https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201714517002
The VHE anomaly in blazar spectra and related phenomena
1 Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP MSU), 1(2), Leninskie gory, GSP-1, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
2 Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Physics, 1(2), Leninskie gory, GSP-1, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
a e-mail: timur1606@gmail.com
b e-mail: nanti93@mail.ru
Published online: 26 June 2017
Most of the recent research on extragalactic γ-ray propagation focused on the study of the γγ * e+e− absorption process (“absorption-only model”). Starting from a possible anomaly at very high energies (VHE, E > 100 GeV), we briefly review several existing deviations from this model. The exotic interpretation of the VHE anomaly is not supported by the recent works. On the other hand, the process of intergalactic electromagnetic cascade development naturally explains these effects. We discuss phenomenology of intergalactic cascades and the main spectral signatures of the electromagnetic cascade model. We also briefly consider the hadronic cascade model; it also may explain the data, but requires low strength of magnetic field around the source of primary protons or nuclei.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2016
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
