[en] IBIS is the gamma-ray imaging telescope onboard the ESA satellite INTEGRAL, which will be launched in 2001, PICsIT, the high-energy (140 keV-10 MeV) detector of IBIS, consists of a 64x64 units array. Each detection unit is a congruent with 0.8 cm2, 3 cm thick CsI(TI) crystal coupled with a photodiode. The engineering model (EM) of PICsIT has now been tested, calibrated, and integrated in IBIS for delivery to ESA. The calibration of PICsIT EM has allowed for the first time its scientific qualification in terms of: energy threshold, linearity, energy resolution, and photopeak efficiency (for events of various multiplicity)

[en] In this Letter we present the result of the cross correlation between the fourth INTEGRAL/IBIS soft gamma-ray catalog, in the range 20-100 keV, and the Fermi LAT bright source list of objects emitting in the 100 MeV-100 GeV range. The main result is that only a minuscule part of the more than 720 sources detected by INTEGRAL and the population of 205 Fermi LAT sources are detected in both spectral regimes. This is in spite of the mCrab INTEGRAL sensitivity for both galactic and extragalactic sources and the breakthrough, in terms of sensitivity, achieved by Fermi at MeV-GeV energies. The majority of the 14 Fermi LAT sources clearly detected in the fourth INTEGRAL/IBIS catalog are optically identified active galactic nuclei (10) complemented by two isolated pulsars (Crab and Vela) and two high-mass X-ray binaries (LS I +61⁰303 and LS 5039). Two more possible associations have been found: one is 0FGL J1045.6-5937, possibly the counterpart at high energy of the massive colliding wind binary system Eta Carinae, discovered to be a soft gamma ray emitter by recent INTEGRAL observations and 0FGL J1746.0-2900 coincident with IGR J17459-2902, but still not identified with any known object at lower energy. For the remaining 189 Fermi LAT sources no INTEGRAL counterpart was found and we report the 2σ upper limit in the energy band 20-40 keV.

[en] Since the time coverage of BATSE is nearly complete over 8 years, this instrument offers a unique opportunity to monitor highly variable sources such as blazars in a relatively unexplored energy band (20-100 keV). Here we present some examples of this capability which is particularly useful during period of flaring activity. Four years of monitoring of the QSO 71.07 in the hard X-ray band is presented which indicates enhanced hard X-ray emission during an optical flare. BATSE also allowed the extraction of spectra during bright states. These data indicate that the spectrum steepens when the source is brighter. Results are also presented for the BL Lacs MKN501 and PKS 2005-489 during high energy flares, first detected by other instruments. The potential of using BATSE to study sources over long periods of time and to follow the emission before and after flares is clearly demonstrated

[en] In this Letter we present the primary continuum parameters, the photon index Γ, and the high-energy cut-off E _c of 41 type-1 Seyfert galaxies extracted from the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) complete sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We performed broadband (0.3-100 keV) spectral analysis by simultaneously fitting the soft and hard X-ray spectra obtained by XMM and INTEGRAL/IBIS-Swift/BAT, respectively, in order to investigate the general properties of these parameters, in particular their distribution and mean values. We find a mean photon index of 1.73 with a standard deviation of 0.17 and a mean high-energy cut-off of 128 keV with a standard deviation of 46 keV for the whole sample. This is the first time that the cut-off energy is constrained in such a large number of AGNs. We have 26 measurements of the cut-off, which corresponds to 63% of the entire sample, distributed between 50 and 200 keV. There are a further 11 lower limits mostly below 300 keV. Using the main parameters of the primary continuum, we have been able to obtain the actual physical parameters of the Comptonizing region, i.e., the plasma temperature kT _e from 20 to 100 keV and the optical depth τ < 4. Finally, with the high signal-to-noise ratio spectra starting to come from NuSTAR it will soon be possible to better constrain the cut-off values in many AGNs, allowing the determination of more physical models and thus better understand the continuum emission and geometry of the region surrounding black holes

[en] Ionic diffusion in the quartz-β-eucryptite system is studied by DC transport measurements, SIMS and atomistic simulations. Transport data show a large transient increase in ionic current at the α-β phase transition of quartz (the Hedvall effect). The SIMS data indicate two diffusion processes, one involving rapid Li⁺ motion and the other involving penetration of Al and Li atoms into quartz at the phase transition. Atomistic simulations explain why the fine microstructure of twin domain walls in quartz near the transition does not hinder Li⁺ diffusion

[en] A gamma-ray telescope mission concept [gamma ray imager (GRI)] based on Laue focusing techniques has been proposed in reply to the European Space Agency call for mission ideas within the framework of the next decade planning (Cosmic Vision 2015-2025). In order to optimize the design of a focal plane for this satellite mission, a CdZnTe detector prototype has been tested at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility under an ∼100% polarized gamma-ray beam. The spectroscopic, imaging, and timing performances were studied and in particular its potential as a polarimeter was evaluated. Polarization has been recognized as being a very important observational parameter in high energy astrophysics (>100 keV) and therefore this capability has been specifically included as part of the GRI mission proposal. The prototype detector tested was a 5 mm thick CdZnTe array with an 11x11 active pixel matrix (pixel area of 2.5x2.5 mm²). The detector was irradiated by a monochromatic linearly polarized beam with a spot diameter of about 0.5 mm over the energy range between 150 and 750 keV. Polarimetric Q factors of 0.35 and double event relative detection efficiency of 20% were obtained. Further measurements were performed with a copper Laue monochromator crystal placed between the beam and the detector prototype. In this configuration we have demonstrated that a polarized beam does not change its polarization level and direction after undergoing a small angle (<1 deg.) Laue diffraction inside a crystal

[en] In this paper, we report on the fourth soft gamma-ray source catalog obtained with the IBIS gamma-ray imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The scientific data set is based on more than 70 Ms of high-quality observations performed during the first five and a half years of the Core Program and public observations. Compared to previous IBIS surveys, this catalog includes a substantially increased coverage of extragalactic fields, and comprises more than 700 high-energy sources detected in the energy range 17-100 keV, including both transients and faint persistent objects that can only be revealed with longer exposure times. A comparison is provided with the latest Swift/BAT survey results.

[en] The nature of a substantial percentage (about one fifth) of hard X-ray sources discovered with the BAT instrument onboard the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (hereafter Swift) is unknown because of the lack of an identified longer-wavelength counterpart. Without such follow-up, an X-ray catalogue is of limited astrophysical value: we therefore embarked, since 2009, on a long-term project to uncover the optical properties of sources identified by Swift by using a large suite of ground-based telescopes and instruments.

In this work, we continue our programme of characterization of unidentified or poorly studied hard X-ray sources by presenting the results of an optical spectroscopic campaign aimed at pinpointing and classifying the optical counterparts of 35 hard X-ray sources taken from the 70-month BAT catalogue. This sample was selected out of the available information about the chosen objects: either they are completely unidentified sources, or their association with a longer-wavelength counterpart is still ambiguous.

With the use of optical spectra taken at six different telescopes we were able to identify the main spectral characteristics (continuum type, redshift, and emission or absorption lines) of the observed objects, and determined their nature.

We identify and characterize a total of 41 optical candidate counterparts corresponding to 35 hard X-ray sources given that, because of positional uncertainties, multiple lower energy counterparts can sometimes be associated with higher energy detections. We discuss which ones are the actual (or at least most likely) counterparts based on our observational results.

In particular, 31 sources in our sample are active galactic nuclei: 16 are classified as Type 1 (with broad and narrow emission lines) and 13 are classified as Type 2 (with narrow emission lines only); two more are BL Lac-type objects. We also identify one LINER, one starburst, and 3 elliptical galaxies. The remaining 5 objects are galactic sources: we identify 4 of them as cataclysmic variables, whereas one is a low mass X-ray binary.