VERITAS Observations of the Crab Pulsar

TL;DR

This paper reports the detection of pulsed gamma-rays from the Crab Pulsar above 100 GeV using VERITAS, providing insights into particle acceleration and emission processes in the pulsar magnetosphere.

Contribution

It presents the first detection of very high-energy gamma-ray emission from the Crab Pulsar above 100 GeV, complementing Fermi measurements below 10 GeV.

Findings

Detection of pulsed gamma-rays above 100 GeV from Crab Pulsar

Constraints on flux enhancement during giant radio pulses

Limits on Lorentz invariance violation effects

Abstract

The Crab pulsar has been widely studied across the electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma-ray energies. The exact nature of the emission processes taking place in the pulsar is a matter of broad debate. Above a few GeV the energy spectrum turns over suddenly. The shape of this cutoff can provide unique insight in to the particle acceleration processes taking place in the pulsar magnetosphere. Here we discuss the detection of pulsed gamma-rays from the Crab Pulsar above 100 GeV with the VERITAS telescopes in the context of measurements made with the Fermi space telescope below 10 GeV. Limits on the level of flux enhancement of emission correlated with giant radio pulses and dispersion due to Lorentz invariance violation effects will also be presented.