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The Highest-Energy Photons Seen by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

D. J. Thompson·D. L. Bertsch·R. H. O'Neal Jr
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Abstract

During its nine-year lifetime, the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) detected 1506 cosmic photons with measured energy E>10 GeV. Of this number, 187 are found within 1 degree of sources that are listed in the Third EGRET Catalog and were included in determining the detection likelihood, flux, and spectra of those sources. In particular, five detected EGRET pulsars are found to have events above 10 GeV, and together they account for 37 events. A pulsar not included in the Third EGRET Catalog has 2 events, both with the same phase and in one peak of the lower-energy gamma-ray light-curve. Most of the remaining 1319 events appear to be diffuse Galactic and extragalactic radiation based on the similarity of the their spatial and energy distributions with the diffuse model and in the E>100, MeV emission. No significant time clustering which would suggest a burst was detected.

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D. J. Thompson, D. L. Bertsch, R. H. O'Neal Jr. 2004-12-15. The Highest-Energy Photons Seen by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. https://doi.org/10.1086/427981

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