Rapid gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare
Abstract
Here, we report on a bright flare in the Crab Nebula detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The period of significantly increased luminosity occurred in 2013 March and lasted for approximately two weeks. During this period, we observed flux variability on timescales of approximately 5 hr. The combined photon flux above 100 MeV from the pulsar and its nebula reached a peak value of (12.5 ± 0.8) • 10–6 cm–2 s–1 on 2013 March 6. This value exceeds the average flux by almost a factor of six and implies a ~20 times higher flux for the synchrotron component of the nebula alone. This is the second brightest flare observed from this source. Spectral and temporal analysis of the LAT data collected during the outburst reveal a rapidly varying synchrotron component of the Crab Nebula while the pulsar emission remains constant in time.
- Authors:
-
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
- Naval Research Lab., Washington, D. C. (United States)
- Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, D. C. (United States)
- Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States). SLAC National Accelerator Lab.
- ORAU/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (United States); Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, D. C. (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1356562
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal. Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 775; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
- Publisher:
- Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; gamma rays: stars; ISM: supernova remnants; pulsars: individual (Crab); radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
Citation Formats
Mayer, Michael, Buehler, Rolf, Hays, Elizabeth, Cheung, C. C., Dutka, M. S., Grove, J. E., Kerr, M., and Ojha, R. Rapid gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare. United States: N. p., 2013.
Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/775/2/L37.
Mayer, Michael, Buehler, Rolf, Hays, Elizabeth, Cheung, C. C., Dutka, M. S., Grove, J. E., Kerr, M., & Ojha, R. Rapid gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/775/2/L37
Mayer, Michael, Buehler, Rolf, Hays, Elizabeth, Cheung, C. C., Dutka, M. S., Grove, J. E., Kerr, M., and Ojha, R. Wed .
"Rapid gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/775/2/L37. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1356562.
@article{osti_1356562,
title = {Rapid gamma-ray flux variability during the 2013 March Crab Nebula flare},
author = {Mayer, Michael and Buehler, Rolf and Hays, Elizabeth and Cheung, C. C. and Dutka, M. S. and Grove, J. E. and Kerr, M. and Ojha, R.},
abstractNote = {Here, we report on a bright flare in the Crab Nebula detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The period of significantly increased luminosity occurred in 2013 March and lasted for approximately two weeks. During this period, we observed flux variability on timescales of approximately 5 hr. The combined photon flux above 100 MeV from the pulsar and its nebula reached a peak value of (12.5 ± 0.8) • 10–6 cm–2 s–1 on 2013 March 6. This value exceeds the average flux by almost a factor of six and implies a ~20 times higher flux for the synchrotron component of the nebula alone. This is the second brightest flare observed from this source. Spectral and temporal analysis of the LAT data collected during the outburst reveal a rapidly varying synchrotron component of the Crab Nebula while the pulsar emission remains constant in time.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/775/2/L37},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal. Letters},
number = 2,
volume = 775,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Sep 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Wed Sep 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
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