Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
07:46
Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
Published on: November 15, 2013
8.9K
Multiple Galactic Sources with Emission Above 56 TeV Detected by HAWC
A U Abeysekara1, A Albert2, R Alfaro3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2020
Summary
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory catalog reveals nine gamma-ray sources above 56 TeV, likely galactic. Three sources extend past 100 TeV, representing the highest-energy gamma-ray catalog to date.
Area of Science:
- High-energy astrophysics
- Gamma-ray astronomy
Background:
- The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory detects gamma rays up to a few hundred TeV.
- Understanding the origin and acceleration mechanisms of high-energy cosmic rays is a key challenge in astrophysics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the first catalog of gamma-ray sources detected above 56 TeV and 100 TeV.
- To identify and characterize the highest-energy gamma-ray emitters.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory.
- Analyzing gamma-ray signals above 56 TeV and 100 TeV.
- Calculating integral fluxes and spectral properties of detected sources.
Main Results:
- Cataloging nine gamma-ray sources above 56 TeV, all likely of galactic origin.
- Identifying three sources emitting above 100 TeV, establishing a new record for the highest-energy gamma-ray catalog.
- Reporting integral fluxes for all nine sources and detailed spectra for the three most energetic sources.
Conclusions:
- The catalog provides crucial data for understanding extreme astrophysical phenomena.
- The detection of sources above 100 TeV supports the existence of Peatron candidates.
- Further studies of these sources can shed light on cosmic-ray acceleration processes in the galaxy.
Related Concept Videos
02:39Emission Spectra
75.2K
When solids, liquids, or condensed gases are heated sufficiently, they radiate some of the excess energy as light. Photons produced in this manner have a range of energies, and thereby produce a continuous spectrum in which an unbroken series of wavelengths is present.
75.2K
01:10Detection of Black Holes
2.5K
Although black holes were theoretically postulated in the 1920s, they remained outside the domain of observational astronomy until the 1970s.
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
2.5K
01:20Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
3.3K
Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...
3.3K
01:19Thomson's e/m Experiment
6.3K
In a beam of charged particles created by a heated cathode, the particles move at different speeds. However, many applications need a beam with uniform particle speeds. An arrangement known as a velocity selector uses electric and magnetic fields to pick particles with a particular speed from the beam.
A particle with charge q, speed v, and mass m enters an area from the top, where the magnetic and electric fields are perpendicular both to the particle's motion and to one another. The magnetic...
A particle with charge q, speed v, and mass m enters an area from the top, where the magnetic and electric fields are perpendicular both to the particle's motion and to one another. The magnetic...
6.3K
01:30Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Interference
538
In atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), high-temperature atomizers excite a broad range of elements and molecules that generate complex emissions from sources such as oxides, hydroxides, and flame combustion products in the flame or plasma. Several strategies can be employed to minimize spectral interferences caused by overlapping emission lines or bands. These include increasing instrument resolution, choosing alternative emission lines, optimally placing the detector in low-background regions,...
538
01:29Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab
498
AES is a powerful analytical technique, especially effective when used with plasma sources, producing abundant spectra in characteristic emission lines. The Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), in particular, yields superior quantitative analytical data due to its high stability, low noise, low background, and minimal interferences under optimal experimental conditions. However, newer air-operated microwave sources are emerging as promising alternatives that could be more cost-effective than...
498