Fermi Large Area Telescope Gamma-Ray Detection of the Radio Galaxy M87
A. A. Abdo
,
Markus Ackermann
,
Marco Ajello
,
W. B. Atwood
,
Magnus Axelsson
,
Luca Baldini
,
Jean Ballet
(1)
,
Guido Barbiellini
,
D. Bastieri
,
K. Bechtol
,
R. Bellazzini
,
B. Berenji
,
R. D. Blandford
,
E.D. Bloom
,
E. Bonamente
,
A.W. Borgland
,
J. Bregeon
,
A. Brez
,
M. Brigida
,
Pascal Bruel
(2)
,
T.H. Burnett
,
G.A. Caliandro
,
R.A. Cameron
,
A. Cannon
,
P. A. Caraveo
,
J.M. Casandjian
(1)
,
E. Cavazzuti
,
C. Cecchi
,
O. Celik
,
E. Charles
,
C.C. Cheung
,
J. Chiang
,
S. Ciprini
,
R. Claus
,
J. Cohen-Tanugi
(3)
,
S. Colafrancesco
,
J. Conrad
,
L. Costamante
,
S. Cutini
,
D.S. Davis
,
C.D. Dermer
,
A. de Angelis
,
F. de Palma
,
S.W. Digel
,
D. Donato
,
E. Do Couto E Silva
,
P.S. Drell
,
R. Dubois
,
D. Dumora
(4)
,
Y. Edmonds
,
C. Farnier
(3)
,
C. Favuzzi
,
S.J. Fegan
(2)
,
J. Finke
,
W.B. Focke
,
P. Fortin
(2)
,
M. Frailis
,
Y. Fukazawa
,
S. Funk
,
P. Fusco
,
F. Gargano
,
D. Gasparrini
,
N. Gehrels
,
M. Georganopoulos
,
S. Germani
,
B. Giebels
(2)
,
N. Giglietto
,
P. Giommi
,
F. Giordano
,
M. Giroletti
,
T. Glanzman
,
G. Godfrey
,
I.A. Grenier
(1)
,
M.H. Grondin
(4)
,
J.E. Grove
,
L. Guillemot
(4)
,
S. Guiriec
(3)
,
Y. Hanabata
,
A.K. Harding
,
M. Hayashida
,
E. Hays
,
D. Horan
(2)
,
G. Jóhannesson
,
A.S. Johnson
,
R.P. Johnson
,
T.J. Johnson
,
W.N. Johnson
,
T. Kamae
,
H. Katagiri
,
J. Kataoka
,
N. Kawai
,
M. Kerr
,
Jürgen Knödlseder
(5)
,
M. L. Kocian
,
M. Kuss
,
J. Lande
,
L. Latronico
,
M. Lemoine-Goumard
(4)
,
F. Longo
,
F. Loparco
,
B. Lott
(4)
,
M.N. Lovellette
,
P. Lubrano
,
G.M. Madjeski
,
A. Makeev
,
M.N. Mazziotta
,
W. Mcconville
,
J.E. Mcenery
,
C. Meurer
,
P.F. Michelson
,
W. Mitthumsiri
,
T. Mizuno
,
A.A. Moiseev
,
C. Monte
,
M.E. Monzani
,
A. Morselli
,
I.V. Moskalenko
,
S. Murgia
,
P.L. Nolan
,
J. P. Norris
,
E. Nuss
(3)
,
T. Ohsugi
,
N. Omodei
,
E. Orlando
,
J.F. Ormes
,
M. Ozaki
,
D. Paneque
,
J.H. Panetta
,
D. Parent
(4)
,
V. Pelassa
(3)
,
M. Pepe
,
M. Pesce-Rollins
,
F. Piron
(3)
,
T.A. Porter
,
S. Rainò
,
R. Rando
,
M. Razzano
,
A. Reimer
,
T. Reposeur
(4)
,
S. Ritz
,
L.S. Rochester
,
A. Y. Rodriguez
,
R.W. Romani
,
F. Ryde
,
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
,
R. Sambruna
,
D. Sanchez
(2)
,
P.M. Saz Parkinson
,
J.D. Scargle
,
C. Sgrò
,
M. Shaw
,
D. A. Smith
(4)
,
P. D. Smith
,
G. Spandre
,
P. Spinelli
,
M.S. Strickman
,
D.J. Suson
,
H. Tajima
,
H. Takahashi
,
T. Tanaka
,
G.B. Taylor
,
J.B. Thayer
,
D.J. Thompson
,
L. Tibaldo
(1)
,
D.F. Torres
,
G. Tosti
,
A. Tramacere
,
Y. Uchiyama
,
T.L. Usher
,
V. Vasileiou
,
N. Vilchez
(5)
,
A. P. Waite
,
P. Wang
,
B. L. Winer
,
K. S. Wood
,
T. Ylinen
,
M. Ziegler
,
D.E. Harris
,
F. Massaro
,
L. Stawarz
A. A. Abdo
- Function : Author
Markus Ackermann
- Function : Author
Marco Ajello
- Function : Author
W. B. Atwood
- Function : Author
Magnus Axelsson
- Function : Author
Luca Baldini
- Function : Author
Guido Barbiellini
- Function : Author
D. Bastieri
- Function : Author
K. Bechtol
- Function : Author
R. Bellazzini
- Function : Author
B. Berenji
- Function : Author
R. D. Blandford
- Function : Author
E.D. Bloom
- Function : Author
E. Bonamente
- Function : Author
A.W. Borgland
- Function : Author
J. Bregeon
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 741214
- IdHAL : johan-bregeon
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6790-5328
- IdRef : 095856943
A. Brez
- Function : Author
M. Brigida
- Function : Author
T.H. Burnett
- Function : Author
G.A. Caliandro
- Function : Author
R.A. Cameron
- Function : Author
A. Cannon
- Function : Author
P. A. Caraveo
- Function : Author
E. Cavazzuti
- Function : Author
C. Cecchi
- Function : Author
O. Celik
- Function : Author
E. Charles
- Function : Author
C.C. Cheung
- Function : Author
J. Chiang
- Function : Author
S. Ciprini
- Function : Author
R. Claus
- Function : Author
J. Cohen-Tanugi
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 3626
- IdHAL : johann-cohen-tanugi
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9022-4232
- IdRef : 172626544
S. Colafrancesco
- Function : Author
J. Conrad
- Function : Author
L. Costamante
- Function : Author
S. Cutini
- Function : Author
D.S. Davis
- Function : Author
C.D. Dermer
- Function : Author
A. de Angelis
- Function : Author
F. de Palma
- Function : Author
S.W. Digel
- Function : Author
D. Donato
- Function : Author
E. Do Couto E Silva
- Function : Author
P.S. Drell
- Function : Author
R. Dubois
- Function : Author
Y. Edmonds
- Function : Author
C. Favuzzi
- Function : Author
S.J. Fegan
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 740343
- IdHAL : stephen-fegan
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9978-2510
- IdRef : 253133149
J. Finke
- Function : Author
W.B. Focke
- Function : Author
M. Frailis
- Function : Author
Y. Fukazawa
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760581
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0921-8837
S. Funk
- Function : Author
P. Fusco
- Function : Author
F. Gargano
- Function : Author
D. Gasparrini
- Function : Author
N. Gehrels
- Function : Author
M. Georganopoulos
- Function : Author
S. Germani
- Function : Author
N. Giglietto
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755413
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9021-2888
P. Giommi
- Function : Author
F. Giordano
- Function : Author
M. Giroletti
- Function : Author
T. Glanzman
- Function : Author
G. Godfrey
- Function : Author
J.E. Grove
- Function : Author
Y. Hanabata
- Function : Author
A.K. Harding
- Function : Author
M. Hayashida
- Function : Author
E. Hays
- Function : Author
G. Jóhannesson
- Function : Author
A.S. Johnson
- Function : Author
R.P. Johnson
- Function : Author
T.J. Johnson
- Function : Author
W.N. Johnson
- Function : Author
T. Kamae
- Function : Author
H. Katagiri
- Function : Author
J. Kataoka
- Function : Author
N. Kawai
- Function : Author
M. Kerr
- Function : Author
Jürgen Knödlseder
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 178646
- IdHAL : jurgen-knodlseder
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0014-7809
- IdRef : 069521360
M. L. Kocian
- Function : Author
M. Kuss
- Function : Author
J. Lande
- Function : Author
L. Latronico
- Function : Author
M. Lemoine-Goumard
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 1416454
- IdHAL : marianne-lemoine-goumard
- IdRef : 111693608
F. Longo
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755442
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2501-2270
F. Loparco
- Function : Author
B. Lott
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 739369
- IdHAL : benoit-lott
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2186-9242
- IdRef : 031300065
M.N. Lovellette
- Function : Author
P. Lubrano
- Function : Author
G.M. Madjeski
- Function : Author
A. Makeev
- Function : Author
M.N. Mazziotta
- Function : Author
W. Mcconville
- Function : Author
J.E. Mcenery
- Function : Author
C. Meurer
- Function : Author
P.F. Michelson
- Function : Author
W. Mitthumsiri
- Function : Author
T. Mizuno
- Function : Author
A.A. Moiseev
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 743616
- IdHAL : amira-raounak-kolla
C. Monte
- Function : Author
M.E. Monzani
- Function : Author
A. Morselli
- Function : Author
I.V. Moskalenko
- Function : Author
S. Murgia
- Function : Author
P.L. Nolan
- Function : Author
J. P. Norris
- Function : Author
T. Ohsugi
- Function : Author
N. Omodei
- Function : Author
E. Orlando
- Function : Author
J.F. Ormes
- Function : Author
M. Ozaki
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 759061
- ORCID : 0000-0002-1320-9781
D. Paneque
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755279
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2830-0502
J.H. Panetta
- Function : Author
M. Pepe
- Function : Author
M. Pesce-Rollins
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760585
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1790-8018
F. Piron
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 172749
- IdHAL : frederic-piron
- ORCID : 0000-0001-6885-7156
T.A. Porter
- Function : Author
S. Rainò
- Function : Author
R. Rando
- Function : Author
M. Razzano
- Function : Author
A. Reimer
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755465
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8604-7077
T. Reposeur
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 738492
- IdHAL : thierry-reposeur
- ORCID : 0000-0001-6939-3429
- IdRef : 139970665
S. Ritz
- Function : Author
L.S. Rochester
- Function : Author
A. Y. Rodriguez
- Function : Author
R.W. Romani
- Function : Author
F. Ryde
- Function : Author
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
- Function : Author
R. Sambruna
- Function : Author
P.M. Saz Parkinson
- Function : Author
J.D. Scargle
- Function : Author
C. Sgrò
- Function : Author
M. Shaw
- Function : Author
D. A. Smith
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 739264
- IdHAL : david-austen-smith
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7833-0275
- IdRef : 07405077X
P. D. Smith
- Function : Author
G. Spandre
- Function : Author
P. Spinelli
- Function : Author
M.S. Strickman
- Function : Author
D.J. Suson
- Function : Author
H. Tajima
- Function : Author
H. Takahashi
- Function : Author
T. Tanaka
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 756461
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4383-0368
G.B. Taylor
- Function : Author
J.B. Thayer
- Function : Author
D.J. Thompson
- Function : Author
D.F. Torres
- Function : Author
G. Tosti
- Function : Author
A. Tramacere
- Function : Author
Y. Uchiyama
- Function : Author
T.L. Usher
- Function : Author
V. Vasileiou
- Function : Author
A. P. Waite
- Function : Author
P. Wang
- Function : Author
B. L. Winer
- Function : Author
K. S. Wood
- Function : Author
T. Ylinen
- Function : Author
M. Ziegler
- Function : Author
D.E. Harris
- Function : Author
F. Massaro
- Function : Author
L. Stawarz
- Function : Author
Abstract
We report the Fermi-LAT discovery of high-energy (MeV/GeV) gamma-ray emission positionally consistent with the center of the radio galaxy M87, at a source significance of over 10 sigma in ten-months of all-sky survey data. Following the detections of Cen A and Per A, this makes M87 the third radio galaxy seen with the LAT. The faint point-like gamma-ray source has a >100 MeV flux of 2.45 (+/- 0.63) x 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 (photon index = 2.26 +/- 0.13) with no significant variability detected within the LAT observation. This flux is comparable with the previous EGRET upper limit (< 2.18 x 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1, 2 sigma), thus there is no evidence for a significant MeV/GeV flare on decade timescales. Contemporaneous Chandra and VLBA data indicate low activity in the unresolved X-ray and radio core relative to previous observations, suggesting M87 is in a quiescent overall level over the first year of Fermi-LAT observations. The LAT gamma-ray spectrum is modeled as synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission from the electron population producing the radio-to-X-ray emission in the core. The resultant SSC spectrum extrapolates smoothly from the LAT band to the historical-minimum TeV emission. Alternative models for the core and possible contributions from the kiloparsec-scale jet in M87 are considered, and can not be excluded.