A gamma-ray determination of the Universe's star formation history

Abdollahi S, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Atwood WB, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Gonzalez JB, Bellazzini R, Bissaldi E, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonino R, Bottacini E, Buson S, Bregeon J, Bruel P, Buehler R, Cameron RA, Caputo R, Caraveo PA, Cavazzuti E, Charles E, Chen S, Cheung CC, Chiaro G, Ciprini S, Cohen-Tanugi J, Cominsky LR, Conrad J, Costantin D, Cutini S, D'Ammando F, De Palma F, Desai A, Digel SW, Di Lalla N, Di Mauro M, Di Venere L, Dominguez A, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Finke J, Franckowiak A, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Romero GG, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Green D, Grenier IA, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hartmann DH, Hays E, Helgason K, Horan D, Johannesson G, Kocevski D, Kuss M, Larsson S, Latronico L, Li J, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Madejski GM, Magill JD, Maldera S, Manfreda A, Marcotulli L, Mazziotta MN, Mcenery JE, Meyer M, Michelson PF, Mizuno T, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Negro M, Nuss E, Ojha R, Omodei N, Orienti M, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Palatiello M, Paliya VS, Paneque D, Perkins JS, Persic M, Pesce-Rollins M, Petrosian V, Piron F, Porter TA, Primack JR, Principe G, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Razzaque S, Reimer A, Reimer O, Parkinson PMS, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Suson DJ, Tajima H, Takahashi M, Thayer JB, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Torresi E, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Troja E, Valverde J, Vianello G, Vogel M, Wood K, Zaharijas G (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

Book Volume: 362

Pages Range: 1031-+

Journal Issue: 6418

DOI: 10.1126/science.aat8123

Abstract

The light emitted by all galaxies over the history of the Universe produces the extragalactic background light (EBL) at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The EBL is a source of opacity for gamma rays via photon-photon interactions, leaving an imprint in the spectra of distant gamma-ray sources. We measured this attenuation using 739 active galaxies and one gamma-ray burst detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This allowed us to reconstruct the evolution of the EBL and determine the star formation history of the Universe over 90% of cosmic time. Our star formation history is consistent with independent measurements from galaxy surveys, peaking at redshift z similar to 2. Upper limits of the EBL at the epoch of reionization suggest a turnover in the abundance of faint galaxies at z similar to 6.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Stanford University United States (USA) (US) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) Clemson University United States (USA) (US) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Germany (DE) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) Sonoma State University United States (USA) (US) Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) Spain (ES) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) University of Pisa / Università di Pisa (UniPi) Italy (IT) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) University of Iceland (UI) / Háskóli Íslands Iceland (IS) University of Johannesburg South Africa (ZA) National Center for Scientific Research / Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) France (FR) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (MPG) / Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science Germany (DE) University of Maryland United States (USA) (US) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE) Praxis, Inc. United States (USA) (US) California State University, Los Angeles United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, MPP) / Max Planck Institute for Physics Germany (DE) University of Orléans / Université d'Orléans France (FR) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Abdollahi, S., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Atwood, W.B., Baldini, L., Ballet, J.,... Zaharijas, G. (2018). A gamma-ray determination of the Universe's star formation history. Science, 362(6418), 1031-+. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat8123

MLA:

Abdollahi, S., et al. "A gamma-ray determination of the Universe's star formation history." Science 362.6418 (2018): 1031-+.

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