Search of the energetic gamma-ray experiment telescope (EGRET) data for high-energy gamma-ray microsecond bursts

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (38) References (13) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Search of the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) Data for High-Energy Gamma-Ray Microsecond Bursts Fichtel, C. E. ; Bertsch, D. L. ; Dingus, B. L. ; Esposito, J. A. ; Hartman, R. C. ; Hunter, S. D. ; Kanbach, G. ; Kniffen, D. A. ; Lin, Y. C. ; Mattox, J. R. ; Mayer-Hasselwander, H. A. ; McDonald, L. ; Michelson, P. F. ; von Montigny, C. ; Nolan, P. L. ; Schneid, E. J. ; Sreekumar, P. ; Thompson, D. J. Abstract Hawking (1974) and Page & Hawking (1976) investigated theoretically the possibility of detecting high-energy gamma rays produced by the quantum-mechanical decay of a small black hole created in the early universe. They concluded that, at the very end of the life of the small black hole, it would radiate a burst of gamma rays peaked near 250 MeV with a total energy of about 1034 ergs in the order of a microsecond or less. The characteristics of a black hole are determined by laws of physics beyond the range of current particle accelerators; hence, the search for these short bursts of high-energy gamma rays provides at least the possibility of being the first test of this region of physics. The Compton Observatory Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) has the capability of detecting directly the gamma rays from such bursts at a much fainter level than SAS 2, and a search of the EGRET data has led to an upper limit of 5 x 10-2 black hole decays per cu pc per yr, placing constraints on this and other theories predicting microsecond high-energy gamma-ray bursts. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: October 1994 DOI: 10.1086/174758 Bibcode: 1994ApJ...434..557F Keywords: Black Holes (Astronomy); Decay; Gamma Ray Astronomy; Gamma Ray Bursts; Quantum Mechanics; Gamma Ray Observatory; Gamma Ray Telescopes; Sas-2; Statistical Analysis; Astronomy; BLACK HOLE PHYSICS; GAMMA RAYS: BURSTS full text sources ADS |