Constraining the IMF using TeV gamma ray absorption
Abstract
Gamma rays of ~TeV energies from distant sources suffer attenuation due to pair production off of ~1 micron EBL photons. We may exploit this process in order to indirectly measure the EBL and constrain models of galaxy formation. Here, using semi-analytic models of galaxy formation, we examine how gamma ray absorption may be used as an indirect probe of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), although there is a degeneracy with dust modeling. We point out that with the new generation of gamma ray telescopes including STACEE, MAGIC, HESS, VERITAS, and Milagro, we should soon possess a wealth of new data and a new method for probing the nature of the IMF.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9812370,
title = {Constraining the IMF using TeV gamma ray absorption},
author = {J. S. Bullock and R. S. Somerville and D. MacMinn and J. R. Primack},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9812370},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
contribution to "TeV Astrophysics of Extragalactic Sources" VERITAS workshop, editors M. Catanese, J. Quinn, T. Weekes; 3 pages 1 figure