Discovery of a radiation component from the Vela pulsar reaching 20 teraelectronvolts

Aharonian F, Benkhali FA, Aschersleben J, Ashkar H, Backes M, Martins VB, Batzofin R, Becherini Y, Berge D, Bernlöhr K, Bi B, Böttcher M, Boisson C, Bolmont J, de Bony de Lavergne M, Borowska J, Bradascio F, Breuhaus M, Brose R, Brun F, Bruno B, Bulik T, Burger-Scheidlin C, Bylund T, Cangemi F, Caroff S, Casanova S, Celic J, Cerruti M, Chand T, Chandra S, Chen A, Chibueze O, Cotter G, Mbarubucyeye JD, Djannati-Ataï A, Dmytriiev A, Egberts K, Ernenwein JP, Feijen K, Fiasson A, Fichet de Clairfontaine G, Fontaine G, Füßling M, Funk S, Gabici S, Gallant YA, Ghafourizadeh S, Giavitto G, Giunti L, Glawion D, Glicenstein JF, Goswami P, Grolleron G, Grondin MH, Haerer L, Haupt M, Hinton JA, Hofmann W, Holch TL, Holler M, Horns D, Huang Z, Jamrozy M, Jankowsky F, Joshi V, Jung-Richardt I, Kasai E, Katarzyński K, Khélifi B, Klepser S, Kluźniak W, Komin N, Kosack K, Kostunin D, Guedes Lang R, Stum SL, Lemière A, Lemoine-Goumard M, Lenain JP, Leuschner F, Lohse T, Luashvili A, Lypova I, Mackey J, Malyshev D, Malyshev D, Marandon V, Marchegiani P, Marcowith A, Marinos P, Martí-Devesa G, Marx R, Maurin G, Meyer M, Mitchell A, Moderski R, Mohrmann L, Montanari A, Moulin E, Muller J, Murach T, Nakashima K, de Naurois M, Niemiec J, Noel AP, O’Brien P, Ohm S, Olivera-Nieto L, de Ona Wilhelmi E, Ostrowski M, Panny S, Panter M, Parsons RD, Peron G, Pita S, Prokhorov DA, Prokoph H, Pühlhofer G, Punch M, Quirrenbach A, Reichherzer P, Reimer A, Reimer O, Renaud M, Rieger F, Rowell G, Rudak B, Ruiz-Velasco E, Sahakian V, Sailer S, Salzmann H, Sanchez DA, Santangelo A, Sasaki M, Schüssler F, Schwanke U, Shapopi JN, Sinha A, Sol H, Specovius A, Spencer S, Spir-Jacob M, Stawarz L, Steenkamp R, Steinmassl S, Steppa C, Sushch I, Suzuki H, Takahashi T, Tanaka T, Tavernier T, Terrier R, Thorpe-Morgan C, Tluczykont M, Tsirou M, Tsuji N, van Eldik C, Vecchi M, Veh J, Venter C, Vink J, Wagner SJ, Werner F, White R, Wierzcholska A, Wong YW, Yassin H, Zacharias M, Zargaryan D, Zdziarski AA, Zech A, Zhu SJ, Zouari S, Żywucka N, Zanin R, Kerr M, Johnston S, Shannon RM, Smith DA (2023)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Book Volume: 7

Pages Range: 1341-1350

Journal Issue: 11

DOI: 10.1038/s41550-023-02052-3

Abstract

Gamma-ray observations have established energetic isolated pulsars as outstanding particle accelerators and antimatter factories. However, many questions are still open regarding the acceleration and radiation processes involved, as well as the locations where they occur. The radiation spectra of all gamma-ray pulsars observed to date show strong cutoffs or a break above energies of a few gigaelectronvolts. Using the High Energy Stereoscopic System’s Cherenkov telescopes, we discovered a radiation component from the Vela pulsar which emerges beyond this generic cutoff and extends up to energies of at least 20 teraelectronvolts. This is an order of magnitude larger than in the case of the Crab pulsar, the only other pulsar detected in the teraelectronvolt energy range. Our results challenge the state-of-the-art models for the high-energy emission of pulsars. Furthermore, they pave the way for investigating other pulsars through their multiteraelectronvolt emission, thereby imposing additional constraints on the acceleration and emission processes in their extreme energy limit.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) Ireland (IE) Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe / Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'univers (IRFU) France (FR) Noordwes-Universiteit / North-West University South Africa (ZA) Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet (LLR) France (FR) University of Amsterdam Netherlands (NL) Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck / University of Innsbruck Austria (AT) Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI) / Երևանի Ֆիզիկայի Ինստիտուտ Armenia (AM) Universität Hamburg (UHH) Germany (DE) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Germany (DE) Universität Potsdam Germany (DE) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Laboratoire Univers et Théories (LUTH) / Laboratory of the Universe and Theories France (FR) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Germany (DE) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Germany (DE) Sorbonne Université France (FR) Linnaeus University (LNU) / Linnéuniversitetet Sweden (SE) Université de Bordeaux France (FR) University of Savoy Mont Blanc / Université Savoie Mont Blanc France (FR) University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) South Africa (ZA) University of Adelaide Australia (AU) University of Namibia (UNAM) Namibia (NA) Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences / Instytut Fizyki Jądrowej im. Henryka Niewodniczańskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk Poland (PL) Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) / Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu (UMK) Poland (PL) Jagiellonian University / Uniwersytet Jagielloński (UJ) Poland (PL) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany (DE) Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Germany (DE) University of Tokyo Japan (JP) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences Poland (PL) Riken Institute of Physical and Chemical Research / 理化学研究所 Japan (JP) Konan University / 甲南大学 Japan (JP) Cherenkov Telescope Array Obervatory gGmbH (CTAO) Germany (DE) University of Oxford United Kingdom (GB) Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) Australia (AU) University of Leicester United Kingdom (GB) Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University of Warsaw / Uniwersytet Warszawski Poland (PL)

How to cite

APA:

Aharonian, F., Benkhali, F.A., Aschersleben, J., Ashkar, H., Backes, M., Martins, V.B.,... Smith, D.A. (2023). Discovery of a radiation component from the Vela pulsar reaching 20 teraelectronvolts. Nature Astronomy, 7(11), 1341-1350. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02052-3

MLA:

Aharonian, F., et al. "Discovery of a radiation component from the Vela pulsar reaching 20 teraelectronvolts." Nature Astronomy 7.11 (2023): 1341-1350.

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