Observations of microquasars with the MAGIC telescope

TL;DR

This paper reports on 40 hours of MAGIC telescope observations of the black hole binary Cygnus X-1, detecting a significant gamma-ray flare and analyzing steady and variable high-energy emissions.

Contribution

First experimental evidence of an intense gamma-ray flare from Cygnus X-1 using the MAGIC telescope.

Findings

Detection of a gamma-ray flare lasting 1.5 to 24 hours

No steady gamma-ray emission detected during observations

First evidence of high-energy variability in Cygnus X-1

Abstract

We report on the results from the observations in very high energy band (VHE, E_gamma > 100GeV) of the black hole X-ray binary (BHXB) Cygnus X-1. The observations were performed with the MAGIC telescope, for a total of 40 hours during 26 nights, spanning the period between June and November 2006. We report on the results of the searches for steady and variable gamma-ray signals, including the first experimental evidence for an intense flare, of duration between 1.5 and 24 hours.