Gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula

A. A. Abdo; Markus Ackermann; Marco Ajello; A. Allafort; Luca Baldini; Jean Ballet; Guido Barbiellini; D. Bastieri; K. Bechtol; R. Bellazzini; B. Berenji; R. D. Blandford; E. D. Bloom; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; A. Bouvier; T. J. Brandt; J. Bregeon; A. Brez; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; R. Buehler; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; A. Cannon; P. A. Caraveo; J. M. Casandjian; Ö. Çelik; E. Charles; A. Chekhtman; C. C. Cheung; J. Chiang; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; L. Costamante; S. Cutini; F. d'Ammando; C. D. Dermer; A. de Angelis; A. de Luca; F. de Palma; S. W. Digel; E. Do Couto E Silva; P. S. Drell; A. Drlica-Wagner; R. Dubois; D. Dumora; C. Favuzzi; S. J. Fegan; E. C. Ferrara; W. B. Focke; P. Fortin; M. Frailis; Y. Fukazawa; S. Funk; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; D. Gasparrini; N. Gehrels; S. Germani; N. Giglietto; F. Giordano; M. Giroletti; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; I. A. Grenier; M.-H. Grondin; J. E. Grove; S. Guiriec; D. Hadasch; Y. Hanabata; A. K. Harding; K. Hayashi; M. Hayashida; E. Hays; D. Horan; R. Itoh; G. Jóhannesson; A. S. Johnson; T. J. Johnson; D. Khangulyan; T. Kamae; H. Katagiri; J. Kataoka; M. Kerr; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. Kuss; J. Lande; L. Latronico; S.-H. Lee; M. Lemoine-Goumard; F. Longo; F. Loparco; P. Lubrano; G. M. Madejski; A. Makeev; M. Marelli; M. N. Mazziotta; J. E. Mcenery; P. F. Michelson; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; A. A. Moiseev; C. Monte; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; T. Nakamori; M. Naumann-Godo; P. L. Nolan; J. P. Norris; E. Nuss; T. Ohsugi; A. Okumura; N. Omodei; J. F. Ormes; M. Ozaki; D. Paneque; D. Parent; V. Pelassa; M. Pepe; M. Pesce-Rollins; M. Pierbattista; F. Piron; T.A. Porter; S. Rainò; R. Rando; P. S. Ray; M. Razzano; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; T. Reposeur; S. Ritz; R. W. Romani; H. F.-W. Sadrozinski; D. Sanchez; P. M. Saz Parkinson; J. D. Scargle; T. L. Schalk; C. Sgrò; E. J. Siskind; P. D. Smith; G. Spandre; P. Spinelli; M. S. Strickman; D. J. Suson; H. Takahashi; T. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; J. B. Thayer; D. J. Thompson; L. Tibaldo; D. F. Torres; G. Tosti; A. Tramacere; E. Troja; Y. Uchiyama; J. Vandenbroucke; V. Vasileiou; G. Vianello; V. Vitale; P. Wang; K. S. Wood; Z. Yang; M. Ziegler

doi:10.1126/science.1199705

Back

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula

A. A. Abdo, Markus Ackermann, Marco Ajello, A. Allafort, Luca Baldini, Jean Ballet, Guido Barbiellini, D. Bastieri, K. Bechtol, R. Bellazzini, …

Science, Vol.331, pp.739-742

11/02/2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199705

Abstract

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.

Files and links (1)

url

Find in HALView

Metrics

1 Record Views

See more details

Details

Title: Gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula
Creators - without role: A. A. Abdo
Markus Ackermann - Stanford University
Marco Ajello - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Allafort - 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
K. Bechtol - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Bellazzini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
B. Berenji - Stanford University
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 - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
J. Bregeon - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
A. Brez - 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 - University of Padua
G. A. Caliandro
R. A. Cameron
A. Cannon - Goddard Space Flight Center
P. A. Caraveo - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
J. M. Casandjian - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
Ö. Çelik - Goddard Space Flight Center
E. Charles - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Chekhtman - George Mason University
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 - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
L. Costamante - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Cutini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. d'Ammando
C. D. Dermer
A. de Angelis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
A. de Luca - Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori di Pavia
F. de Palma - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
S. W. Digel
E. Do Couto E Silva
P. S. Drell
A. Drlica-Wagner - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
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
S. J. Fegan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
E. C. Ferrara
W. B. Focke
P. Fortin - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
M. Frailis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
S. Funk - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
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 - Polytechnic University of Bari
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. Giroletti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
T. Glanzman - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. Godfrey - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
I. A. Grenier - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
M.-H. Grondin - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
J. E. Grove
S. Guiriec - University of Alabama in Huntsville
D. Hadasch - Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya
Y. Hanabata - Hiroshima University
A. K. Harding
K. Hayashi - Hiroshima University
M. Hayashida - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Hays - Goddard Space Flight Center
D. Horan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
R. Itoh - Hiroshima University
G. Jóhannesson - University of Iceland
A. S. Johnson
T. J. Johnson
D. Khangulyan - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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 d'Études Spatiales
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
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
P. Lubrano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
G. M. Madejski
A. Makeev - George Mason University
M. Marelli - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
M. N. Mazziotta
J. E. Mcenery
P. F. Michelson
W. Mitthumsiri - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
A. A. Moiseev
C. Monte - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. E. Monzani
A. Morselli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I
I. V. Moskalenko
S. Murgia - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Nakamori - Waseda University
M. Naumann-Godo - CEA Paris-Saclay
P. L. Nolan
J. P. Norris
E. Nuss - Université de Montpellier
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
A. Okumura - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
N. Omodei - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. F. Ormes
M. Ozaki - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
D. Paneque - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Parent - George Mason University
V. Pelassa - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
M. Pepe - University of Perugia
M. Pesce-Rollins - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Pierbattista - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
F. Piron - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T.A. Porter - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Rainò - Polytechnic University of Bari
R. Rando - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
P. S. Ray
M. Razzano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
A. Reimer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
O. Reimer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Reposeur - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
S. Ritz - University of California, Santa Cruz
R. W. Romani
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
D. Sanchez - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
P. M. Saz Parkinson
J. D. Scargle
T. L. Schalk
C. Sgrò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
E. J. Siskind
P. D. Smith
G. Spandre - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
P. Spinelli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
M. S. Strickman
D. J. Suson
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Takahashi - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
T. Tanaka - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. B. Thayer
D. J. Thompson
L. Tibaldo - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
D. F. Torres
G. Tosti - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
A. Tramacere - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Troja - Goddard Space Flight Center
Y. Uchiyama - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Vandenbroucke - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vasileiou - Goddard Space Flight Center
G. Vianello - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vitale - University of Rome Tor Vergata
P. Wang - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
K. S. Wood
Z. Yang - AlbaNova
M. Ziegler - University of California, Santa Cruz
Publication Details: Science, Vol.331, pp.739-742
Identifiers: 9934372009311
Academic Unit: Université de Montpellier
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00586585