Measurement of the high-energy gamma-ray emission from the Moon with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Ackermann M, Ajello M, Albert A, Atwood WB, Baldini L, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bellazzini R, Bissaldi E, Blandford RD, Bonino R, Bottacini E, Bregeon J, Bruel P, Buehler R, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caragiulo M, Caraveo PA, Cavazzuti E, Cecchi C, Chekhtman A, Chiang J, Chiaro G, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Costanza F, Cuoco A, Cutini S, D'Ammando F, De Angelis A, De Palma F, Desiante R, Digel SW, Di Venere L, Drell PS, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Focke WB, Franckowiak A, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grove JE, Guiriec S, Harding AK, Hewitt JW, Horan D, Hou X, Iafrate G, Johannesson G, Kamae T, Kuss M, Larsson S, Latronico L, Li J, Li L, Longo F, Loparco F, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Magill J, Maldera S, Manfreda A, Mayer M, Mazziotta MN, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Murgia S, Nuss E, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Paneque D, Perkins JS, Pesce-Rollins M, Petrosian V, Piron F, Pivato G, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Spada F, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Takahashi H, Thayer JB, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Troja E, Vianello G, Winer BL, Wood KS, Yassine M, Cerutti F, Ferrari A, Sala P (2016)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Book Volume: 93

Article Number: 082001

Journal Issue: 8

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.93.082001

Abstract

We have measured the gamma-ray emission spectrum of the Moon using the data collected by the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite during its first seven years of operation, in the energy range from 30 MeV up to a few GeV. We have also studied the time evolution of the flux, finding a correlation with the solar activity. We have developed a full Monte Carlo simulation describing the interactions of cosmic rays with the lunar surface. The results of the present analysis can be explained in the framework of this model, where the production of gamma rays is due to the interactions of cosmic-ray proton and helium nuclei with the surface of the Moon. Finally, we have used our simulation to derive the cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra near Earth from the Moon gamma-ray data.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) Università degli Studi di Perugia Italy (IT) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) / 中国科学院 China (CN) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of North Florida (UNF) United States (USA) (US) Europäische Organisation für Kernforschung (CERN) Switzerland (CH) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) University of Tokyo Japan (JP) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Germany (DE) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Germany (DE) Clemson University United States (USA) (US) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) University of Iceland (UI) / Háskóli Íslands Iceland (IS) Royal Institute of Technology / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) Sweden (SE) University of Maryland United States (USA) (US) Mahidol University / มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล Thailand (TH) University of California Irvine United States (USA) (US) Université Bordeaux 1, Sciences et Technologies France (FR) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Hiroshima University Japan (JP) George Mason University United States (USA) (US) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR)

How to cite

APA:

Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Albert, A., Atwood, W.B., Baldini, L., Barbiellini, G.,... Sala, P. (2016). Measurement of the high-energy gamma-ray emission from the Moon with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, 93(8). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.93.082001

MLA:

Ackermann, M., et al. "Measurement of the high-energy gamma-ray emission from the Moon with the Fermi Large Area Telescope." Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology 93.8 (2016).

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