Peta-electron volt gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula
Creators: name: The LHAASO Collaboration
name: Cao, Zhen
name: Aharonian, F.
name: An, Q.
name: Axikegu
name: Bai, L. X.
name: Bai, Y. X.
name: Bao, Y. W.
name: Bastieri, D.
name: Bi, X. J.
name: Bi, Y. J.
name: Cai, H.
name: Cai, J. T.
name: Cao, Zhe
name: Chang, J.
name: Chang, J. F.
name: Chen, B. M.
name: Chen, E. S.
name: Chen, J.
name: Chen, Liang
name: Chen, Liang
name: Chen, Long
name: Chen, M. J.
name: Chen, M. L.
name: Chen, Q. H.
name: Chen, S. H.
name: Chen, S. Z.
name: Chen, T. L.
name: Chen, X. L.
name: Chen, Y.
name: Cheng, N.
name: Cheng, Y. D.
name: Cui, S. W.
name: Cui, X. H.
name: Cui, Y. D.
name: Piazzoli, B. D'Ettorre
name: Dai, B. Z.
name: Dai, H. L.
name: Dai, Z. G.
name: Danzengluobu
name: della Volpe, D.
name: Dong, X. J.
name: Duan, K. K.
name: Fan, J. H.
name: Fan, Y. Z.
name: Fan, Z. X.
name: Fang, J.
name: Fang, K.
name: Feng, C. F.
name: Feng, L.
name: Feng, S. H.
name: Feng, Y. L.
name: Gao, B.
name: Gao, C. D.
name: Gao, L. Q.
name: Gao, Q.
name: Gao, W.
name: Ge, M. M.
name: Geng, L. S.
name: Gong, G. H.
name: Gou, Q. B.
name: Gu, M. H.
name: Guo, F. L.
name: Guo, J. G.
name: Guo, X. L.
name: Guo, Y. Q.
name: Guo, Y. Y.
name: Han, Y. A.
name: He, H. H.
name: He, H. N.
name: He, J. C.
name: He, S. L.
name: He, X. B.
name: He, Y.
name: Heller, M.
name: Hor, Y. K.
name: Hou, C.
name: Hou, X.
name: Hu, H. B.
name: Hu, S.
name: Hu, S. C.
name: Hu, X. J.
name: Huang, D. H.
name: Huang, Q. L.
name: Huang, W. H.
name: Huang, X. T.
name: Huang, X. Y.
name: Huang, Z. C.
name: Ji, F.
name: Ji, X. L.
name: Jia, H. Y.
name: Jiang, K.
name: Jiang, Z. J.
name: Jin, C.
name: Ke, T.
name: Kuleshov, D.
name: Levochkin, K.
name: Li, B. B.
name: Li, Cheng
name: Li, Cong
name: Li, F.
name: Li, H. B.
name: Li, H. C.
name: Li, H. Y.
name: Li, Jie
name: Li, Jian
name: Li, K.
name: Li, W. L.
name: Li, X. R.
name: Li, Xin
name: Li, Xin
name: Li, Y.
name: Li, Y. Z.
name: Li, Zhe
name: Li, Zhuo
name: Liang, E. W.
name: Liang, Y. F.
name: Lin, S. J.
name: Liu, B.
name: Liu, C.
name: Liu, D.
name: Liu, H.
name: Liu, H. D.
name: Liu, J.
name: Liu, J. L.
name: Liu, J. S.
name: Liu, J. Y.
name: Liu, M. Y.
name: Liu, R. Y.
name: Liu, S. M.
name: Liu, W.
name: Liu, Y.
name: Liu, Y. N.
name: Liu, Z. X.
name: Long, W. J.
name: Lu, R.
name: Lv, H. K.
name: Ma, B. Q.
name: Ma, L. L.
name: Ma, X. H.
name: Mao, J. R.
name: Masood, A.
name: Min, Z.
name: Mitthumsiri, W.
name: Montaruli, T.
name: Nan, Y. C.
name: Pang, B. Y.
name: Pattarakijwanich, P.
name: Pei, Z. Y.
name: Qi, M. Y.
name: Qi, Y. Q.
name: Qiao, B. Q.
name: Qin, J. J.
name: Ruffolo, D.
name: Rulev, V.
name: Sáiz, A.
name: Shao, L.
name: Shchegolev, O.
name: Sheng, X. D.
name: Shi, J. Y.
name: Song, H. C.
name: Stenkin, Yu. V.
name: Stepanov, V.
name: Su, Y.
name: Sun, Q. N.
name: Sun, X. N.
name: Sun, Z. B.
name: Tam, P. H. T.
name: Tang, Z. B.
name: Tian, W. W.
name: Wang, B. D.
name: Wang, C.
name: Wang, H.
name: Wang, H. G.
name: Wang, J. C.
name: Wang, J. S.
name: Wang, L. P.
name: Wang, L. Y.
name: Wang, R. N.
name: Wang, Wei
name: Wang, Wei
name: Wang, X. G.
name: Wang, X. J.
name: Wang, X. Y.
name: Wang, Y.
name: Wang, Y. D.
name: Wang, Y. J.
name: Wang, Y. P.
name: Wang, Z. H.
name: Wang, Z. X.
name: Wang, Zhen
name: Wang, Zheng
name: Wei, D. M.
name: Wei, J. J.
name: Wei, Y. J.
name: Wen, T.
name: Wu, C. Y.
name: Wu, H. R.
name: Wu, S.
name: Wu, W. X.
name: Wu, X. F.
name: Xi, S. Q.
name: Xia, J.
name: Xia, J. J.
name: Xiang, G. M.
name: Xiao, D. X.
name: Xiao, G.
name: Xiao, H. B.
name: Xin, G. G.
name: Xin, Y. L.
name: Xing, Y.
name: Xu, D. L.
name: Xu, R. X.
name: Xue, L.
name: Yan, D. H.
name: Yan, J. Z.
name: Yang, C. W.
name: Yang, F. F.
name: Yang, J. Y.
name: Yang, L. L.
name: Yang, M. J.
name: Yang, R. Z.
name: Yang, S. B.
name: Yao, Y. H.
name: Yao, Z. G.
name: Ye, Y. M.
name: Yin, L. Q.
name: Yin, N.
name: You, X. H.
name: You, Z. Y.
name: Yu, Y. H.
name: Yuan, Q.
name: Zeng, H. D.
name: Zeng, T. X.
name: Zeng, W.
name: Zeng, Z. K.
name: Zha, M.
name: Zhai, X. X.
name: Zhang, B. B.
name: Zhang, H. M.
name: Zhang, H. Y.
name: Zhang, J. L.
name: Zhang, J. W.
name: Zhang, L. X.
name: Zhang, Li
name: Zhang, Lu
name: Zhang, P. F.
name: Zhang, P. P.
name: Zhang, R.
name: Zhang, S. R.
name: Zhang, S. S.
name: Zhang, X.
name: Zhang, X. P.
name: Zhang, Y. F.
name: Zhang, Y. L.
name: Zhang, Yi
name: Zhang, Yong
name: Zhao, B.
name: Zhao, J.
name: Zhao, L.
name: Zhao, L. Z.
name: Zhao, S. P.
name: Zheng, F.
name: Zheng, Y.
name: Zhou, B.
name: Zhou, H.
name: Zhou, J. N.
name: Zhou, P.
name: Zhou, R.
name: Zhou, X. X.
name: Zhu, C. G.
name: Zhu, F. R.
name: Zhu, H.
name: Zhu, K. J.
name: Zuo, X.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The Crab pulsar and the surrounding nebula powered by the pulsar's rotational energy through the formation and termination of a relativistic electron-positron wind is a bright source of gamma-rays carrying crucial information about this complex conglomerate. We report the detection of $γ$-rays with a spectrum showing gradual steepening over three energy decades, from $5\times 10^{-4}$ to $1.1$ petaelectronvolt (PeV). The ultra-high-energy photons exhibit the presence of a PeV electron accelerator (a pevatron) with an acceleration rate exceeding 15% of the absolute theoretical limit. Assuming that unpulsed $γ$-rays are produced at the termination of the pulsar's wind, we constrain the pevatron's size, between $0.025$ and $0.1$ pc, and the magnetic field $\approx 110 μ$G. The production rate of PeV electrons, $2.5 \times 10^{36}$ erg $\rm s^{-1}$, constitutes 0.5% of the pulsar's spin-down luminosity, although we do not exclude a non-negligible contribution of PeV protons to the production of the highest energy $γ$-rays.
description: 43 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables; Published in Science