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The gamma-ray luminosity of spiral galaxies. Its evolution and its contribution to the diffuse background above 100 MeV

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Abstract

The contribution of normal spiral galaxies to the high galactic latitude gamma-ray background >100 MeV is examined in the light of the estimates of its flux from the SAS-II measurements. The gamma-ray luminosity of each object is inferred from the known Milky Way value normalized to the corresponding optical quantity. Several possibilities are considered for the responsible physical production mechanism both diffuse and localized; they are then set to evolve with the galactic age according to three well-known evolutionary models. A final space-time integration leads to results which are expressed in the same unit as the measured background. It is seen that the model presented here can play an important role in the region > 100 MeV where the information on the spectral shape of the radiation is still very poor. Experimental tests for future gamma-ray observations are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Science Dept. of the European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    G. G. Lichti

  2. Laboratorio di Fisica Cosmica e Tecnologie Relative del C.N.R., Milano, Italy

    G. F. Bignami

  3. Service d'Electronique Physique, Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Saclay, France

    J. A. Paul

Authors
  1. G. G. Lichti
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  2. G. F. Bignami
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  3. J. A. Paul
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Lichti, G.G., Bignami, G.F. & Paul, J.A. The gamma-ray luminosity of spiral galaxies. Its evolution and its contribution to the diffuse background above 100 MeV. Astrophys Space Sci 56, 403–414 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01879571

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