Andreas Zoglauer

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) High-Energy X-Ray Mission

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Explorer mission that carried the first focusing hard X-ray (6-79 keV) telescope into orbit. It was launched on a Pegasus rocket into a low-inclination Earth orbit on June 13, 2012, from Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll. NuSTAR will carry out a two-year primary science mission. The NuSTAR observatory is composed of the X-ray instrument and the spacecraft. The NuSTAR spacecraft is three-axis stabilized with a single articulating solar array based on Orbital Sciences Corporations LEOStar-2 design. The NuSTAR science instrument consists of two co-aligned grazing incidence optics focusing on to two shielded solid state CdZnTe pixel detectors. The instrument was launched in a compact, stowed configuration, and after launch, a 10-meter mast was deployed to achieve a focal length of 10.15 m. The NuSTAR instrument provides sub-arcminute imaging with excellent spectral resolution over a 12-arcminute field of view. The NuSTAR observatory will be operated out of the Mission Operations Center (MOC) at UC Berkeley. Most science targets will be viewed for a week or more. The science data will be transferred from the UC Berkeley MOC to a Science Operations Center (SOC) located at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In this paper, we will describe the mission architecture, the technical challenges during the development phase, and the post-launch activities.

An exceptionally bright flare from SGR 1806-20 and the origins of short-duration γ-ray bursts

Soft-γ-ray repeaters (SGRs) are galactic X-ray stars that emit numerous short-duration (about 0.1 s) bursts of hard X-rays during sporadic active periods. They are thought to be magnetars: strongly magnetized neutron stars with emissions powered by the dissipation of magnetic energy. Here we report the detection of a long (380 s) giant flare from SGR 1806–20, which was much more luminous than any previous transient event observed in our Galaxy. (In the first 0.2 s, the flare released as much energy as the Sun radiates in a quarter of a million years.) Its power can be explained by a catastrophic instability involving global crust failure and magnetic reconnection on a magnetar, with possible large-scale untwisting of magnetic field lines outside the star. From a great distance this event would appear to be a short-duration, hard-spectrum cosmic γ-ray burst. At least a significant fraction of the mysterious short-duration γ-ray bursts may therefore come from extragalactic magnetars.

Asymmetries in core-collapse supernovae from maps of radioactive 44 Ti in Cassiopeia A

Asymmetry is required by most numerical simulations of stellar core-collapse explosions, but the form it takes differs significantly among models. The spatial distribution of radioactive 44Ti, synthesized in an exploding star near the boundary between material falling back onto the collapsing core and that ejected into the surrounding medium, directly probes the explosion asymmetries. Cassiopeia A is a young, nearby, core-collapse remnant from which 44Ti emission has previously been detected but not imaged. Asymmetries in the explosion have been indirectly inferred from a high ratio of observed 44Ti emission to estimated 56Ni emission, from optical light echoes, and from jet-like features seen in the X-ray and optical ejecta. Here we report spatial maps and spectral properties of the 44Ti in Cassiopeia A. This may explain the unexpected lack of correlation between the 44Ti and iron X-ray emission, the latter being visible only in shock-heated material. The observed spatial distribution rules out symmetric explosions even with a high level of convective mixing, as well as highly asymmetric bipolar explosions resulting from a fast-rotating progenitor. Instead, these observations provide strong evidence for the development of low-mode convective instabilities in core-collapse supernovae.

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR)

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will carry the first focusing hard X-ray (6 - 80 keV) telescope to orbit. NuSTAR will offer a factor 50 - 100 sensitivity improvement compared to previous collimated or coded mask imagers that have operated in this energy band. In addition, NuSTAR provides sub-arcminute imaging with good spectral resolution over a 12-arcminute eld of view. After launch, NuSTAR will carry out a two-year primary science mission that focuses on four key programs: studying the evolution of massive black holes through surveys carried out in fields with excellent multiwavelength coverage, understanding the population of compact objects and the nature of the massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, constraining the explosion dynamics and nucleosynthesis in supernovae, and probing the nature of particle acceleration in relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei. A number of additional observations will be included in the primary mission, and a guest observer program will be proposed for an extended mission to expand the range of scientic targets. The payload consists of two co-aligned depth-graded multilayer coated grazing incidence optics focused onto a solid state CdZnTe pixel detectors. To be launched in early 2012 on a Pegasus rocket into a low-inclination Earth orbit, NuSTAR largely avoids SAA passage, and will therefore have low and stable detector backgrounds. The telescope achieves a 10.14-meter focal length through on-orbit deployment of an extendable mast. An aspect and alignment metrology system enable reconstruction of the absolute aspect and variations in the telescope alignment resulting from mast exure during ground data processing. Data will be publicly available at GSFCs High Energy Archive Research Center (HEASARC) following validation at the science operations center located at Caltech.

NuSTAR Observations of the Bullet Cluster: Constraints on Inverse Compton Emission

The search for diffuse non-thermal inverse Compton (IC) emission from galaxy clusters at hard X-ray energies has been undertaken with many instruments, with most detections being either of low significance or controversial. Because all prior telescopes sensitive at E > 10 keV do not focus light and have degree-scale fields of view, their backgrounds are both high and difficult to characterize. The associated uncertainties result in lower sensitivity to IC emission and a greater chance of false detection. In this work, we present 266 ks NuSTAR observations of the Bullet cluster, which is detected in the energy range 3-30 keV. NuSTARs unprecedented hard X-ray focusing capability largely eliminates confusion between diffuse IC and point sources; however, at the highest energies, the background still dominates and must be well understood. To this end, we have developed a complete background model constructed of physically inspired components constrained by extragalactic survey field observations, the specific parameters of which are derived locally from data in non-source regions of target observations. Applying the background model to the Bullet cluster data, we find that the spectrum is well—but not perfectly—described as an isothermal plasma with kT = 14.2 ± 0.2 keV. To slightly improve the fit, a second temperature component is added, which appears to account for lower temperature emission from the cool core, pushing the primary component to kT ~ 15.3 keV. We see no convincing need to invoke an IC component to describe the spectrum of the Bullet cluster, and instead argue that it is dominated at all energies by emission from purely thermal gas. The conservatively derived 90% upper limit on the IC flux of 1.1 × 10^(–12) erg s^(–1) cm^(–2) (50-100 keV), implying a lower limit on B ≳ 0.2 μG, is barely consistent with detected fluxes previously reported. In addition to discussing the possible origin of this discrepancy, we remark on the potential implications of this analysis for the prospects for detecting IC in galaxy clusters in the future.

Doppler broadening as a lower limit to the angular resolution of next-generation Compton telescopes

The angular resolution of a telescope which detects gamma-rays via the Compton effect is fundamentally limited below a few hundred keV by the fact that the target electrons have an indeterminable momentum inside their atoms which introduces an uncertainty in the recoil energy of the Compton electron and the scattered photon. This additional component in the energy and momentum equation results in a Doppler broadening of the angular resolution compared to the standard Compton equation for a target at rest. The deterioration in resolution is most pronounced for low photon energy, high scatter angle, and high Z of the scatter material. This physical limit to the angular resolution of a Compton telescope is present even if all other parameters (e.g. energy and position) are measured with high accuracy. For different Compton scatter materials such as silicon, germanium and xenon, which are used in current telescope designs, the best possible angular resolution as a function of photon energy and scatter angle is calculated. Averaged over all scatter angles and energies, the Doppler-limited angular resolution of silicon is a factor of ~1.6 better than that of germanium and a factor of ~1.9 better than that of xenon. Looking at the Doppler limit of materials from Z=1 to 90 the best angular resolution can be reached for alkaline and alkaline earth metals, the worst for elements with filled p-orbitals (noble gases) and d-orbitals (e.g. Pd and Au). Of all semiconductors which might be used in a next generation Compton telescope, silicon seems to be the best choice.

SN 2010jl: OPTICAL TO HARD X-RAY OBSERVATIONS REVEAL AN EXPLOSION EMBEDDED IN A TEN SOLAR MASS COCOON

Some supernovae (SNe) may be powered by the interaction of the SN ejecta with a large amount of circumstellar matter (CSM). However, quantitative estimates of the CSM mass around such SNe are missing when the CSM material is optically thick. Specifically, current estimators are sensitive to uncertainties regarding the CSM density profile and the ejecta velocity. Here we outline a method to measure the mass of the optically thick CSM around such SNe. We present new visible-light and X-ray observations of SN 2010jl (PTF 10aaxf), including the first detection of an SN in the hard X-ray band using NuSTAR. The total radiated luminosity of SN 2010jl is extreme—at least 9 × 10^50 erg. By modeling the visible-light data, we robustly show that the mass of the circumstellar material within ~10^16 cm of the progenitor of SN 2010jl was in excess of 10 M_☉. This mass was likely ejected tens of years prior to the SN explosion. Our modeling suggests that the shock velocity during shock breakout was ~6000 km s^–1, decelerating to ~2600 km s^–1 about 2 yr after maximum light. Furthermore, our late-time NuSTAR and XMM spectra of the SN presumably provide the first direct measurement of SN shock velocity 2 yr after the SN maximum light—measured to be in the range of 2000-4500 km s^–1 if the ions and electrons are in equilibrium, and ≳ 2000 km s^–1 if they are not in equilibrium. This measurement is in agreement with the shock velocity predicted by our modeling of the visible-light data. Our observations also show that the average radial density distribution of the CSM roughly follows an r^–2 law. A possible explanation for the ≳ 10 M_☉ of CSM and the wind-like profile is that they are the result of multiple pulsational pair instability events prior to the SN explosion, separated from each other by years.

Rapid variability of blazar 3C 279 during flaring states in 2013-2014 with joint FERMI-LAT, NuSTAR, SWIFT, and ground-based multi-wavelength observations

We report the results of a multiband observing campaign on the famous blazar 3C 279 conducted during a phase of increased activity from 2013 December to 2014 April, including first observations of it with NuSTAR. The gamma-ray emission of the source measured by Fermi-LAT showed multiple distinct flares reaching the highest flux level measured in this object since the beginning of the Fermi mission, with F(E > 100 MeV) of 10^(-5) photons cm^(-2) s^(-1), and with a flux-doubling time scale as short as 2 hr. The gamma-ray spectrum during one of the flares was very hard, with an index of Gamma(gamma) = 1.7 +/- 0.1, which is rarely seen in flat-spectrum radio quasars. The lack of concurrent optical variability implies a very high Compton dominance parameter L-gamma/L-syn > 300. Two 1 day NuSTAR observations with accompanying Swift pointings were separated by 2 weeks, probing different levels of source activity. While the 0.5 - 70 keV X-ray spectrum obtained during the first pointing, and fitted jointly with Swift-XRT is well-described by a simple power law, the second joint observation showed an unusual spectral structure: the spectrum softens by Delta Gamma(X) similar or equal to 0.4 at similar to 4 keV. Modeling the broadband spectral energy distribution during this flare with the standard synchrotron plus inverse-Compton model requires: (1) the location of the gamma-ray emitting region is comparable with the broad-line region radius, (2) a very hard electron energy distribution index p similar or equal to 1, (3) total jet power significantly exceeding the accretion-disk luminosity L-j/L-d greater than or similar to 10, and (4) extremely low jet magnetization with L-B/L-j less than or similar to 10^(-4). We also find that single-zone models that match the observed gamma-ray and optical spectra cannot satisfactorily explain the production of X-ray emission.

A Tracking Compton-Scattering Imaging System for Hadron Therapy Monitoring

Hadron therapy for, e.g., cancer treatment requires an accurate dose deposition (total amount and location). As a consequence, monitoring is crucial for the success of the treatment. Currently employed PET imaging systems are not able to provide information about the deposed dose fast enough to allow stopping the therapy in case of a discordance with the treatment plan. We are currently investigating an imaging system based on a combined Compton scattering and pair creation camera capable of imaging gamma rays up to 50 MeV. The camera would be able to measure the complete spectrum of emitted gamma rays during the therapy session. We have performed Monte Carlo simulations for three different proton beam energies in a typical hadron therapy scenario. They show that the location of the gamma-ray distribution decay and the falloff region of the deposed dose are related. The reconstructed images prove that the proposed system could provide the required imaging and dose location capabilities.

NuSTAR DETECTION OF HIGH-ENERGY X-RAY EMISSION AND RAPID VARIABILITY FROM SAGITTARIUS A⋆ FLARES

Sagittarius A* harbors the supermassive black hole that lies at the dynamical center of our Galaxy. Sagittarius A* spends most of its time in a low luminosity emission state but flares frequently in the infrared and X-ray, increasing up to a few hundred fold in brightness for up to a few hours at a time. The physical processes giving rise to the X-ray flares are uncertain. Here we report the detection with the NuSTAR observatory in Summer and Fall 2012 of four low to medium amplitude X-ray flares to energies up to 79 keV. For the first time, we clearly see that the power-law spectrum of Sagittarius A* X-ray flares extends to high energy, with no evidence for a cutoff. Although the photon index of the absorbed power-law fits are in agreement with past observations, we find a difference between the photon index of two of the flares (significant at the 95% confidence level). The spectra of the two brightest flares (~55 times quiescence in the 2-10 keV band) are compared to simple physical models in an attempt to identify the main X-ray emission mechanism, but the data do not allow us to significantly discriminate between them. However, we confirm the previous finding that the parameters obtained with synchrotron models are, for the X-ray emission, physically more reasonable than those obtained with inverse Compton models. One flare exhibits large and rapid (<100 s) variability, which, considering the total energy radiated, constrains the location of the flaring region to be within ~10 Schwarzschild radii of the black hole.