Effects of spatial fluctuations in the extragalactic background light on hard gamma-ray spectra

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dc.citation.doi10.1093/mnras/stx279en_ZA
dc.citation.epage2902en_ZA
dc.citation.issue3en_ZA
dc.citation.spage2896en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorKudoda, A.M.
dc.contributor.authorFaltenbacher, A.
dc.date.accessioned2017-11-16T08:16:06Z
dc.date.available2017-11-16T08:16:06Z
dc.date.issued2017-06
dc.description.abstractThis study investigates the impact of the fluctuations in the extragalactic background light (EBL) on the attenuation of the hard gamma-ray spectra of distant blazars. EBL fluctuations occur on the scales up to 100 Mpc and are caused by the clustering of galaxies. The EBL photons interact with high-energy gamma-rays via the electron-positron pair production mechanism: gamma + gamma '-> e(+) + e(-). The attenuation of gamma-rays depends on their energy and the density of the intervening EBL photon field. Using a simple model for the evolution of the mean EBL photon density, we implement an analytical description of the EBL fluctuations. We find that the amplitudes of the EBL energy density can vary by +/- 1 per cent as a function of environment. The EBL fluctuations lead to mild alterations of the optical depth or equivalently the transmissivity for gamma-rays from distant blazars. Our model predicts maximum changes of +/- 10 per cent in the gamma-ray transmissivity. However, this translates into marginal differences in the power-law slopes of currently observed gamma-ray spectra. The slopes of deabsorbed gamma-ray spectra differ by not more than +/- 1 per cent if EBL fluctuations are included.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianEM2017en_ZA
dc.funderSouth African National Research Foundation (NRF)en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationKudoda, A.M. and Faltenbacher, A. Effects of spatial fluctuations in the extragalactic background light on hard gamma-ray spectra. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 467(3), pp. 2896-2902.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0035-8711 (Print)
dc.identifier.issn1365-2966 (Online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10539/23417
dc.journal.titleMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societyen_ZA
dc.journal.volume467en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherOxford University Press (OUP)en_ZA
dc.rightsThis article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2017 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.en_ZA
dc.subjectStars: formationen_ZA
dc.subjectStars: fundamental parametersen_ZA
dc.subjectStars: luminosity functionen_ZA
dc.subjectMass functionen_ZA
dc.subjectDust, extinctionen_ZA
dc.subjectDiffuse radiationen_ZA
dc.subjectGALAXY REDSHIFT SURVEYen_ZA
dc.subjectMU-Men_ZA
dc.subjectSTAR-FORMATIONen_ZA
dc.subjectCOSMIC LIGHTen_ZA
dc.subjectDEEP FIELDen_ZA
dc.subjectCOBE DIRBEen_ZA
dc.subjectUNIVERSEen_ZA
dc.subjectEMISSIONen_ZA
dc.titleEffects of spatial fluctuations in the extragalactic background light on hard gamma-ray spectraen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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