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2016ApJ...823L..31M - Astrophys. J., 823, L31 (2016/June-1)

First light: MeV astrophysics from the Moon.

MILLER R.S. and LAWRENCE D.J.

Abstract (from CDS):

We report evidence of the first astrophysical source detected from the Moon at MeV energies. Our detection of Cygnus X-1 is a validation of a new investigative paradigm in which the lunar environment is intrinsic to the detection approach: the Lunar Occultation Technique (LOT). NASA's Lunar Prospector mission served as a proxy for a dedicated LOT-based mission. The characteristic signature of temporal modulation, generated by repeated lunar occultations and encoded within acquired gamma-ray data (0.5-9 MeV), is consistent with an unambiguous detection of Cygnus X-1 at 5.4σ significance. Source localization and long-term monitoring capabilities of the LOT are also demonstrated. This "first light" detection verifies the basic tenets of the LOT methodology, reinforces its feasibility as an alternative astronomical detection paradigm for nuclear astrophysics investigations, and is an illustration of the fundamental benefits of the Moon as a platform for science.

Abstract Copyright: © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Journal keyword(s): γ rays: general - methods: analytical - methods: observational - Moon

Simbad objects: 1

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