Detection of Pulsed Gamma Rays Above 100 GeV from the Crab Pulsar

Author Info

E. Aliu, Columbia University
T. Arlen, University of California - Los Angeles
T. Aune, University of California - Santa Cruz
M. Beilicke, Washington University
W. Benbow, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
A. Bouvier, University of California - Santa Cruz
S. M. Bradbury, University of Leeds
J. H. Buckley, Washington University
V. Bugaev, Washington University
K. Byrum, Argonne National Laboratory
A. Cannon, University College Dublin
A. Cesarini, National University of Ireland Galway
J. L. Christiansen, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoFollow
L. Ciupik, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
E. Collins-Hughes, University College Dublin
M. P. Connolly, National University of Ireland Galway
W. Cui, Purdue University
R. Dickherber, Washington University
C. Duke, Grinnell College
M. Errando, Barnard College
A. Falcone, Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus
J. P. Finley, Purdue University
G. Finnegan, University of Utah
L. Fortson, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis
A. Furniss, University of California - Santa Cruz
N. Galante, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
D. Gall, Purdue University
K. Gibbs, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
G. H. Gillanders, National University of Ireland, Galway
S. Godambe, University of Utah
S. Griffin, McGill University
J. Grube, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
R. Guenette, McGill University
G. Gyuk, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
D. Hanna, McGill University
J. Holder, University of Delaware
H. Huan, University of Chicago
G. Hughes, Platanenallee
C. M. Hui, University of Utah
T. B. Humensky, University of Chicago
A. Imran, Iowa State University
P. Kaaret, University of Iowa
N. Karlsson, University of Minnesota - Minneapolis
M. Kertzman, DePauw University
D. Kieda, University of Utah
H. Krawczynski, Washington University
F. Krennrich, Iowa State University
M. J. Lang, National University of Ireland, Galway
M. Lyutikov, Purdue University
A. S. Madhavan, Iowa State University
G. Maier, Platanenallee
P. Majumdar, University of California - Los Angeles
S. McArthur, Washington University
A. McCann, McGill University
M. McCutcheon, McGill University
P. Moriarty, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
R. Mukherjee, Columbia University
P. Nuñez, University of Utah
R. A. Ong, University of California - Los Angeles
M. Orr, Iowa State University
A. N. Otte, University of California - Santa Cruz
N. Park, University of Chicago
J. S. Perkins, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
P. T. Reynolds, Cork Institute of Technology
E. Roache, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
J. Rose, University of Leeds
J. Ruppel, Universitat Potsdam
D. B. Saxon, University of Delaware
M. Schroedter, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
G. H. Sembroski, Purdue University
G. D. Şentürk, Columbia University
A. W. Smith, Argonne National University
D. Staszak, McGill University
G. Tešić, McGill University
M. Theiling, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
S. Thibadeau, Washington University
K. Tsurusaki, University of Iowa
J. Tyler, McGill University
A. Varlotta, Purdue University
V. V. Vassiliev, University of California - Los Angeles
S. Vincent, University of Utah
M. Vivier, University of Delaware
S. P. Wakely, University of Chicago
J. E. Ward, University College Dublin
T. C. Weekes, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
A. Weinstein, University of California - Los Angeles
T. Weisgarber, University of Chicago
D. A. Williams, University of California - Santa Cruz
B. Zitzer, Purdue University

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Science Magazine, Volume 334, Issue 6052, October 1, 2011, pages 69-72.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1208192.

Abstract

We report the detection of pulsed gamma rays from the Crab pulsar at energies above 100 giga–electron volts (GeV) with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The detection cannot be explained on the basis of current pulsar models. The photon spectrum of pulsed emission between 100 mega–electron volts and 400 GeV is described by a broken power law that is statistically preferred over a power law with an exponential cutoff. It is unlikely that the observation can be explained by invoking curvature radiation as the origin of the observed gamma rays above 100 GeV. Our findings require that these gamma rays be produced more than 10 stellar radii from the neutron star.

Disciplines

Physics

Copyright

2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science.