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ABSTRACT OT 081 is a well-known, luminous blazar that is remarkably variable in many energy bands. We present the first broadband study of the source, which includes very high energy (VHE, $$E\gt $$ 100 GeV) $$\gamma$$-ray data taken by the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov telescopes) and H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) imaging Cherenkov telescopes. The discovery of VHE $$\gamma$$-ray emission happened during a high state of $$\gamma$$-ray activity in July 2016, observed by many instruments from radio to VHE $$\gamma$$-rays. We identify four states of activity of the source, one of which includes VHE $$\gamma$$-ray emission. Variability in the VHE domain is found on daily time-scales. The intrinsic VHE spectrum can be described by a power law with index $$3.27\pm 0.44_{\rm stat}\pm 0.15_{\rm sys}$$ (MAGIC) and $$3.39\pm 0.58_{\rm stat}\pm 0.64_{\rm sys}$$ (H.E.S.S.) in the energy range of 55–300 and 120–500 GeV, respectively. The broadband emission cannot be successfully reproduced by a simple one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. Instead, an additional external Compton component is required. We test a lepto-hadronic model that reproduces the data set well and a proton-synchrotron-dominated model that requires an extreme proton luminosity. Emission models that are able to successfully represent the data place the emitting region well outside of the broad-line region to a location at which the radiative environment is dominated by the infrared thermal radiation field of the dusty torus. In the scenario described by this flaring activity, the source appears to be a flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ), in contrast with past categorizations. This suggests that the source can be considered to be a transitional blazar, intermediate between BL Lac and FSRQ objects. 

Aims.Mrk 421 was in its most active state around early 2010, which led to the highest TeV gamma-ray flux ever recorded from any active galactic nuclei (AGN). We aim to characterize the multiwavelength behavior during this exceptional year for Mrk 421, and evaluate whether it is consistent with the picture derived with data from other less exceptional years. Methods.We investigated the period from November 5, 2009, (MJD 55140) until July 3, 2010, (MJD 55380) with extensive coverage from very-high-energy (VHE;E > 100 GeV) gamma rays to radio with MAGIC, VERITAS,Fermi-LAT,RXTE,Swift, GASP-WEBT, VLBA, and a variety of additional optical and radio telescopes. We characterized the variability by deriving fractional variabilities as well as power spectral densities (PSDs). In addition, we investigated images of the jet taken with VLBA and the correlation behavior among different energy bands. Results.Mrk 421 was in widely different states of activity throughout the campaign, ranging from a low-emission state to its highest VHE flux ever recorded. We find the strongest variability in X-rays and VHE gamma rays, and PSDs compatible with power-law functions with indices around 1.5. We observe strong correlations between X-rays and VHE gamma rays at zero time lag with varying characteristics depending on the exact energy band. We also report a marginally significant (∼3σ) positive correlation between high-energy (HE;E > 100 MeV) gamma rays and the ultraviolet band. We detected marginally significant (∼3σ) correlations between the HE and VHE gamma rays, and between HE gamma rays and the X-ray, that disappear when the large flare in February 2010 is excluded from the correlation study, hence indicating the exceptionality of this flaring event in comparison with the rest of the campaign. The 2010 violent activity of Mrk 421 also yielded the first ejection of features in the VLBA images of the jet of Mrk 421. Yet the large uncertainties in the ejection times of these unprecedented radio features prevent us from firmly associating them to the specific flares recorded during the 2010 campaign. We also show that the collected multi-instrument data are consistent with a scenario where the emission is dominated by two regions, a compact and extended zone, which could be considered as a simplified implementation of an energy-stratified jet as suggested by recentIXPEobservations. 

The BL Lacertae object VER J0521+211 underwent a notable flaring episode in February 2020. A short-term monitoring campaign, led by the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) collaboration, covering a wide energy range from radio to very high-energy (VHE, 100 GeV <E< 100 TeV) gamma rays was organised to study its evolution. These observations resulted in a consistent detection of the source over six consecutive nights in the VHE gamma-ray domain. Combining these nightly observations with an extensive set of multi-wavelength data made modelling of the blazar’s spectral energy distribution (SED) possible during the flare. This modelling was performed with a focus on two plausible emission mechanisms: (i) a leptonic two-zone synchrotron-self-Compton scenario, and (ii) a lepto-hadronic one-zone scenario. Both models effectively replicated the observed SED from radio to the VHE gamma-ray band. Furthermore, by introducing a set of evolving parameters, both models were successful in reproducing the evolution of the fluxes measured in different bands throughout the observing campaign. Notably, the lepto-hadronic model predicts enhanced photon and neutrino fluxes at ultra-high energies (E> 100 TeV). While the photon component, generated via decay of neutral pions, is not directly observable as it is subject to intense pair production (and therefore extinction) through interactions with the cosmic microwave background photons, neutrino detectors (e.g. IceCube) can probe the predicted neutrino component. Finally, the analysis of the gamma-ray spectra, observed by MAGIC and theFermi-LAT telescopes, yielded a conservative 95% confidence upper limit ofz ≤ 0.244 for the redshift of this blazar. 

Context.Blazars exhibit strong variability across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including periods of high-flux states commonly known as flares. The physical mechanisms in blazar jets responsible for flares remain poorly understood to date. Aims.Our aim is to better understand the emission mechanisms during blazar flares using X-ray polarimetry and broadband observations from the archetypical TeV blazar Mrk 421, which can be studied with higher accuracy than other blazars that are dimmer and/or located farther away. Methods.We studied a flaring activity from December 2023 that was characterized from radio to very high-energy (VHE;E > 0.1 TeV) gamma rays with MAGIC,Fermi-LAT,Swift,XMM-Newton, and several optical and radio telescopes. These observations included, for the first time for a gamma-ray flare of a blazar, simultaneous X-ray polarization measurements with IXPE, in addition to optical and radio polarimetry data. We quantify the variability and correlations among the multi-band flux and polarization measurements, and describe the varying broadband emission within a theoretical scenario constrained by the polarization data. Results.We find substantial variability in both X-rays and VHE gamma rays throughout the campaign, with the highest VHE flux above 0.2 TeV occurring during the IXPE observing window, and exceeding twice the flux of the Crab Nebula. However, the VHE and X-ray spectra are on average softer, and the correlation between these two bands is weaker than those reported in the previous flares of Mrk 421. IXPE reveals an X-ray polarization degree significantly higher than that at radio and optical frequencies, similar to previous results for Mrk 421 and other high synchrotron peaked blazars. Differently to past observations, the X-ray polarization angle varies by ∼100° on timescales of days, and the polarization degree changes by more than a factor of 4. The highest X-ray polarization degree, analyzed in 12 h time intervals, reaches 26 ± 2%, around which an X-ray counter-clockwise hysteresis loop is measured withXMM-Newton. It suggests that the X-ray emission comes from particles close to the high-energy cutoff, hence possibly probing an extreme case of the Turbulent Extreme Multi-Zone model for which the chromatic trend in the polarization may be more pronounced than theoretically predicted. We model the broadband emission with a simplified stratified jet model throughout the flare. The polarization measurements imply an electron distribution in the X-ray emitting region with a very high minimum Lorentz factor ($$ \gamma\prime_{\mathrm{min}}\gtrsim10^4 $$), which is expected in electron-ion plasma, as well as a variation of the emitting region size of up to a factor of 3 during the flaring activity. We find no correlation between the fluxes and the evolution of the model parameters, which indicates a stochastic nature of the underlying physical mechanism that likely explains the lack of a tight X-ray/VHE correlation during this flaring activity. Such behavior would be expected in a highly turbulent electron-ion plasma crossing a shock front. 

ABSTRACT A wide variety of Galactic sources show transient emission at soft and hard X-ray energies: low- and high-mass X-ray binaries containing compact objects, isolated neutron stars exhibiting extreme variability as magnetars as well as pulsar-wind nebulae. Although most of them can show emission up to MeV and/or GeV energies, many have not yet been detected in the TeV domain by Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of detecting new Galactic transients with the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) and the prospects for studying them with Target of Opportunity observations. We show that CTAO will likely detect new sources in the TeV regime, such as the massive microquasars in the Cygnus region, low-mass X-ray binaries with low-viewing angle, flaring emission from the Crab pulsar-wind nebula or other novae explosions, among others. Since some of these sources could also exhibit emission at larger time-scales, we additionally test their detectability at longer exposures. We finally discuss the multiwavelength synergies with other instruments and large astronomical facilities. 

The ALICE Collaboration reports measurements of the large relative transverse momentum ( $k_T$) component of jet substructure in $pp$and Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02\mathrm{TeV}$. Enhancement in the yield of such large- $k_{\mathrm{T}}$emissions in head-on Pb-Pb collisions is predicted to arise from partonic scattering with quasiparticles of the quark-gluon plasma. The analysis utilizes charged-particle jets reconstructed by the anti- $k_{\mathrm{T}}$algorithm with resolution parameter $R=0.2$in the transverse-momentum interval $60<p_{\mathrm{T},\mathrm{ch},\mathrm{jet}}<80\mathrm{GeV}/c$. The soft drop and dynamical grooming algorithms are used to identify high transverse momentum splittings in the jet shower. Comparison of measurements in Pb-Pb and $pp$collisions shows medium-induced narrowing, corresponding to yield suppression of high- $k_T$splittings, in contrast to the expectation of yield enhancement due to quasiparticle scattering. The measurements are compared to theoretical model calculations incorporating jet modification due to jet-medium interactions (“jet quenching”), both with and without quasiparticle scattering effects. These measurements provide new insight into the underlying mechanisms and theoretical modeling of jet quenching. 

Abstract This paper presents a study of the inclusive forward J/ψyield as a function of forward charged-particle multiplicity in pp collisions at$$ \sqrt{s} $$ $\sqrt{s}$= 13 TeV using data collected by the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. The results are presented in terms of relativeJ/ψyields and relative charged-particle multiplicities with respect to these quantities obtained in inelastic collisions having at least one charged particle in the pseudorapidity range |η|<1. The J/ψmesons are reconstructed via their decay intoμ⁺μ⁻pairs in the forward rapidity region (2.5< y <4). The relative multiplicity is estimated in the forward pseudorapidity range which overlaps with the J/ψrapidity region. The results show a steeper-than-linear increase of the J/ψyields versus the multiplicity. They are compared with previous measurements and theoretical model calculations. 

Abstract Event-by-event fluctuations of the event-wise mean transverse momentum,$$\langle p_{\textrm{T}}\rangle $$ $⟨p_{\text{T}}⟩$, of charged particles produced in proton–proton (pp) collisions at$$\sqrt{s}$$ $\sqrt{s}$= 5.02 TeV, Xe–Xe collisions at$$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$ $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$= 5.44 TeV, and Pb–Pb collisions at$$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$ $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$= 5.02 TeV are studied using the ALICE detector based on the integral correlator$$\langle \!\langle \Delta p_\textrm{T}\Delta p_\textrm{T}\rangle \!\rangle $$ $⟨⟨\Delta p_{\text{T}}\Delta p_{\text{T}}⟩⟩$. The correlator strength is found to decrease monotonically with increasing produced charged-particle multiplicity measured at midrapidity in all three systems. In Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions, the multiplicity dependence of the correlator deviates significantly from a simple power-law scaling as well as from the predictions of the HIJING and AMPT models. The observed deviation from power-law scaling is expected from transverse radial flow in semicentral to central Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions. In pp collisions, the correlation strength is also studied by classifying the events based on the transverse spherocity,$$S_0$$ $S_0$, of the particle production at midrapidity, used as a proxy for the presence of a pronounced back-to-back jet topology. Low-spherocity (jetty) events feature a larger correlation strength than those with high spherocity (isotropic). The strength and multiplicity dependence of jetty and isotropic events are well reproduced by calculations with the PYTHIA 8 and EPOS LHC models. 

A<sc>bstract</sc> We report on the measurement of inclusive, non-prompt, and prompt J/ψ-hadron correlations by the ALICE Collaboration at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The correlations are studied at midrapidity (|y| <0.9) in the transverse momentum rangesp_T<40 GeV/cfor the J/ψand 0.15< p_T<10 GeV/cand |η|<0.9 for the associated hadrons. The measurement is based on minimum bias and high multiplicity data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities ofL_int= 34 nb⁻¹andL_int= 6.9 pb⁻¹, respectively. In addition, two more data samples are employed, requiring, on top of the minimum bias condition, a threshold on the tower energy ofE= 4 and 9 GeV in the ALICE electromagnetic calorimeters, which correspond to integrated luminosities ofL_int= 0.9 pb⁻¹andL_int= 8.4 pb⁻¹, respectively. The azimuthally integrated near and away side yields of associated charged hadrons per J/ψtrigger are presented as a function of the J/ψand associated hadron transverse momentum. The measurements are discussed in comparison to PYTHIA calculations. 

The production yields of the orbitally excited charm-strange mesons ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}1}\left(1^{+}\right)(2536{)}^{+}$and ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}2}^{*}\left(2^{+}\right)(2573{)}^{+}$were measured for the first time in proton-proton (pp) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13\mathrm{TeV}$with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}1}^{+}$and ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}2}^{*+}$mesons were measured at midrapidity ( $\left|y\right|<0.5$) in minimum-bias and high-multiplicity pp collisions in the transverse-momentum interval $2<p_{\mathrm{T}}<24\mathrm{GeV}/c$. Their production yields relative to the ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+}$ground-state yield were found to be compatible between minimum-bias and high-multiplicity collisions, as well as with previous measurements in ${\mathrm{e}}^{\pm }\mathrm{p}$and ${\mathrm{e}}^{+}{\mathrm{e}}^{-}$collisions. The measured ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}1}^{+}/{\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+}$and ${\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}2}^{*+}/{\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+}$yield ratios are described by statistical hadronization models and can be used to tune the parameters governing the production of excited charm-strange hadrons in Monte Carlo generators, such as 8.