Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span

V. A. Acciari; T. Arlen; T. Aune; W. Benbow; R. Bird; A. Bouvier; S. M. Bradbury; J. H. Buckley; V. Bugaev; I. De La Calle Perez; D. A. Carter-Lewis; A. Cesarini; L. Ciupik; E. Collins-Hughes; M. P. Connolly; W. Cui; C. Duke; J. Dumm; A. Falcone; S. Federici; D. J. Fegan; S. J. Fegan; J. P. Finley; G. Finnegan; L. Fortson; J. Gaidos; N. Galante; D. Gall; K. Gibbs; G. H. Gillanders; S. Griffin; J. Grube; G. Gyuk; D. Hanna; D. Horan; T. B. Humensky; P. Kaaret; M. Kertzman; Y. Khassen; D. Kieda; H. Krawczynski; F. Krennrich; M. J. Lang; J. E. McEnery; A. S. Madhavan; P. Moriarty; T. Nelson; A. O'Faoláin De Bhróithe; R. A. Ong; M. Orr; A. N. Otte; J. S. Perkins; D. Petry; A. Pichel; M. Pohl; J. Quinn; K. Ragan; T. Reynolds; E. Roache; A. Rovero; M. Schroedter; G. H. Sembroski; A. Smith; I. Telezhinsky; M. Theiling; J. Toner; J. Tyler; A. Varlotta; M. Vivier; S. P. Wakely; J. E. Ward; T. C. Weekes; A. Weinstein; R. Welsing; D. A. Williams; S. Wissel

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004

Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span

V. A. Acciari, T. Arlen, T. Aune, W. Benbow, R. Bird, A. Bouvier, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, I. De La Calle Perez, D. A. Carter-Lewis, A. Cesarini, L. Ciupik, E. Collins-Hughes, M. P. Connolly, W. Cui, C. Duke, J. Dumm, A. Falcone, S. FedericiD. J. Fegan, S. J. Fegan, J. P. Finley, G. Finnegan, L. Fortson, J. Gaidos, N. Galante, D. Gall, K. Gibbs, G. H. Gillanders, S. Griffin, J. Grube, G. Gyuk, D. Hanna, D. Horan, T. B. Humensky, P. Kaaret, M. Kertzman, Y. Khassen, D. Kieda, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, J. E. McEnery, A. S. Madhavan, P. Moriarty, T. Nelson, A. O'Faoláin De Bhróithe, R. A. Ong, M. Orr, A. N. Otte, J. S. Perkins, D. Petry, A. Pichel, M. Pohl, J. Quinn, K. Ragan, T. Reynolds, E. Roache, A. Rovero, M. Schroedter, G. H. Sembroski, A. Smith, I. Telezhinsky, M. Theiling, J. Toner, J. Tyler, A. Varlotta, M. Vivier, S. P. Wakely, J. E. Ward, T. C. Weekes, A. Weinstein, R. Welsing, D. A. Williams, S. Wissel

Physics and Astronomy (Twin Cities)

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Abstract

The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 h of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446±0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1-10
Number of pages	10
Journal	Astroparticle Physics
Volume	54
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004
State	Published - Feb 2014

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, by NSERC in Canada, by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI 10/RFP/AST2748) and by STFC in the U.K. We acknowledge the excellent work of the technical support staff at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and at the collaborating institutions in the construction and operation of the instruments.

Keywords

AGN
Markarian 421
TeV gamma rays

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Acciari, V. A., Arlen, T., Aune, T., Benbow, W., Bird, R., Bouvier, A., Bradbury, S. M., Buckley, J. H., Bugaev, V., De La Calle Perez, I., Carter-Lewis, D. A., Cesarini, A., Ciupik, L., Collins-Hughes, E., Connolly, M. P., Cui, W., Duke, C., Dumm, J., Falcone, A., ... Wissel, S. (2014). Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span. Astroparticle Physics, 54, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004

Acciari, VA, Arlen, T, Aune, T, Benbow, W, Bird, R, Bouvier, A, Bradbury, SM, Buckley, JH, Bugaev, V, De La Calle Perez, I, Carter-Lewis, DA, Cesarini, A, Ciupik, L, Collins-Hughes, E, Connolly, MP, Cui, W, Duke, C, Dumm, J, Falcone, A, Federici, S, Fegan, DJ, Fegan, SJ, Finley, JP, Finnegan, G, Fortson, L, Gaidos, J, Galante, N, Gall, D, Gibbs, K, Gillanders, GH, Griffin, S, Grube, J, Gyuk, G, Hanna, D, Horan, D, Humensky, TB, Kaaret, P, Kertzman, M, Khassen, Y, Kieda, D, Krawczynski, H, Krennrich, F, Lang, MJ, McEnery, JE, Madhavan, AS, Moriarty, P, Nelson, T, O'Faoláin De Bhróithe, A, Ong, RA, Orr, M, Otte, AN, Perkins, JS, Petry, D, Pichel, A, Pohl, M, Quinn, J, Ragan, K, Reynolds, T, Roache, E, Rovero, A, Schroedter, M, Sembroski, GH, Smith, A, Telezhinsky, I, Theiling, M, Toner, J, Tyler, J, Varlotta, A, Vivier, M, Wakely, SP, Ward, JE, Weekes, TC, Weinstein, A, Welsing, R, Williams, DA & Wissel, S 2014, 'Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span', Astroparticle Physics, vol. 54, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004

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title = "Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span",

abstract = "The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 h of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446±0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.",

keywords = "AGN, Markarian 421, TeV gamma rays",

author = "Acciari, {V. A.} and T. Arlen and T. Aune and W. Benbow and R. Bird and A. Bouvier and Bradbury, {S. M.} and Buckley, {J. H.} and V. Bugaev and {De La Calle Perez}, I. and Carter-Lewis, {D. A.} and A. Cesarini and L. Ciupik and E. Collins-Hughes and Connolly, {M. P.} and W. Cui and C. Duke and J. Dumm and A. Falcone and S. Federici and Fegan, {D. J.} and Fegan, {S. J.} and Finley, {J. P.} and G. Finnegan and L. Fortson and J. Gaidos and N. Galante and D. Gall and K. Gibbs and Gillanders, {G. H.} and S. Griffin and J. Grube and G. Gyuk and D. Hanna and D. Horan and Humensky, {T. B.} and P. Kaaret and M. Kertzman and Y. Khassen and D. Kieda and H. Krawczynski and F. Krennrich and Lang, {M. J.} and McEnery, {J. E.} and Madhavan, {A. S.} and P. Moriarty and T. Nelson and {O'Faol{\'a}in De Bhr{\'o}ithe}, A. and Ong, {R. A.} and M. Orr and Otte, {A. N.} and Perkins, {J. S.} and D. Petry and A. Pichel and M. Pohl and J. Quinn and K. Ragan and T. Reynolds and E. Roache and A. Rovero and M. Schroedter and Sembroski, {G. H.} and A. Smith and I. Telezhinsky and M. Theiling and J. Toner and J. Tyler and A. Varlotta and M. Vivier and Wakely, {S. P.} and Ward, {J. E.} and Weekes, {T. C.} and A. Weinstein and R. Welsing and Williams, {D. A.} and S. Wissel",

note = "Funding Information: This research is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, by NSERC in Canada, by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI 10/RFP/AST2748) and by STFC in the U.K. We acknowledge the excellent work of the technical support staff at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and at the collaborating institutions in the construction and operation of the instruments.",

year = "2014",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "54",

pages = "1--10",

journal = "Astroparticle Physics",

issn = "0927-6505",

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T1 - Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span

AU - Acciari, V. A.

AU - Arlen, T.

AU - Aune, T.

AU - Benbow, W.

AU - Bird, R.

AU - Bouvier, A.

AU - Bradbury, S. M.

AU - Buckley, J. H.

AU - Bugaev, V.

AU - De La Calle Perez, I.

AU - Carter-Lewis, D. A.

AU - Cesarini, A.

AU - Ciupik, L.

AU - Collins-Hughes, E.

AU - Connolly, M. P.

AU - Cui, W.

AU - Duke, C.

AU - Dumm, J.

AU - Falcone, A.

AU - Federici, S.

AU - Fegan, D. J.

AU - Fegan, S. J.

AU - Finley, J. P.

AU - Finnegan, G.

AU - Fortson, L.

AU - Gaidos, J.

AU - Galante, N.

AU - Gall, D.

AU - Gibbs, K.

AU - Gillanders, G. H.

AU - Griffin, S.

AU - Grube, J.

AU - Gyuk, G.

AU - Hanna, D.

AU - Horan, D.

AU - Humensky, T. B.

AU - Kaaret, P.

AU - Kertzman, M.

AU - Khassen, Y.

AU - Kieda, D.

AU - Krawczynski, H.

AU - Krennrich, F.

AU - Lang, M. J.

AU - McEnery, J. E.

AU - Madhavan, A. S.

AU - Moriarty, P.

AU - Nelson, T.

AU - O'Faoláin De Bhróithe, A.

AU - Ong, R. A.

AU - Orr, M.

AU - Otte, A. N.

AU - Perkins, J. S.

AU - Petry, D.

AU - Pichel, A.

AU - Pohl, M.

AU - Quinn, J.

AU - Ragan, K.

AU - Reynolds, T.

AU - Roache, E.

AU - Rovero, A.

AU - Schroedter, M.

AU - Sembroski, G. H.

AU - Smith, A.

AU - Telezhinsky, I.

AU - Theiling, M.

AU - Toner, J.

AU - Tyler, J.

AU - Varlotta, A.

AU - Vivier, M.

AU - Wakely, S. P.

AU - Ward, J. E.

AU - Weekes, T. C.

AU - Weinstein, A.

AU - Welsing, R.

AU - Williams, D. A.

AU - Wissel, S.

N1 - Funding Information: This research is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, by NSERC in Canada, by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI 10/RFP/AST2748) and by STFC in the U.K. We acknowledge the excellent work of the technical support staff at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and at the collaborating institutions in the construction and operation of the instruments.

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 h of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446±0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.

AB - The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with the Whipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 h of observation with the Whipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446±0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.

KW - AGN

KW - Markarian 421

KW - TeV gamma rays

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U2 - 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004

DO - 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.10.004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84889816469

SN - 0927-6505

VL - 54

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Astroparticle Physics

JF - Astroparticle Physics

ER -

Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time span

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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