FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE GAMMA-RAY DETECTION OF THE RADIO GALAXY M87

Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Atwood WB, Axelsson M, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Burnett TH, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Cannon A, Caraveo PA, Casandjian JM, Cavazzuti E, Cecchi C, Celik O, Charles E, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Colafrancesco S, Conrad J, Costamante L, Cutini S, Davis DS, Dermer CD, De Angelis A, De Palma F, Digel SW, Donato D, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Edmonds Y, Farnier C, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Finke J, Focke WB, Fortin P, Frailis M, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Georganopoulos M, Germani S, Giebels B, Giglietto N, Giommi P, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hanabata Y, Harding AK, Hayashida M, Hays E, Horan D, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson RP, Johnson TJ, Johnson WN, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Kawai N, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kocian ML, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Madejski GM, Makeev A, Mazziotta MN, Mcconville W, Mcenery JE, Meurer C, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Ozaki M, Paneque D, Panetta JH, Parent D, Pelassa V, Pepe M, Pesce-Rollins M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Ritz S, Rochester LS, Rodriguez AY, Romani RW, Roth M, Ryde F, Sadrozinski HFW, Sambruna R, Sanchez D, Sander A, Parkinson PMS, Scargle JD, Sgro C, Shaw MS, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Tajima H, Takahashi HH, Tanaka T, Taylor GB, Thayer JB, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Uchiyama Y, Usher TL, Vasileiou V, Vilchez N, Waite AP, Wang P, Winer BL, Wood KS, Ylinen T, Ziegler M, Harris DE, Massaro F, Stawarz L (2009)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2009

Journal

Book Volume: 707

Pages Range: 55-60

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/707/1/55

Abstract

We report the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) discovery of high-energy (MeV/GeV) gamma-ray emission positionally consistent with the center of the radio galaxy M87, at a source significance of over 10 sigma in 10 months of all-sky survey data. Following the detections of Cen A and Per A, this makes M87 the third radio galaxy seen with the LAT. The faint point-like gamma-ray source has a >100 MeV flux of 2.45 (+/-0.63) x 10(-8) photons cm(-2) s(-1) (photon index = 2.26 +/- 0.13) with no significant variability detected within the LAT observation. This flux is comparable with the previous EGRET upper limit (<2.18 x 10-8 photons cm(-2) s(-1), 2 sigma), thus there is no evidence for a significant MeV/GeV flare on decade timescales. Contemporaneous Chandra and Very Long Baseline Array data indicate low activity in the unresolved X-ray and radio core relative to previous observations, suggesting M87 is in a quiescent overall level over the first year of Fermi-LAT observations. The LAT gamma-ray spectrum is modeled as synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission from the electron population producing the radio-to-X-ray emission in the core. The resultant SSC spectrum extrapolates smoothly from the LAT band to the historical-minimum TeV emission. Alternative models for the core and possible contributions from the kiloparsec-scale jet in M87 are considered, and cannot be excluded.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory 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 Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University College Dublin (UCD) Ireland (IE) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE) University of Maryland, Baltimore County United States (USA) (US) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) Hiroshima University Japan (JP) University of Maryland United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) University of Washington United States (USA) (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan (JP) Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) / Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Germany (DE) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) Japan (JP) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) University of New Mexico (UNM) / Universidad de Nuevo México United States (USA) (US) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) Harvard University United States (USA) (US) Jagiellonian University / Uniwersytet Jagielloński (UJ) Poland (PL)

How to cite

APA:

Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Atwood, W.B., Axelsson, M., Baldini, L.,... Stawarz, L. (2009). FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE GAMMA-RAY DETECTION OF THE RADIO GALAXY M87. Astrophysical Journal, 707(1), 55-60. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/707/1/55

MLA:

Abdo, A. A., et al. "FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE GAMMA-RAY DETECTION OF THE RADIO GALAXY M87." Astrophysical Journal 707.1 (2009): 55-60.

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