Discovery of a very high energy gamma-ray signal from the 3C 66A/B region
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2009
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IOP Publishing
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Abstract
The MAGIC telescope observed the region around the distant blazar 3C 66A for 54.2 hr in 2007 August-December. The observations resulted in the discovery of a gamma-ray source centered at celestial coordinates R.A. = 2(h)23(m)12(s) and decl.=43 degrees 0'.7 (MAGIC J0223+430), coinciding with the nearby radio galaxy 3C 66B. A possible association of the excess with the blazar 3C 66A is discussed. The energy spectrum of MAGIC J0223+430 follows a power law with a normalization of (1.7 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.6(syst)) x 10(-11) TeV(-1) cm(-2) s(-1) at 300 GeV and a photon index Gamma = -3.10 +/- 0.31(stat) +/- 0.2(syst).
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© The American Astronomical Society. We thank the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias for the excellent working conditions at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos in La Palma. The support of the German BMBF and MPG, the Italian INFN, and Spanish MCINN is gratefully acknowledged. This work was also supported by ETH Research Grant TH 34/043, by the Polish MNiSzW Grant N N203 390834, and by the YIP of the Helmholtz Gemeinschaft.