VERITAS Observations of the BL Lac Object TXS 0506+056

  • A. U. Abeysekara
  • , A. Archer
  • , W. Benbow
  • , R. Bird
  • , A. Brill
  • , R. Brose
  • , J. H. Buckley
  • , J. L. Christiansen
  • , A. J. Chromey
  • , M. K. Daniel
  • , A. Falcone
  • , Q. Feng
  • , J. P. Finley
  • , L. Fortson
  • , A. Furniss
  • , G. H. Gillanders
  • , O. Gueta
  • , D. Hanna
  • , O. Hervet
  • , J. Holder
  • G. Hughes, T. B. Humensky, C. A. Johnson, P. Kaaret, P. Kar, N. Kelley-Hoskins, M. Kertzman, D. Kieda, M. Krause, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, P. Moriarty, R. Mukherjee, S. O'Brien, R. A. Ong, A. N. Otte, N. Park, A. Petrashyk, M. Pohl, E. Pueschel, J. Quinn, K. Ragan, P. T. Reynolds, G. T. Richards, E. Roache, C. Rulten, I. Sadeh, M. Santander, S. S. Scott, G. H. Sembroski, K. Shahinyan, J. Tyler, S. P. Wakely, A. Weinstein, R. M. Wells, P. Wilcox, A. Wilhelm, D. A. Williams, T. J. Williamson, B. Zitzer, A. Kaur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

On 2017 September 22, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory reported the detection of the high-energy neutrino event IC 170922A, of potential astrophysical origin. It was soon determined that the neutrino direction was consistent with the location of the gamma-ray blazar TXS 0506+056 (3FGL J0509.4+0541), which was in an elevated gamma-ray emission state as measured by the Fermi satellite. Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) observations of the neutrino/blazar region started on 2017 September 23 in response to the neutrino alert and continued through 2018 February 6. While no significant very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) emission was observed from the blazar by VERITAS in the two-week period immediately following the IceCube alert, TXS 0506+056 was detected by VERITAS with a significance of 5.8 standard deviations (σ) in the full 35 hr data set. The average photon flux of the source during this period was (8.9 1.6) 10-12 cm-2 s-1, or 1.6% of the Crab Nebula flux, above an energy threshold of 110 GeV, with a soft spectral index of 4.8 1.3.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberL20
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume861
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 10 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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