Variable VHE gamma-ray emission from Markarian 501
The blazar Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) was observed at energies above 100 GeV with the MAGIC telescope from May through July 2005. The high sensitivity of the instrument enabled the determination of the flux and spectrum of the source on a night-by-night basis. Throughout our observational campaign, the flux from Mrk 501 was found to vary by an order of magnitude, and to be correlated with spectral changes. Intra-night flux variability with flux-doubling times down to 2 minutes was also observed. The strength of variability increased with the energy of the {gamma}-ray photons. The energy spectra were found to harden significantly with increasing flux, and a spectral peak clearly showed up during very active states. The position of the spectral peak seems to be correlated with the source luminosity.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 899210
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-12334; astro-ph/0702008; TRN: US0701929
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Study of the Flux and Spectral Variations in the VHE Emission from the Blazar Markarian 501, with the MAGIC Telescope
INSIGHTS INTO THE HIGH-ENERGY {gamma}-RAY EMISSION OF MARKARIAN 501 FROM EXTENSIVE MULTIFREQUENCY OBSERVATIONS IN THE FERMI ERA