FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF γ -RAY EMISSION FROM THE MOON

A. A. Abdo; M. Ackermann; M. Ajello; W. B. Atwoo; L. Baldini; Jean Ballet; G. Barbiellini; D. Bastieri; K. Bechtol; R. Bellazzini; B. Berenji; R. D. Blandford; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; E. Bottacini; A. Bouvier; J. Bregeon; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; R. Buehler; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; P. A. Caraveo; J. M. Casandjian; C. Cecchi; E. Charles; A. Chekhtman; J. Chiang; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; J. Conrad; S. Cutini; F. d'Ammando; A. de Angelis; F. de Palma; C. D. Dermer; S. W. Digel; E. Do Couto e Silva; P. S. Drell; A. Drlica-Wagner; R. Dubois; C. Favuzzi; S. J. Fegan; W. B. Focke; P. Fortin; Y. Fukazawa; S. Funk; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; N. Gehrels; S. Germani; N. Giglietto; P. Giommi; F. Giordano; M. Giroletti; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; G. A. Gomez-Vargas; I. A. Grenier; J. E. Grove; S. Guiriec; D. Hadasch; E. Hays; A. B. Hill; D. Horan; X. Hou; R. E. Hughes; G. Iafrate; M. S. Jackson; G. J'Ohannesson; A. S. Johnson; T. Kamae; H. Katagiri; J. Kataoka; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. Kuss; J. Lande; S. Larsson; L. Latronico; M. Lemoine-Goumard; F. Longo; F. Loparco; B. Lott; M. N. Lovellette; P. Lubrano; M. N. Mazziotta; J. E. Mcenery; J. Mehault; P. F. Michelson; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; A. A. Moiseev; C. Monte; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; M. Naumann-Godo; P. L. Nolan; J. P. Norris; E. Nuss; M. Ohno; T. Ohsugi; A. Okumura; N. Omodei; M. Orienti; E. Orlando; J. F. Ormes; M. Ozaki; D. Paneque; J. H. Panetta; D. Parent; M. Pesce-Rollins; M. Pierbattista; F. Piron; G. Pivato; H. Poon; T. A. Porter; D. Prokhorov; S. Rainò; R. Rando; M. Razzano; S. Razzaque; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; T. Reposeur; L. S. Rochester; M. Roth; H. F.-W. Sadrozinski; D. A. Sanchez; C. Sbarra; T. L. Schalk; C. Sgrò; G. H. Share; E. J. Siskind; G. Spandre; P. Spinelli; L. Stawarz; H. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; J. G. Thayer; J. B. Thayer; D. J. Thompson; L. Tibaldo; M. Tinivella; D. F. Torres; G. Tosti; E. Troja; Y. Uchiyama; T. L. Usher; J. Vandenbroucke; V. Vasileiou; G. Vianello; V. Vitale; A. P. Waite; P. Wang; B. L. Winer; D. L. Wood; K. S. Wood; Z. Yang; S. Zimmer

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/758/2/140

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FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF γ -RAY EMISSION FROM THE MOON

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FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF γ -RAY EMISSION FROM THE MOON

A. A. Abdo, M. Ackermann, M. Ajello, W. B. Atwoo, L. Baldini, Jean Ballet, G. Barbiellini, D. Bastieri, K. Bechtol, R. Bellazzini, …

The Astrophysical Journal, Vol.758

20/10/2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/758/2/140

Abstract

astroparticle physics

gamma rays: general

Moon

We report on the detection of high-energy γ -ray emission from theMoon during the first 24 months of observations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). This emission comes from particle cascades produced by cosmicray (CR) nuclei and electrons interacting with the lunar surface. The differential spectrum of the Moon is soft and can be described as a log-parabolic function with an effective cutoff at 2-3 GeV, while the average integral flux measured with the LAT from the beginning of observations in 2008 August to the end of 2010 August is F(>100 MeV) = (1.04 ± 0.01 [statistical error] ± 0.1 [systematic error]) × 10−6 cm−2 s−1. This flux is about a factor 2-3 higher than that observed between 1991 and 1994 by the EGRET experiment on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, F(>100 MeV)≈5×10−7 cm−2 s−1, when solar activity was relatively high. The higher γ -ray flux measured by Fermi is consistent with the deep solar minimum conditions during the first 24 months of the mission, which reduced effects of heliospheric modulation, and thus increased the heliospheric flux of Galactic CRs. A detailed comparison of the light curve with McMurdo Neutron Monitor rates suggests a correlation of the trends. The Moon and the Sun are so far the only known bright emitters of γ -rays with fast celestial motion. Their paths across the sky are projected onto the Galactic center and high Galactic latitudes as well as onto other areas crowded with high-energy γ -ray sources. Analysis of the lunar and solar emission may thus be important for studies of weak and transient sources near the ecliptic.

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Title: FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF γ -RAY EMISSION FROM THE MOON
Creators - without role: A. A. Abdo - George Mason University
M. Ackermann - Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
M. Ajello - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
W. B. Atwoo - University of California, Santa Cruz
L. Baldini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
Jean Ballet - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
G. Barbiellini - University of Trieste
D. Bastieri - University of Padua
K. Bechtol - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Bellazzini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
B. Berenji - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. D. Blandford - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Bonamente - University of Perugia
A. W. Borgland - Stanford University
E. Bottacini - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Bouvier - University of California, Santa Cruz
J. Bregeon - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Brigida - Polytechnic University of Bari
Pascal Bruel - École Polytechnique
R. Buehler - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
S. Buson - University of Padua
G. A. Caliandro - Institute of Space Sciences
R. A. Cameron - Stanford University
P. A. Caraveo - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
J. M. Casandjian - Université Paris Cité
C. Cecchi - University of Perugia
E. Charles - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Chekhtman - George Mason University
J. Chiang - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
S. Ciprini - University of Perugia
R. Claus - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Cohen-Tanugi - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
J. Conrad - Stockholm University
S. Cutini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. d'Ammando
A. de Angelis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
F. de Palma - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
C. D. Dermer - United States Naval Research Laboratory
S. W. Digel - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Do Couto e Silva
P. S. Drell - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Drlica-Wagner - Stanford University
R. Dubois - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
C. Favuzzi - Polytechnic University of Bari
S. J. Fegan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
W. B. Focke - Stanford University
P. Fortin - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
S. Funk - Stanford University
P. Fusco - Polytechnic University of Bari
F. Gargano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
N. Gehrels - Goddard Space Flight Center
S. Germani - University of Perugia
N. Giglietto - Polytechnic University of Bari
P. Giommi - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. Giroletti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
T. Glanzman - Stanford University
G. Godfrey - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. A. Gomez-Vargas - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
I. A. Grenier - CEA Paris-Saclay
J. E. Grove - United States Naval Research Laboratory
S. Guiriec - University of Alabama in Huntsville
D. Hadasch - Institute of Space Sciences
E. Hays - Goddard Space Flight Center
A. B. Hill - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Horan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
X. Hou - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
R. E. Hughes - The Ohio State University
G. Iafrate - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
M. S. Jackson - Fraunhofer Chalmers Research Centre for Industrial Mathematics
G. J'Ohannesson
A. S. Johnson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Kamae - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
H. Katagiri - Ibaraki University
J. Kataoka - Waseda University
Jürgen Knödlseder - Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie
M. Kuss - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
J. Lande - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Larsson - Stockholm University
L. Latronico - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino
M. Lemoine-Goumard - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Polytechnic University of Bari
B. Lott - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
M. N. Lovellette - United States Naval Research Laboratory
P. Lubrano - University of Perugia
M. N. Mazziotta - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
J. E. Mcenery - University of Maryland, College Park
J. Mehault - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
P. F. Michelson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
W. Mitthumsiri - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
A. A. Moiseev - Goddard Space Flight Center
C. Monte - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. E. Monzani - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Morselli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
I. V. Moskalenko - Stanford University
S. Murgia - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Naumann-Godo - CEA Paris-Saclay
P. L. Nolan - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. P. Norris - Boise State University
E. Nuss - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
M. Ohno - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
A. Okumura - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
N. Omodei - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Orienti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
E. Orlando - Stanford University
J. F. Ormes - University of Denver
M. Ozaki - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
D. Paneque - Stanford University
J. H. Panetta - Stanford University
D. Parent - George Mason University
M. Pesce-Rollins - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Pierbattista - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
F. Piron - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
G. Pivato - University of Padua
H. Poon - University of Padua
T. A. Porter - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Prokhorov
S. Rainò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
R. Rando - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
M. Razzano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
S. Razzaque - George Mason University
A. Reimer - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
O. Reimer - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
T. Reposeur - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
L. S. Rochester - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Roth - University of Washington
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski - University of California, Santa Cruz
D. A. Sanchez - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
C. Sbarra - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
T. L. Schalk - University of California, Santa Cruz
C. Sgrò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
G. H. Share - University of Maryland, College Park
E. J. Siskind - Real Time Tomography
G. Spandre - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
P. Spinelli - Polytechnic University of Bari
L. Stawarz
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Tanaka - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
J. G. Thayer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. B. Thayer - Stanford University
D. J. Thompson - Goddard Space Flight Center
L. Tibaldo - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
M. Tinivella - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
D. F. Torres - Institute of Space Sciences
G. Tosti - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
E. Troja - Goddard Space Flight Center
Y. Uchiyama - Stanford University
T. L. Usher - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Vandenbroucke - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vasileiou - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
G. Vianello - Stanford University
V. Vitale - University of Rome Tor Vergata
A. P. Waite - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
P. Wang - Stanford University
B. L. Winer - The Ohio State University
D. L. Wood - Praxis
K. S. Wood - United States Naval Research Laboratory
Z. Yang - AlbaNova
S. Zimmer - AlbaNova
Publication Details: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol.758
Identifiers: 9938573109311
Academic Unit: Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00767614