Detection of Pulsed Gamma Rays Above 100 GeV from the Crab Pulsar
E. Aliu(Columbia University), T. Arlen(University of California, Los Angeles), T. Aune(University of California, Los Angeles), M. Beilicke(Washington University in St. Louis), W. Benbow(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), A. Bouvier(University of California, Los Angeles), S. M. Bradbury(University of Leeds), J. Buckley(Washington University in St. Louis), V. Bugaev(Washington University in St. Louis), K. Byrum(Argonne National Laboratory), A. Cannon(University College Dublin), A. Cesarini(Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway), Jessie L. Christiansen(California Polytechnic State University), L. Ciupik(Adler Planetarium), E. Collins-Hughes(University College Dublin), M. P. Connolly(Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway), Wei Cui(Purdue University West Lafayette), R. Dickherber(Washington University in St. Louis), C. Duke(Grinnell College), M. Errando(Columbia University), A. Falcone(Pennsylvania State University), J. P. Finley(Purdue University West Lafayette), G. Finnegan(University of Utah), L. Fortson(University of Minnesota), A. Furniss(University of California, Los Angeles), N. Galante(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), D. Gall(University of Iowa), K. Gibbs(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), G. H. Gillanders(Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway), S. Godambe(University of Utah), S. Griffin(McGill University), J. Grube(Adler Planetarium), R. Guénette(McGill University), G. Gyuk(Adler Planetarium), D. Hanna(McGill University), J. Holder(University of Delaware), H. Huan(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), G. Hughes(University of California, Los Angeles), C. M. Hui(University of Utah), T. B. Humensky(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), Asif Imran(Iowa State University), P. Kaaret(University of Iowa), N. Karlsson(University of Minnesota), M. Kertzman(DePauw University), D. Kieda(University of Utah), H. Krawczynski(Washington University in St. Louis), F. Krennrich(Iowa State University), M. J. Lang(Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway), Maxim Lyutikov(Purdue University West Lafayette), A. S Madhavan(Iowa State University), G. Maier(University of California, Los Angeles), P. Majumdar(University of California, Los Angeles), S. McArthur(Washington University in St. Louis), A. McCann(McGill University), M. McCutcheon(McGill University), P. Moriarty(Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology), R. Mukherjee(Columbia University), Paul D. Nuñez(University of Utah), R. A. Ong(University of California, Los Angeles), M. Orr(Iowa State University), A. N. Otte(University of California, Los Angeles), N. Park(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), J. S. Perkins(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), Filip Pizlo(Purdue University West Lafayette), M. Pohl(University of Potsdam), H. Prokoph(University of California, Los Angeles), J. Quinn(University College Dublin), K. Ragan(McGill University), L. C. Reyes(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), P. T. Reynolds(University of California, Los Angeles), E. Roache(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), H. J. Rose(University of Leeds), J. Ruppel(University of Potsdam), D. B. Saxon(University of Delaware), M. Schroedter(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), G. H. Sembroski(Purdue University West Lafayette), G. D. Şentürk(Columbia University), A. W. Smith(Argonne National Laboratory), D. Staszak(McGill University), G. Tešić(McGill University), M. Theiling(Purdue University West Lafayette), S. Thibadeau(Washington University in St. Louis), K. Tsurusaki(University of Iowa), J. Tyler(McGill University), A. Varlotta(Purdue University West Lafayette), V. V. Vassiliev(University of California, Los Angeles), Stéphane P. Vincent(University of Utah), M. Vivier(University of Delaware), S. P. Wakely(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), J. E. Ward(University College Dublin), T. C. Weekes(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian), A. J. Weinstein(Iowa State University), T. Weisgarber(Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), D. A. Williams(University of California, Los Angeles), B. Zitzer(Argonne National Laboratory)
Cited by 199Open Access
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.
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