AN EMPIRICAL DETERMINATION OF THE INTERGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT FROM UV TO FIR WAVELENGTHS USING FIR DEEP GALAXY SURVEYS AND THE GAMMA-RAY OPACITY OF THE UNIVERSE
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
- Department of Physics, James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 22807 (United States)
We have previously calculated the intergalactic background light (IBL) as a function of redshift from the Lyman limit in the far-ultraviolet to a wavelength of 5 μ m in the near-infrared range, based purely on data from deep galaxy surveys. Here, we use similar methods to determine the mid- and far-infrared IBL from 5 to 850 μ m. Our approach enables us to constrain the range of photon densities by determining the uncertainties in observationally determined luminosity densities and spectral gradients. By also including the effect of the 2.7 K cosmic background photons, we determine upper and lower limits on the opacity of the universe to γ -rays up to PeV energies within a 68% confidence band. Our direct results on the IBL are consistent with those from complimentary γ -ray analyses using observations from the Fermi γ -ray space telescope and the H.E.S.S. air Čerenkov telescope. Thus, we find no evidence of previously suggested processes for the modification of γ -ray spectra other than that of absorption by pair production alone.
- OSTI ID:
- 22667531
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 827, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
CHERENKOV COUNTERS
DENSITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
GALAXIES
GAMMA RADIATION
GAMMA SPECTRA
INTERGALACTIC SPACE
LUMINOSITY
MASS
OPACITY
PAIR PRODUCTION
PEV RANGE
PHOTONS
RED SHIFT
SPACE
TELESCOPES
UNIVERSE
WAVELENGTHS