Publication Date:
2019-08-28
Description:
An upper bound to the energy density of infrared background radiation is derived from considering the effect of gamma-gamma interactions on the observed TeV gamma-ray spectrum of the active galaxy Markarian 421. This upper bound proves to be the most restrictive for the wavelength range of 10-12 micrometers. These constraints are presently limited by the uncertainty of extrapolating the source spectrum from 5 to 500 GeV. Observations in the regime less than 100 GeV would significantly improve these limits, allowing for a wide range of IR production models to be constrained.
Keywords:
ASTROPHYSICS
Type:
The Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X); 445; 1; p. 227-230
Format:
text