OSSE Observations of NGC 4151

Abstract

We report results of a two-week observation of NGC 4151 with the OSSE instrument. The source had a very soft spectrum which falls off exponentially with an e-folding energy of 39.2 plus or minus 1:5 keV in the energy range 65-800 keV, and had an intensity at 100 keV of 2.33 plus or minus 0:05 x 10(exp -2) photons sq cm sec (exp -1) MeV(exp -1). Simple pair cascade models in a compact source, which have been suggested for Seyfert galaxies, cannot explain the steepness and shape of the spectrum above 100 keV. We suggest pair loading and reacceleration as the mechanism responsible for the observed x-ray and gamma-ray spectra and the previously reported luminosity spectral index correlation between 2-20 keV.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA464566

Entities

People

  • D. A. Drabelsky
  • G. V. Jung
  • James D. Kurfess
  • Mark S. Strickman
  • Melville P. Ulmer
  • Michael Maisack
  • Robert L. Kinzer
  • W. Neil Johnson
  • William R. Purcell

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Electron Energy
  • Electrons
  • Energy
  • Gamma Ray Spectra
  • Gamma Rays
  • High Energy
  • Intensity
  • Ionizing Radiation
  • Luminosity
  • Military Research
  • Nuclear Radiation
  • Pair Production
  • Radiation
  • Spectra
  • X Ray Spectra
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Solar Physics