DmpIRFs and DmpST:DAMPE instrument response functions and science tools for gamma-ray data analysis

Observing GeV gamma-rays is an important goal of the DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE)for indirect dark matter searching and high energy astrophysics. In this work, we present a set of accurate instrument response functions for DAMPE(DmpIRFs) including the effective area, point-spread function and energy dispersion, which are crucial for gamma-ray data analysis based on statistics from simulation data. A dedicated software named DmpST is developed to facilitate the scientific analyses of DAMPE gamma-ray data. Considering the limited number of photons and angular resolution of DAMPE, the maximum likelihood method is adopted in DmpST to better disentangle different source components. The basic mathematics and framework regarding this software are also introduced in this paper.

An algorithm to resolve γ-rays from charged cosmic rays with DAMPE

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer（DAMPE）,also known as Wukong in China,which was launched on 2015 December 17,is a new high energy cosmic ray and γ-ray satellite-borne observatory.One of the main scientific goals of DAMPE is to observe Ge V-Te V high energy γ-rays with accurate energy,angular and time resolution,to indirectly search for dark matter particles and for the study of high energy astrophysics. Due to the comparatively higher fluxes of charged cosmic rays with respect to γ-rays,it is challenging to identify γ-rays with sufficiently high efficiency,minimizing the amount of charged cosmic ray contamination. In this work we present a method to identify γ-rays in DAMPE data based on Monte Carlo simulations,using the powerful electromagnetic/hadronic shower discrimination provided by the calorimeter and the veto detection of charged particles provided by the plastic scintillation detector. Monte Carlo simulations show that after this selection the number of electrons and protons that contaminate the selected γ-ray events at～10 Ge V amounts to less than 1% of the selected sample.Finally,we use flight data to verify the effectiveness of the method by highlighting known γ-ray sources in the sky and by reconstructing preliminary light curves of the Geminga pulsar.

A Detailed Study on the Equal Arrival Time Surface Effect in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

Due to the relativistic motion of gamma-ray burst remnant and its deceleration in the circumburst medium, the equal arrival time surfaces at any moment are not spherical, rather, they are distorted ellipsoids. This will leave some imprints in the afterglows. We study the effect of equal arrival time surfaces numerically for various circumstances, i.e., isotropic fireballs, collimated jets, density jumps and energy injection events. For each case, a direct comparison is made between including and not including the effect. For isotropic fireballs and jets viewed on axis, the effect slightly hardens the spectra and postpones the peak time of the afterglows, but does not change the shapes of the spectra and light curves significantly. In the cases of a density jump or an energy injection, the effect smears out the variations in the afterglows markedly.

Effects of Magnetic Fields on Neutrino-dominated Accretion Model for Gamma-ray Bursts

Many models of gamma-ray bursts suggest a common central engine; a black hole of several solar masses accreting matter from a disk at an accretion rate from 0.01 to 10 M⊙s^-1, the inner region of the disk is cooled by neutrino emission and large amounts of its binding energy are liberated, which could trigger the fireball. We improve the neutrino- dominated accreting flows by including the effects of magnetic fields. We find that more than half of the liberated energy can be extracted directly by the large-scale magnetic fields in the disk, and it turns out that the temperature of the disk is a bit lower than the neutrino-dominated accreting flows without magnetic field. Therefore, the outflows are magnetically-dominated rather than neutrino dominated. In our model, the neutrino mechanism can fuel some GRBs （not the brightest ones）, but cannot fuel X-ray flares. The magnetic processes （both BZ and electromagnetic luminosity from a disk） are viable mechanisms for most of GRBs and their following X-ray flares.

A statistical classification of the unassociated gamma-ray sources in the second Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog

With the assistance of the identified/associated sources in the second Fermi Large Area Telescope （LAT） catalog, we analyze and resolve the spatial distribution and the distributions of the gamma-ray spectral and variability indices of the remaining 575 unassociated Fermi LAT sources. Consequently, it is suggested that the unassociated sources could statistically consist of Galactic supernova remnants/pulsar wind nebulae, BL Lacertae objects, fiat spectrum radio quasars and other types of active galaxies with fractions of 25%, 29%, 41% and 5%, respectively.

Not enough evidence to support the correlation between gamma-ray bursts and foreground galaxy clusters in the Swift Era

The correlation between distant Gamma-Ray Bursts （GRBs） and foreground galaxy clusters is re-examined by using the well localized （with an accuracy down to a few arcsec） Swift/XRT GRBs. The galaxy clusters are compiled from both the X-ray selected ROSAT brightest cluster sample （BCS） and the BCS extension by requiring δ ≥ 0° and b ≥ 20°. The Swift/XRT GRBs fulfilling the above selection criteria are cross-correlated with the clusters. Both Nearest-Neighbor analysis and the angular two-point cross-correlation function show that there is not enough evidence supporting the correlation between the GRBs and foreground clusters. We suggest that the non-correlation is probably related to the GRB number-flux relation slope.

The multiwavelength emission from the gamma-ray binary LS I + 61 303

This paper presents a hadronic dominated jet model to investigate multi- wavelength emission from the microquasar LS I ＋61 303. In this scenario, we take into account evolutions of the primary particles and secondary e± pairs; these pairs are produced by the collisional interactions of the accelerated protons with the cold jet protons and the stellar wind ions. In this model, the non-thermal photons are produced by πο decay emission, synchrotron and inverse Compton scattering processes from the primary electrons and secondary pairs, and relativistic bremsstrahlung emission from the secondary leptonic pairs. Based on this model framework, we show that the spectral energy distributions can be produced by the primary and secondary particles via interactions with the cold matter, and magnetic and stellar radiation fields. We also consider the attenuation of angular dependence γ-γ due to the effects of the stel- lar target photon fields. The resulting model can approximately reproduce the recent quasi-simultaneous observational data points and the non-simultaneous multi-band observations.

Statistical studies of optically dark gamma-ray bursts in the Swift era

We compare the properties of optically dark GRBs, defined by the optical-to-X- ray spectral indexβox 〈 0.5, and normal ones discovered by the Swift satellite before the year 2008 in a statistical way, using data collected from the literature and online databases. Our sample includes 200 long bursts, 19 short bursts, and 10 with measured high redshifts （z ≥ 4）. The ratio of dark bursts is found to be -10% - 20%, and is similar among long bursts, short ones, and the high-z sub-sample. The result for long bursts is consistent with both the pre-Swift sample and studies by other authors on smaller Swift samples. The existence of dark short GRBs is pointed out for the first time. The X-ray derived hydrogen column densities of dark GRBs clearly prefer large values compared with those of normal bursts. This supports the dust extinction scenario as the main cause of dark GRBs. Other possibilities like very high redshifts and non-standard emission mechanisms are less likely, although not fully excluded.

Is BZB J1450+5201 the most distant gamma-ray BL Lacertae object?

BL Lacertae （BL Lac） objects at high redshifts （z ≥ 2） are rarely detected. Through careful analysis of its Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectrum, BZB J1450＋5201 is confirmed to be a high-z BL Lac object with z ≥ 2.471 by identifying the Lyα 1216 and CIV 1548/1550 absorption lines. This indicates that BZB J1450＋5201 is the most distant BL Lac object discovered to date. Careful analysis of the five-year Fermi-LAT data of 2FGL J1451.0＋5159 shows that its γ-ray emission is robust with a confidence level of 6.2σ at 1-3 GeV and 6.7σ at 3-10 GeV. This analysis with the five-year data overcomes confusion with its bright neighbor, which is a problem when analyzing the two-year data. In addition, 2FGL J 1451.0＋5159 is confirmed to be associated with BZB J1450＋5201 using the five-year data. The analysis of multiwavelength data, from radio to γ-ray energies, indicates that BZB J1450＋5201 is an intermediate synchrotron peaked （ISP） source. Its multiwavelength properties are consistent with distributions of other ISP sources at lower redshifts in the second Fermi-LAT AGN catalog. The pure synchrotron self-Compton （SSC） model seems to be disfavored, but the scattering of weak external emission plus the SSC process can provide a satisfactory description of the broadband emission.

The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for three redshift distributions of long gamma-ray bursts in the Swift Era

We investigate redshift distributions of three long burst samples, with the first sample containing 131 long bursts with observed redshifts, the second including 220 long bursts with pseudo-redshifts calculated by the variability-luminosity relation, and the third including 1194 long bursts with pseudo-redshifls calculated by the lag-luminosity relation, respectively. In the redshift range 0-1 the Kolmogorov-Smirnov probability of the observed redshift distribution and that of the variability-luminosity relation is large. In the redshift ranges 1-2, 2-3, 3-6.3 and 0-37, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov probabilities of the redshift distribution from lag-luminosity relation and the observed redshift distribution are also large. For the GRBs, which appear both in the two pseudo-redshift burst samples, the KS probability of the pseudo-redshift distribution from the lag-luminosity relation and the observed reshift distribution is 0.447, which is very large. Based on these results, some conclusions are drawn： i） the V-Liso relation might be more believable than the τ-Liso relation in low redshift ranges and the τ-Liso relation might be more real than the V-Liso relation in high redshift ranges; ii） if we do not consider the redshift ranges, the τ-Liso relation might be more physical and intrinsical than the V-Liso relation.

Revisiting gamma-ray burst afterglows with time-dependent parameters

The relativistic external shock model of gamma-ray burst （GRB） afterglows has been estab- lished with five free parameters, i.e., the total kinetic energy E, the equipartition parameters for electrons ee and for the magnetic field eB, the number density of the environment n and the index of the power- law distribution of shocked electrons p. A lot of modified models have been constructed to consider the variety of GRB afterglows, such as： the wind medium environment by letting n change with radius, the energy injection model by letting kinetic energy change with time and so on. In this paper, by as- suming all four parameters （except p） change with time, we obtain a set of formulas for the dynamics and radiation, which can be used as a reference for modeling GRB afterglows. Some interesting results are obtained. For example, in some spectral segments, the radiated flux density does not depend on the number density or the profile of the environment. As an application, through modeling the afterglow of GRB 060607A, we find that it can be interpreted in the framework of the time dependent parameter model within a reasonable range.

Possible distance indicators in gamma-ray pulsars

Distance measurement of gamma-ray pulsars is a current challenge in pulsar studies.The Large Area Telescope（LAT） aboard the Fermi gamma-ray observatory discovered more than 70 gamma-ray pulsars including 24 new gamma-selected pulsars with almost no distance information.We study the relation between gammaray emission efficiency（η=Lγ/E˙） and pulsar parameters for young radio-selected gamma-ray pulsars with known distance information in the first gamma-ray pulsar catalog reported by Fermi/LAT.We have introduced three generation-order parameters to describe the gamma-ray emission properties of pulsars,and find a strong correlation of η-ζ3,a generation-order parameter which reflectsγ-ray photon generation in the pair cascade processes induced by magnetic field absorption in a pulsar＇s magnetosphere. A good correlation of η-BLC,the magnetic field at the light cylinder radius,is also found.These correlations are the distance indicators in gamma-ray pulsars used to evaluate distances for gamma-selected pulsars.Distances of 25 gamma-selected pulsars are estimated,which could be tested by other distance measurement methods.The physical origin of the correlations may also be interesting for pulsar studies.

Gamma-ray Emission from the γ-ray-loud BL Lac Objects

Using the HST observation data of BL Lac objects by Urry et al. and γ-ray observation data, we find that there is a correlation between Fγ and Fonuclei forγ-ray-loud BL Lac objects (correlation coefficients: 7γ=0.63,p = 4.0 × 10-2), but no correlation between Fγ and Fohost, where Fonuclei and Fohost are the fluxes of nuclei and host galaxy in V-band. For 19γ-ray-loud BL Lac objects with observed spectral index in multi-wavebands, the spectral index correlations between any two bands are as follow: (1) there is a strong correlation between aγ and aK for 15 BL Lac objects(γ = 0.84,p = 3.11 × 10-4); (2) the correlation between aγ and ao for 12 BL Lac objects isγ = 0.82, p = 1.5 × 10-3; (3) there is no correlation between a7 and ax for 16 BL Lac objects. The results, together with characteristic double-humped shape of their SEDs, show that the synchrotron self-Compton mechanism might be a main mechanism for theγ-ray emission of the BL Lac objects. The electrons emitting JR and optical radiation via synchrotron are also responsible for upscattering these photons toγ-rays, and a variability in IR-optical regime should be accompanied by a change in theγ-rays.

Very Early Optical Afterglows for Geometric Models of X-ray Flashes and X-ray Rich GRBs

If X-ray flashes （XRFs） and X-ray rich Gamma-ray Bursts （XRRGs） have the same origin as the Gamma-ray bursts （GRBs） but are viewed off-center from structured jets, their early afterglows may differ from those of GRBs, and when the ultra-relativistic outflow inter- acts with the surrounding medium, there are two shocks formed, a forward shock （FS）, and a reverse shock （RS）. We calculate numerically the early afterglow powered by uniform jets, Gaussian jets and power-law jets in the forward-reverse shock scenario. A set of differential equations govern the dynamical evolution. The synchrotron self-Compton effect has been taken into account in the calculation. In the uniform jets, the very early afterglows of XRRGs and XRFs are significantly lower than the GRBs and the observed peak times of RS emission are later in the interstellar medium environment. The RS components in XRRGs and XRFs are difficult to detect, but in the stellar wind environment, the reduction of the very early flux and the delay of the RS peak time are not so remarkable. In nonuniform jets （Gaussian and power-law jets）, where there are emission materials on the line of sight, the very early light curve resembles equivalent isotropic ejecta in general although the RS flux decay index shows notable deviations if the RS is relativistic （in stellar wind）.

Investigating the Evolution of Amati Parameters with Redshift

Gamma-ray bursts(GRBs) are among the brightest objects in the Universe and, hence, can be observed up to a very high redshift. Properly calibrated empirical correlations between intensity and spectral correlations of GRBs can be used to estimate the cosmological parameters. However, the possibility of the evolution of GRBs with redshift is a long-standing puzzle. In this work, we used 162 long-duration GRBs to determine whether GRBs below and above a certain redshift have different properties. The GRBs are split into two groups, and we fit the Amati relation for each group separately. Our findings demonstrate that estimations of the Amati parameters for the two groups are substantially dissimilar. We perform simulations to investigate whether the selection effects could cause the difference. Our analysis shows that the differences may be either intrinsic or due to systematic errors in the data, and the selection effects are not their true origin. However, in-depth analysis with a new data set comprised of 119 long GRBs shows that intrinsic scatter may partly be responsible for such effects.

Statistical study of EUV and X-ray transient brightenings

Using the visual inspection and base difference method and data from the X-ray Telescope （XRT） onboard Hinode and TRACE with improved spatial and temporal resolution, we selected 48 X-ray transient brightenings （XTBs） and 237 EUV transient brightenings （ETBs） to study the connection between these two types of transient brightenings （TBs）. These ETBs and XTBs have smaller areas （8.42 Mm^2 and 36.3 Mm^2, respectively, on average） and shorter durations （9.0 min and 6.9 min, respectively, on average） than previous studies. These XTBs show three types of morphological structure： point-like, single-loop and multiple-loop. We find only 20% of the ETBs have corresponding XTBs while the other 80% have no X-ray signatures at all. This is presumably due to the small amount of released energy, which is not enough to heat the plasma to coronal temperatures which produce X-ray emission rather than being due to the limitation of spatial resolution and temperature sensitivity of the X-ray instrument. These small ETBs may significantly contribute to the coronal heating.

On the power-law distributions of X-ray fluxes from solar flares observed with GOES

The power-law frequency distributions of the peak flux of solar flare X-ray emission have been studied extensively and attributed to a system having self-organized criticality （SOC）. In this paper, we first show that, so long as the shape of the normalized light curve is not correlated with the peak flux, the flux histogram of solar flares also follows a power-law distribution with the same spectral index as the power- law frequency distribution of the peak flux, which may partially explain why power-law distributions are ubiquitous in the Universe. We then show that the spectral indexes of the histograms of soft X-ray fluxes observed by GOES satellites in two different energy channels are different： the higher energy channel has a harder distribution than the lower energy channel, which challenges the universal power-law distribution predicted by SOC models and implies a very soft distribution of thermal energy content of plasmas probed by the GOES satellites. The temperature （T） distribution, on the other hand, approaches a power-law dis- tribution with an index of 2 for high values of T. Hence the application of SOC models to the statistical properties of solar flares needs to be revisited.

BL Lacertae objects and the extragalactic γ-ray background

A tight correlation between γ-ray and radio emission is found for a sample of BL Lacertae （BL Lac） objects detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope （Fermi） and the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope （EGRET）. The γ-ray emission of BL Lac objects exhibits strong variability, and the detection rate of γ-ray BL Lac objects is low, which may be related to the γ-ray duty cycle of BL Lac objects. We estimate the γ-ray duty cycle, δγ ≌ 0.11, for BL Lac objects detected by EGRET and Fermi. Using the empirical relation of γ-ray emission with radio emission and the estimated γ-ray duty cycle δγ, we derive the γ-ray luminosity function （LF） of BL Lac objects from their radio LE Our derived γ-ray LF of BL Lac objects can almost reproduce that calculated with the recently released Fermi bright active galactic nuclei （AGN） sample. Comparison of the derived LF of the γ-ray BL Lac objects in this work with that derived by Abdo et al. （2009a） requires the γ-ray duty cycle of BL Lac objects to be almost luminosity-independent. We find that - 45% of the extragalactic diffuse γ-ray background （EGRB） is contributed by BL Lac objects. Combining the estimate of the quasar contribution to the EGRB in the previous work, we find that 77% of the EGRB is contributed by BL Lac objects and radio quasars.

The connection between radio and γ-ray emission in Fermi/LAT blazars

We collect the second Large Area Telescope AGN catalog （2LAC） and Monitor of Jets in AGN with VLBA Equipment （MOJAVE） quasi-simultaneous data to investigate the radio-γ connection of blazars. The cross sample contains 166 sources. The statistical analysis based on this sample confirms positive correlations between these two bands, but the correlations become weaker as the γ-ray energy increases. The statistical results between various parameters show negative correla- tions of γ-ray photon spectral index with γ-ray loudness for both Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars （FSRQs） and BL Lacertae objects, positive correlations of γ-ray variability index with the γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, a negative correlation of the γ-ray variabil- ity index with the γ-ray photon spectral index for FSRQs, and negative correlations of γ-ray photon spectral index with γ-ray luminosity for FSRQs. These results suggest that the γ-ray variability may be due to changes inside the γ-ray emission region like the injected power, rather than changes in the photon density of the external radiation fields, and the variability amplitude tends to be larger as the γ-rays are closer to the high energy peak of the spectral energy distribution （SED）. No correlation of variabil- ity index found for BL Lacertae objects implies that variability behavior may differ below and above the peak energy.

Shallow Decay of X-ray Afterglows in Short GRBs:Energy Injection from a Millisecond Magnetar?

With the successful launch of Swift satellite, more and more data of early X-ray afterglows from short gamma-ray bursts have been collected. Some interesting features such as unusual afterglow light curves and unexpected X-ray flares are revealed. Especially, in some cases, there is a flat segment in the X-ray afterglow light curve. Here we present a simplified model in which we believe that the flattening part is due to energy injection from the central engine. We assume that this energy injection arises from the magnetic dipole radiation of a millisecond pulsar formed after the merger of two neutron stars. We check this model with the short GRB 060313. Our numerical results suggest that energy injection from a millisecond magnetar could make part of the X-ray afterglow light curve flat.