Observation of EGRET Gamma-Ray Sources by an Extensive Air Shower Experiment

Abstract

Ultra-high-energy (E$>$100 Tev) Extensive Air Showers (EASs) have been monitored for a period of five years (1997 - 2003), using a small array of scintillator detectors in Tehran, Iran. The data have been analyzed to take in to account of the dependence of source counts with respect to the zenith angle. During a calendar year different sources come in the field of view of the detector at varying zenith angles. Because of varying thickness of the overlaying atmosphere, the shower count rate is extremely dependent on zenith angle which have been carefully analyzed over time. High energy gamma-ray sources from EGRET third catalogue where observed and the data were analyzed using an excess method. A number of upper limits for a number of EGRET sources were obtained, including 6 AGNs or probably AGNs and 4 unidentified sources.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepte