Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009

The VERITAS Collaboration

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201628744

Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009

The VERITAS Collaboration

Barnard College
McGill University
Washington University in St. Louis
University of California, Los Angeles
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
c/o DESY
The Bartol Research Institute
University College Dublin
North-West University
University of California at Santa Cruz
Iowa State University
IDA Business Park
University of Potsdam
Adler Planetarium
Purdue University
University of Minnesota
Pennsylvania State University
California State University - East Bay
University of Iowa
Columbia University
University of Utah
DePauw University
College of Computing
Anderson University
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Grand Valley State University
University of Chicago
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Cork Institute of Technology
Argonne National Laboratory
University of Maryland, College Park
Rice University
University of Maryland
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The very high energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938-54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE γ-ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux (3.9 × 10^-11 ph cm^-2 s^-1), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15°. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor ∼4 in 25 min, and a falling time of ∼50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple, VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.

Original language	English
Article number	A76
Journal	Astronomy and Astrophysics
Volume	594
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201628744
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2016

Keywords

BL Lacertae objects: individual: Mrk 501
Gamma rays: galaxies

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10.1051/0004-6361/201628744

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@article{11095fae8a964c309e6201fed99a395b,

title = "Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009",

abstract = "The very high energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938-54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE γ-ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux (3.9 × 10-11 ph cm-2 s-1), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15°. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor ∼4 in 25 min, and a falling time of ∼50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple, VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.",

keywords = "BL Lacertae objects: individual: Mrk 501, Gamma rays: galaxies",

author = "\{The VERITAS Collaboration\} and E. Aliu and S. Archambault and A. Archer and T. Arlen and T. Aune and A. Barnacka and B. Behera and M. Beilicke and W. Benbow and K. Berger and R. Bird and M. B{\"o}ttcher and A. Bouvier and M. Buchovecky and Buckley, \{J. H.\} and V. Bugaev and Cardenzana, \{J. V.\} and M. Cerruti and A. Cesarini and X. Chen and L. Ciupik and E. Collins-Hughes and Connolly, \{M. P.\} and W. Cui and J. Dumm and Eisch, \{J. D.\} and A. Falcone and S. Federici and Q. Feng and Finley, \{J. P.\} and H. Fleischhack and P. Fortin and L. Fortson and A. Furniss and N. Galante and D. Gall and Gillanders, \{G. H.\} and S. Griffin and Griffiths, \{S. T.\} and J. Grube and G. Gyuk and M. H{\"u}tten and N. H{\aa}kansson and J. Holder and G. Hughes and Humensky, \{T. B.\} and Johnson, \{C. A.\} and P. Kaaret and P. Kar and D. Horan",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 ESO.",

year = "2016",

month = oct,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1051/0004-6361/201628744",

language = "English",

volume = "594",

journal = "Astronomy and Astrophysics",

issn = "0004-6361",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009

AU - The VERITAS Collaboration

AU - Aliu, E.

AU - Archambault, S.

AU - Archer, A.

AU - Arlen, T.

AU - Aune, T.

AU - Barnacka, A.

AU - Behera, B.

AU - Beilicke, M.

AU - Benbow, W.

AU - Berger, K.

AU - Bird, R.

AU - Böttcher, M.

AU - Bouvier, A.

AU - Buchovecky, M.

AU - Buckley, J. H.

AU - Bugaev, V.

AU - Cardenzana, J. V.

AU - Cerruti, M.

AU - Cesarini, A.

AU - Chen, X.

AU - Ciupik, L.

AU - Collins-Hughes, E.

AU - Connolly, M. P.

AU - Cui, W.

AU - Dumm, J.

AU - Eisch, J. D.

AU - Falcone, A.

AU - Federici, S.

AU - Feng, Q.

AU - Finley, J. P.

AU - Fleischhack, H.

AU - Fortin, P.

AU - Fortson, L.

AU - Furniss, A.

AU - Galante, N.

AU - Gall, D.

AU - Gillanders, G. H.

AU - Griffin, S.

AU - Griffiths, S. T.

AU - Grube, J.

AU - Gyuk, G.

AU - Hütten, M.

AU - Håkansson, N.

AU - Holder, J.

AU - Hughes, G.

AU - Humensky, T. B.

AU - Johnson, C. A.

AU - Kaaret, P.

AU - Kar, P.

AU - Horan, D.

PY - 2016/10/1

Y1 - 2016/10/1

N2 - The very high energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938-54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE γ-ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux (3.9 × 10-11 ph cm-2 s-1), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15°. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor ∼4 in 25 min, and a falling time of ∼50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple, VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.

AB - The very high energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938-54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE γ-ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux (3.9 × 10-11 ph cm-2 s-1), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15°. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor ∼4 in 25 min, and a falling time of ∼50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple, VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.

KW - BL Lacertae objects: individual: Mrk 501

KW - Gamma rays: galaxies

U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/201628744

DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/201628744

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84992065841

SN - 0004-6361

VL - 594

JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics

JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics

M1 - A76

ER -

Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009

Abstract

Keywords

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