Observations of TeV photons at the Whipple Observatory

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6966224

Lamb, R C; Lewis, D A; Macomb, D J; Vacanti, G ^[1]; Akerlof, C W; Meyer, D I ^[2]; Cawley, M F ^[3]; Colombo, E; Kwok, P W; Lang, M J; Reynolds, P T; Weekes, T C ^[4]; Fegan, D J

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1. Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States)
2. Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
3. Saint Patrick's Coll., Maynooth (Ireland)
4. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Amado, AZ (United States)

The Whipple Observatory 10 m gamma-ray telescope has been used to search for TeV gamma-ray emission from a number of objects. This paper reports observations of six galactic and three extragalactic objectsusing the Cherenkov image technique. With the introduction of a high-resolution camera (1/4[degree] pixel) in 1988, the Crab Nebula was detected at a significance level of 20 [omega], in 30 hours of on-source observation. Upper limits at a fraction of the Crab flux are set for most of the other objects, based on the absence of any significant dc excess or periodic effect when an a priori Monte Carlo determined imaging selection criterion (the azwidth cut'') is employed. There are weak indications that one source, Hercules X-1, may be an episodic emitter. The Whipple detection system will be improved shortly with the addition of a second reflector 11 m in diameter (GRANITE) for stereoscopic viewing of showers. The combination of the two-reflector system should have a signal-to-noise advantage of 10[sup 3] over a simple nonimaging Cherenkov receiver.

• Research Organization: Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-80ER10774
• OSTI ID: 6966224
• Report Number(s): CONF-9010289-5; ON: DE93003720
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440104 -- Radiation Instrumentation-- High Energy Physics Instrumentation
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
661300* -- Other Aspects of Physical Science-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASTRONOMY
CALCULATION METHODS
COSMIC GAMMA SOURCES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
CRAB NEBULA
DETECTION
FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE
GAMMA ASTRONOMY
GAMMA DETECTION
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEBULAE
RADIATION DETECTION
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
TELESCOPES