A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

A.A. Abdo; Markus Ackermann; Marco Ajello; Luca Baldini; Jean Ballet; Guido Barbiellini; D. Bastieri; R. Bellazzini; R. D. Blandford; E. D. Bloom; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; A. Bouvier; T. J. Brandt; J. Bregeon; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; R. Buehler; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; P. A. Caraveo; S. Carrigan; J. M. Casandjian; E. Charles; S. Chaty; A. Chekhtman; C. C. Cheung; J. Chiang; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; J. Conrad; M. E. Decesar; C. D. Dermer; F. de Palma; S. W. Digel; E. Do Couto E Silva; P. S. Drell; R. Dubois; D. Dumora; C. Favuzzi; P. Fortin; M. Frailis; Y. Fukazawa; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; D. Gasparrini; N. Gehrels; S. Germani; N. Giglietto; F. Giordano; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; I. Grenier; M.-H. Grondin; J. E. Grove; L. Guillemot; S. Guiriec; D. Hadasch; A. K. Harding; E. Hays; P. Jean; G. Jóhannesson; T. J. Johnson; W. N. Johnson; T. Kamae; H. Katagiri; J. Kataoka; M. Kerr; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. Kuss; J. Lande; L. Latronico; S.-H. Lee; M. Lemoine-Goumard; M. Llena Garde; F. Longo; F. Loparco; M. N. Lovellette; P. Lubrano; A. Makeev; M. N. Mazziotta; P. F. Michelson; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; C. Monte; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; M. Naumann-Godo; P. L. Nolan; J. P. Norris; E. Nuss; T. Ohsugi; N. Omodei; E. Orlando; J. F. Ormes; B. Pancrazi; D. Parent; M. Pepe; M. Pesce-Rollins; F. Piron; T.A. Porter; S. Rainò; R. Rando; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; T. Reposeur; J. Ripken; R. W. Romani; M. Roth; H. F.-W. Sadrozinski; P. M. Saz Parkinson; C. Sgrò; E. J. Siskind; David Stanley Smith; P. Spinelli; M. S. Strickman; D. J. Suson; H. Takahashi; T. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; J. B. Thayer; J. G. Thayer; L. Tibaldo; D. F. Torres; G. Tosti; A. Tramacere; Y. Uchiyama; T. L. Usher; V. Vasileiou; C. Venter; N. Vilchez; V. Vitale; A. P. Waite; P. Wang; N. Webb; B. L. Winer; Z. Yang; T. Ylinen; M. Ziegler

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014458

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A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

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A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

A.A. Abdo, Markus Ackermann, Marco Ajello, Luca Baldini, Jean Ballet, Guido Barbiellini, D. Bastieri, R. Bellazzini, R. D. Blandford, E. D. Bloom, …

Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A, Vol.524

12/2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201014458

Abstract

pulsars: general

globular clusters: general

gamma rays: general

Globular clusters with their large populations of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are believed to be potential emitters of high-energy gamma-ray emission. Our goal is to constrain the millisecond pulsar populations in globular clusters from analysis of gamma-ray observations. We use 546 days of continuous sky-survey observations obtained with the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to study the gamma-ray emission towards 13 globular clusters. Steady point-like high-energy gamma-ray emission has been significantly detected towards 8 globular clusters. Five of them (47 Tucanae, Omega Cen, NGC 6388, Terzan 5, and M 28) show hard spectral power indices $(0.7 < \Gamma <1.4)$ and clear evidence for an exponential cut-off in the range 1.0-2.6 GeV, which is the characteristic signature of magnetospheric emission from MSPs. Three of them (M 62, NGC 6440 and NGC 6652) also show hard spectral indices $(1.0 < \Gamma < 1.7)$, however the presence of an exponential cut-off can not be unambiguously established. Three of them (Omega Cen, NGC 6388, NGC 6652) have no known radio or X-ray MSPs yet still exhibit MSP spectral properties. From the observed gamma-ray luminosities, we estimate the total number of MSPs that is expected to be present in these globular clusters. We show that our estimates of the MSP population correlate with the stellar encounter rate and we estimate 2600-4700 MSPs in Galactic globular clusters, commensurate with previous estimates. The observation of high-energy gamma-ray emission from a globular cluster thus provides a reliable independent method to assess their millisecond pulsar populations that can be used to make constraints on the original neutron star X-ray binary population, essential for understanding the importance of binary systems in slowing the inevitable core collapse of globular clusters.

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Title: A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
Creators - without role: A.A. Abdo - National Academy of Sciences
Markus Ackermann - Stanford University
Marco Ajello - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Luca Baldini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
Jean Ballet - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
Guido Barbiellini - University of Trieste
D. Bastieri - University of Padua
R. Bellazzini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
R. D. Blandford
E. D. Bloom
E. Bonamente - University of Perugia
A. W. Borgland
A. Bouvier - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. J. Brandt
J. Bregeon - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Brigida - Polytechnic University of Bari
Pascal Bruel - École Polytechnique
R. Buehler - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Buson - INFN Sezione di Padova
G. A. Caliandro
R. A. Cameron
P. A. Caraveo - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
S. Carrigan - University of Padua
J. M. Casandjian - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
E. Charles - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Chaty - Université Paris Cité
A. Chekhtman - United States Naval Research Laboratory
C. C. Cheung
J. Chiang - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Ciprini - University of Perugia
R. Claus - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Cohen-Tanugi - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
J. Conrad - Stockholm University
M. E. Decesar
C. D. Dermer
F. de Palma - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
S. W. Digel
E. Do Couto E Silva
P. S. Drell
R. Dubois - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Dumora - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
C. Favuzzi - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
P. Fortin - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
M. Frailis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
P. Fusco - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
F. Gargano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
D. Gasparrini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
N. Gehrels - Goddard Space Flight Center
S. Germani - University of Perugia
N. Giglietto - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
T. Glanzman - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. Godfrey - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
I. Grenier - CEA Paris-Saclay
M.-H. Grondin - Université de Bordeaux
J. E. Grove
L. Guillemot - Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
S. Guiriec - University of Alabama in Huntsville
D. Hadasch - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
A. K. Harding
E. Hays - Goddard Space Flight Center
P. Jean - Centre National d'Études Spatiales
G. Jóhannesson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. J. Johnson
W. N. Johnson
T. Kamae - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
H. Katagiri - Hiroshima University
J. Kataoka - Waseda University
M. Kerr - University of Washington
Jürgen Knödlseder - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
M. Kuss - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
J. Lande - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
L. Latronico - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
S.-H. Lee - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Lemoine-Goumard - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
M. Llena Garde
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
M. N. Lovellette
P. Lubrano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
A. Makeev - United States Naval Research Laboratory
M. N. Mazziotta
P. F. Michelson
W. Mitthumsiri - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
C. Monte - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. E. Monzani
A. Morselli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
I. V. Moskalenko
S. Murgia - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Naumann-Godo - CEA Paris-Saclay
P. L. Nolan
J. P. Norris
E. Nuss - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
N. Omodei - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Orlando - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
J. F. Ormes
B. Pancrazi - Centre National d'Études Spatiales
D. Parent - George Mason University
M. Pepe - University of Perugia
M. Pesce-Rollins - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
F. Piron - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T.A. Porter - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Rainò - Polytechnic University of Bari
R. Rando - University of Padua
A. Reimer - Universität Innsbruck
O. Reimer - Stanford University
T. Reposeur - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
J. Ripken - AlbaNova
R. W. Romani
M. Roth - University of Washington
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
P. M. Saz Parkinson
C. Sgrò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
E. J. Siskind
David Stanley Smith - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
P. Spinelli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
M. S. Strickman
D. J. Suson
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Takahashi - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
T. Tanaka - Stanford University
J. B. Thayer
J. G. Thayer
L. Tibaldo - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
D. F. Torres
G. Tosti - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
A. Tramacere - Swiss Data Science Center
Y. Uchiyama - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. L. Usher
V. Vasileiou - Goddard Space Flight Center
C. Venter - North-West University
N. Vilchez - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
V. Vitale - University of Rome Tor Vergata
A. P. Waite
P. Wang - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
N. Webb - Centre National d'Études Spatiales
B. L. Winer
Z. Yang - AlbaNova
T. Ylinen - Fraunhofer Chalmers Research Centre for Industrial Mathematics
M. Ziegler - University of California, Santa Cruz
Publication Details: Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A, Vol.524
Identifiers: 9934271609311
Academic Unit: Université de Montpellier
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00585161