332 research outputs found
Polarization state of atmospheric Cerenkov events-guidance from simulation studies
We have been systematically carrying out experimental and simulation studies of the polarization properties of atmospheric ËCerenkov events (ACE) produced by very high energy (VHE) and ultrahigh energy (UHE) Îł-ray and cosmic
ray proton progenitors. We present here an interim report on the work, based on some recent simulation investigations
Mrk 421, Mrk 501, and 1ES 1426+428 at 100 GeV with the CELESTE Cherenkov Telescope
We have measured the gamma-ray fluxes of the blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 in
the energy range between 50 and 350 GeV (1.2 to 8.3 x 10^25 Hz). The detector,
called CELESTE, used first 40, then 53 heliostats of the former solar facility
"Themis" in the French Pyrenees to collect Cherenkov light generated in
atmospheric particle cascades. The signal from Mrk 421 is often strong. We
compare its flux with previously published multi-wavelength studies and infer
that we are straddling the high energy peak of the spectral energy
distribution. The signal from Mrk 501 in 2000 was weak (3.4 sigma). We obtain
an upper limit on the flux from 1ES 1426+428 of less than half that of the Crab
flux near 100 GeV. The data analysis and understanding of systematic biases
have improved compared to previous work, increasing the detector's sensitivity.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, accepted to A&A (July 2006) August 19 --
corrected error in author lis
Detection of Vhe Gamma-Rays from MRK 501 with the Cat Imaging Telescope
The CAT imaging telescope on the site on the former solar plant Themis has
been observing gamma-rays from Mrk501 above 220 GeV in March and April 1997.
This source is shown to be highly variable and the light curve is presented.
The detected gamma-ray rate for the most intense flare is in excess of 10 per
minute.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Tex, contribution to 25th ICRC Durba
Observation of the Crab Nebula Gamma-Ray Emission Above 220 Gev by the Cat Cherenkov Imaging Telescope
The CAT imaging telescope, recently built on the site of the former solar
plant Themis (French Pyrenees), observed gamma-rays from the Crab nebula from
October 1996 to March 1997. This steady source, often considered as the
standard candle of very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, is used as a test-beam
to probe the performances of the new telescope, particularly its energy
threshold (220 GeV at 20 degrees zenith angle) and the stability of its
response. Due to the fine-grain camera, an accurate analysis of the
longitudinal profiles of shower images is performed, yielding the source
position in two dimensions for each individual shower.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Tex, contribution to 25th ICRC Durba
Spectrum and Variability of Mrk501 as observed by the CAT Imaging Telescope
The CAT Imaging Telescope has observed the BL Lac object Markarian 501
between March and August 1997. We report here on the variability over this time
including several large flares. We present also preliminary spectra for all
these data, for the low emission state, and for the largest flare.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Late
Very High Energy Gamma-ray spectral properties of Mrk 501 from CAT Cerenkov telescope observations in 1997
The BL Lac object Mrk 501 went into a very high state of activity during
1997, both in VHE gamma-rays and X-rays. We present here results from
observations at energies above 250 GeV carried out between March and October
1997 with the CAT Cerenkov imaging Telescope. The average differential spectrum
between 30 GeV and 13 TeV shows significant curvature and is well represented
by phi_0 * E_TeV^{-(alpha + beta*log10(E_TeV))}, with: phi_0 = 5.19 +/- 0.13
{stat} +/- 0.12 {sys-MC} +1.66/-1.04 {sys-atm} * 10^-11 /cm^2/s/TeV alpha =
2.24 +/- 0.04 {stat} +/- 0.05 {sys} beta = 0.50 +/- 0.07 {stat} (negligible
systematics). The TeV spectral energy distribution of Mrk 501 clearly peaks in
the range 500 GeV-1 TeV. Investigation of spectral variations shows a
significant hardness-intensity correlation with no measurable effect on the
curvature. This can be described as an increase of the peak TeV emission energy
with intensity. Simultaneous and quasi-simultaneous CAT VHE gamma-ray and
BeppoSAX hard X-ray detections for the highest recorded flare on 16th April and
for lower-activity states of the same period show correlated variability with a
higher luminosity in X-rays than in gamma-rays. The observed spectral energy
distribution and the correlated variability between X-rays and gamma-rays, both
in amplitude and in hardening of spectra, favour a two-component emission
scheme where the low and high energy components are attributed to synchrotron
and inverse Compton (IC) radiation, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysics, 8 pages including 6 figures.
Published with minor change
The CAT Imaging Telescope for Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy
The CAT (Cherenkov Array at Themis) imaging telescope, equipped with a
very-high-definition camera (546 fast phototubes with 0.12 degrees spacing
surrounded by 54 larger tubes in two guard rings) started operation in Autumn
1996 on the site of the former solar plant Themis (France). Using the
atmospheric Cherenkov technique, it detects and identifies very high energy
gamma-rays in the range 250 GeV to a few tens of TeV. The instrument, which has
detected three sources (Crab nebula, Mrk 421 and Mrk 501), is described in
detail.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figures. submitted to Elsevier Preprin
Gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula
A young and energetic pulsar powers the well-known Crab Nebula. Here we
describe two separate gamma-ray (photon energy >100 MeV) flares from this
source detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space
Telescope. The first flare occurred in February 2009 and lasted approximately
16 days. The second flare was detected in September 2010 and lasted
approximately 4 days. During these outbursts the gamma-ray flux from the nebula
increased by factors of four and six, respectively. The brevity of the flares
implies that the gamma rays were emitted via synchrotron radiation from PeV
(10^15 eV) electrons in a region smaller than 1.4 10^-2 pc. These are the
highest energy particles that can be associated with a discrete astronomical
source, and they pose challenges to particle acceleration theory.Comment: Contact authors: Rolf Buehler,[email protected]; Stefan
Funk,[email protected]; Roger Blandford,rdb3@stanford ; 16 pages,2
figure
Fermi-LAT Study of Gamma-ray Emission in the Direction of Supernova Remnant W49B
We present an analysis of the gamma-ray data obtained with the Large Area
Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in the direction of
SNR W49B (G43.3-0.2). A bright unresolved gamma-ray source detected at a
significance of 38 sigma is found to coincide with SNR W49B. The energy
spectrum in the 0.2-200 GeV range gradually steepens toward high energies. The
luminosity is estimated to be 1.5x10^{36} (D/8 kpc)^2 erg s^-1 in this energy
range. There is no indication that the gamma-ray emission comes from a pulsar.
Assuming that the SNR shell is the site of gamma-ray production, the observed
spectrum can be explained either by the decay of neutral pi mesons produced
through the proton-proton collisions or by electron bremsstrahlung. The
calculated energy density of relativistic particles responsible for the LAT
flux is estimated to be remarkably large, U_{e,p}>10^4 eV cm^-3, for either
gamma-ray production mechanism.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure
- âŠ