggest that the true orbital period of IGR J11215-5952 is very likely 164.6 days, and that the orbit is eccentric, with the different outbursts produced at the periastron passage, when the neutron star crosses the inclined equatorial wind from the supergiant companion. Based on a ToO observation performed on 2008 March 25-27, we can exclude that the period is 165/2 days. [Abridged], Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal. Abstract abridged
Published: 2009
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189. AGILE View of TGFs

Author: F. Fuschino, F. Longo, M. Marisaldi, C. Labanti, M. Galli, A. Bulgarelli, F. Gianotti, M. Trifoglio, G. Di Cocco, A. Argan, G. Barbiellini, M. Basset, F. Boffelli, P. Caraveo, P. W. Cattaneo, A. W. Chen, V. Cocco, E. Costa, F. D’Ammando, E. Del Monte, G. De Paris, G. Di Persio, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, M. Feroci, A. Ferrari, M. Fiorini, L. Foggetta, T. Froysland, M. Frutti, A. Giuliani, I. Lapshov, F. Lazzarotto, F. Liello, P. Lipari, M. Mastropietro, E. Mattaini, F. Mauri, S. Mereghetti, A. Morselli, E. Moretti, L. Pacciani, A. Pellizzoni, F. Perotti, P. Picozza, C. Pontoni, G. Porrovecchio, M. Prest, G. Pucella, M. Rapisarda, A. Rappoldi, A. Rubini, P. Soffitta, M. Tavani, A. Trois, E. Vallazza, S. Vercellone, V. Vittorini, A. Zambra, D. Zanello, C. Pittori, F. Verrecchia, S. Cutini, D. Gasparrini, G. Fanari, B. Preger, P. Santolamazza, P. Giommi, L. A. Antonelli, S. Colafrancesco, L. Salotti, Norma B. Crosby, Tai-Yin Huang, and Michael J. Rycroft
Subjects: Physics, COSMIC cancer database, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Gamma ray, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Lightning, Sky, Observatory, Thunderstorm, Satellite, Gamma-ray burst, media_common
Abstract: The AGILE Satellite [8] [9], launched the 23rd April 2007, is an italian mission devoted to high energy gamma‐ray astrophysics in the 30 MeV–50 GeV range, with a window in the hard‐X domain 18–60 keV. One of the on‐board detectors, the Mini‐Calorimeter (MCAL), was also designed to work as all sky transient monitor in the energy range 0.33–100 MeV. Though the main purpose of MCAL is the detection of cosmological Gamma‐Ray‐Bursts (GRB), MCAL detected transient events with a very brief duration, few msec, that does not match timing and spectral features of known cosmic GRB. These events more likely agree with the features of typical Terrestrial Gamma‐Ray Flashes as described in the literature and previously detected by the BATSE instrument onboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and the RHESSI satellite. The characteristics of the detected TGF candidate events, as well as their geographical distribution will be presented and discussed.
Published: 2009
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190. Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients in outburst: new Swift observations of XTEJ1739-302, IGRJ17544-2619, and IGRJ08408-4503

Author: Lara Sidoli, D. N. Burrows, J. A. Kennea, L. Ducci, N. Gehrels, Giancarlo Cusumano, V. Mangano, A. Paizis, Hans A. Krimm, P. Romano, and S. Vercellone
Subjects: Physics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE), Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Orbital eccentricity, Astrophysics, Orbital period, Spectral line, law.invention, Neutron star, Space and Planetary Science, law, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Halo, Supergiant, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Flare
Abstract: We report on new X-ray outbursts observed with Swift from three Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs): XTEJ1739-302, IGRJ17544-2619 and IGRJ08408-4503. The former two outbursts were caught during the monitoring campaign we have been performing with the Swift satellite since October 2007: XTEJ1739-302 underwent a new outburst on 2008, August 13, IGRJ17544-2619 on 2008, September 4, while IGRJ08408-4503 on 2008, September 21. While XTEJ1739-302 and IGRJ08408-4503 bright emission triggered the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope, IGRJ17544-2619 did not, thus we could perform a spectral investigation only of the spectrum below 10 keV. The broad band spectra from XTEJ1739-302 and IGRJ08408-4503 were compatible with the X-ray spectral shape displayed during the previous flares. A variable absorbing column density during the flare was observed in XTEJ1739-302 for the first time. The broad band spectrum of IGRJ08408-4503 requires the presence of two distinct photon populations, a cold one (0.3 keV) most likely from a thermal halo around the neutron star and a hotter one (1.4-1.8 keV) from the accreting column. The outburst from XTEJ1739-302 could be monitored with a very good sampling, thus revealing a shape which can be explained with a second wind component in this SFXT, in analogy to what we have suggested in the periodic SFXT IGRJ11215-5952. The outburst recurrence timescale in IGRJ17544-2619 during our monitoring campaign with Swift suggests a long orbital period of ~150 days (in an highly eccentric orbit), compatible with what previously observed with INTEGRAL., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS on 2009 May 14. Received 2009 May 14; in original form 2009 March 06. 11 pages, 9 figures and 6 tables
Published: 2009
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191. The AGILE Data Handling In-Flight Performance

Author: Martino Marisaldi, F. Fuschino, E. Del Monte, G. Pucella, A. Argan, Filippo D'Ammando, Claudio Labanti, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, Fulvio Gianotti, Paolo Soffitta, Marco Tavani, Andrea Bulgarelli, F. Longo, V. Vittorini, M. Trifoglio, Francesco Lazzarotto, G. Barbiellini, Enrico Costa, Sandro Mereghetti, A. Pellizzoni, Alessio Trois, Marco Feroci, Luigi Pacciani, A. Giuliani, E. Vallazza, A. W. Chen, G. Di Cocco, S. Vercellone, and M. Prest
Subjects: Physics, Data processing, Data acquisition, business.industry, Group method of data handling, Payload, Assisted GPS, Detector, Electrical engineering, Global Positioning System, business, Space exploration, Computer hardware
Abstract: AGILE is a Small Scientific Mission dedicated to high-energy astrophysics supported by the Italian Space Agency. AGILE was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an optimal low-particle background equatorial orbit. The AGILE instrument, highly innovative and designed to detect and image photons in the 30MeV–50GeV and 18–60keV energy bands, is composed by four scientific detectors: a Tungsten-Silicon Tracker, a CsI Mini-Calorimeter, a Silicon based X-ray imager and an anticoincidence system for particle background rejection. Moreover, the Payload is completed by a Power Supply Unit (PSU) and a Payload Data Handling Unit (PDHU) and by three ancillary sub-systems (a GPS receiver and two Star Sensors). The PDHU is in charge of the Payload sub-systems control, the operational modes management, the Telemetry and Telecommands management and is optimized for fast on-board processing of the scientific data. The scientific data processing involves a complex and flexible gamma-ray photons filtering, the X-ray photon-by-photon data acquisition and a Burst acquisition logic able to detect the transients on different timescales and perform an on-board Burst coordinates determination. The HW and SW design and implementation were carried out by Thales Alenia Space Italia - Milano. The main features of the PDHU will be presented and discussed as well as the obtained in-flight performance.
Published: 2008
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192. One year of in-orbit operation of the AGILE Payload

Author: C. Pittori, A. Pellizzoni, M. Mastropietro, V. Vittorini, Sandro Mereghetti, A. Giuliani, Marco Feroci, E. Mattaini, G. Di Cocco, Luigi Pacciani, F. Fornari, C. Pontoni, F. Longo, G. Di Persio, F. Viola, A. Zambra, Ennio Morelli, Paolo Soffitta, M. Rapisarda, F. Mauri, Marco Tavani, P. Santolamazza, A. Mauri, A. Rappoldi, F. Boffelli, E. Vallazza, Sergio Colafrancesco, E. Rossi, M. Fiorini, M. Prest, G. Barbiellini, F. Perotti, Alessandro Traci, Martino Marisaldi, Alda Rubini, L. Salotti, P. W. Cattaneo, S. Vercellone, Geiland Porrovecchio, G. Guarrera, G. Piano, E. Del Monte, G. Pucella, Francesco Lazzarotto, V. Cocco, F. Liello, Claudio Labanti, Massimo Frutti, A. Antonelli, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, P. Giommi, D. Zanello, M. Trifoglio, P. Lipari, I. Lapshov, G. De Paris, B. Preger, P. Picozza, Fulvio Gianotti, A. W. Chen, Alessio Trois, A. Argan, Andrea Bulgarelli, F. Fuschino, P. A. Caraveo, Enrico Costa, T. Froysland, F. D Ammando, A. Morselli, M. Galli, and F. Verrecchia
Subjects: Physics, Physics::Instrumentation and Detectors, business.industry, Payload, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Detector, Gamma ray, Field of view, Space exploration, Optics, Angular resolution, business, Gamma-ray burst, Image resolution, Remote sensing
Abstract: AGILE, an Italian Space Agency (ASI) mission dedicated to the exploration of the gamma-ray Universe, was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 from the Indian base of Sriharikota in an low-particle background equatorial orbit at 550 km height. AGILE gamma ray range cover the 30 MeV – 50 GeV band with its detectors combined together in the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID). An X-ray imager (SuperAGILE) operates in the 18 – 60 keV band. Some of the payload instruments are also operated to detect transient X and gamma events with the main target being the Gamma Ray Burst in the SuperAGILE band and above 300 keV. The GRID instrument consists of a Silicon-Tungsten Tracker, a Caesium Iodide Mini-Calorimeter (MCAL), and a plastic-scintillator Anticoincidence system (ACS). The GRID achieves an angular resolution of about 15’ for bright sources with an unprecedented large field-of-view about 2.5 sr with a time resolution of few microsec and a very reduced dead-time (less than 200 microsec for a gamma detection). The hard X-ray imager (SuperAGILE) combines a tungsten coded mask with Si detector with a technology identical to the Si-Tracker. It is on top of the gamma-ray detector and has an optimal angular resolution (about 6 arcmin) with good sensitivity over about 1 sr field of view (10–15 mCrab on axis for a 1-day integration). The burst monitoring combines the data from SuperAGILE and from MCAL which operates independently with a specific operative mode from 300 keV up to several tens of MeV. All the detector operations are mastered by the Payload Data Handling Unit (PDHU) that includes several operation for data selection and background rejection. AGILE has very innovative scientific payload for what concern both its detectors and its operative mode. After more than one year of in orbit operation the in-flight performances of the instruments as well as the operation of the background reducing algorithm are presented and the main scientific results achieved are discussed.
Published: 2008
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193. Monitoring Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with Swift. Rise to the outburst in IGR J16479-4514

Author: N. Gehrels, V. Mangano, Lara Sidoli, P. Romano, J. A. Kennea, S. Vercellone, David N. Burrows, Hans A. Krimm, and Giancarlo Cusumano
Subjects: Swift, Physics, Accretion (meteorology), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics (astro-ph), X-ray, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Galactic plane, Orders of magnitude (time), Space and Planetary Science, High mass, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant, computer, computer.programming_language
Abstract: IGR J16479-4514 is a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT), a new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries, whose number is rapidly growing thanks to the observations of the Galactic plane performed with the INTEGRAL satellite. IGR J16479-4514 has been regularly monitored with Swift/XRT since November 2007, to study the quiescent emission, the outburst properties and their recurrence. A new bright outburst, reaching fluxes above 10$^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, was caught by the Swift/BAT. Swift immediately re-pointed at the target with the narrow-field instruments so that, for the first time, an outburst from a SFXT where a periodicity in the outburst recurrence is unknown could be observed simultaneously in the 0.2--150 keV energy band. The X-ray emission is highly variable and spans almost four orders of magnitude in count rate during the Swift/XRT observations covering a few days before and after the bright peak. The X-ray spectrum in outburst is hard and highly absorbed. The power-law fit resulted in a photon index of 0.98$\pm{0.07}$, and in an absorbing column density of $\sim5\times10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. These observations demonstrate that in this source (similarly to what was observed during the 2007 outburst from the periodic SFXT IGR J11215-5952), the accretion phase lasts much longer than a few hours., Accepted for publication on Astrophysical Journal Letters. 5 pages, 4 figures
Published: 2008

194. AGILE and the Gamma-Ray Bursts

Author: M. Tavani, A. Argan, G. Barbiellini, A. Bulgarelli, P. Cattaneo, P. Caraveo, A. Chen, E. Costa, G. De Paris, E. Del Monte, G. Di Cocco, I. Donnarumma, Y. Evangelista, M. Feroci, F. Fuschino, M. Galli, F. Gianotti, A. Giuliani, C. Labanti, I. Lapshov, F. Lazzarotto, P. Lipari, F. Longo, M. Marisaldi, S. Mereghetti, A. Morselli, A. Pellizzoni, F. Perotti, P. Picozza, M. Prest, G. Pucella, M. Rapisarda, P. Soffitta, M. Trifoglio, A. Trois, E. Vallazza, S. Vercellone, V. Vittorini, A. Zambra, P. Giommi, C. Pittori, B. Preger, F. Verrecchia, L. A. Antonelli, L. Salotti, M. Galassi, David Palmer, and Ed Fenimore
Subjects: Physics, Calorimeter (particle physics), Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, media_common.quotation_subject, Astronomy, Field of view, Gamma-ray astronomy, Astrophysics, Universe, Orbit (dynamics), Angular resolution, Satellite, Gamma-ray burst, media_common
Abstract: AGILE is an ASI high‐energy astrophysics mission dedicated to the observation of the Universe. The satellite was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 to a quasi equatorial low‐background orbit. The AGILE instrument is very compact and light (∼100 kg): a gamma‐ray imager (sensitive in the energy band 30 MeV–50 GeV) is the central part of the instrument that includes also a light hard X‐ray imager (18–60 keV) positioned on top of the instrument, and an omnidirectional Calorimeter (350 keV–100 MeV). AGILE is aimed at the study of the most energetic phenomena of our Universe including AGNs, GRBs, Galactic sources and transients. For the first time in gamma‐ray astrophysics, AGILE reaches a field of view of about 3 sr with excellent angular resolution and good sensitivity. The unique combination of a hard X‐ray imager and a gamma‐ray imager is ideal for GRB and transient studies that constitute a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. We summarize here the main characteristics of the GRB broad‐band d...
Published: 2008
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195. Multiple flaring activity in the supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J08408-4503 observed with Swift

Author: L. Ducci, Neil Gehrels, Phil Evans, K. L. Page, J. A. Kennea, L. Sidoli, V. La Parola, P. Romano, Giancarlo Cusumano, S. Vercellone, David N. Burrows, A. P. Beardmore, V. Mangano, and Hans A. Krimm
Subjects: Physics, Orbital plane, X-ray transient, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics (astro-ph), Flux, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Light curve, Orbital period, law.invention, Neutron star, Space and Planetary Science, law, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant, Flare
Abstract: IGR J08408-4503 is a supergiant fast X-ray transient discovered in 2006 with a confirmed association with a O8.5Ib(f) supergiant star, HD 74194. We report on the analysis of two outbursts caught by Swift/BAT on 2006 October 4 and 2008 July 5, and followed up at softer energies with Swift/XRT. The 2008 XRT light curve shows a multiple-peaked structure with an initial bright flare that reached a flux of ~1E-9 erg/cm2/s (2-10 keV), followed by two equally bright flares within 75 ks. The spectral characteristics of the flares differ dramatically, with most of the difference, as derived via time-resolved spectroscopy, being due to absorbing column variations. We observe a gradual decrease of the NH, derived with a fit using absorbed power law model, as time passes. We interpret these NH variations as due to an ionization effect produced by the first flare, resulting in a significant decrease in the measured column density towards the source. The durations of the flares, as well as the times of the outbursts suggest that the orbital period is ~35 days, if the flaring activity is interpreted within the framework of the Sidoli et al 2007 model with the outbursts triggered by the neutron star passage inside an equatorial wind inclined with respect to the orbital plane., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 8 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables
Published: 2008
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196. Multifrequency monitoring of the blazar 0716+714 during the GASP-WEBT-AGILE campaign of 2007

Author: M. Villata, C. M. Raiteri, V. M. Larionov, O. M. Kurtanidze, K. Nilsson, M. F. Aller, M. Tornikoski, A. Volvach, H. D. Aller, A. A. Arkharov, U. Bach, P. Beltrame, G. Bhatta, C. S. Buemi, M. Böttcher, P. Calcidese, D. Carosati, A. J. Castro-Tirado, D. Da Rio, A. Di Paola, M. Dolci, E. Forné, A. Frasca, V. A. Hagen-Thorn, J. Heidt, D. Hiriart, M. Jelínek, G. N. Kimeridze, T. S. Konstantinova, E. N. Kopatskaya, L. Lanteri, P. Leto, R. Ligustri, E. Lindfors, A. Lähteenmäki, E. Marilli, E. Nieppola, M. G. Nikolashvili, M. Pasanen, B. Ragozzine, J. A. Ros, L. A. Sigua, R. L. Smart, M. Sorcia, L. O. Takalo, M. Tavani, C. Trigilio, R. Turchetti, K. Uckert, G. Umana, S. Vercellone, and J. R. Webb
Subjects: Physics, Swift, business.industry, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics (astro-ph), FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Light curve, law.invention, Telescope, Space and Planetary Science, law, Monitoring data, Blazar, business, computer, computer.programming_language, Agile software development
Abstract: Since the CGRO operation in 1991-2000, one of the primary unresolved questions about the blazar gamma-ray emission has been its possible correlation with the low-energy (in particular optical) emission. To help answer this problem, the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) consortium has organized the GLAST-AGILE Support Program (GASP) to provide the optical-to-radio monitoring data to be compared with the gamma-ray detections by the AGILE and GLAST satellites. This new WEBT project started in early September 2007, just before a strong gamma-ray detection of 0716+714 by AGILE. We present the GASP-WEBT optical and radio light curves of this blazar obtained in July-November 2007, about various AGILE pointings at the source. We construct NIR-to-UV spectral energy distributions (SEDs), by assembling GASP-WEBT data together with UV data from the Swift ToO observations of late October. We observe a contemporaneous optical-radio outburst, which is a rare and interesting phenomenon in blazars. The shape of the SEDs during the outburst appears peculiarly wavy because of an optical excess and a UV drop-and-rise. The optical light curve is well sampled during the AGILE pointings, showing prominent and sharp flares. A future cross-correlation analysis of the optical and AGILE data will shed light on the expected relationship between these flares and the gamma-ray events., 5 pages, 5 figures, to be published in A&A (Letters); revised to match the final version (changes in Fig. 5 and related text)
Published: 2008

197. The high activity of 3C 454.3 in autumn 2007. Monitoring by the WEBT during the AGILE detection

Author: C. M. Raiteri, M. Villata, W. P. Chen, W.-S. Hsiao, O. M. Kurtanidze, K. Nilsson, V. M. Larionov, M. A. Gurwell, I. Agudo, H. D. Aller, M. F. Aller, E. Angelakis, A. A. Arkharov, U. Bach, M. Böttcher, C. S. Buemi, P. Calcidese, P. Charlot, F. D'Ammando, I. Donnarumma, E. Forné, A. Frasca, L. Fuhrmann, J. L. Gómez, V. A. Hagen-Thorn, S. G. Jorstad, G. N. Kimeridze, T. P. Krichbaum, A. Lähteenmäki, L. Lanteri, G. Latev, J.-F. Le Campion, C.-U. Lee, P. Leto, H.-C. Lin, N. Marchili, E. Marilli, A. P. Marscher, R. Nesci, E. Nieppola, M. G. Nikolashvili, J. Ohlert, E. Ovcharov, D. Principe, T. Pursimo, B. Ragozzine, A. C. Sadun, L. A. Sigua, R. L. Smart, A. Strigachev, L. O. Takalo, M. Tavani, C. Thum, M. Tornikoski, C. Trigilio, K. Uckert, G. Umana, A. Valcheva, S. Vercellone, A. Volvach, H. Wiesemeyer, INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (OATo), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie de l'Atmosphère (LPCA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale, Laboratoire de chimie bactérienne (LCB), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, National Engineering Research Center for Optoelectronic Crystalline Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Insitute of Geology China Earthquake Administration Beijing 100029, China (X.X., G.C., W.C.) (INSITUTE OF GEOLOGY), Insitute of Geology, ECE Dept., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Department of Information Science and Media Studies [Bergen], University of Bergen (UIB), Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences [Changchun Branch] (CAS), Linköping University (LIU), Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung-Hsing University, Research Center for Environmental Changes, Institute of Earthquake Prediction Research, Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux (L3AB), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Information Science and Media Studies [Bergen] (UiB), University of Bergen (UiB), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Raiteri CM, Villata M, Chen WP, Hsiao WS, Kurtanidze OM, Nilsson K, Larionov VM, Gurwell MA, Agudo I, Aller HD, Aller MF, Angelakis E, Arkharov AA, Bach U, Bottcher M, Buemi CS, Calcidese P, Charlot P, DAmmando F, Donnarumma I, Forne E, Frasca A, Fuhrmann L, Gomez JL, Hagen-Thorn VA, Jorstad SG, Kimeridze GN, Krichbaum TP, Lahteenmaki A, Lanteri L, Latev G, Le Campion JF, Lee CU, Leto P, Lin HC, Marchili N, Marilli E, Marscher AP, Nesci R, Nieppola E, Nikolashvili MG, Ohlert J, Ovcharov E, Principe D, Pursimo T, Ragozzine B, Sadun AC, Sigua LA, Smart RL, Strigachev A, Takalo LO, Tavani M, Thum C, Tornikoski M, Trigilio C, Uckert K, Umana G, Valcheva A, Vercellone S, Volvach A, and Wiesemeyer H
Subjects: Brightness, Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Extinction (astronomy), galaxies: active, FOS: Physical sciences, Flux, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, galaxies: active -- galaxies: quasars: general -- galaxies: quasars: individual: 3C 454.3, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, Telescope, [PHYS.ASTR.CO]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO], law, 0103 physical sciences, galaxies: quasars: individual: 3C 454.3, Blazar, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Physics, [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Astrophysics (astro-ph), Astronomy and Astrophysics, Light curve, galaxies: quasars: general, Space and Planetary Science, Satellite
Abstract: The quasar-type blazar 3C 454.3 underwent a phase of high activity in summer and autumn 2007, which was intensively monitored in the radio-to-optical bands by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT). The gamma-ray satellite AGILE detected this source first in late July, and then in November-December 2007. In this letter we present the multifrequency data collected by the WEBT and collaborators during the second AGILE observing period, complemented by a few contemporaneous data from UVOT onboard the Swift satellite. The aim is to trace in detail the behaviour of the synchrotron emission from the blazar jet, and to investigate the contribution from the thermal emission component. Optical data from about twenty telescopes have been homogeneously calibrated and carefully assembled to construct an R-band light curve containing about 1340 data points in 42 days. This extremely well-sampled optical light curve allows us to follow the dramatic flux variability of the source in detail. In addition, we show radio-to-UV spectral energy distributions (SEDs) at different epochs, which represent different brightness levels. In the considered period, the source varied by 2.6 mag in a couple of weeks in the R band. Many episodes of fast (i.e. intranight) variability were observed, most notably on December 12, when a flux increase of about 1.1 mag in 1.5 hours was detected, followed by a steep decrease of about 1.2 mag in 1 hour. The contribution by the thermal component is difficult to assess, due to the uncertainties in the Galactic, and possibly also intrinsic, extinction in the UV band. However, polynomial fitting of radio-to-UV SEDs reveals an increasing spectral bending going towards fainter states, suggesting a UV excess likely due to the thermal emission from the accretion disc., 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters
Published: 2008
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198. AGILE and γ-ray blazars: the Crazy Diamond and other gems

Author: A. W. Chen, I. Donnarumma, Andrea Bulgarelli, Agile Team, F. Longo, A. Giuliani, M. Tavani, F. D'Ammando, G. Pucella, V. Vittorini, L. Pacciani, and S. Vercellone
Subjects: Physics, Radio galaxy, Target of opportunity, Astronomy, Quasar, Astrophysics, MAGIC (telescope), Blazar, Gamma-ray burst, Galaxy, BL Lac object
Abstract: We present AGILE results on gamma‐ray blazars. During the first year of observations, AGILE detected seven blazars at high significance: 3C 279, 3C 454.3, PKS 1510‐089, S5 0716+714, 3C 273, MKN 421, and W Comae. We obtained long‐term coverage of the crazy diamond 3C 454.3, for a total of about 3 months at energies above 100 MeV. 3C 273 was the first blazar detected simultaneously by the AGILE gamma‐ray detector and by its hard X‐ray monitor. S5 0716+714, an intermediate BL Lac object, exhibited a very fast and intense gamma‐ray transient during an optical high‐state phase, while MKN 421 and W Comae where detected during an AGILE target of opportunity repointing. Thanks to the rapid dissemination of our alerts, we were able to obtain multi‐wavelength ToO data from other observatories such as Spitzer, Swift, INTEGRAL, RXTE, Suzaku, MAGIC, VERITAS, as well as optical coverage by means of the WEBT Consortium and REM.
Published: 2008
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199. An alternative hypothesis for the outburst mechanism in Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients: the case of IGR J11215-5952

Author: P. Romano, S. Vercellone, Diego Götz, Sandro Mereghetti, Lara Sidoli, Vanessa Mangano, and Ada Paizis
Subjects: Physics, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics (astro-ph), FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Compact star, Orbital period, Space and Planetary Science, Target of opportunity, High mass, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Supergiant
Abstract: (ABRIDGED)- The physical mechanism responsible for the short outbursts in a recently recognized class of High Mass X-ray Binaries, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), is still unknown. Two main hypotheses have been proposed to date: the sudden accretion by the compact object of small ejections originating in a clumpy wind from the supergiant donor, or outbursts produced at (or near) the periastron passage in wide and eccentric orbits, in order to explain the low (1E32 erg/s) quiescent emission.Neither proposed mechanisms seem to explain the whole phenomenology of these sources. Here we propose a new explanation for the outburst mechanism, based on new X-ray observations of the unique SFXT known to display periodic outbursts, IGRJ11215-5952. We performed three Target of Opportunity observations with Swift, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL at the time of the fifth outburst, expected on 2007 February 9. Swift observations of the February 2007 outburst have been reported elsewhere. Another ToO with Swift was performed in July 2007, in order to monitor the supposed ``apastron'' passage. A second unexpected outburst was discovered on 2007 July 24, after about 165 days from the February 2007 outburst. The new X-ray observations allow us to propose an alternative hypothesis for the outburst mechanism in SFXTs, linked to the possible presence of a second wind component,in the form of an equatorial disk from the supergiant donor. We discuss the applicability of the model to the short outburst durations of all other SFXTs, where a clear periodicity in the outbursts has not been found yet. The new outburst from IGRJ11215-5952 observed in July suggests that the true orbital period is ~165days, instead of 329days, as previously thought., Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Abstract abridged with respect to the original accepted version. 11 pages, 10 figures
Published: 2007

200. WEBT and XMM-Newton observations of 3C 454.3 during the post-outburst phase. Detection of the little and big blue bumps

Author: C. M. Raiteri, M. Villata, V. M. Larionov, T. Pursimo, M. A. Ibrahimov, K. Nilsson, M. F. Aller, O. M. Kurtanidze, L. Foschini, J. Ohlert, I. E. Papadakis, N. Sumitomo, A. Volvach, H. D. Aller, A. A. Arkharov, U. Bach, A. Berdyugin, M. Böttcher, C. S. Buemi, P. Calcidese, P. Charlot, A. J. Delgado Sánchez, A. Di Paola, A. A. Djupvik, M. Dolci, N. V. Efimova, J. H. Fan, E. Forné, C. A. Gomez, A. C. Gupta, V. A. Hagen-Thorn, L. Hooks, T. Hovatta, Y. Ishii, M. Kamada, T. Konstantinova, E. Kopatskaya, Yu. A. Kovalev, Y. Y. Kovalev, A. Lähteenmäki, L. Lanteri, J.-F. Le Campion, C.-U. Lee, P. Leto, H.-C. Lin, E. Lindfors, M. G. Mingaliev, S. Mizoguchi, F. Nicastro, M. G. Nikolashvili, S. Nishiyama, L. Östman, E. Ovcharov, P. Pääkkönen, M. Pasanen, E. Pian, T. Rector, J. A. Ros, K. Sadakane, J. H. Selj, E. Semkov, D. Sharapov, A. Somero, I. Stanev, A. Strigachev, L. Takalo, K. Tanaka, M. Tavani, I. Torniainen, M. Tornikoski, C. Trigilio, G. Umana, S. Vercellone, A. Valcheva, L. Volvach, M. Yamanaka, INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (OATo), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Laboratoire d'astrodynamique, d'astrophysique et d'aéronomie de bordeaux (L3AB), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac] (LAB), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU)
Subjects: Brightness, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, galaxies: active, FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Spectral line, [PHYS.ASTR.CO]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO], 0103 physical sciences, galaxies: quasars: individual: 3C 454.3, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Blazar, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics, Line (formation), Physics, [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], 010308 nuclear & particles physics, Astrophysics (astro-ph), Astronomy and Astrophysics, Light curve, Wavelength, Amplitude, galaxies: quasars: general, Space and Planetary Science, Radio frequency
Abstract: The blazar 3C 454.3 underwent an unprecedented optical outburst in spring 2005. This was first followed by a mm and then by a cm radio outburst, which peaked in February 2006. We report on follow-up observations by the WEBT to study the multiwavelength emission in the post-outburst phase. XMM-Newton observations on July and December 2006 added information on the X-ray and UV fluxes. The source was in a faint state. The radio flux at the higher frequencies showed a fast decreasing trend, which represents the tail of the big radio outburst. It was followed by a quiescent state, common at all radio frequencies. In contrast, moderate activity characterized the NIR and optical light curves, with a progressive increase of the variability amplitude with increasing wavelength. We ascribe this redder-when-brighter behaviour to the presence of a "little blue bump" due to line emission from the broad line region, which is clearly visible in the source SED during faint states. Moreover, the data from the XMM-Newton OM reveal a rise of the SED in the UV, suggesting the existence of a "big blue bump" due to thermal emission from the accretion disc. The X-ray spectra are well fitted with a power-law model with photoelectric absorption, possibly larger than the Galactic one. However, the comparison with previous X-ray observations would imply that the amount of absorbing matter is variable. Alternatively, the intrinsic X-ray spectrum presents a curvature, which may depend on the X-ray brightness. In this case, two scenarios are possible., 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
Published: 2007

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