Measurement of the EBL spectral energy distribution using the VHE gamma-ray spectra of HESS blazars

Abdalla H, Abramowski A, Aharonian F, Ait Benkhali F, Akhperjanian AG, Andersson T, Angüner EO, Arakawa M, Arrieta M, Aubert P, Backes M, Balzer A, Barnard M, Becherini Y, Tjus JB, Berge D, Bernhard S, Bernlöhr K, Blackwell R, Böttcher M, Boisson C, Bolmont J, Bonnefoy S, Bordas P, Bregeon J, Brun F, Brun P, Bryan M, Büchele M, Bulik T, Capasso M, Carr J, Casanova S, Cerruti M, Chakraborty N, Chaves RC, Chen A, Chevalier J, Coffaro M, Colafrancesco S, Cologna G, Condon B, Conrad J, Cui Y, Davids ID, Decock J, Degrange B, Deil C, Devin J, De Wilt P, Dirson L, Djannati-Ataï A, Domainko W, Donath A, Drury LO, Dutson K, Dyks J, Edwards T, Egberts K, Eger P, Ernenwein JP, Eschbach S, Farnier C, Fegan S, Fernandes MV, Fiasson A, Fontaine G, Förster A, Funk S, Füßling M, Gabici S, Gallant YA, Garrigoux T, Giavitto G, Giebels B, Glicenstein JF, Gottschall D, Goyal A, Grondin MH, Hahn J, Haupt M, Hawkes J, Heinzelmann G, Henri G, Hermann G, Hinton JA, Hofmann W, Hoischen C, Holch TL, Holler M, Horns D, Ivascenko A, Iwasaki H, Jacholkowska A, Jamrozy M, Janiak M, Jankowsky D, Jankowsky F, Jingo M, Jogler T, Jouvin L, Jung-Richardt I, Kastendieck MA, Katarzyński K, Katsuragawa M, Katz U, Kerszberg D, Khangulyan D, Khélifi B, King J, Klepser S, Klochkov D, Kluźniak W, Kolitzus D, Komin N, Kosack K, Krakau S, Kraus M, Krüger PP, Laffon H, Lamanna G, Lau J, Lees JP, Lefaucheur J, Lefranc V, Lemière A, Lemoine-Goumard M, Lenain JP, Leser E, Lohse T, Lorentz M, Liu R, López-Coto R, Lypova I, Marandon V, Marcowith A, Mariaud C, Marx R, Maurin G, Maxted N, Mayer M, Meintjes PJ, Meyer M, Mitchell AM, Moderski R, Mohamed M, Mohrmann L, Morå K, Moulin E, Murach T, Nakashima S, De Naurois M, Niederwanger F, Niemiec J, Oakes L, O'Brien P, Odaka H, Ohm S, Ostrowski M, Oya I, Padovani M, Panter M, Parsons RD, Pekeur NW, Pelletier G, Perennes C, Petrucci PO, Peyaud B, Piel Q, Pita S, Poon H, Prokhorov D, Prokoph H, Pühlhofer G, Punch M, Quirrenbach A, Raab S, Rauth R, Reimer A, Reimer O, Renaud M, De Los Reyes R, Richter S, Rieger F, Romoli C, Rowell G, Rudak B, Rulten CB, Sahakian V, Saito S, Salek D, Sanchez DA, Santangelo A, Sasaki M, Schlickeiser R, Schüssler F, Schulz A, Schwanke U, Schwemmer S, Seglar-Arroyo M, Settimo M, Seyffert AS, Shafi N, Shilon I, Simoni R, Sol H, Spanier F, Spengler G, Spies F, Stawarz , Steenkamp R, Stegmann C, Stycz K, Sushch I, Takahashi T, Tavernet JP, Tavernier T, Taylor AM, Terrier R, Tibaldo L, Tiziani D, Tluczykont M, Trichard C, Tsuji N, Tuffs R, Uchiyama Y, Van Der Walt DJ, van Eldik C, Van Rensburg C, Van Soelen B, Vasileiadis G, Veh J, Venter C, Viana A, Vincent P, Vink J, Voisin F, Völk HJ, Vuillaume T, Wadiasingh Z, Wagner SJ, Wagner P, Wagner RM, White R, Wierzcholska A, Willmann P, Wörnlein A, Wouters D, Yang R, Zaborov D, Zacharias M, Zanin R, Zdziarski AA, Zech A, Zefi F, Ziegler A, Zywucka N (2017)


Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2017

Journal

Book Volume: 606

Article Number: A59

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731200

Abstract

Very high-energy gamma rays (VHE, E greater than or similar to 100 GeV) propagating over cosmological distances can interact with the low-energy photons of the extragalactic background light (EBL) and produce electron-positron pairs. The transparency of the Universe to VHE gamma rays is then directly related to the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the EBL. The observation of features in the VHE energy spectra of extragalactic sources allows the EBL to be measured, which otherwise is very difficult. An EBL model-independent measurement of the EBL SED with the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes is presented. It was obtained by extracting the EBL absorption signal from the reanalysis of high-quality spectra of blazars. From H.E.S.S. data alone the EBL signature is detected at a significance of 9.5 sigma, and the intensity of the EBL obtained in different spectral bands is presented together with the associated gamma-ray horizon.

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How to cite

APA:

Abdalla, H., Abramowski, A., Aharonian, F., Ait Benkhali, F., Akhperjanian, A.G., Andersson, T.,... Zywucka, N. (2017). Measurement of the EBL spectral energy distribution using the VHE gamma-ray spectra of HESS blazars. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 606. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201731200

MLA:

Abdalla, H., et al. "Measurement of the EBL spectral energy distribution using the VHE gamma-ray spectra of HESS blazars." Astronomy & Astrophysics 606 (2017).

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