Discovery of very high energy γ-ray emission from centaurus a with H.E.S.S.

Aharonian F, Akhperjanian AG, Anton G, De Almeida UB, Bazer-Bachi AR, Becherini Y, Behera B, Benbow W, Bernloehr K, Boisson C, Bochow A, Borrel V, Brion E, Brucker J, Brun P, Buehler R, Bulik T, Buesching I, Boutelier T, Chadwick PM, Charbonnier A, Chaves RCG, Cheesebrough A, Chounet LM, Clapson AC, Coignet G, Dalton M, Daniel MK, Davids ID, Degrange B, Deil C, Dickinson HJ, Djannati-Atai A, Domainko W, Drury LO, Dubois F, Dubus G, Dyks J, Dyrda M, Egberts K, Emmanoulopoulos D, Espigat P, Farnier C, Feinstein F, Fiasson A, Foerster A, Fontaine G, Fuessling M, Gabici S, Gallant YA, Gerard L, Giebels B, Glicenstein JF, Glueck B, Goret P, Goehring D, Hauser D, Hauser M, Heinz S, Heinzelmann G, Henri G, Hermann G, Hinton JA, Hoffmann A, Hofmann W, Holleran M, Hoppe S, Horns D, Jacholkowska A, De Jager OC, Jahn C, Jung I, Katarzynsky K, Katz U, Kaufmann S, Kendziorra E, Kerschhaggl M, Khangulyan D, Khelifi B, Keogh D, Kluzniak W, Kneiske TM, Komin N, Kosack K, Lamanna G, Latham IJ, Lenain JP, Lohse T, Marandon V, Martin JM, Martineau-Huynh O, Marcowith A, Maurin D, Mccomb TJL, Medina MC, Moderski R, Moulin E, Naumann-Godo M, De Naurois M, Nedbal D, Nekrassov D, Niemiec J, Nolan SJ, Ohm S, Olive JF, Wilhelmi EDO, Orford KJ, Ostrowski M, Panter M, Arribas MP, Pedaletti G, Pelletier G, Petrucci PO, Pita S, Puehlhofer G, Punch M, Quirrenbach A, Raubenheimer BC, Raue M, Rayner SM, Renaud M, Rieger F, Ripken J, Rob L, Rosier-Lees S, Rowell G, Rudak B, Rulten CB, Ruppel J, Sahakian V, Santangelo A, Schlickeiser R, Schoeck FM, Schroeder R, Schwanke U, Schwarzburg S, Schwemmer S, Shalchi A, Sikora M, Skilton JL, Sol H, Spangler D, Stawarz L, Steenkamp R, Stegmann C, Superina G, Szostek A, Tam PH, Tavernet JP, Terrier R, Tibolla O, Tluczykont M, van Eldik C, Vasileiadis G, Venter C, Venter L, Vialle JP, Vincent P, Vink J, Vivier M, Voelk HJ, Volpe F, Wagner SJ, Ward M, Zdziarski AA, Zech A (2009)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2009

Journal

Book Volume: 695

Pages Range: L40-L44

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/695/1/L40

Abstract

We report the discovery of faint very high energy (VHE; E > 100GeV) γ-ray emission from the radio galaxy Centaurus A in observations performed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) experiment, an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array consisting of four telescopes located in Namibia. Centaurus A has been observed for more than 120hr. A signal with a statistical significance of 5.0σ is detected from the region including the radio core and the inner kpc jets. The integral flux above an energy threshold of 250 GeV is measured to be 0.8% of the flux of the Crab Nebula (apparent luminosity: L(>250GeV) 2.6 × 10ergs, adopting a distance of 3.8Mpc). The spectrum can be described by a power law with a photon index of 2.7 0.5 0.2. No significant flux variability is detected in the data set. However, the low flux only allows detection of variability on the timescale of days to flux increments above a factor of 15-20 (3σ and 4σ, respectively). The discovery of VHE γ-ray emission from Centaurus A reveals particle acceleration in the source to >TeV energies and, together with M87, establishes radio galaxies as a class of VHE emitters. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Université Joseph Fourier (UJF Grenoble 1) France (FR) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Germany (DE) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI) / Երևանի Ֆիզիկայի Ինստիտուտ Armenia (AM) Centre CEA de Saclay (Essonne) France (FR) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany (DE) University of Paris 4 - Paris-Sorbonne / Université paris IV Paris-Sorbonne France (FR) Harvard University United States (USA) (US) Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN / Instytut Fizyki Jądrowej im. Henryka Niewodniczańskiego PAN Poland (PL) Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences Poland (PL) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Germany (DE) Noordwes-Universiteit / North-West University South Africa (ZA) Durham University United Kingdom (GB) Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) Ireland (IE) National Center for Scientific Research / Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) France (FR) Universität Hamburg (UHH) Germany (DE) Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) / Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu (UMK) Poland (PL) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Germany (DE) University of Adelaide Australia (AU) Univerzita Karlova v Praze / Charles University in Prague Czech Republic (CZ) Jagiellonian University / Uniwersytet Jagielloński (UJ) Poland (PL) Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) Germany (DE) University of Namibia (UNAM) Namibia (NA) Universiteit Utrecht (UU) / Utrecht University Netherlands (NL) University of Leeds United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Aharonian, F., Akhperjanian, A.G., Anton, G., De Almeida, U.B., Bazer-Bachi, A.R., Becherini, Y.,... Zech, A. (2009). Discovery of very high energy γ-ray emission from centaurus a with H.E.S.S. Astrophysical Journal, 695(1), L40-L44. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/695/1/L40

MLA:

Aharonian, F., et al. "Discovery of very high energy γ-ray emission from centaurus a with H.E.S.S." Astrophysical Journal 695.1 (2009): L40-L44.

BibTeX: Download