Very high energy gamma ray astrophysics: Progress report, May 1, 1987-February 1, 1988

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5605638

Lamb, R G; Lewis, D A

The Whipple observatory Gamma Ray Collaboration has continued to make steady progress in its development of a highly sensitive stereoscopic imaging gamma-ray telescope (known as the HERCULES project). The milestones in this year's development include: the demonstration of the success of the imaging concept with a single camera by the detection of a very weak flux of gamma rays from the Crab Nebula at a high level of statistical significance (7 sigma), the confirmation of our detection of an anomalous pulsed flux from Hercules X-1 in the summer of 1986 by two other groups; this result has serious implications for the mechanism for gamma-ray emission in this binary source. The construction and installation of the new high resolution camera on the 10 m reflector; the realistic simulation of the sensitivity of this camera as well as that of the full HERCULES system was also undertaken. These, and other highlights of this year's program at the Iowa State University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, are discussed in this paper. 6 figs.

• Research Organization: Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-80ER10774
• OSTI ID: 5605638
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/10774-8; ON: DE88005821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640101* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmic Radiation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASTRONOMY
BINARY STARS
CAMERAS
CHERENKOV COUNTERS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
CRAB NEBULA
DOCUMENT TYPES
GAMMA ASTRONOMY
GAMMA CAMERAS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEBULAE
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIATION DETECTORS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESOLUTION
SIMULATION
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
STARS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS