Fermi Large Area Telescope Observations of the Cosmic-Ray Induced gamma-ray Emission of the Earth's Atmosphere
A. A. Abdo
,
Markus Ackermann
,
Marco Ajello
,
W. B. Atwood
,
Luca Baldini
,
Jean Ballet
(1)
,
Guido Barbiellini
,
D. Bastieri
,
B. M. Baughman
,
K. Bechtol
,
R. Bellazzini
,
B. Berenji
,
E. D. Bloom
,
E. Bonamente
,
A.W. Borgland
,
A. Bouvier
,
J. Bregeon
(2)
,
A. Brez
,
M. Brigida
,
Pascal Bruel
(3)
,
R. Buehler
,
T. H. Burnett
,
S. Buson
,
G. A. Caliandro
,
R. A. Cameron
,
P. A. Caraveo
,
J. M. Casandjian
(1)
,
C. Cecchi
,
O. Celik
,
E. Charles
(1)
,
A. Chekhtman
,
J. Chiang
,
S. Ciprini
,
R. Claus
,
J. Cohen-Tanugi
(4)
,
J. Conrad
,
F. de Palma
,
S.W. Digel
,
E. Do Couto E Silva
,
P. S. Drell
,
R. Dubois
,
D. Dumora
(2)
,
C. Farnier
(4)
,
C. Favuzzi
,
S. J. Fegan
(3)
,
W. B. Focke
,
P. Fortin
(3)
,
M. Frailis
,
Y. Fukazawa
,
S. Funk P. Fusco
,
F. Gargano
,
N. Gehrels
,
S. Germani
,
B. Giebels
(3)
,
N. Giglietto
,
F. Giordano
,
T. Glanzman
,
G. Godfrey
,
I. A. Grenier
(1)
,
M.-H. Grondin
(2)
,
J. E. Grove
,
L. Guillemot
(2)
,
S. Guiriec
,
E. Hays
,
D. Horan
(3)
,
R. E. Hughes
,
G. Johannesson
,
A. S. Johnson
,
T. J. Johnson
,
W. N. Johnson
,
T. Kamae
,
H. Katagiri
,
J. Kataoka
,
N. Kawai
,
M. Kerr
,
Jürgen Knödlseder
(5)
,
M. Kuss
,
J. Lande
,
L. Latronico
,
M. Lemoine-Goumard
(2)
,
F. Longo
,
F. Loparco
,
B. Lott
(2)
,
M. N. Lovellette
,
P. Lubrano
,
A. Makeev
,
M. N. Mazziotta
,
J. E. Mcenery
,
C. Meurer
,
P. F. Michelson
,
W. Mitthumsiri
,
T. Mizuno
,
C. Monte
,
M. E. Monzani
,
A. Morselli
,
I.V. Moskalenko
,
S. Murgia
,
P. L. Nolan
,
J. P. Norris
,
E. Nuss
(4)
,
T. Ohsugi
,
A. Okumura
,
N. Omodei
,
E. Orlando
,
J. F. Ormes
,
D. Paneque
,
J. H. Panetta
,
D. Parent
(2)
,
V. Pelassa
(4)
,
M. Pepe
,
M. Pesce-Rollins
,
F. Piron
(4)
,
T.A. Porter
,
S. Raino
,
R. Rando
,
M. Razzano
,
A. Reimer
,
O. Reimer
,
T. Reposeur
(2)
,
L. S. Rochester
,
A.Y. Rodriguez
,
M. Roth
,
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
,
A. Sander
,
P. M. Saz Parkinson
,
C. Sgro
,
G. H. Share
,
E. J. Siskind
,
David Stanley Smith
(2)
,
P. D. Smith
,
G. Spandre
,
P. Spinelli
,
M. S. Strickman
,
D. J. Suson
,
H. Takahashi
,
T. Tanaka
,
J. B. Thayer
,
J. G. Thayer
,
D. J. Thompson
,
L. Tibaldo
(1)
,
D. F. Torres
,
G. Tosti
,
A. Tramacere
,
Y. Uchiyama
,
T. L. Usher
,
V. Vasileiou
,
N. Vilchez
(5)
,
V. Vitale
,
A. P. Waite
,
P. Wang
,
B. L. Winer
,
K. S. Wood
,
T. Ylinen
,
M. Ziegler
A. A. Abdo
- Function : Author
Markus Ackermann
- Function : Author
Marco Ajello
- Function : Author
W. B. Atwood
- Function : Author
Luca Baldini
- Function : Author
Guido Barbiellini
- Function : Author
D. Bastieri
- Function : Author
B. M. Baughman
- Function : Author
K. Bechtol
- Function : Author
R. Bellazzini
- Function : Author
B. Berenji
- Function : Author
E. D. Bloom
- Function : Author
E. Bonamente
- Function : Author
A.W. Borgland
- Function : Author
A. Bouvier
- Function : Author
J. Bregeon
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 741214
- IdHAL : johan-bregeon
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6790-5328
- IdRef : 095856943
A. Brez
- Function : Author
M. Brigida
- Function : Author
R. Buehler
- Function : Author
T. H. Burnett
- Function : Author
S. Buson
- Function : Author
G. A. Caliandro
- Function : Author
R. A. Cameron
- Function : Author
P. A. Caraveo
- Function : Author
C. Cecchi
- Function : Author
O. Celik
- Function : Author
A. Chekhtman
- Function : Author
J. Chiang
- Function : Author
S. Ciprini
- Function : Author
R. Claus
- Function : Author
J. Cohen-Tanugi
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 3626
- IdHAL : johann-cohen-tanugi
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9022-4232
- IdRef : 172626544
J. Conrad
- Function : Author
F. de Palma
- Function : Author
S.W. Digel
- Function : Author
E. Do Couto E Silva
- Function : Author
P. S. Drell
- Function : Author
R. Dubois
- Function : Author
C. Favuzzi
- Function : Author
S. J. Fegan
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 740343
- IdHAL : stephen-fegan
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9978-2510
- IdRef : 253133149
W. B. Focke
- Function : Author
M. Frailis
- Function : Author
Y. Fukazawa
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760581
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0921-8837
S. Funk P. Fusco
- Function : Author
F. Gargano
- Function : Author
N. Gehrels
- Function : Author
S. Germani
- Function : Author
N. Giglietto
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755413
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9021-2888
F. Giordano
- Function : Author
T. Glanzman
- Function : Author
G. Godfrey
- Function : Author
M.-H. Grondin
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760583
- IdHAL : mhgrondin
- ORCID : 0000-0002-8383-251X
- IdRef : 14852026X
J. E. Grove
- Function : Author
S. Guiriec
- Function : Author
E. Hays
- Function : Author
R. E. Hughes
- Function : Author
G. Johannesson
- Function : Author
A. S. Johnson
- Function : Author
T. J. Johnson
- Function : Author
W. N. Johnson
- Function : Author
T. Kamae
- Function : Author
H. Katagiri
- Function : Author
J. Kataoka
- Function : Author
N. Kawai
- Function : Author
M. Kerr
- Function : Author
Jürgen Knödlseder
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 178646
- IdHAL : jurgen-knodlseder
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0014-7809
- IdRef : 069521360
M. Kuss
- Function : Author
J. Lande
- Function : Author
L. Latronico
- Function : Author
M. Lemoine-Goumard
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755595
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4462-3686
F. Longo
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755442
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2501-2270
F. Loparco
- Function : Author
B. Lott
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 739369
- IdHAL : benoit-lott
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2186-9242
- IdRef : 031300065
M. N. Lovellette
- Function : Author
P. Lubrano
- Function : Author
A. Makeev
- Function : Author
M. N. Mazziotta
- Function : Author
J. E. Mcenery
- Function : Author
C. Meurer
- Function : Author
P. F. Michelson
- Function : Author
W. Mitthumsiri
- Function : Author
T. Mizuno
- Function : Author
C. Monte
- Function : Author
M. E. Monzani
- Function : Author
A. Morselli
- Function : Author
I.V. Moskalenko
- Function : Author
S. Murgia
- Function : Author
P. L. Nolan
- Function : Author
J. P. Norris
- Function : Author
T. Ohsugi
- Function : Author
A. Okumura
- Function : Author
N. Omodei
- Function : Author
E. Orlando
- Function : Author
J. F. Ormes
- Function : Author
D. Paneque
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755279
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2830-0502
J. H. Panetta
- Function : Author
M. Pepe
- Function : Author
M. Pesce-Rollins
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760585
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1790-8018
F. Piron
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 172749
- IdHAL : frederic-piron
- ORCID : 0000-0001-6885-7156
T.A. Porter
- Function : Author
S. Raino
- Function : Author
R. Rando
- Function : Author
M. Razzano
- Function : Author
A. Reimer
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755465
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8604-7077
O. Reimer
- Function : Author
T. Reposeur
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 738492
- IdHAL : thierry-reposeur
- ORCID : 0000-0001-6939-3429
- IdRef : 139970665
L. S. Rochester
- Function : Author
A.Y. Rodriguez
- Function : Author
M. Roth
- Function : Author
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
- Function : Author
A. Sander
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760586
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5800-3835
P. M. Saz Parkinson
- Function : Author
C. Sgro
- Function : Author
G. H. Share
- Function : Author
E. J. Siskind
- Function : Author
David Stanley Smith
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 866129
P. D. Smith
- Function : Author
G. Spandre
- Function : Author
P. Spinelli
- Function : Author
M. S. Strickman
- Function : Author
D. J. Suson
- Function : Author
H. Takahashi
- Function : Author
T. Tanaka
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 756461
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4383-0368
J. B. Thayer
- Function : Author
J. G. Thayer
- Function : Author
D. J. Thompson
- Function : Author
D. F. Torres
- Function : Author
G. Tosti
- Function : Author
A. Tramacere
- Function : Author
Y. Uchiyama
- Function : Author
T. L. Usher
- Function : Author
V. Vasileiou
- Function : Author
V. Vitale
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 760184
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8040-7852
A. P. Waite
- Function : Author
P. Wang
- Function : Author
B. L. Winer
- Function : Author
K. S. Wood
- Function : Author
T. Ylinen
- Function : Author
M. Ziegler
- Function : Author
Abstract
We report on measurements of the cosmic-ray induced gamma-ray emission of Earth's atmosphere by the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The LAT has observed the Earth during its commissioning phase and with a dedicated Earth-limb following observation in September 2008. These measurements yielded 6.4 x 10^6 photons with energies >100MeV and ~250hours total livetime for the highest quality data selection. This allows the study of the spatial and spectral distributions of these photons with unprecedented detail. The spectrum of the emission - often referred to as Earth albedo gamma-ray emission - has a power-law shape up to 500 GeV with spectral index Gamma = 2.79+-0.06.