Discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission from Centaurus A with H.E.S.S.
F. Aharonian
,
A.G. Akhperjanian
,
G. Anton
,
U. Barres de Almeida
,
A.R. Bazer-Bachi
(1)
,
Y. Becherini
(2)
,
B. Behera
,
W. Benbow
,
K. Bernlöhr
,
C. Boisson
(3)
,
A. Bochow
,
V. Borrel
(1)
,
E. Brion
(4)
,
J. Brucker
,
P. Brun
(4)
,
R. Bühler
,
T. Bulik
,
I. Büsching
,
T. Boutelier
(5)
,
P.M. Chadwick
,
A. Charbonnier
(6)
,
R.C.G. Chaves
,
A. Cheesebrough
,
L.-M. Chounet
(7)
,
A.C. Clapson
,
G. Coignet
(8)
,
M. Dalton
,
M.K. Daniel
,
I.D. Davids
,
B. Degrange
(7)
,
C. Deil
,
H.J. Dickinson
,
A. Djannati-Ataï
(9)
,
W. Domainko
,
L.O'C. Drury
,
F. Dubois
(8)
,
G. Dubus
(5)
,
J. Dyks
,
M. Dyrda
,
K. Egberts
,
D. Emmanoulopoulos
,
P. Espigat
(2)
,
C. Farnier
(10)
,
F. Feinstein
(10)
,
A. Fiasson
(10)
,
A. Förster
,
G. Fontaine
(7)
,
M. Füssling
,
S. Gabici
,
Y.A. Gallant
(10)
,
L. Gérard
(2)
,
B. Giebels
(7)
,
J.F. Glicenstein
(4)
,
B. Glück
,
P. Goret
(4)
,
D. Göhring
,
D. Hauser
,
M. Hauser
,
S. Heinz
,
G. Heinzelmann
,
G. Henri
(5)
,
G. Hermann
,
J.A. Hinton
,
A. Hoffmann
,
W. Hofmann
,
M. Holleran
,
S. Hoppe
,
D. Horns
,
A. Jacholkowska
(6)
,
O.C. de Jager
,
C. Jahn I. Jung
,
K. Katarzy'Nski
,
U. Katz
,
S. Kaufmann
,
E. Kendziorra
,
M. Kerschhaggl
,
D. Khangulyan
,
B. Khélifi
(7)
,
D. Keogh
,
W. Klu'Zniak
,
T. Kneiske
,
Nu. Komin
(4)
,
K. Kosack
,
G. Lamanna
(8)
,
I.J. Latham
,
J.-P. Lenain
(3)
,
T. Lohse
,
V. Marandon
(2)
,
J.M. Martin
(3)
,
O. Martineau-Huynh
(6)
,
A. Marcowith
(10)
,
D. Maurin
(6)
,
T.J.L. Mccomb
,
M.C. Medina
(3)
,
R. Moderski
,
Emmanuel Moulin
(4)
,
M. Naumann-Godo
(7)
,
M. de Naurois
(6)
,
D. Nedbal
,
D. Nekrassov
,
J. Niemiec
,
S.J. Nolan
,
S. Ohm
,
J.-F. Olive
(1)
,
E. de Oña Wilhelmi
(2)
,
K.J. Orford
,
M. Ostrowski
,
M. Panter
,
M. Paz Arribas
,
G. Pedaletti
,
G. Pelletier
(5)
,
P.-O. Petrucci
(5)
,
S. Pita
(2)
,
G. Pühlhofer
,
M. Punch
(2)
,
A. Quirrenbach
,
B.C. Raubenheimer
,
M. Raue
,
S.M. Rayner
,
M. Renaud
(2)
,
F. Rieger
,
J. Ripken
,
L. Rob
,
S. Rosier-Lees
(8)
,
G. Rowell
,
B. Rudak
,
C.B. Rulten
,
J. Ruppel
,
V. Sahakian
,
A. Santangelo
,
R. Schlickeiser
,
F.M. Schöck
,
R. Schröder
,
U. Schwanke
,
S. Schwarzburg
,
S. Schwemmer
,
A. Shalchi
,
M. Sikora
,
J.L. Skilton
,
H. Sol
(3)
,
D. Spangler
,
Ł. Stawarz
,
R. Steenkamp
,
C. Stegmann
,
G. Superina
(7)
,
A. Szostek
(5)
,
P.H. Tam
,
J.-P. Tavernet
(6)
,
R. Terrier
(9)
,
O. Tibolla
,
M. Tluczykont
,
C. van Eldik
,
G. Vasileiadis
(10)
,
C. Venter
,
L. Venter
(3)
,
J.P. Vialle
(8)
,
P. Vincent
(6)
,
J. Vink
,
M. Vivier
(4)
,
H.J. Völk
,
F. Volpe
(7)
,
S.J. Wagner
,
M. Ward
,
A.A. Zdziarski
,
A. Zech
(3)
1
CESR -
Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
2 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
3 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
4 IRFU - Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
5 LAOG - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
6 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
7 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
8 LAPP - Laboratoire d'Annecy de Physique des Particules
9 APC - AHE - APC - Astrophysique des Hautes Energies
10 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
2 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
3 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
4 IRFU - Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
5 LAOG - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
6 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
7 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
8 LAPP - Laboratoire d'Annecy de Physique des Particules
9 APC - AHE - APC - Astrophysique des Hautes Energies
10 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
F. Aharonian
- Function : Author
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A.G. Akhperjanian
- Function : Author
G. Anton
- Function : Author
U. Barres de Almeida
- Function : Author
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Y. Becherini
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B. Behera
- Function : Author
W. Benbow
- Function : Author
K. Bernlöhr
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C. Boisson
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A. Bochow
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J. Brucker
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P. Brun
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R. Bühler
- Function : Author
T. Bulik
- Function : Author
I. Büsching
- Function : Author
P.M. Chadwick
- Function : Author
R.C.G. Chaves
- Function : Author
A. Cheesebrough
- Function : Author
A.C. Clapson
- Function : Author
M. Dalton
- Function : Author
M.K. Daniel
- Function : Author
I.D. Davids
- Function : Author
C. Deil
- Function : Author
H.J. Dickinson
- Function : Author
W. Domainko
- Function : Author
L.O'C. Drury
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G. Dubus
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J. Dyks
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M. Dyrda
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K. Egberts
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D. Emmanoulopoulos
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A. Fiasson
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A. Förster
- Function : Author
M. Füssling
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S. Gabici
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B. Glück
- Function : Author
D. Göhring
- Function : Author
D. Hauser
- Function : Author
M. Hauser
- Function : Author
S. Heinz
- Function : Author
G. Heinzelmann
- Function : Author
G. Hermann
- Function : Author
J.A. Hinton
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A. Hoffmann
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W. Hofmann
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M. Holleran
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S. Hoppe
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D. Horns
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O.C. de Jager
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C. Jahn I. Jung
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K. Katarzy'Nski
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U. Katz
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S. Kaufmann
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E. Kendziorra
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M. Kerschhaggl
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D. Khangulyan
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B. Khélifi
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D. Keogh
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W. Klu'Zniak
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T. Kneiske
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Nu. Komin
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K. Kosack
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I.J. Latham
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J.-P. Lenain
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T. Lohse
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V. Marandon
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A. Marcowith
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D. Maurin
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T.J.L. Mccomb
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R. Moderski
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Emmanuel Moulin
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M. de Naurois
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D. Nedbal
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D. Nekrassov
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J. Niemiec
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S.J. Nolan
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S. Ohm
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K.J. Orford
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M. Ostrowski
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M. Panter
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M. Paz Arribas
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G. Pedaletti
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P.-O. Petrucci
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G. Pühlhofer
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M. Punch
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A. Quirrenbach
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B.C. Raubenheimer
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M. Raue
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S.M. Rayner
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F. Rieger
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J. Ripken
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L. Rob
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G. Rowell
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B. Rudak
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C.B. Rulten
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J. Ruppel
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V. Sahakian
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A. Santangelo
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R. Schlickeiser
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F.M. Schöck
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R. Schröder
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U. Schwanke
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S. Schwarzburg
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S. Schwemmer
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A. Shalchi
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M. Sikora
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J.L. Skilton
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D. Spangler
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Ł. Stawarz
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R. Steenkamp
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C. Stegmann
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P.H. Tam
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O. Tibolla
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M. Tluczykont
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C. van Eldik
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C. Venter
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J. Vink
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H.J. Völk
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S.J. Wagner
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M. Ward
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A.A. Zdziarski
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A. Zech
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Abstract
We report the discovery of faint very high energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the radio galaxy Centaurus A in observations performed with the H.E.S.S. experiment, an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array consisting of four telescopes located in Namibia. Centaurus A has been observed for more than 120 h. A signal with a statistical significance of 5.0 sigma is detected from the region including the radio core and the inner kpc jets. The integral flux above an energy threshold of ~250 GeV is measured to be ~0.8 % of the flux of the Crab Nebula (apparent luminosity: L(>250 GeV)~2.6x10^39 erg s^-1, adopting a distance of 3.8 Mpc. The spectrum can be described by a power law with a photon index of 2.7 +/- 0.5_stat +/- 0.2_sys. No significant flux variability is detected in the data set. However, the low flux only allows detection of variability on the timescale of days to flux increments above a factor of ~15-20 (3 sigma and 4 sigma, respectively). The discovery of VHE gamma-ray emission from Centaurus A reveals particle acceleration in the source to >TeV energies and, together with M 87, establishes radio galaxies as a class of VHE emitters.