Tomasz Nowakowski is a writer for the website Phys.org.
The best fit model is the SED of Messier 87. Urena- Mena et al., 2021.
An international team of astronomer investigated a very high energy emission from a radio galaxy. The results of the study published December 16 could help us understand the nature of M87 and the processes responsible for VHE emission from this source.
Radio galaxies emit a lot of radio waves. Black holes in the center of the galaxies produce high-energy jets visible in radio wavelengths, which accelerate charged particles to high speeds.
The central dominant galaxy of the Virgo Cluster is known as M87. It has a diameter of about 980,000 light years and is classified as a giant Fanaroff-Riley I radio galaxy. One of the most noticeable features is its prominent jet with complex structures like knots and diffuse emission, apparent superluminal motion, and also complex variability.
M87 was the first radio galaxy to be detected at VHE and exhibits a complex behavior at very high energies. The mechanism for the emission of VHE in this universe. Fernando Urena- Mena of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics in Puebla, Mexico, is the leader of the group of researchers that decided to explore this topic.
The main goal of this work is to compare the VHE emission of the RDG M87 observed by IACTs during specific epochs with the long term quiescent/average emission provided by continuous observation by the HAWC observatory. The astronomer used a model that combined the photo-hadronic scenarios and the synchrotron self-compound scenarios to explain the emission.
The team fitted a broadband SED of the galaxy with a model to explain the VHE emission. The emission from radio to GeV gamma rays was modeled by them.
The results show that the model is able to explain the emission from M87 that was detected. The model can explain the flares that are only detected at VHE bands. The flares would be produced by changes in the energy distribution.
The researchers estimated the energy distribution index with the data. The level of this parameter was found to be 2.8. The results are consistent with a study conducted in 2016 where a similar model was used.
The origin of the VHE emission will need to be explored further with further monitoring of M87. They said that better understanding of M87's high energy emission could be important in order to improve our knowledge of radio galaxies and their properties.
A study of the Very High Energy emission of M87 through its broadband energy distribution is available.
The Science X Network will be launched in 2021.
There is a research looking at very high energy emission from Messier 87.
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