2021ApJ...918...30C -
Astrophys. J., 918, 30-30 (2021/September-1)
Fermi-LAT observations of Sagittarius A*: imaging analysis.
CAFARDO F., NEMMEN R. (The Fermi LAT Collaboration)
Abstract (from CDS):
Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)-the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the center of our galaxy-has been observed in most of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to X-rays. Diffuse γ-ray emission has been observed around Sgr A* and a γ-ray point source has been detected coinciding with the SMBH's position, although there is no definitive association between the two. In this work, we have used ∼11 yr of Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the point source 4FGL J1745.6-2859 and performed a detailed imaging analysis across four energy bands. Our goal is to elucidate the nature of the γ-ray emission at the Galactic Center (GC) and whether it is associated with the SMBH. We find that the centroid of the emission approaches Sgr A*'s location as the energy increases. Assuming that the γ-ray point source is located at the GC, we estimate a luminosity of 2.61 x 1036 erg s–1 in the 100 MeV to 500 GeV energy range. This is consistent with Sgr A*'s bolometric luminosity. Based on the point source properties, we ruled out several potential candidates for its nature and favor a cosmic-ray origin either from protons, electrons, or both, accelerated by-or in the vicinity of-the SMBH. Our results indicate that the point source at the GC is indeed the γ-ray counterpart of Sgr A* in the GeV range.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2021. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Journal keyword(s):
Galactic center - Gamma-ray astronomy - Supermassive black holes - Gamma-ray sources
Simbad objects:
9
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