An exceptional very high energy gamma-ray flare of PKS 2155-304

被引:669
作者
Aharonian, F.
Akhperjanian, A. G.
Bazer-Bachi, A. R.
Behera, B.
Beilicke, M.
Benbow, W. [1 ]
Berge, D.
Bernloehr, K.
Boisson, C.
Bolz, O.
Borrel, V.
Boutelier, T.
Braun, I.
Brion, E.
Brown, A. M.
Buehler, R.
Buesching, I.
Bulik, T.
Carrigan, S.
Chadwick, P. M.
Clapson, A. C.
Chounet, L.-M.
Coignet, G.
Cornils, R.
Costamante, L.
Degrange, B.
Dickinson, H. J.
Djannati-Atai, A.
Domainko, W.
Drury, L. O'C.
Dubus, G.
Dyks, J.
Egberts, K.
Emmanoulopoulos, D.
Espigat, P.
Farnier, C.
Feinstein, F.
Fiasson, A.
Foerster, A.
Fontaine, G.
Funk, Seb.
Funk, S.
Fuessling, M.
Gallant, Y. A.
Giebels, B.
Glicenstein, J. F.
Glueck, B.
Goret, P.
Hadjichristidis, C.
Hauser, D.
机构
[1] Max Planck Inst Kernphys, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
[2] Dublin Inst Adv Studies, Dublin 4, Ireland
[3] Yerevan Phys Inst, Yerevan 375036, Armenia
[4] UPS, CNRS, Ctr Etud Spatiale Rayonnements, Toulouse, France
[5] Univ Heidelberg, Landessternwarte, Konigstuhl, Germany
[6] Univ Hamburg, Inst Phys Expt, Hamburg, Germany
[7] Humboldt Univ, Inst Phys, Berlin, Germany
[8] Observ Paris, CNRS, LUTH, UMR 8102,Sect Meudon, F-75014 Paris, France
[9] Univ Grenoble 1, CNRS, INSU, Lab Astrophys Grenoble, Grenoble, France
[10] CE Saclay, CEA, DAPNIA, DSM, Gif Sur Yvette, France
[11] Univ Durham, Dept Phys, Durham, England
[12] NW Univ, Unit Space Phys, Potchefstroom, South Africa
[13] Nicholas Copernicus Astron Ctr, Warsaw, Poland
[14] Ecole Polytech, Lab Leprince Ringuet, CNRS, IN2P3, Palaiseau, France
[15] CNRS, IN2P3, Lab Annecy Le Vieux Phys Particules, Annecy Le Vieux, France
[16] APC, Paris, France
[17] Univ Montpellier 2, CNRS, IN2P3, Lab Phys Theor & Astroparticules, Montpellier, France
[18] Univ Erlangen Nurnberg, Inst Phys, D-8520 Erlangen, Germany
[19] Univ Tubingen, Inst Astron & Astrophys, Tubingen, Germany
[20] Univ Paris 06, CNRS, LPNHE, IN2P3, Paris, France
[21] Univ Paris 07, CNRS, LPNHE, IN2P3, Paris, France
[22] Charles Univ Prague, Inst Nucl & Particle Phys, Prague, Czech Republic
[23] Jagiellonian Univ, Astron Observ, Krakow, Poland
[24] Ruhr Univ Bochum, Inst Theoret Phys, Lehrstuhl Weltraum & Astrophys 4, D-4630 Bochum, Germany
[25] Univ Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
关键词
BL Lacertae objects : individual (PKS 2155-304); galaxies : active; gamma rays : observations;
D O I
10.1086/520635
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
The high-frequency peaked BL Lac PKS 2155-304 at redshift z = 0.116 is a well-known VHE (> 100 GeV) gamma-ray emitter. Since 2002 its VHE flux has been monitored using the H.E.S.S. stereoscopic array of imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes in Namibia. During the 2006 July dark period, the average VHE flux was measured to be more than 10 times typical values observed from the object. This article focuses solely on an extreme gamma-ray outburst detected in the early hours of 2006 July 28 (MJD 53,944). The average flux observed during this outburst is I(> 200 GeV) = (1.72 +/- 0.05(stat) +/- 0.34(syst)) x 10(-9) cm(-2) s(-1), corresponding to similar to 7 times the flux, I(> 200 GeV), observed from the Crab Nebula. Peak fluxes are measured with 1 minute timescale resolution at more than twice this average value. Variability is seen up to similar to 600 s in the Fourier power spectrum, and well- resolved bursts varying on timescales of similar to 200 s are observed. There are no strong indications for spectral variability within the data. Assuming the emission region has a size comparable to the Schwarzschild radius of a similar to 10(9) M-circle dot black hole, Doppler factors greater than 100 are required to accommodate the observed variability timescales.
引用
收藏
页码:L71 / L74
页数:4
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