Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects

被引:623
作者
Abraham, J.
Abreu, P.
Aglietta, M.
Aguirre, C.
Allard, D.
Allekotte, I.
Allen, J.
Allison, P.
Alvarez, C.
Alvarez-Muniz, J.
Ambrosio, M.
Anchordoqui, L.
Andringa, S.
Anzalone, A.
Aramo, C.
Argiro, S.
Arisaka, K.
Armengaud, E.
Arneodo, F.
Arqueros, F.
Asch, T.
Asorey, H.
Assis, P.
Atulugama, B. S.
Aublin, J.
Ave, M.
Avila, G.
Baecker, T.
Badagnani, D.
Barbosa, A. F.
Barnhill, D.
Barroso, S. L. C.
Bauleo, P.
Beatty, J.
Beau, T.
Becker, B. R.
Becker, K. H.
Bellido, J. A.
BenZvi, S.
Berat, C.
Bergmann, T.
Bernardini, P.
Bertou, X.
Biermann, P. L.
Billoir, P.
Blanch-Bigas, O.
Blanco, F.
Blasi, P.
Bleve, C.
Bluemer, H.
机构
[1] Univ Tecnol Nacl Reg Mendoza & San Rafael, RA-5500 Mendoza, Argentina
[2] Lab Instrumentacao & Fis Expt Particulas, P-1000119 Lisbon, Portugal
[3] Inst Super Tecn, P-1000119 Lisbon, Portugal
[4] Univ Turin, Ist Fis Spazio Interplanetario, I-10125 Turin, Italy
[5] Sezione Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, I-10125 Turin, Italy
[6] Univ Catolica Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia
[7] Univ Paris 07, Lab AstroParticule & Cosmol, IN2P3, CNRS, F-75231 Paris 05, France
[8] Comis Nacl Energia Atom, Ctr Atom Bariloche, RA-8400 San Carlos De Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
[9] Inst Balseiro, UNCuyo, RA-8400 San Carlos De Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
[10] NYU, New York, NY 10027 USA
[11] Ohio State Univ, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
[12] Benernerita Univ Autonoma Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
[13] Univ Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago De Compostela, Spain
[14] Sez INFN Napoli, I-80126 Naples, Italy
[15] Northeastern Univ, Boston, MA 02115 USA
[16] Univ Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53201 USA
[17] Ist Astrofis Spaziale & Fis Cosm Palermo, INAF, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
[18] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
[19] Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Lab Nazl Gran Sasso, I-67010 Laquila, Italy
[20] Univ Complutense Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
[21] Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Inst Prozessdatenverarbeitung & Elekt, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
[22] Penn State Univ, University Pk, PA 16802 USA
[23] Univ Paris 06, Lab Phys Nucl & Hautes Energies, F-75252 Paris 05, France
[24] Univ Paris 07, F-75252 Paris 05, France
[25] Univ Chicago, Enrico Fermi Inst, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
[26] Pierre Auger So Observ, RA-5613 Mendoza, Argentina
[27] Univ Siegen, D-57068 Siegen, Germany
[28] Natl Univ La Plata, Inst Fis Plata, Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, RA-1900 La Plata, Argentina
[29] Ctr Brasileiro Pesquisas Fis, BR-22290180 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
[30] Univ Estadual Sudoeste Bahia, BR-45083900 Vitoria da Conquista, BA, Brazil
[31] Colorado State Univ, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA
[32] Univ New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA
[33] Berg Univ Wuppertal, D-42097 Wuppertal, Germany
[34] Columbia Univ, New York, NY 10027 USA
[35] CNRS, IN2P3, Lab Phys Subatom & Cosmol, F-38026 Grenoble, France
[36] Univ Karlsruhe TH, Inst Expt Kernphys, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Germany
[37] Univ Salento, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
[38] Sezione Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
[39] Max Planck Inst Radioastron, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
[40] Univ Aquila, I-67010 Coppito, Aquila, Italy
[41] Sezione Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, I-67010 Coppito, Aquila, Italy
[42] Osserv Astrofis Arcetri, I-50125 Florence, Italy
[43] Univ Leeds, Sch Phys & Astron, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England
[44] Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Inst Kernphys, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
[45] Acad Sci Czech Republ, Inst Phys, CZ-18221 Prague 8, Czech Republic
[46] Univ Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
[47] Colorado State Univ, Pueblo, CO 81001 USA
[48] Univ Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
[49] Ctr Andaluz Fis Particulas Elementales, E-18071 Granada, Spain
[50] Univ Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
基金
英国科学技术设施理事会; 美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
D O I
10.1126/science.1151124
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above 6 x 10(19) electron volts and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within similar to 75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest-energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar spatial distribution are possible sources.
引用
收藏
页码:938 / 943
页数:6
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