[en] We consider the possibility that the cosmic-ray knee is produced by a change in the nature of the hadronic interaction at approximately 1 TeV center of mass. Specifically we explore the result of the opening up of a new production channel whose output is undetectable by current air shower techniques

[en] SN 2010jl is a Type IIn core-collapse supernova whose radiative output is powered by the interaction of the supernova (SN) shock wave with its surrounding dense circumstellar medium (CSM). After day ∼60, its light curve developed a near-infrared (NIR) excess emission from dust. This excess could be a thermal IR echo from preexisting CSM dust, or emission from newly formed dust either in the cooling post-shock region of the CSM, or in the cooling SN ejecta. Recent analysis has shown that dust formation in the CSM can commence only after day ∼380, and has also ruled out newly formed ejecta dust as the source of the NIR emission. The early (<380 days) NIR emission can therefore only be attributed to an IR echo. The H–K color temperature of the echo is about 1250 K. The best-fitting model requires the presence of about 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ M _⊙ of amorphous carbon dust at a distance of 2.2 × 10¹⁶ cm from the explosion. The CSM-powered luminosity is preceded by an intense burst of hard radiation generated by the breakout of the SN shock through the stellar surface. The peak burst luminosity seen by the CSM dust is significantly reduced by Thomson scattering in the CSM, but still has the potential of evaporating the dust needed to produce the echo. We show that the survival of the echo-producing dust provides important constraints on the intensity, effective temperature, and duration of the burst.

[en] The hypothetical massive dark photon (γ^′) which has kinetic mixing with the SM photon can decay electromagnetically to e⁺e⁻ pairs if its mass m exceeds 2m_e, and otherwise into three SM photons. These decays yield cosmological and supernovae associated signatures. We briefly discuss these signatures, particularly in connection with the supernova SN1987A, and delineate the extra constraints that arise on the mass and mixing parameter of the dark photon. In particular, we find that for dark photon mass m_γ^′ in the 5–20 MeV range arguments based on supernova 1987A observations lead to a bound on ϵ which is about 300 times stronger than the presently existing bounds based on energy loss arguments

[en] Relativistic jets are the most energetic manifestation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) phenomenon. AGN jets are observed from the radio through gamma-rays and carry copious amounts of matter and energy from the sub-parsec central regions out to the kiloparsec and often megaparsec scale galaxy and cluster environs. While most spatially resolved jets are seen in the radio, an increasing number have been discovered to emit in the optical/near-IR and/or X-ray bands. Here we discuss a spectacular example of this class, the 3C 111 jet, housed in one of the nearest, double-lobed FR II radio galaxies known. We discuss new, deep Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) observations that reveal both near-IR and X-ray emission from several components of the 3C 111 jet, as well as both the northern and southern hotspots. Important differences are seen between the morphologies in the radio, X-ray, and near-IR bands. The long (over 100 kpc on each side), straight nature of this jet makes it an excellent prototype for future, deep observations, as it is one of the longest such features seen in the radio, near-IR/optical, and X-ray bands. Several independent lines of evidence, including the X-ray and broadband spectral shape as well as the implied velocity of the approaching hotspot, lead us to strongly disfavor the EC/CMB model and instead favor a two-component synchrotron model to explain the observed X-ray emission for several jet components. Future observations with NuSTAR , HST , and Chandra will allow us to further constrain the emission mechanisms.