Fermi large area telescope observations of the cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission of the Earth's atmosphere

Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Atwood WB, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Baughman BM, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bouvier A, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Buehler R, Burnett TH, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Casandjian JM, Cecchi C, Celik O, Charles E, Chekhtman A, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Conrad J, De Palma F, Digel SW, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Farnier C, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Focke WB, Fortin P, Frailis M, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giebels B, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hays E, Horan D, Hughes RE, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson TJ, Johnson WN, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Kawai N, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Makeev A, Mazziotta MN, Mcenery JE, Meurer C, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Okumura A, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, 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, Rochester LS, Rodriguez AY, Roth M, Sadrozinski HFW, Sander A, Parkinson PMS, Sgro C, Share GH, Siskind EJ, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Takahashi HH, Tanaka T, Thayer JB, Thayer JG, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Uchiyama Y, Usher TL, Vasileiou V, Vilchez N, Vitale V, Waite AP, Wang P, Winer BL, Wood KS, Ylinen T, Ziegler M (2009)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2009

Journal

Book Volume: 80

Journal Issue: 12

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.80.122004

Abstract

We report on measurements of the cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission of Earth's atmosphere by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The Large Area Telescope has observed the Earth during its commissioning phase and with a dedicated Earth limb following observation in September 2008. These measurements yielded similar to 6.4x10(6) photons with energies > 100 MeV and similar to 250 hours total live time for the highest quality data selection. This allows the study of the spatial and spectral distributions of these photons with unprecedented detail. The spectrum of the emission-often referred to as Earth albedo gamma-ray emission-has a power-law shape up to 500 GeV with spectral index Gamma=2.79 +/- 0.06.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz 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) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University of Washington United States (USA) (US) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) National Academy of Sciences United States (USA) (US) Università degli Studi di Perugia Italy (IT) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie / Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy Germany (DE) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) Waseda University / 早稲田大学 Japan (JP) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) / Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Germany (DE) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan (JP) University of Tokyo Japan (JP) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE)

How to cite

APA:

Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Atwood, W.B., Baldini, L., Ballet, J.,... Ziegler, M. (2009). Fermi large area telescope observations of the cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission of the Earth's atmosphere. Physical Review D, 80(12). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.122004

MLA:

Abdo, A. A., et al. "Fermi large area telescope observations of the cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission of the Earth's atmosphere." Physical Review D 80.12 (2009).

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