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Published Online October 26, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1134408

Reports

Submitted on August 28, 2006
Accepted on October 11, 2006

Fast Variability of Tera-Electron Volt {gamma}-rays from the Radio Galaxy M87

F. Aharonian 1, A. G. Akhperjanian 2, A. R. Bazer-Bachi 3, M. Beilicke 4*, W. Benbow 1, D. Berge 1, K. Bernlöhr 5, C. Boisson 6, O. Bolz 1, V. Borrel 3, I. Braun 1, A. M. Brown 7, R. Bühler 1, I. Büsching 8, S. Carrigan 1, P. M. Chadwick 7, L.-M. Chounet 9, G. Coignet 10, R. Cornils 4, L. Costamante 11, B. Degrange 9, H. J. Dickinson 7, A. Djannati-Ataï 12, L. O'C. Drury 13, G. Dubus 9, K. Egberts 1, D. Emmanoulopoulos 14, P. Espigat 12, F. Feinstein 15, E. Ferrero 14, A. Fiasson 15, G. Fontaine 9, Seb. Funk 16, S. Funk 1, M. Füßling 16, Y. A. Gallant 15, B. Giebels 9, J. F. Glicenstein 17, P. Goret 17, C. Hadjichristidis 7, D. Hauser 1, M. Hauser 14, G. Heinzelmann 4, G. Henri 18, G. Hermann 1, J. A. Hinton 19, A. Hoffmann 20, W. Hofmann 1, M. Holleran 8, S. Hoppe 1, D. Horns 20, A. Jacholkowska 15, O. C. de Jager 8, E. Kendziorra 20, M. Kerschhaggl 16, B. Khélifi 21, Nu. Komin 15, A. Konopelko 16, K. Kosack 1, G. Lamanna 10, I. J. Latham 7, R. Le Gallou 7, A. Lemière 12, M. Lemoine-Goumard 9, J.-P. Lenain 6, T. Lohse 16, J. M. Martin 6, O. Martineau-Huynh 22, A. Marcowith 3, C. Masterson 11, G. Maurin 12, T. J.L. McComb 7, E. Moulin 15, M. de Naurois 22, D. Nedbal 23, S. J. Nolan 7, A. Noutsos 7, K. J. Orford 7, J. L. Osborne 7, M. Ouchrif 24, M. Panter 1, G. Pelletier 18, S. Pita 12, G. Pühlhofer 14, M. Punch 12, S. Ranchon 10, B. C. Raubenheimer 8, M. Raue 4, S. M. Rayner 7, A. Reimer 25, J. Ripken 4, L. Rob 23, L. Rolland 17, S. Rosier-Lees 10, G. Rowell 1, V. Sahakian 2, A. Santangelo 20, L. Saugé 18, S. Schlenker 16, R. Schlickeiser 25, R. Schröder 25, U. Schwanke 16, S. Schwarzburg 20, S. Schwemmer 14, A. Shalchi 25, H. Sol 6, D. Spangler 7, F. Spanier 25, R. Steenkamp 26, C. Stegmann 27, G. Superina 9, P. H. Tam 14, J.-P. Tavernet 22, R. Terrier 12, M. Tluczykont 28, C. van Eldik 1, G. Vasileiadis 15, C. Venter 8, J. P. Vialle 10, P. Vincent 22, H. J. Völk 1, S. J. Wagner 14, M. Ward 7

1 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg, Germany.
2 Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanian Brothers St., 375036 Yerevan, Armenia.
3 Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, CNRS/UPS, 9 av. du Colonel Roche, BP 4346, F-31029 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
4 Universität Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Luruper Chaussee 149, D 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
5 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg, Germany.; Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D 12489 Berlin, Germany.
6 LUTH, UMR 8102 du CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, Section de Meudon, F-92195 Meudon Cedex, France.
7 University of Durham, Department of Physics, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, U.K.
8 Unit for Space Physics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
9 Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, IN2P3/CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau, France.
10 Laboratoire d'Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules, IN2P3/CNRS, 9 Chemin de Bellevue - BP 110 F-74941 Annecy-le-Vieux Cedex, France.
11 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg, Germany.; European Associated Laboratory for Gamma-Ray Astronomy, jointly supported by CNRS and MPG.
12 APC, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
13 Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 5 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland.
14 Landessternwarte, Universität Heidelberg, Königstuhl, D 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
15 Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules, IN2P3/CNRS, Université Montpellier II, CC 70, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
16 Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D 12489 Berlin, Germany.
17 DAPNIA/DSM/CEA, CE Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, Cedex, France.
18 Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, INSU/CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
19 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg, Germany.; Landessternwarte, Universität Heidelberg, Königstuhl, D 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
20 Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, D 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
21 Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, IN2P3/CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau, France.; Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg, Germany.
22 Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Energies, IN2P3/CNRS, Universités Paris VI & VII, 4 Place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 5, France.
23 Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Charles University, V Holesovickach 2, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
24 Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Energies, IN2P3/CNRS, Universités Paris VI & VII, 4 Place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 5, France.; European Associated Laboratory for Gamma-Ray Astronomy, jointly supported by CNRS and MPG.
25 Institut für Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum und Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D 44780 Bochum, Germany.
26 University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia.
27 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Physikalisches Institut, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, D 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
28 Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, IN2P3/CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau, France.; European Associated Laboratory for Gamma-Ray Astronomy, jointly supported by CNRS and MPG.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. Beilicke , E-mail: matthias.beilicke{at}desy.de

The detection of fast variations of the TeV (1012 eV) {gamma}-ray flux, on time-scales of days, from the nearby radio galaxy M 87 is reported. These variations are ~ 10 times faster than that observed in any other waveband and imply a very compact emission region with a dimension similar to the Schwarzschild radius of the central black hole. We thus can exclude several other sites and processes of the {gamma}-ray production. The observations confirm that TeV {gamma}-rays are emitted by extragalactic sources other than blazars, where jets are not relativistically beamed towards the observer.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Radio Imaging of the Very-High-Energy {gamma}-Ray Emission Region in the Central Engine of a Radio Galaxy.
The VERITAS Collaboration, the VLBA 43 GHz M87 Monitoring Team, the H.E.S.S. Collaboration, and the MAGIC Collaboration (2009)
Science 325, 444-448
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sky.
F. Aharonian (2007)
Science 315, 70-72
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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