1. FERMI-LAT OBSERVATIONS OF THE LIGO EVENT GW150914Gabrijela Zaharijas, Collaboration Fermi LAT, Collaboration LIGO, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has an instantaneous field of view (FoV) covering ~1 5 of the sky and it completes a survey of the entire sky in high-energy gamma-rays every 3 hr. It enables searches for transient phenomena over timescales from milliseconds to years. Among these phenomena could be electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) sources. In this paper, we present a detailed study of the LAT observations relevant to Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) event GW150914, which is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and has been interpreted as being due to the coalescence of two stellar-mass black holes. The localization region for GW150914 was outside the LAT FoV at the time of the GW signal. However, as part of routine survey observations, the LAT observed the entire LIGO localization region within ∼70 minutes of the trigger and thus enabled a comprehensive search for a γ-ray counterpart to GW150914. The study of the LAT data presented here did not find any potential counterparts to GW150914, but it did provide limits on the presence of a transient counterpart above 100 MeV on timescales of hours to days over the entire GW150914 localization region. Keywords: gravitational waves, gamma rays Published in RUNG: 20.06.2016; Views: 5521; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
2. Sensitivity projections for dark matter searches with the Fermi large area telescopeGabrijela Zaharijas, Collaboration Fermi LAT, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: The nature of dark matter is a longstanding enigma of physics; it may consist of particles beyond the Standard Model that are still elusive to experiments. Among indirect searchtechniques, which look for stable products from the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles, or from axions coupling to high-energy photons, observations of the γ -ray sky have come to prominence over the last few years, because of the excellent sensitivity of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. The LAT energy range from 20 meV to above 300 GeV is particularly well suited for searching for products of the interactions of dark matter particles. In this report we describe methods used to search for evidence of dark matter with the LAT, and review the status of searches performed with up to six years of LAT data. We also discuss the factors that determine the sensitivities of these searches, including the magnitudes of the signals and the relevant backgrounds, considering both statistical and systematic uncertainties. We project the expected sensitivities of each search method for 10 and 15 years of LAT data taking. In particular, we find that the sensitivity of searches targeting dwarf galaxies, which provide the best limits currently, will improve faster than the square root of observing time. Current LAT limits for dwarf galaxies using six years of data reach the thermal relic level for masses up to 120 GeV for the bb ̄ annihilation channel for reasonable dark matter density profiles. With projected discoveries of additional dwarfs, these limits could extend to about 250 GeV. With as much as 15 years of LAT data these searches would be sensitive to dark matter annihilations at the thermal relic cross section for masses to greater than 400 GeV (200 GeV) in the bb ̄(τ+τ−) annihilation channels. Keywords: dark matter, gamma rays Published in RUNG: 20.06.2016; Views: 5536; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
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4. Constraints on the Galactic Dark Matter signal from the Fermi-LAT measurement of the diffuse gamma-ray emissionGabrijela Zaharijas, 2012, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: We study diffuse gamma-ray emission at intermediate Galactic latitudes measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope with the aim of searching for a signal from dark matter annihilation or decay. In the absence of a robust dark matter signal, constraints are presented. We set both, conservative dark matter limits requiring that the dark matter signal does not exceed the observed diffuse gamma-ray emission and limits derived based on modeling the foreground astrophysical diffuse emission. Uncertainties in several parameters which characterize conventional astrophysical emission are taken into account using a profile likelihood formalism. The resulting limits impact the range of particle masses over which dark matter thermal production in the early Universe is possible, and challenge the interpretation of the PAMELA/Fermi-LAT cosmic ray anomalies as annihilation of dark matter. Keywords: gamma rays, Galactic diffuse emission, dark matter serach Published in RUNG: 03.05.2016; Views: 5346; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
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7. 2FHL : THE SECOND CATALOG OF HARD FERMI-LAT SOURCESM. Ackermann, Gabrijela Zaharijas, Collaboration Fermi LAT, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: We present a catalog of sources detected above 50 GeV by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in 80 months of data. The newly delivered Pass8 event-level analysis allows the detection and characterization of sources in the 50 GeV–2 TeV energy range. In this energy band, Fermi-LAT has detected 360 sources, which constitute the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL). The improved angular resolution enables the precise localization of point sources (∼1 7 radius at 68% C.L.) and the detection and characterization of spatially extended sources. We find that 86% of the sources can be associated with counterparts at other wavelengths, of which the majority (75%) are active galactic nuclei and the rest (11%) are Galactic sources. Only 25% of the 2FHL sources have been previously detected by Cherenkov telescopes, implying that the 2FHL provides a reservoir of candidates to be followed up at very high energies. This work closes the energy gap between the observations performed at GeV energies by Fermi-LATon orbit and the observations performed at higher energies by Cherenkov telescopes from the ground. Keywords: catalogs – gamma-rays Published in RUNG: 25.02.2016; Views: 6071; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |