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TeV and multi-wavelength observations of Mrk421 in 2006-2008

  • Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Barnard College
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • The Bartol Research Institute
  • University of Leeds
  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • University College Dublin
  • University of Galway
  • Adler Planetarium
  • Purdue University
  • Grinnell College
  • Methodology Center at Penn State
  • University of Utah
  • University of Iowa
  • McGill University
  • University of Chicago
  • Iowa State University
  • DePauw University
  • Pittsburg State University
  • University of Potsdam
  • Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
  • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica Del Espacio
  • DESY
  • University of Chicago
  • South Campus
  • Columbia University
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • University of Colorado Denver
  • Western Kentucky University
  • University of Turku
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Aalto University
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer)Articlepeer-review

134 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report on TeV γ-ray observations of the blazar Mrk421 (redshift of 0.031) with the VERITAS observatory and the Whipple 10 m Cherenkov telescope. The excellent sensitivity of VERITAS allowed us to sample the TeV γ-ray fluxes and energy spectra with unprecedented accuracy where Mrk421 was detected in each of the pointings. A total of 47.3 hr of VERITAS and 96 hr of Whipple 10 m data were acquired between 2006 January and 2008 June. We present the results of a study of the TeV γ-ray energy spectra as a function of time and for different flux levels. On 2008 May 2 and 3, bright TeV γ-ray flares were detected with fluxes reaching the level of 10 Crab. The TeV γ-ray data were complemented with radio, optical, and X-ray observations, with flux variability found in all bands except for the radio wave band. The combination of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Swift X-ray data reveal spectral hardening with increasing flux levels, often correlated with an increase of the source activity in TeV γ-rays. Contemporaneous spectral energy distributions were generated for 18 nights, each of which are reasonably described by a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model.

Original languageEnglish
Article number25
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume738
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2011

Keywords

  • BL Lacertae objects: individual (Mrk 421)
  • X-rays: galaxies
  • galaxies: jets
  • galaxies: nuclei
  • gamma rays: galaxies

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