Gamma-Ray Flares from the Crab Nebula

Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Allafort A, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bouvier A, Brandt TJ, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Buehler R, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Cannon A, Caraveo PA, Casandjian JM, Celik O, Charles E, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Costamante L, Cutini S, D'Ammando F, Dermer CD, De Angelis A, De Luca A, De Palma F, Digel SW, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Drlica-Wagner A, Dubois R, Dumora D, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Ferrara EC, Focke WB, Fortin P, Frailis M, 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, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guiriec S, Hadasch D, Hanabata Y, Harding AK, Hayashi K, Hayashida M, Hays E, Horan D, Itoh R, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson TJ, Khangulyan D, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lee SH, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lubrano P, Madejski GM, Makeev A, Marelli M, Mazziotta MN, Mcenery JE, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nakamori T, Naumann-Godo M, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Okumura A, Omodei N, Ormes JF, Ozaki M, Paneque D, Parent D, Pelassa V, Pepe M, Pesce-Rollins M, Pierbattista M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Ray PS, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Ritz S, Romani RW, Sadrozinski HFW, Sanchez D, Parkinson PMS, Scargle JD, Schalk TL, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Takahashi HH, Takahashi T, Tanaka T, Thayer JB, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Troja E, Uchiyama Y, Vandenbroucke J, Vasileiou V, Vianello G, Vitale V, Wang P, Wood KS, Yang Z, Ziegler M (2011)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2011

Journal

Book Volume: 331

Pages Range: 739-742

Journal Issue: 6018

DOI: 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 greater than 100 mega-electron volts) 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 peta-electron-volt (10(15) electron volts) electrons in a region smaller than 1.4 x 10(-2) parsecs. These are the highest-energy particles that can be associated with a discrete astronomical source, and they pose challenges to particle acceleration theory.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

National Academy of Sciences United States (USA) (US) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) George Mason University 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) Hiroshima University Japan (JP) Università degli Studi di Perugia Italy (IT) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) Istituto Universitario Di Studi Superiori Di Pavia Italy (IT) Université Bordeaux 1, Sciences et Technologies France (FR) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) University of Iceland (UI) / Háskóli Íslands Iceland (IS) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) Japan (JP) Waseda University / 早稲田大学 Japan (JP) University of Washington United States (USA) (US) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE)

How to cite

APA:

Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Allafort, A., Baldini, L., Ballet, J.,... Ziegler, M. (2011). Gamma-Ray Flares from the Crab Nebula. Science, 331(6018), 739-742. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199705

MLA:

Abdo, A. A., et al. "Gamma-Ray Flares from the Crab Nebula." Science 331.6018 (2011): 739-742.

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