Search for High-Energy Gamma Rays from an X-Ray-selected Blazar Sample
Abstract
Our understanding of blazars has been greatly increased in recent years by extensive multiwavelength observations, particularly in the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray regions. Over the past decade the Whipple 10 m telescope has contributed to this with the detection of five BL Lacertae objects at very high gamma-ray energies. The combination of multiwavelength data has shown that blazars follow a well-defined sequence in terms of their broadband spectral properties. Together with providing constraints on emission models, this information has yielded a means by which potential sources of TeV emission may be identified and predictions made as to their possible gamma-ray flux. We have used the Whipple telescope to search for TeV gamma-ray emission from eight objects selected from a list of such candidates. No evidence has been found for very high energy emission from the objects in our sample, and upper limits have been derived for the mean gamma-ray flux above 390 GeV. These flux upper limits are compared with the model predictions, and the implications of our results for future observations are discussed.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1086/379544
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0309063
- Bibcode:
- 2003ApJ...599..909D
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: RGB J0214+517;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: RGB J1117+202;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: RGB J1725+118;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 0033+595;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 0120+340;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 0229+200;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 0806+524;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 1426+428;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 1553+113;
- Galaxies: BL Lacertae Objects: Individual: Alphanumeric: 1ES 1959+650;
- Gamma Rays: Observations;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 15 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ