M. Cavalli-Sforza

Search for emission of ultra-high-energy radiation from active Galactic nuclei

The CYGNUS air-shower array has been used to search for emission of ultra-high-energy gamma radiation from 13 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that were detected by EGRET. The data set spans the period 1986 April 2 to 1993 January 1. The data set has been searched for continuous emission, for emission on the time scale of 1 week, and for emission on the time scale of 1 day. No evidence for emission from any of the AGNs on any of the time scales examined was found. The 90% Confidence Level (CL) upper limit to the continuous flux from Mrk 421 above 50 TeV is 7.5×10 -14 cm -1 s -1

A Search for Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from Five Supernova Remnants

The majority of the cosmic rays in our Galaxy with energies in the range of ~1010-1014 eV are thought to be accelerated in supernova remnants (SNRs). Measurements of SNR gamma-ray spectra in this energy region could support or contradict this concept. The Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) collaboration has reported six sources of gamma rays above 108 eV whose coordinates are coincident with SNRs. Five of these sources are within the field of view of the CYGNUS extensive air shower detector. A search of the CYGNUS data set reveals no evidence of gamma-ray emission at energies ~1014 eV for these five SNRs. The flux upper limits from the CYGNUS data are compared to the lower energy fluxes measured with the EGRET detector using Drury, Aharonian, & Volks recent model of gamma-ray production in the shocks of SNRs. The results suggest one or more of the following: (1) the gamma-ray spectra for these five SNRs soften by about 1014 eV, (2) the integral gamma-ray spectra of the SNRs are steeper than about E-1.3, or (3) most of the gamma rays detected with the EGRET instrument for each SNR are not produced in the SNRs shock but are produced at some other site (such as a pulsar).

Daily search for emission of ultra-high-energy radiation from point sources

A daily search for emission of ultra-high-energy radiation from astrophysical point sources using the CYGNUS extensive air shower array is described. The data set spans the period from 1986 April 4 to 1992 June 22. Fifty-one astrophysical objects have been examined, including Cyg X-3, Her X-1, the Crab, a number of gamma-ray and X-ray sources from the COS B and the fourth Uhuru catalogs, and several cataclysmic variables, nearby galaxies, and radio pulsars. The observed daily number of events from the source directions are consistent with expected statistical fluctuations of the number of events from backgrounds cosmic rays