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Issue A&A
Volume 499, Number 1, May III 2009
Page(s) 273 - 277
Section Stellar structure and evolution
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200811564
Published online 25 March 2009

A&A 499, 273-277 (2009)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200811564

Research Note

HESS upper limit on the very high energy $\gamma$-ray emission from the globular cluster 47 Tucanae

F. Aharonian1, 2, A. G. Akhperjanian3, G. Anton4, U. Barres de Almeida5, A. R. Bazer-Bachi6, Y. Becherini7, B. Behera8, K. Bernlöhr1, 9, C. Boisson10, A. Bochow1, V. Borrel6, I. Braun1, E. Brion11, J. Brucker4, P. Brun11, R. Bühler1, T. Bulik12, I. Büsching13, T. Boutelier14, P. M. Chadwick5, A. Charbonnier15, R. C. G. Chaves1, A. Cheesebrough5, L.-M. Chounet16, A. C. Clapson1, G. Coignet17, M. Dalton9, M. K. Daniel5, I. D. Davids18, 13, B. Degrange16, C. Deil1, H. J. Dickinson5, A. Djannati-Ataï7, W. Domainko1, L. O'C. Drury2, F. Dubois17, G. Dubus14, J. Dyks12, M. Dyrda19, K. Egberts1, D. Emmanoulopoulos8, P. Espigat7, C. Farnier20, F. Feinstein20, A. Fiasson20, A. Förster1, G. Fontaine16, M. Füßling9, S. Gabici2, Y. A. Gallant20, L. Gérard7, B. Giebels16, J. F. Glicenstein11, B. Glück4, P. Goret11, D. Hauser8, M. Hauser8, S. Heinz4, G. Heinzelmann21, G. Henri14, G. Hermann1, J. A. Hinton22, A. Hoffmann23, W. Hofmann1, M. Holleran13, S. Hoppe1, D. Horns21, A. Jacholkowska15, O. C. de Jager13, I. Jung4, K. Katarzyński24, U. Katz4, S. Kaufmann8, E. Kendziorra23, M. Kerschhaggl9, D. Khangulyan1, B. Khélifi16, D. Keogh5, Nu. Komin11, K. Kosack1, G. Lamanna17, J.-P. Lenain10, T. Lohse9, V. Marandon7, J. M. Martin10, O. Martineau-Huynh15, A. Marcowith20, D. Maurin15, T. J. L. McComb5, M. C. Medina10, R. Moderski12, E. Moulin11, M. Naumann-Godo16, M. de Naurois15, D. Nedbal25, D. Nekrassov1, J. Niemiec19, S. J. Nolan5, S. Ohm1, J.-F. Olive6, E. de Oña Wilhelmi7, 26, K. J. Orford5, M. Ostrowski27, M. Panter1, M. Paz Arribas9, G. Pedaletti8, G. Pelletier14, P.-O. Petrucci14, S. Pita7, G. Pühlhofer8, M. Punch7, A. Quirrenbach8, B. C. Raubenheimer13, M. Raue1, 26, S. M. Rayner5, O. Reimer28, M. Renaud7, 1, F. Rieger1, 26, J. Ripken21, L. Rob25, S. Rosier-Lees17, G. Rowell29, B. Rudak12, C. B. Rulten5, J. Ruppel30, V. Sahakian3, A. Santangelo23, R. Schlickeiser30, F. M. Schöck4, R. Schröder30, U. Schwanke9, S. Schwarzburg23, S. Schwemmer8, A. Shalchi30, J. L. Skilton22, H. Sol10, D. Spangler5, Ł. Stawarz27, R. Steenkamp18, C. Stegmann4, G. Superina16, A. Szostek1, P. H. Tam8, J.-P. Tavernet15, R. Terrier7, O. Tibolla1, 8, C. van Eldik1, G. Vasileiadis20, C. Venter13, L. Venter10, J. P. Vialle17, P. Vincent15, M. Vivier11, H. J. Völk1, F. Volpe1, 16, 26, S. J. Wagner8, M. Ward5, A. A. Zdziarski12, and A. Zech10

1  Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, PO Box 103980, 69029 Heidelberg, Germany
    e-mail: clapson@mpi-hd.mpg.de
2  Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 5 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
3  Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanian Brothers St., 375036 Yerevan, Armenia
4  Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Physikalisches Institut, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
5  University of Durham, Department of Physics, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
6  Centre d'Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, CNRS/UPS, 9 Av. du Colonel Roche, BP 4346, 31029 Toulouse Cedex 4, France
7  Astroparticule et Cosmologie (APC), CNRS, Universite Paris 7 Denis Diderot, UMR 7164 (CNRS, Université Paris VII, CEA, Observatoire de Paris), 10 rue Alice Domon et Leonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
8  Landessternwarte, Universität Heidelberg, Königstuhl, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
9  Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
10  LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France
11  IRFU/DSM/CEA, CE Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
12  Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, ul. Bartycka 18, 00-716 Warsaw, Poland
13  Unit for Space Physics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
14  Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, INSU/CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
15  LPNHE, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Université Denis Diderot Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
16  Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, École Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, 91128 Palaiseau, France
17  Laboratoire d'Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules, CNRS/IN2P3, 9 Chemin de Bellevue, BP 110, 74941 Annecy-le-Vieux Cedex, France
18  University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia
19  Instytut Fizyki Jądrowej PAN, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland
20  Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Montpellier II, CC 70, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
21  Universität Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
22  School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
23  Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
24  Toruń Centre for Astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Gagarina 11, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
25  Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Charles University, V Holesovickach 2, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
26  European Associated Laboratory for Gamma-Ray Astronomy, jointly supported by CNRS and MPG
27  Obserwatorium Astronomiczne, Uniwersytet Jagielloński, ul. Orla 171, 30-244 Kraków, Poland
28  Stanford University, HEPL & KIPAC, Stanford, CA 94305-4085, USA
29  School of Chemistry & Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
30  Institut für Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum und Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany

Received 22 December 2008 / Accepted 15 March 2009

Abstract
Observations of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104), which contains at least 23 ms pulsars, were performed with the HESS telescope system. The observations lead to an upper limit of $F(E>800\ {\rm GeV}) < 6.7 \times 10^{-13}~{\rm cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$ on the integral $\gamma$-ray photon flux from 47 Tucanae. Considering millisecond pulsars as the unique potential source of $\gamma$-rays in the globular cluster, constraints based on emission models are derived: on the magnetic field in the average pulsar nebula and on the conversion efficiency of spin-down power to $\gamma$-ray photons or to relativistic leptons.


Key words: Galaxy: globular clusters: individual: 47 Tucanae -- stars: pulsars: general -- gamma rays: observations



© ESO 2009


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