MAGIC search for VHE $\gamma$-ray emission from AE Aquarii in a multiwavelength context
Abstract
It has been claimed that the nova-like cataclysmic variable (CV) AE Aquarii (AE Aqr) is a very-high-energy (VHE, 100 GeV) source both on observational and theoretical grounds. We aim to search for VHE gamma-ray emission from AE Aqr during different states of the source at several wavelengths to confirm or rule out previous claims of detection of gamma-ray emission from this object. We report on observations of AE Aqr performed by MAGIC. The source was observed during 12 hours as part of a multiwavelength campaign carried out between May and June 2012 covering the optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray ranges. Besides MAGIC, the other facilities involved were the KVA, Skinakas, and Vidojevica telescopes in the optical and Swift in X-rays. We calculated integral upper limits coincident with different states of the source in the optical. We computed upper limits to the pulsed emission limiting the signal region to 30% of the phaseogram and we also searched for pulsed emission at different frequencies applying the Rayleigh test. AE Aqr was not detected at VHE energies during the multiwavelength campaign. We establish integral upper limits at the 95\% confidence level for the steady emission assuming the differential flux proportional to a power-law function d\phi/dE \propto E^{-Gamma}, with a Crab-like photon spectral index of Gamma=2.6. The upper limit above 200 GeV is 6.4\times10^{-12} cm^{-2}s^{-1} and above 1 TeV is 7.4\times10^{-13} cm^{-2}s^{-1}. We obtained an upper limit for the pulsed emission of 2.6\times10^{-12} cm^{-2}s^{-1} for energies above 200 GeV. Applying the Rayleigh test for pulsed emission at different frequencies we did not find any significant signal. Our results indicate that AE Aqr is not a VHE gamma-ray emitter at the level of emission previously claimed. We have established the most constraining upper limits for the VHE gamma-ray emission of AE Aqr.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1407.3707,
title = {MAGIC search for VHE $\gamma$-ray emission from AE Aquarii in a multiwavelength context},
author = {J. Aleksić and S. Ansoldi and L. A. Antonelli and P. Antoranz and A. Babic and P. Bangale and J. A. Barrio and J. Becerra González and W. Bednarek and E. Bernardini and B. Biasuzzi and A. Biland and O. Blanch and S. Bonnefoy and G. Bonnoli and F. Borracci and T. Bretz and E. Carmona and A. Carosi and P. Colin and E. Colombo and J. L. Contreras and J. Cortina and S. Covino and P. Da Vela and F. Dazzi and A. De Angelis and G. De Caneva and B. De Lotto and E. de Oña Wilhelmi and C. Delgado Mendez and M. Doert and D. Dominis Prester and D. Dorner and M. Doro and S. Einecke and D. Eisenacher and D. Elsaesser and M. V. Fonseca and L. Font and K. Frantzen and C. Fruck and D. Galindo and R. J. García López and M. Garczarczyk and D. Garrido Terrats and M. Gaug and N. Godinović and A. González Muñoz and S. R. Gozzini and D. Hadasch and Y. Hanabata and M. Hayashida and J. Herrera and D. Hildebrand and J. Hose and D. Hrupec and W. Idec and V. Kadenius and H. Kellermann and K. Kodani and Y. Konno and J. Krause and H. Kubo and J. Kushida and A. La Barbera and D. Lelas and N. Lewandowska and E. Lindfors and S. Lombardi and M. López and R. López-Coto and A. López-Oramas and E. Lorenz and I. Lozano and M. Makariev and K. Mallot and G. Maneva and N. Mankuzhiyil and K. Mannheim and L. Maraschi and B. Marcote and M. Mariotti and M. Martínez and D. Mazin and U. Menzel and J. M. Miranda and R. Mirzoyan and A. Moralejo and P. Munar-Adrover and D. Nakajima and A. Niedzwiecki and K. Nilsson and K. Nishijima and K. Noda and N. Nowak and R. Orito and A. Overkemping and S. Paiano and M. Palatiello and D. Paneque and R. Paoletti and J. M. Paredes and X. Paredes-Fortuny and M. Persic and P. G. Prada Moroni and E. Prandini and S. Preziuso and I. Puljak and R. Reinthal and W. Rhode and M. Ribó and J. Rico and J. Rodriguez Garcia and S. Rügamer and A. Saggion and T. Saito and K. Saito and K. Satalecka and V. Scalzotto and V. Scapin and C. Schultz and T. Schweizer and A. Sillanpää and J. Sitarek and I. Snidaric and D. Sobczynska and F. Spanier and V. Stamatescu and A. Stamerra and T. Steinbring and J. Storz and M. Strzys and L. Takalo and H. Takami and F. Tavecchio and P. Temnikov and T. Terzić and D. Tescaro and M. Teshima and J. Thaele and O. Tibolla and D. F. Torres and T. Toyama and A. Treves and M. Uellenbeck and P. Vogler and R. M. Wagner and R. Zanin and M. Bogosavljevic and Z. Ioannou and C. W. Mauche and E. V. Palaiologou and M. A. Pérez-Torres and T. Tuominen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.3707},
year = {2014}
}
Comments
9 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A