Are mildly active galaxies sources of e+/- annihilation radiation

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5970012

Marscher, A P; Brecher, K; Wheaton, W A; Ling, J C; Mahoney, W A; Jacobson, A S

The Galactic Center has been established as a source of 511 keV line radiation resulting from electron-position annihilation. The Galactic Center is also the site of a compact, nonthermal radio source similar to the scaled-down version of those found in the nuclei of active galaxies and quasars. This suggests that there is a mildly active central engine at the Galactic Center, which is capable of producing the high output of positrons required to explain the strength of the 511 keV line. If this is the case, then one would expect other active galaxies to also contain positron sources in their nuclei. Because of possible escape routes for positrons, it was decided that a promising candidate for 511 keV line detection would be any active galaxy whose nonthermal radio activity is contained within the galaxy. Seven galaxies were chosen using this criteria. The HEAO-3 ..gamma.. Ray Spectrometer was operable from 20 September 1979 until June 1980, and none of these galaxies were detected in the 511 keV line. 19 references, 1 table.

• Research Organization: Boston Univ., MA
• OSTI ID: 5970012
• Report Number(s): CONF-830136-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640103* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANNIHILATION
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
BASIC INTERACTIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON PAIRS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FLUX DENSITY
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GAMMA RADIATION
GAMMA SPECTROMETERS
INTERACTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
LUMINOSITY
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MILKY WAY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POSITRONS
PULSARS
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SPECTROMETERS
VARIATIONS
X RADIATION