Discovery of Gamma Rays from the Quiescent Sun with HAWC

(HAWC Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201

Discovery of Gamma Rays from the Quiescent Sun with HAWC

(HAWC Collaboration)

Department of Physics

Los Alamos National Laboratory
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Universidad Autonoma de Chiapas
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo
Pennsylvania State University
Michigan Technological University0
University of Maryland, College Park
Instituto Nacional de astrof'Isica Óptica y Electrónica
Polish Academy of Sciences
Instituto polit'Ecnico Nacional
Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Universidad de Guadalajara
Catholic University of America
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Universidad Politecnica de Pachuca
University of Seoul
Michigan State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the first detection of a TeV γ-ray flux from the solar disk (6.3σ), based on 6.1 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The 0.5-2.6 TeV spectrum is well fit by a power law, dN/dE=A(E/1 TeV)-γ, with A=(1.6±0.3)×10-12 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1 and γ=3.62±0.14. The flux shows a strong indication of anticorrelation with solar activity. These results extend the bright, hard GeV emission from the disk observed with Fermi-LAT, seemingly due to hadronic Galactic cosmic rays showering on nuclei in the solar atmosphere. However, current theoretical models are unable to explain the details of how solar magnetic fields shape these interactions. HAWC's TeV detection thus deepens the mysteries of the solar-disk emission.

Original language	English
Article number	051201
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	131
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201
State	Published - 4 Aug 2023

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201

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@article{e7691922dd3a4c16bd9143ce8c7f5391,

title = "Discovery of Gamma Rays from the Quiescent Sun with HAWC",

abstract = "We report the first detection of a TeV γ-ray flux from the solar disk (6.3σ), based on 6.1 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The 0.5-2.6 TeV spectrum is well fit by a power law, dN/dE=A(E/1 TeV)-γ, with A=(1.6±0.3)×10-12 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1 and γ=3.62±0.14. The flux shows a strong indication of anticorrelation with solar activity. These results extend the bright, hard GeV emission from the disk observed with Fermi-LAT, seemingly due to hadronic Galactic cosmic rays showering on nuclei in the solar atmosphere. However, current theoretical models are unable to explain the details of how solar magnetic fields shape these interactions. HAWC's TeV detection thus deepens the mysteries of the solar-disk emission.",

author = "\{(HAWC Collaboration)\} and A. Albert and R. Alfaro and C. Alvarez and Arteaga-Vel{\'a}zquez, \{J. C.\} and \{Avila Rojas\}, D. and \{Ayala Solares\}, \{H. A.\} and R. Babu and E. Belmont-Moreno and C. Brisbois and Caballero-Mora, \{K. S.\} and T. Capistr{\'a}n and A. Carrami{\~n}ana and S. Casanova and O. Chaparro-Amaro and U. Cotti and J. Cotzomi and \{Couti{\~n}o De Le{\'o}n\}, S. and \{De La Fuente\}, E. and \{Diaz Hernandez\}, R. and Dingus, \{B. L.\} and Duvernois, \{M. A.\} and M. Durocher and D{\'i}az-V{\'e}lez, \{J. C.\} and Ellsworth, \{R. W.\} and K. Engel and C. Espinoza and Fan, \{K. L.\} and K. Fang and \{Fern{\'a}ndez Alonso\}, M. and H. Fleischhack and N. Fraija and Garc{\'i}a-Gonz{\'a}lez, \{J. A.\} and F. Garfias and Gonz{\'a}lez, \{M. M.\} and Goodman, \{J. A.\} and Harding, \{J. P.\} and S. Hernandez and J. Hinton and D. Huang and F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla and P. H{\"u}ntemeyer and A. Iriarte and V. Joshi and S. Kaufmann and J. Lee and Linnemann, \{J. T.\} and Longinotti, \{A. L.\} and G. Luis-Raya and K. Malone and Rho, \{C. D.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 American Physical Society. ",

year = "2023",

month = aug,

day = "4",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201",

language = "English",

volume = "131",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society",

number = "5",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Discovery of Gamma Rays from the Quiescent Sun with HAWC

AU - (HAWC Collaboration)

AU - Albert, A.

AU - Alfaro, R.

AU - Alvarez, C.

AU - Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.

AU - Avila Rojas, D.

AU - Ayala Solares, H. A.

AU - Babu, R.

AU - Belmont-Moreno, E.

AU - Brisbois, C.

AU - Caballero-Mora, K. S.

AU - Capistrán, T.

AU - Carramiñana, A.

AU - Casanova, S.

AU - Chaparro-Amaro, O.

AU - Cotti, U.

AU - Cotzomi, J.

AU - Coutiño De León, S.

AU - De La Fuente, E.

AU - Diaz Hernandez, R.

AU - Dingus, B. L.

AU - Duvernois, M. A.

AU - Durocher, M.

AU - Díaz-Vélez, J. C.

AU - Ellsworth, R. W.

AU - Engel, K.

AU - Espinoza, C.

AU - Fan, K. L.

AU - Fang, K.

AU - Fernández Alonso, M.

AU - Fleischhack, H.

AU - Fraija, N.

AU - García-González, J. A.

AU - Garfias, F.

AU - González, M. M.

AU - Goodman, J. A.

AU - Harding, J. P.

AU - Hernandez, S.

AU - Hinton, J.

AU - Huang, D.

AU - Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, F.

AU - Hüntemeyer, P.

AU - Iriarte, A.

AU - Joshi, V.

AU - Kaufmann, S.

AU - Lee, J.

AU - Linnemann, J. T.

AU - Longinotti, A. L.

AU - Luis-Raya, G.

AU - Malone, K.

AU - Rho, C. D.

PY - 2023/8/4

Y1 - 2023/8/4

N2 - We report the first detection of a TeV γ-ray flux from the solar disk (6.3σ), based on 6.1 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The 0.5-2.6 TeV spectrum is well fit by a power law, dN/dE=A(E/1 TeV)-γ, with A=(1.6±0.3)×10-12 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1 and γ=3.62±0.14. The flux shows a strong indication of anticorrelation with solar activity. These results extend the bright, hard GeV emission from the disk observed with Fermi-LAT, seemingly due to hadronic Galactic cosmic rays showering on nuclei in the solar atmosphere. However, current theoretical models are unable to explain the details of how solar magnetic fields shape these interactions. HAWC's TeV detection thus deepens the mysteries of the solar-disk emission.

AB - We report the first detection of a TeV γ-ray flux from the solar disk (6.3σ), based on 6.1 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The 0.5-2.6 TeV spectrum is well fit by a power law, dN/dE=A(E/1 TeV)-γ, with A=(1.6±0.3)×10-12 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1 and γ=3.62±0.14. The flux shows a strong indication of anticorrelation with solar activity. These results extend the bright, hard GeV emission from the disk observed with Fermi-LAT, seemingly due to hadronic Galactic cosmic rays showering on nuclei in the solar atmosphere. However, current theoretical models are unable to explain the details of how solar magnetic fields shape these interactions. HAWC's TeV detection thus deepens the mysteries of the solar-disk emission.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85167873938

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.051201

M3 - Article

C2 - 37595214

AN - SCOPUS:85167873938

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 131

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 5

M1 - 051201

ER -

Discovery of Gamma Rays from the Quiescent Sun with HAWC

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