Lessard, R.W. and Bond, I.H. and Bradbury, S.M. and Buckley, J.H. and Burdett, A.M. and Carter-Lewis, D.A. and Catanese, M. and Cawley, Michael F. and D'Vali, M. and Fegan, D.J. and Finley, J.P. and Gaidos, J.A. and Gillanders, G.H. and Hall, T. and Hillas, A.M. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M.J. and Masterson, C. and Moriarty, P. and Quinn, J. and Rose, H.J. and Samuelson, F.W. and Sembroski, G.H. and Srinivasan, R. and Vassiliev, V.V. and Weekes, T.C. (2000) Search for Pulsed TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from the Crab Pulsar. Astrophysical Journal, 531 (942). ISSN 0004-637X

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Abstract

We present the results of a search for pulsed TeV emission from the Crab pulsar using the Whipple Observatory's 10-m gamma-ray telescope. The direction of the Crab pulsar was observed for a total of 73.4 hr between 1994 November and 1997 March. During this period the Whipple 10 m telescope was operated at its lowest energy threshold to date. Spectral analysis techniques were applied to search for the presence of a gamma-ray signal from the Crab pulsar over the energy band 250 GeV to 4 TeV. We do not see any evidence of the 33 ms pulsations present in other energy bands from the Crab pulsar. The 99.9% confidence level upper limit for pulsed emission above 250 GeV is derived to be 4.8 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 or less than 3% of the steady flux from the Crab Nebula. These results imply a sharp cutoff of the power-law spectrum seen by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. If the cutoff is exponential, it must begin at 60 GeV or lower to accommodate these upper limits.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Citation: R. W. Lessard et al 2000 ApJ 531 942
Keywords:	gamma rays : observations; pulsars : individual; Crab Pulsar;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Experimental Physics
Item ID:	9946
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1086/308495
Depositing User:	Dr. Michael Cawley
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2018 14:31
Journal or Publication Title:	Astrophysical Journal
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://iopscience.iop.org
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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