CHANDRA, KECK, AND VLA OBSERVATIONS OF THE CRAB NEBULA DURING THE 2011-APRIL GAMMA-RAY FLARE

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/765/1/56· OSTI ID:22167605

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Tennant, Allyn F.; O'Dell, Stephen L. ^[1]; Arons, Jonathan ^[2]; Blandford, Roger; Funk, Stefan; Romani, Roger W. ^[3]; Buehler, Rolf ^[4]; Caraveo, Patrizia; De Luca, Andrea ^[5]; Cheung, Chi C. ^[6]; Costa, Enrico ^[7]; Ferrigno, Carlo ^[8]; Fu, Hai ^[9]; Habermehl, Moritz; Horns, Dieter ^[10]; Linford, Justin D. ^[11]; Lobanov, Andrei ^[12]; Max, Claire ^[13]; Mignani, Roberto ^[14] ; others, and

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1. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Office (ZP12), Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)
2. Astronomy Department and Theoretical Astrophysics Center, University of California, Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
3. W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
4. DESY, Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen (Germany)
5. INAF-IASF Milano, via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy)
6. National Research Council Research Associate, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC 20001 (United States)
7. INFN Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, I-00133 Roma (Italy)
8. ISDC, Data Center for Astrophysics of the University of Geneva, chemin d'cogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland)
9. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States)
10. Institut fuer Experimentalphysik, Universitaet Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany)
11. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, MSC07 4220, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 (United States)
12. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
13. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
14. Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT (United Kingdom)

We present results from our analysis of Chandra X-Ray Observatory, W. M. Keck Observatory, and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) images of the Crab Nebula that were contemporaneous with the {gamma}-ray flare of 2011 April. Despite hints in the X-ray data, we find no evidence for statistically significant variations that pinpoint the specific location of the flares within the Nebula. The Keck observations extend this conclusion to the 'inner knot', i.e., the feature within an arcsecond of the pulsar. The VLA observations support this conclusion. We also discuss theoretical implications of the {gamma}-ray flares and suggest that the most dramatic {gamma}-ray flares are due to radiation-reaction-limited synchrotron emission associated with sudden, dissipative changes in the current system sustained by the central pulsar.

• OSTI ID: 22167605
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 765, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC GAMMA SOURCES
CRAB NEBULA
GAMMA ASTRONOMY
GAMMA DETECTION
GAMMA RADIATION
IMAGES
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
PHOTON EMISSION
PULSARS
STELLAR FLARES
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
VARIATIONS
X RADIATION
X-RAY DETECTION