The synchrotron X-ray "stripes" discovered in Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) have been attracting attention since they may be evidence for proton acceleration up to PeV. We analyzed Chandra data taken in 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2015 for imaging and spectroscopy of the stripes in the southwestern region of the SNR. Comparing images obtained at different epochs, we find that time variability of synchrotron X-rays is not limited to two structures previously reported but is more common in the region. Spectral analysis of nine bright stripes reveals not only their time variabilities but also a strong anti-correlation between the surface brightness and photon indices. The spectra of the nine stripes have photon indices of Γ= 2.1--2.6 and are significantly harder than those of the outer rim of the SNR in the same region with Γ= 2.7--2.9. Based on these findings, we indicate that the magnetic field is substantially amplified, and suggest that particle acceleration through a stochastic process may be at work in the stripes.
High-resolution Chandra observations of Tycho's SNR have revealed several sets of quasi-steady, high-emissivity, nearly-parallel X-ray stripes in some localized regions of the SNR. These stripes are most likely the result of cosmic-ray (CR) generated magnetic turbulence at the SNR blast wave. However, for the amazingly regular pattern of these stripes to appear requires the simultaneous action of a number of shock-plasma phenomena and is not predicted by most models of magnetic field amplification. A consistent explanation of these stripes yields information on the complex nonlinear plasma pro…
We describe a new model for the "stripes" of synchrotron radiation seen in the remnant of Tycho's supernova. In our picture, cosmic rays streaming ahead of the forward shock generate parallel (with respect to the local magnetic field direction) circularly polarized Alfven waves that are almost free of dissipation, and due to being circularly polarized exhibit no spatial variation of magnetic field strength. Following interaction with the SNR shock with nonzero obliquity, these parallel waves become obliquely propagating, due the the wave refraction (different in principle for the different pla…
Analyzing Chandra data of Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) taken in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2015, we search for time variable features of synchrotron X-rays in the southwestern part of the SNR, where stripe structures of hard X-ray emission were previous found. By comparing X-ray images obtained at each epoch, we discover a knot-like structure in the northernmost part of the stripe region became brighter particularly in 2015. We also find a bright filamentary structure gradually became fainter and narrower as it moved outward. Our spectral analysis reveal that not only the nonthermal X-ray …
The spectral slope of the magnetic energy in supernova remnants (SNRs) can be obtained by analysis of spatial two-point correlation functions of synchrotron intensities. This method has been originally developed for the analysis of magnetic field structure in diffuse interstellar medium and applied when the geometry of the emission region is simple and known. In this paper, applying this correlation analysis to Tycho's SNR, for which the synchrotron emission region is known to be a spherical shell, we find that the magnetic energy spectrum shows the Kolmogorov-like scaling. Our results can be …
Several young supernova remnants exhibit thin X-ray bright rims of synchrotron radiation at their forward shocks. Thin rims require strong magnetic field amplification beyond simple shock compression if rim widths are only limited by electron energy losses. But, magnetic field damping behind the shock could produce similarly thin rims with less extreme field amplification. Variation of rim width with energy may thus discriminate between competing influences on rim widths. We measured rim widths around Tycho's supernova remnant in 5 energy bands using an archival 750 ks Chandra observation. Rim…
We report results from deep observations (~750 ks) of Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) with NuSTAR. Using these data, we produce narrow-band images over several energy bands to identify the regions producing the hardest X-rays and to search for radioactive decay line emission from 44Ti. We find that the hardest (>10 keV) X-rays are concentrated in the southwest of Tycho, where recent Chandra observations have revealed high emissivity "stripes" associated with particles accelerated to the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum. We do not find evidence of 44Ti, and we set limits on its presence and dist…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) have long been assumed to be the source of cosmic rays (CRs) up to the "knee" of the CR spectrum at 10^15 eV, accelerating particles to relativistic energies in their blast waves by the process of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). Since cosmic ray nuclei do not radiate efficiently, their presence must be inferred indirectly. Previous theoretical calculations and X-ray observations show that CR acceleration modifies significantly the structure of the SNR and greatly amplifies the interstellar magnetic field. We present new, deep X-ray observations of the remnant of T…
We report a possible $γ$-ray enhancement event detected from Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR), the outcome of a type Ia supernova explosion that occurred in year 1572. The event lasted for 1.5 years and showed a factor of 3.6 flux increase mainly in the energy range of 4--100 GeV, while notably accompanied with two 478\,GeV photons. Several young SNRs (including Tycho's SNR) were previously found to show peculiar X-ray structures with flux variations in one- or several-year timescales, such an event at $γ$-ray energies is for the first time seen. The year-long timescale of the event suggests a …
We report Swift/BAT survey observations of the Tycho's supernova remnant, performed over a period of 104 months since the mission's launch. The remnant is detected with high significance (>10 sigma) below 50 keV. We detect significant hard X-ray emission in the 60-85 keV band, above the continuum level predicted by a simple synchrotron model. The location of the observed excess is consistent with line emission from radioactive Titanium-44, so far reported only for Type II supernova explosions. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of the galactic supernova rate, and nucle…
A number of studies suggest that shock acceleration with particle feedback and very efficient magnetic-field amplification combined with Alfvénic drift are needed to explain the rather soft radio spectrum and the narrow rims observed for Tycho's SNR. We show that the broadband spectrum of Tycho's SNR can alternatively be well explained when accounting for stochastic acceleration as a secondary process. The re-acceleration of particles in the turbulent region immediately downstream of the shock should be efficient enough to impact particle spectra over several decades in energy. The so-called A…
(abridged) Gamma-ray pulsars constitute a class of high and very high-energy emitters for which the known population is steadily increasing thanks to the Fermi/Large Area Telescope. In this paper, their gamma-ray luminosity and spectral features are explained in the framework of synchrotron radiation from particles located in the stripe of the pulsar wind. Apart from radiative losses, particles are also subject to a constant re-acceleration and reheating for instance by a magnetic reconnection induced electric field. The high-energy luminosity scales as $L_γ\approx 2\times10^{26} \textrm{W} \,…
Hadronic gamma-ray emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) is an important tool to test shock acceleration of cosmic ray protons. Tycho is one of nearly a dozen Galactic SNRs which are suggested to emit hadronic gamma-ray emission. Among them, however, it is the only one in which the hadronic emission is proposed to arise from the interaction with low-density (~0.3 cm^{-3}) ambient medium. Here we present an alternative hadronic explanation with a modest conversion efficiency (of order 1%) for this young remnant. With such an efficiency, a normal electron-proton ratio (of order 10^{-2}) is der…
Supernova remnants are commonly considered to produce most of the Galactic cosmic rays via diffusive shock acceleration. However, many questions about the physical conditions at shock fronts, such as the magnetic-field morphology close to the particle acceleration sites, remain open. Here we report the detection of a localized polarization signal from some synchrotron X-ray emitting regions of Tycho's supernova remnant made by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The derived polarization degree of the X-ray synchrotron emission is 9+/-2% averaged over the whole remnant, and 12+/-2% at the r…
Relativistic jets from supermassive black holes are among the most powerful and luminous astrophysical systems in Universe. We propose that the open magnetic field lines through the black hole, which drive a strongly magnetized jet, may have their polarity reversing over time scales related to the growth of the magneto-rotational dynamo in the disc, resulting in dissipative structures in the jet characterized by reversing toroidal field polarities, referred to as ``stripes''. Magnetic reconnection between the stripes dissipates the magnetic energy and powers jet acceleration. The striped jet m…
We present ~400ks NuSTAR observations of the northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) non-thermal limbs of the Galactic SNR SN1006. We discovered three sources with X-ray emission detected at >50keV. Two of them are identified as background AGN. We extract the NuSTAR spectra from a few regions along the non-thermal limbs and jointly analyze them with the XMM-Newton spectra and the radio data. The broad-band radio/X-ray spectra can be well described with a synchrotron emission model from a single population of CR electrons with a power law energy distribution and an exponential cutoff. The power law i…
Synchrotron radiation of ultra-relativistic particles accelerated in a pulsar wind nebula may dominate its spectrum up to gamma-ray energies. Because of the short cooling time of the gamma-ray emitting electrons, the gamma-ray emission zone is in the immediate vicinity of the acceleration site. The particle acceleration likely occurs at the termination shock of the relativistic striped wind, where multiple forced magnetic field reconnections provide strong magnetic fluctuations facilitating Fermi acceleration processes. The acceleration mechanisms imply the presence of stochastic magnetic fiel…
The origin of cosmic rays holds still many mysteries hundred years after they were first discovered. Supernova remnants have for long been the most likely sources of Galactic cosmic rays. I discuss here some recent evidence that suggests that supernova remnants can indeed efficiently accelerate cosmic rays. For this conference devoted to the Astronomical Institute Utrecht I put the emphasis on work that was done in my group, but placed in a broader context: efficient cosmic-ray acceleration and the im- plications for cosmic-ray escape, synchrotron radiation and the evidence for magnetic- field…
The X-ray synchrotron emission of each of the young supernova-remnants (SNRs) SN1006, Kepler, Tycho, RCW86 and Cas A, is roughly given by $νL_ν\sim 10^{45}\rm{erg}/t$, where $t$ is the remnant's age. The electrons emitting the X-ray emission cool fast, implying that the X-ray emission is calorimetric and equal to half of the cosmic ray (CR) electron acceleration efficiency (per logarithmic interval of particle energies, at multi TeV energies). Assuming Sedov-Taylor expansion, the resulting CR electron yield per SNR is estimated to be $E^2dN_e/dE\approx 6νL_νt \sim 10^{46}\rm erg$. This is abou…
QUIJOTE scientific results -- XIII. Intensity and polarization study of supernova remnants in the QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey: CTB 80, Cygnus Loop, HB 21, CTA 1, Tycho and HB 9
Observations of young supernova remnants (SNRs) in X-rays and gamma-rays have provided conclusive evidence for particle acceleration to at least TeV energies. Analysis of high spatial resolution X-ray maps of young SNRs has indicated that the particle acceleration process is accompanied by strong non-adiabatic amplification of magnetic fields. If Fermi acceleration is the mechanism producing the energetic cosmic rays (CRs), the amplified magnetic field must be turbulent and CR-driven instabilities are among the most probable mechanisms for converting the shock ram pressure into the magnetic tu…
We discuss the emission and transport of polarized radio-band synchrotron radiation near the forward shocks of young shell-type supernova remnants, for which X-ray data indicate a strong amplification of turbulent magnetic field. Modeling the magnetic turbulence through the superposition of waves, we calculate the degree of polarization and the magnetic polarization direction which is at $90^\circ$ to the conventional electric polarization direction. We find that isotropic strong turbulence will produce weakly polarized radio emission even in the absence of internal Faraday rotation. If anisot…
Supernova remnants (SNRs) have a variety of overall morphology as well as rich structures over a wide range of scales. Quantitative study of these structures can potentially reveal fluctuations of density and magnetic field originating from the interaction with ambient medium and turbulence in the expanding ejecta. We have used $1.5$GHz (L band) and $5$GHz (C band) VLA data to estimate the angular power spectrum $C_{\ell}$ of the synchrotron emission fluctuations of the Kepler SNR. This is done using the novel, visibility based, Tapered Gridded Estimator of $C_{\ell}$. We have found that, for …
PSR J1023+0038 is the first millisecond pulsar discovered to pulsate in the visible band; such a detection took place when the pulsar was surrounded by an accretion disk and also showed X-ray pulsations. We report on the first high time resolution observational campaign of this transitional pulsar in the disk state, using simultaneous observations in the optical (TNG, NOT, TJO), X-ray (XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, NICER), infrared (GTC) and UV (Swift) bands. Optical and X-ray pulsations were detected simultaneously in the X-ray high intensity mode in which the source spends $\sim$ 70% of the time, and …
