The Imprint of the Extragalactic Background Light in the Gamma-Ray Spectra of Blazars

Ackermann M, Ajello M, Allafort A, Schady P, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bellazzini R, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Borgland AW, Bottacini E, Bouvier A, Bregeon J, Brigida M, Bruel P, Buehler R, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Cavazzuti E, Cecchi C, Charles E, Chaves RCG, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Chiaro G, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Conrad J, Cutini S, D'Ammando F, De Palma F, Dermer CD, Digel SW, Do Couto E Silva E, Domnguez A, Drell PS, Drlica-Wagner A, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Focke WB, Franckowiak A, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grove JE, Guiriec S, Gustafsson M, Hadasch D, Hayashida M, Hays E, Jackson MS, Jogler T, Kataoka J, Knoedlseder J, Kuss M, Lande J, Larsson S, Latronico L, Longo F, Loparco F, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Mazziotta MN, Mcenery JE, Mehault J, Michelson PF, Mizuno T, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Tramacere A, Nuss E, Greiner J, Ohno M, Ohsugi T, Omodei N, Orienti M, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Paneque D, Perkins JS, Pesce-Rollins M, Piron F, Pivato G, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Razzaque S, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reyes LC, Ritz S, Rau A, Romoli C, Roth M, Sanchez-Conde M, Sanchez DA, Scargle JD, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Stawarz L, Suson DJ, Takahashi HH, Tanaka T, Thayer JG, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Tinivella M, Torres DF, Tosti G, Troja E, Usher TL, Vandenbroucke J, Vasileiou V, Vianello G, Vitale V, Waite AP, Winer BL, Wood KS, Wood M (2012)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2012

Journal

Science American Association for the Advancement of Science

Book Volume: 338

Pages Range: 1190-1192

Journal Issue: 6111

DOI: 10.1126/science.1227160

Abstract

The light emitted by stars and accreting compact objects through the history of the universe is encoded in the intensity of the extragalactic background light (EBL). Knowledge of the EBL is important to understand the nature of star formation and galaxy evolution, but direct measurements of the EBL are limited by galactic and other foreground emissions. Here, we report an absorption feature seen in the combined spectra of a sample of gamma-ray blazars out to a redshift of z similar to 1.6. This feature is caused by attenuation of gamma rays by the EBL at optical to ultraviolet frequencies and allowed us to measure the EBL flux density in this frequency band.

Authors with CRIS profile

Stefan Funk

Involved external institutions

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) / Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics DE Germany (DE) University of Pisa / Università di Pisa (UniPi) IT Italy (IT) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot FR France (FR) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) IT Italy (IT) Stanford University US United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz US United States (USA) (US) George Mason University US United States (USA) (US) National Academy of Sciences US United States (USA) (US) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova IT Italy (IT) Università degli Studi di Perugia IT Italy (IT) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro IT Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay FR France (FR) Hiroshima University JP Japan (JP) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) IT Italy (IT) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory US United States (USA) (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) US United States (USA) (US) Ohio State University US United States (USA) (US) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY DE Germany (DE) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) ES Spain (ES) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) IT Italy (IT) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier FR France (FR) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet SE Sweden (SE) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum SE Sweden (SE) Waseda University / 早稲田大学 JP Japan (JP) Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) FR France (FR) INTEGRAL Science Data Centre CH Switzerland (CH) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) JP Japan (JP) University of Denver US United States (USA) (US) California Polytechnic State University US United States (USA) (US) University of Washington US United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics DE Germany (DE) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. US United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Allafort, A., Schady, P., Baldini, L., Ballet, J.,... Wood, M. (2012). The Imprint of the Extragalactic Background Light in the Gamma-Ray Spectra of Blazars. Science, 338(6111), 1190-1192. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1227160

MLA:

Ackermann, Markus, et al. "The Imprint of the Extragalactic Background Light in the Gamma-Ray Spectra of Blazars." Science 338.6111 (2012): 1190-1192.

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