Peta-electron volt gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula The LHAASO Collaboration
Peta-electron volt gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula The LHAASO Collaboration
复制标题
蟹状星云的拍电子伏伽马射线发射 LHAASO 合作
DOI：
10.1126/science.abg5137
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发表时间：
2021-07-23
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Zuo, X.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cao, Zhen;Aharonian, F.;Zuo, X.
蟹状星云是一个明亮的伽马射线源，由蟹状脉冲星的旋转能量提供能量，通过相对论性电子-正电子风的形成和终止。我们报告了来自该源的伽马射线的探测，其能量从5 × 10（-4）到1.1千兆电子伏特，光谱显示在30个能量十年中逐渐变陡。超高能量的光子意味着在星云中存在一个千电子伏特电子加速器（pevatron），其加速度超过理论极限的15%。我们将peatron的尺寸限制在0.025到0.1秒差距之间，并将磁场限制在大约110微高斯。尽管我们不能排除产生最高能量伽马射线的质子的贡献，但每秒产生2.5 x 10（36）尔格的peta电子伏特电子的速率构成脉冲星自旋下光度的0.5%。
The Crab Nebula is a bright source of gamma rays powered by the Crab Pulsar's rotational energy through the formation and termination of a relativistic electron-positron wind. We report the detection of gamma rays from this source with energies from 5 x 10(-4) to 1.1 peta-electron volts with a spectrum showing gradual steepening over three energy decades. The ultrahigh-energy photons imply the presence of a peta-electron volt electron accelerator (a pevatron) in the nebula, with an acceleration rate exceeding 15% of the theoretical limit. We constrain the pevatron's size between 0.025 and 0.1 parsecs and the magnetic field to approximate to 110 microgauss. The production rate of peta-electron volt electrons, 2.5 x 10(36) ergs per second, constitutes 0.5% of the pulsar spin-down luminosity, although we cannot exclude a contribution of peta-electron volt protons to the production of the highest-energy gamma rays.