Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar

R. W. Lessard; I. H. Bond; S. M. Bradbury; J. H. Buckley; A. M. Burdett; D. A. Carter-Lewis; M. Catanese; M. F. Cawley; M. D'Vali; D. J. Fegan; J. P. Finley; J. A. Gaidos; G. H. Gillanders; T. Hall; A. M. Hillas; F. Krennrich; M. J. Lang; C. Masterson; P. Moriarty; J. Quinn; H. J. Rose; F. W. Samuelson; G. H. Sembroski; R. Srinivasan; V. V. Vassiliev; T. C. Weekes

doi:10.1086/308495

Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar

R. W. Lessard
, I. H. Bond
, S. M. Bradbury
, J. H. Buckley
, A. M. Burdett
, D. A. Carter-Lewis
, M. Catanese
, M. F. Cawley
, M. D'Vali
, D. J. Fegan
, J. P. Finley
, J. A. Gaidos
, G. H. Gillanders
, T. Hall
, A. M. Hillas
, F. Krennrich
, M. J. Lang
, C. Masterson
, P. Moriarty
, J. Quinn

H. J. Rose, F. W. Samuelson, G. H. Sembroski, R. Srinivasan, V. V. Vassiliev, T. C. Weekes

Department of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10-m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hr between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8 × 10^-12 cm^-2 s^-1 or less than 3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cutoff of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cutoff is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	942-948
Number of pages	7
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	531
Issue number	2 PART 1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/308495
State	Published - Mar 10 2000

Keywords

Gamma rays: Observations
Pulsars: Individual (Crab Pulsar)

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10.1086/308495

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Lessard, R. W., Bond, I. H., Bradbury, S. M., Buckley, J. H., Burdett, A. M., Carter-Lewis, D. A., Catanese, M., Cawley, M. F., D'Vali, M., Fegan, D. J., Finley, J. P., Gaidos, J. A., Gillanders, G. H., Hall, T., Hillas, A. M., Krennrich, F., Lang, M. J., Masterson, C., Moriarty, P., ... Weekes, T. C. (2000). Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar. Astrophysical Journal, 531(2 PART 1), 942-948. https://doi.org/10.1086/308495

@article{f06e4642ee4d427fa7641ad961f4b714,

title = "Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar",

abstract = "We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10-m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hr between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9\% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 or less than 3\% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cutoff of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cutoff is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.",

keywords = "Gamma rays: Observations, Pulsars: Individual (Crab Pulsar)",

author = "Lessard, \{R. W.\} and Bond, \{I. H.\} and Bradbury, \{S. M.\} and Buckley, \{J. H.\} and Burdett, \{A. M.\} and Carter-Lewis, \{D. A.\} and M. Catanese and Cawley, \{M. F.\} and M. D'Vali and Fegan, \{D. J.\} and Finley, \{J. P.\} and Gaidos, \{J. A.\} and Gillanders, \{G. H.\} and T. Hall and Hillas, \{A. M.\} and F. Krennrich and Lang, \{M. J.\} and C. Masterson and P. Moriarty and J. Quinn and Rose, \{H. J.\} and Samuelson, \{F. W.\} and Sembroski, \{G. H.\} and R. Srinivasan and Vassiliev, \{V. V.\} and Weekes, \{T. C.\}",

year = "2000",

month = mar,

day = "10",

doi = "10.1086/308495",

language = "English",

volume = "531",

pages = "942--948",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal",

issn = "0004-637X",

number = "2 PART 1",

}

Lessard, RW, Bond, IH, Bradbury, SM, Buckley, JH, Burdett, AM, Carter-Lewis, DA, Catanese, M, Cawley, MF, D'Vali, M, Fegan, DJ, Finley, JP, Gaidos, JA, Gillanders, GH, Hall, T, Hillas, AM, Krennrich, F, Lang, MJ, Masterson, C, Moriarty, P, Quinn, J, Rose, HJ, Samuelson, FW, Sembroski, GH, Srinivasan, R, Vassiliev, VV & Weekes, TC 2000, 'Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar', Astrophysical Journal, vol. 531, no. 2 PART 1, pp. 942-948. https://doi.org/10.1086/308495

TY - JOUR

T1 - Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar

AU - Lessard, R. W.

AU - Bond, I. H.

AU - Bradbury, S. M.

AU - Buckley, J. H.

AU - Burdett, A. M.

AU - Carter-Lewis, D. A.

AU - Catanese, M.

AU - Cawley, M. F.

AU - D'Vali, M.

AU - Fegan, D. J.

AU - Finley, J. P.

AU - Gaidos, J. A.

AU - Gillanders, G. H.

AU - Hall, T.

AU - Hillas, A. M.

AU - Krennrich, F.

AU - Lang, M. J.

AU - Masterson, C.

AU - Moriarty, P.

AU - Quinn, J.

AU - Rose, H. J.

AU - Samuelson, F. W.

AU - Sembroski, G. H.

AU - Srinivasan, R.

AU - Vassiliev, V. V.

AU - Weekes, T. C.

PY - 2000/3/10

Y1 - 2000/3/10

N2 - We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10-m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hr between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 or less than 3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cutoff of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cutoff is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

AB - We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10-m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hr between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 or less than 3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cutoff of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cutoff is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

KW - Gamma rays: Observations

KW - Pulsars: Individual (Crab Pulsar)

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/18544400209

U2 - 10.1086/308495

DO - 10.1086/308495

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:18544400209

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 531

SP - 942

EP - 948

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 2 PART 1

ER -

Search for pulsed TeV gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar

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Keywords

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