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Upper limit to the number of galactic sources of ultra-high-energy gamma-rays

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

D. J. Bird
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, G.P.O. Box 498 Adelaide, South Australia5001
R. W. Clay
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, G.P.O. Box 498 Adelaide, South Australia5001
P. G. Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, G.P.O. Box 498 Adelaide, South Australia5001

Abstract

The extreme isotropy of cosmic ray events allows one to put upper limits on any possible non-isotropic contribution to the flux. In particular, one can investigate any excess of events which may be confined to the galactic plane. Such extra events would be expected from galactic ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma-ray sources. Under the assumption of an isotropic cosmic ray flux, recent Buckland Park data place a 95% confidence level limit on the total southern hemisphere (declination −15° to −55°) flux of UHE gamma-rays at between 0.6 and 6 equivalent Cygnus X-3 sources, depending on assumptions concerning the gamma-ray spectrum.

Type
Gamma rays
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1989

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