GAMMA-RAY ACTIVITY IN THE CRAB NEBULA: THE EXCEPTIONAL FLARE OF 2011 APRIL
Buehler R, Scargle JD, Blandford RD, Baldini L, Baring MG, Belfiore A, Charles E, Chiang J, D'Ammando F, Dermer CD, Funk S, Grove JE, Harding AK, Hays E, Kerr M, Massaro F, Mazziotta MN, Romani RW, Parkinson PMS, Tennant AF, Weisskopf MC (2012)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2012
Journal
Book Volume: 749
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/749/1/26
Abstract
The Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi satellite observed a gamma-ray flare in the Crab Nebula lasting for approximately nine days in April of 2011. The source, which at optical wavelengths has a size of approximate to 11 lt-yr across, doubled its gamma-ray flux within eight hours. The peak photon flux was (186 +/- 6) x 10(-7) cm(-2) s(-1) above 100 MeV, which corresponds to a 30-fold increase compared to the average value. During the flare, a new component emerged in the spectral energy distribution, which peaked at an energy of (375 +/- 26) MeV at flare maximum. The observations imply that the emission region was likely relativistically beamed toward us and that variations in its motion are responsible for the observed spectral variability.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Stanford University
United States (USA) (US)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
United States (USA) (US)
National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
Italy (IT)
Rice University
United States (USA) (US)
University of California Santa Cruz
United States (USA) (US)
Institute of Space Astrophysics and Cosmic Physics / Palermo Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (IASF)
Italy (IT)
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
United States (USA) (US)
United States (USA) (US)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
United States (USA) (US)
National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
Italy (IT)
Rice University
United States (USA) (US)
University of California Santa Cruz
United States (USA) (US)
Institute of Space Astrophysics and Cosmic Physics / Palermo Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (IASF)
Italy (IT)
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
United States (USA) (US)
How to cite
APA:
Buehler, R., Scargle, J.D., Blandford, R.D., Baldini, L., Baring, M.G., Belfiore, A.,... Weisskopf, M.C. (2012). GAMMA-RAY ACTIVITY IN THE CRAB NEBULA: THE EXCEPTIONAL FLARE OF 2011 APRIL. Astrophysical Journal, 749(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/749/1/26
MLA:
Buehler, Rolf, et al. "GAMMA-RAY ACTIVITY IN THE CRAB NEBULA: THE EXCEPTIONAL FLARE OF 2011 APRIL." Astrophysical Journal 749.1 (2012).
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