Galaxies — Open Access Journal

Over the past decade, our knowledge of the $\gamma$-ray sky has been revolutionized by ground- and space-based observatories by detecting photons up to several hundreds of tera-electron volt (TeV) energies. A major population of the $\gamma$-ray bright objects are active galactic nuclei (AGN) with their relativistic jets pointed along our line-of-sight. Gamma-ray emission is also detected from nearby misaligned AGN such as radio galaxies. While the TeV-detected radio galaxies ($TeVRad$) only form a small fraction of the $\gamma$-ray detected AGN, their multi-wavelength study offers a unique opportunity to probe and pinpoint the high-energy emission processes and sites. Even in the absence of substantial Doppler beaming $TeVRad$ are extremely bright objects in the TeV sky (luminosities detected up to ${10}^{45}$ erg s${}^{-1}$), and exhibit flux variations on timescales shorter than the event-horizon scales (flux doubling timescale less than 5 min). Thanks to the recent advancement in the imaging capabilities of high-resolution radio interferometry (millimeter very long baseline interferometry, mm-VLBI), one can probe the scales down to less than 10 gravitational radii in $TeVRad$, making it possible not only to test jet launching models but also to pinpoint the high-energy emission sites and to unravel the emission mechanisms. This review provides an overview of the high-energy observations of $TeVRad$ with a focus on the emitting sites and radiation processes. Some recent approaches in simulations are also sketched. Observations by the near-future facilities like Cherenkov Telescope Array, short millimeter-VLBI, and high-energy polarimetry instruments will be crucial for discriminating the competing high-energy emission models. Full article

Thermal conduction plays an important role in bimodal accretion flows consisting of high-temperature flow and cool flow, especially when the temperature is high and/or has a steep gradient. For example, in hard-to-soft transitions of black hole accretion flows, thermal conduction between the high-temperature region and the low-temperature region is appropriately considered. We conducted two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulations considering anisotropic heat conduction to study condensation of geometrically thick hot accretion flows driven by radiative cooling during state transitions. Numerical results show that the intermediate region appears between the hot corona and the cool accretion disk when we consider heat conduction. The typical temperature and number density of the intermediate region of the 10 Mo black hole at 10Rg (Rg = 3.0 x 10⁶ cm is the Schwarzschild radius) are 4 x 10¹⁰ < T [K] < 4 x 10¹² and 5 x 10¹⁵ < n [cm^-3] < 5 x 17¹⁷, respectively. The thickness of intermediate region is about half of the radius. By comparing two models with or without thermal conduction, we demonstrate the effects of thermal conduction. Full article

PKS 2155-304 is one of the brightest blazar located in Southern Hemisphere, monitored with H.E.S.S. since the first light of the experiment. Here we report multiwavelength monitoring observations collected during the period of 2015–2016 with H.E.S.S., Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT, and ATOM. Two years of multiwavelength data with very good temporal coverage allowed to characterize broadband emission observed from the region of PKS 2155-304 and study potential multifrequency correlations. During the period of monitoring, PKS 2155-304 revealed complex multiwavelength variability with two outbursts characterized by completely different multiband properties. The 2015 activity of the blazar is characterized by a flare observed at all wavelengths studied. The broadband emission observed during the outburst is well correlated without any time lags. Contrary to 2015, in 2016, only orphan outburst in the optical and ultraviolet wavelengths was observed. Such an orphan activity is reported for the first time for the blazar PKS 2155-304. Full article

This review provides an overview of recent advances in multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observations of blazars, the current status of theoretical models for blazar emission, and prospects for future facilities. The discussion of observational results will focus on advances made possible through the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and ground-based gamma-ray observatories (H.E.S.S., MAGIC, VERITAS), as well as the recent first evidence for a blazar being a source of IceCube neutrinos. The main focus of this review will be the discussion of our current theoretical understanding of blazar multi-wavelength and multi-messenger emission, in the spectral, time, and polarization domains. Future progress will be expected in particular through the development of the first X-ray polarimeter, IXPE, and the installation of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), both expected to become operational in the early to mid 2020s. Full article

The Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON) was founded to tie the world’s high-energy and multimessenger observatories into a single network, with the purpose to enable the discovering of multimessenger sources, to exploit these sources for purposes of astrophysics, fundamental physics, and cosmology, and to explore archival datasets for evidence of multimessenger source populations. Contributions of AMON to date include the GCN prompt alerts for likely-cosmic neutrinos, multiple follow-up campaigns for likely-cosmic neutrinos including the IceCube-170922A event, and several archival searches for transient and flaring $\gamma$ + $\nu$ and $\nu$ + CR multimessenger sources. Given the new dawn of multimessenger astronomy recently realized with the detection of the neutron binary star merger and the possible $\gamma$ + $\nu$ coincidence detection from the blazar TXS0506+056, in 2019, we are planning to commission several multimessenger alert streams, including GW + $\gamma$ and high-energy $\gamma$ + $\nu$ coincidence alerts. We will briefly summarize the current status of AMON and review our monitoring plans for high-energy and multimessenger AMON alerts during what promises to be a very exciting year for multimessenger astrophysics. Full article

Disk accretion onto black holes is accompanied by collimated outflows (jets). In active galactic nuclei (AGN), the kinetic energy flux of the jet (jet power or kinetic luminosity) may exceed the bolometric luminosity of the disk by a few orders of magnitude. This may be explained in the framework of the so called “cold” disk accretion. In this regime of accretion, the disk is radiatively inefficient because practically all the energy released at the accretion is carried out by the magnetized wind. This wind also provides efficient loss of the angular momentum by the matter in the disk. In this review, the physics of the accretion driven by the wind is considered from first principles. It is shown that the magnetized wind can efficiently carry out angular momentum and energy of the matter of the disk. The conditions when this process dominates conventional loss of the angular momentum due to turbulent viscosity are discussed. The “cold” accretion occurs when the viscous stresses in the disk can be neglected in comparison with impact of the wind on the accretion. Two problems crucial for survival of the model of “cold” accretion are considered. The first one is existence of the magnetohydrodynamical solutions for disk accretion purely due to the angular momentum loss by the wind. Another problem is the ability of the model to reproduce observations which demonstrate existence of the sources with kinetic power of jets 2–3 orders of magnitude exceeding the bolometric luminosity of disks. The solutions of the problem in similar prescriptions and numerical solutions without such an assumption are discussed. Calculations of the “unavoidable” radiation from the “cold” disk and the ratio of the jet power of the SMBH to the bolometric luminosity of the accretion disk around a super massive black hole are given in the framework of the Shakura and Sunyaev paradigm of an optically thick $\alpha$-disk. The exploration of the Fundamental Plane of Black Holes allows us to obtain semi empirical equations that determine the bolometric luminosity and the ratio of the luminosities as functions of the black hole mass and accretion rate. Full article

The IMAGINE Consortium aims to bring modeling of the magnetic field of the Milky Way to the next level by using Bayesian inference. IMAGINE includes an open-source modular software pipeline that optimizes parameters in a user-defined galactic magnetic field model against various selected observational datasets. Bayesian priors can be added as external probabilistic constraints of the model parameters. These conference proceedings describe the science goals of the IMAGINE consortium, the software pipeline and its inputs, namely observational data sets, galactic magnetic field models, and Bayesian priors. Full article

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies have long been discussed as optimal targets for indirect dark matter searches. However, the majority of such studies have been conducted with gamma-ray instruments. In this review, we discuss the very recent progress that has been made in radio-based indirect dark matter searches. We look at existing work on this topic and discuss the future prospects that motivate continued work in this newly developing field that promises to become, in the light of the up-coming Square Kilometre Array, a prominent component of the hunt for dark matter. Full article

Magnetic fields in the universe play an essential role in observations of the radio synchrotron continuum; however, we do not know enough about them, either observationally or theoretically. We are interested in galactic magnetic fields because they affect the structural formation of galaxies in terms of star-forming regions, spiral arms, and threads at the galactic center. To clarify the importance of magnetic fields, we carried out numerical simulations of the galactic gaseous disk with magnetic fields. We also calculated observables, such as the rotation measure and Stokes parameters, from the results of numerical simulation. FD maps and intensity maps have been reported, and the relation between azimuthal angle and FD has been shown to depend on the inclination of the observer. Furthermore, it has been shown that a polarized intensity below 800 MHz reflects field structure in the halo region, although the intensity is weak. The present paper summarizes the effects of Faraday depolarization and the relation between magnetic-field structure and Stokes parameters. Full article

In astrophysical jets observed in active galactic nuclei and in microquasars, the energy exchange rate by Coulomb collision is insufficient for thermal equilibrium between ions and electrons. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the difference between the ion temperature and the electron temperature. We present the results of two-temperature magnetohydrodynamics(MHD) simulations to demonstrate the effects of Coulomb coupling. It is assumed that the thermal dissipation heats only ions. We find that the ion and electron temperatures are separated through shocks. Since the ion entropy is increased by energy dissipation at shocks and the Coulomb collisions are inefficient, electron temperature becomes about 10 times lower than the ion temperature in the hotspot ahead of the jet terminal shock. In the cocoon, electron temperature decreases by gas mixing between high temperature cocoon gas and low temperature shocked-ambient gas even when we neglect radiative cooling, but electrons can be heated through collisions with ions. Radiation intensity maps are produced by post processing numerical results. Distributions of the thermal bremsstrahlung radiation computed from electron temperature have bright filament and cavity around the jet terminal shock. Full article

Accretion disks are the structures which mediate the conversion of the kinetic energy of plasma accreting onto a compact object (assumed here to be a black hole) into the observed radiation, in the process of removing the plasma’s angular momentum so that it can accrete onto the black hole. There has been mounting evidence that these structures are accompanied by winds whose extent spans a large number of decades in radius. Most importantly, it was found that in order to satisfy the winds’ observational constraints, their mass flux must increase with the distance from the accreting object; therefore, the mass accretion rate on the disk must decrease with the distance from the gravitating object, with most mass available for accretion expelled before reaching the gravitating object’s vicinity. This reduction in mass flux with radius leads to accretion disk properties that can account naturally for the AGN relative luminosities of their Optical-UV and X-ray components in terms of a single parameter, the dimensionless mass accretion rate. Because this critical parameter is the dimensionless mass accretion rate, it is argued that these models are applicable to accreting black holes across the mass scale, from galactic to extragalactic. Full article

Astrophysical accretion flows are associated with energetic emission of radiation and outflows (winds and jets). Extensive observations of these two processes in X-ray binary outbursts are available. A convincing understanding of their dynamics remains, however, elusive. The main agent that controls the dynamics is believed to be a large scale magnetic field that threads the system. We propose that during the quiescent state, the field is held in place by a delicate balance between inward advection and outward diffusion through the accreting matter. We also propose that the source of the field is a growing toroidal electric current generated by the aberrated radiation pressure on the innermost plasma electrons in orbit around the central black hole. This is the astrophysical mechanism of the Cosmic Battery. When the return magnetic field outside the toroidal electric current diffuses through the surrounding disk, the disk magnetic field and its associated accretion rate gradually increase, thus leading the system to an outburst. After the central accretion flow approaches equipartition with radiation, it is disrupted, and the Cosmic Battery ceases to operate. The outward field diffusion is then reversed, magnetic flux reconnects with the flux accumulated around the central black hole and disappears. The magnetic field and the associated accretion rate slowly decrease, and the system is gradually driven back to quiescence. We conclude that the action (or inaction) of the Cosmic Battery may be the missing key that will allow us to understand the long-term evolution of astrophysical accretion–ejection flows. Full article

We introduce a dark energy-modified minimum length uncertainty relation (DE-MLUR) or dark energy uncertainty principle (DE-UP) for short. The new relation is structurally similar to the MLUR introduced by Károlyházy (1968), and reproduced by Ng and van Dam (1994) using alternative arguments, but with a number of important differences. These include a dependence on the de Sitter horizon, which may be expressed in terms of the cosmological constant as $l_{\mathrm{dS}}\sim 1/\sqrt{\mathrm{\Lambda }}$. Applying the DE-UP to both charged and neutral particles, we obtain estimates of two limiting mass scales, expressed in terms of the fundamental constants $\left\{G,c,\hslash ,\mathrm{\Lambda },e\right\}$. Evaluated numerically, the charged particle limit corresponds to the order of magnitude value of the electron mass ($m_e$), while the neutral particle limit is consistent with current experimental bounds on the mass of the electron neutrino ($m_{{\nu }_e}$). Possible cosmological consequences of the DE-UP are considered and we note that these lead naturally to a holographic relation between the bulk and the boundary of the Universe. Low and high energy regimes in which dark energy effects may dominate canonical quantum behaviour are identified and the possibility of testing the model using near-future experiments is briefly discussed. Full article

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are often recognized as the hallmark of compact H ii regions in the Universe. However, there exist dusty neutral regions extending beyond the central ionized region. We demonstrate that such dusty neutral regions (also known as photo-dissociation regions, or PDRs) around the central ionized region are significant parts of PNe in terms of energetics and mass. We do so by using our latest dusty photoionization model of NGC 6781 (of 13 parameters) based on one of the most comprehensive panchromatic data sets ever assembled for a PN encompassing from X-ray to radio (of 136 constraining data, including 19 flux densities, 78 line fluxes, and 37 band fluxes). We find that NGC 6781, evolved out of a 2.25–3.0 M${}_{\odot }$ star located 460 pc away from us, possesses a massive concentration of neutral gas (molecular hydrogen) just beyond the central ionized region and that the amount of ionized gas in NGC 6781 is only 22% of the observationally accounted amount of matter in the circumstellar environment, which itself does not even account for the amount of mass presumably ejected by the central star during the last thermal pulse event according to the latest evolutionary models. This means that the observed nebula in this PN is only the tip of the iceberg. Full article

Blazars are jetted active galactic nuclei with a jet pointing close to the line of sight, hence enhancing their intrinsic luminosity and variability. Monitoring these sources is essential in order to catch them flaring and promptly organize follow-up multi-wavelength observations, which are key to providing rich data sets used to derive e.g., the emission mechanisms at work, and the size and location of the flaring zone. In this context, the Fermi-LAT has proven to be an invaluable instrument, whose data are used to trigger many follow-up observations at high and very high energies. A few examples are illustrated here, as well as a description of different data products and pipelines, with a focus given on FLaapLUC, a tool in use within the H.E.S.S. collaboration. Full article

According to the standard cold dark matter (CDM) cosmology, the structure of dark halos including those of galaxy clusters reflects their mass accretion history. Older clusters tend to be more concentrated than younger clusters. Their structure, represented by the characteristic radius $r_s$ and mass $M_s$ of the Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) density profile, is related to their formation time. In this study, we showed that $r_s$, $M_s$, and the X-ray temperature of the intracluster medium (ICM), $T_X$, form a thin plane in the space of $(log{r}_s,log{M}_s,log{T}_X)$. This tight correlation indicates that the ICM temperature is also determined by the formation time of individual clusters. Numerical simulations showed that clusters move along the fundamental plane as they evolve. The plane and the cluster evolution within the plane could be explained by a similarity solution of structure formation of the universe. The angle of the plane shows that clusters have not achieved “virial equilibrium” in the sense that mass/size growth and pressure at the boundaries cannot be ignored. The distribution of clusters on the plane was related to the intrinsic scatter in the halo concentration–mass relation, which originated from the variety of cluster ages. The well-known mass–temperature relation of clusters ($M_{\Delta }\propto T_X^{3/2}$) can be explained by the fundamental plane and the mass dependence of the halo concentration without the assumption of virial equilibrium. The fundamental plane could also be used for calibration of cluster masses. Full article

Results of comparison of Gaia DR2 parallaxes with data derived from a combined analysis of 2MASS (Two Micron All-Sky Survey), SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey), GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer), and UKIDSS (UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey) surveys in four selected high-latitude $\left|b\right|>$ 48° sky areas are presented. It is shown that multicolor photometric data from large modern surveys can be used for parameterization of stars closer than 4400 pc and brighter than $g_{SDSS}=19{.}^{m}6$, including estimation of parallax and interstellar extinction value. However, the stellar luminosity class should be properly determined. Full article

Radio continuum emission of planetary nebulae is a rich source of information about their structure and physical parameters. Although radio emission is well studied, planetary nebulae show higher spectral indices than expected for homogeneous sphere. A few competing models exist in the literature to explain this discrepancy. We propose that it is related to non-spherical morphology of most of planetary nebulae. Full article

Theoretical models for the electromagnetic launching of astrophysical jets have long indicated that this process should generate helical magnetic fields, which should then propagate outward with the jet plasma. Polarization observations of jets are key for testing this idea, since they provide direct information about the magnetic field structures in the synchrotron-emitting radio jets. Together with Faraday rotation measurements, it is possible in some cases to reconstruct the three-dimensional magnetic-field structure. There is now plentiful evidence for the presence of helical magnetic fields associated with the jets of active galactic nuclei, most directly the detection of transverse Faraday-rotation gradients indicating a systematic change in the line-of-sight magnetic field component across the jets. A variety of models involving helical jet magnetic fields have also been used to explain a great diversity of phenomena, including not only the linear polarization and Faraday rotation structures, but also circular polarization, anomalous wavelength dependences of the linear polarization, variability of jet ridge lines, variability of the Faraday rotation sign and polarization angle rotations. A joint consideration of Faraday rotation measurements on parsec and kiloparsec scales indicates a magnetic-field and current structure similar to that of a co-axial cable, suggesting the action of some kind of battery mechanism, such as the Poynting–Robertson cosmic battery. Full article