Hiromasa Suzuki

Konan University · Department of Physics

In this multi-messenger astronomy era, all the observational probes are improving their sensitivities and overall performance. The Focusing on Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution (FORCE) mission, the product of a JAXA/NASA collaboration, will reach a 10 times higher sensitivity in the hard X-ray band ($E >$ 10~keV) in comparison with any pre...

We analyzed 39 ks NuSTAR data of Cen X-3 through both orbital- and pulse-phase resolved spectroscopy. Orbital-phase resolved spectra show extrinsic fluctuations due to absorption by surrounding plasma, as the spectral fluctuation mainly emerges below 10 keV. Pulse-phase resolved spectra, on the other hand, show intrinsic fluctuations depending on e...

We present a time-resolved analysis using 39 ks NuSTAR observation data of the X-ray pulsar Centaurus X-3, covering an orbital-phase interval of Φ = 0.199–0.414. The orbital- and spin-phase variabilities are investigated through time-resolved spectra, light curves, and pulse profiles. The orbital-phase variability was due to the mixture of two comp...

We analyzed 39 ks NuSTAR observation data of the high mass X-ray binary Cen X-3 in order to investigate the orbital- and spin-phase spectral variability. The observation covers the orbital phase of $\Phi=0.199$-$0.414$ of the source, where $\Phi=0$ corresponds to the mid-eclipse. The orbital-phase-resolved spectroscopy revealed that low energy phot...

The physics of particle acceleration at supernova remnant (SNR) shocks is one of the most intriguing problems in astrophysics. SNR RCW 86 provides a suitable environment for understanding the physics of particle acceleration because one can extract the information on both accelerated particles and acceleration environment in the same regions throug...

MAXI J1820+070 is a low-mass X-ray binary with a black hole as a compact object. This binary underwent an exceptionally bright X-ray outburst from March to October 2018, showing evidence of a non-thermal particle population through its radio emission during this whole period. The combined results of 59.5 hours of observations of the MAXI J1820+070...

MAXI J1820+070 is a low-mass X-ray binary with a black hole as a compact object. This binary underwent an exceptionally bright X-ray outburst from March to October 2018, showing evidence of a non-thermal particle population through its radio emission during this whole period. The combined results of 59.5 hours of observations of the MAXI J1820+070...

Particle acceleration physics at supernova remnant (SNR) shocks is one of the most intriguing problems in astrophysics. SNR RCW~86 provides a suitable environment for understanding the particle acceleration physics because one can extract the information of both accelerated particles and acceleration environment at the same regions through the brig...

Young massive stellar clusters are extreme environments and potentially provide the means for efficient particle acceleration. Indeed, they are increasingly considered as being responsible for a significant fraction of cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated within the Milky Way. Westerlund 1, the most massive known young stellar cluster in our Galaxy is a p...

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are thought to be the most promising sources of Galactic cosmic rays. One of the principal questions is whether they are accelerating particles up to the maximum energy of Galactic cosmic rays (∼PeV). In this work, a systematic study of gamma-ray-emitting SNRs is conducted as an advanced study of Suzuki et al. Our purpose...

We report on CO and H i studies of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant (SNR) G346.6−0.2. We find a wind-blown bubble along the radio continuum shell with an expansion velocity of ∼10 km s ⁻¹ , which was likely formed by strong stellar winds from the high-mass progenitor of the SNR. The radial velocities of the CO/H i bubbles at V LSR = −82 to −5...

X-ray timing properties of the magnetar SGR 1900+14 were studied, using the data taken with Suzaku in 2009 and NuSTAR in 2016, for a time lapse of 114 and 242 ks, respectively. On both occasions, the object exhibited the characteristic two-component spectrum. The soft component, dominant in energies below ∼5 keV, showed a regular pulsation, with a...

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are thought to be the most promising sources of Galactic cosmic rays. One of the principal questions is whether they are accelerating particles up to the maximum energy of Galactic cosmic rays ($\sim$ PeV). In this work, a systematic study of gamma-ray emitting SNRs is conducted as an advanced study of Suzuki et al. 2021....

X-ray timing properties of the magnetar SGR 1900+14 were studied, using the data taken with Suzaku in 2009 and NuSTAR in 2016, for a time lapse of 114 ks and 242 ks, respectively. On both occasions, the object exhibited the characteristic two-component spectrum. The soft component, dominant in energies below $\sim 5$ keV, showed a regular pulsation...

Context. In X-ray observations, estimating the particle-induced background is important, especially for faint and/or diffuse sources. Although software exists to generate total (sky and detector) background data suitable for a given Chandra ACIS observation, no public software exists to model the particle-induced background separately. Aims. We aim...

In X-ray observations, estimation of the particle-induced background is important especially for faint and/or diffuse sources. Although software exists to generate total (sky and detector) background data suitable for a given Chandra ACIS observation, no public software exists to model the particle-induced background separately. We aim to understan...

We report on CO and HI studies of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant (SNR) G346.6$-$0.2. We find a wind-blown bubble along the radio continuum shell with an expansion velocity of $\sim10$ km s$^{-1}$, which was likely formed by strong stellar winds from the high-mass progenitor of the SNR. The radial velocities of the CO/HI bubbles at $V_\mathr...

The age of a supernova remnant (SNR) is, though undoubtedly one of the most important properties for study of its evolution, difficult to estimate reliably in most cases. In this study, we compare the dynamical and plasma ages of the SNRs and characteristic ages of their associated pulsars with the corresponding SNRs' ages that are generally though...

Understanding and reducing the in-orbit instrumental backgrounds are essential to achieving high sensitivity in hard X-ray astronomical observations. The observational data of the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) on board the Hitomi satellite provides useful information on the background components, owing to its multi-layer configuration with different atom...

FORCE is a Japan-US space-based astronomy mission for an X-ray imaging spectroscopy in an energy range of 1--80 keV. The Wideband Hybrid X-ray Imager (WHXI), which is the main focal plane detector, will use a hybrid semiconductor imager stack composed of silicon and cadmium telluride (CdTe). The silicon imager will be a certain type of the silicon-...

In the current decade, GeV/TeV gamma-ray observations of several supernova remnants (SNRs) have implied that accelerated particles are escaping from their acceleration sites. However, when and how they escape from the SNR vicinities are yet to be understood. Recent studies have suggested that the particle escape might develop with thermal plasma ag...

FORCE is a Japan-US space-based astronomy mission for an X-ray imaging spectroscopy in an energy range of 1–80 keV. The Wideband Hybrid X-ray Imager (WHXI), which is the main focal plane detector, will use a hybrid semiconductor imager stack composed of silicon and cadmium telluride (CdTe). The silicon imager will be a certain type of the silicon-o...

In this decade, GeV/TeV gamma-ray observations of several supernova remnants (SNRs) have implied that accelerated particles are escaping from their acceleration sites. However, when and how they escape from the SNR vicinities are yet to be understood. Recent studies have suggested that the particle escape might develop with thermal plasma ages of t...

We report on the results of our detailed analyses on the peculiar recombining plasma of the supernova remnant (SNR) G359.1$-$0.5, and the interacting CO clouds. Combining {\it Chandra} and {\it Suzaku} data, we estimated the ionization state of the plasma with a careful treatment of the background spectrum. The average spectrum showed a remarkably...

We present an X-ray study of the GeV gamma-ray supernova remnant (SNR) HB 21 with Suzaku. HB 21 is interacting with molecular clouds, and is the faintest in the GeV band among known GeV SNRs. We discovered strong radiative recombination continua of Si and S from the center of the remnant, which provide direct evidence of a recombining plasma (RP)....

We present an X-ray study of the GeV gamma-ray supernova remnant (SNR) HB 21 with Suzaku. HB 21 is interacting with molecular clouds and the faintest in the GeV band among known GeV SNRs. We discovered strong radiative recombination continua of Si and S from the center of the remnant, which provide the direct evidence of a recombining plasma (RP)....