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[24.03] Observations of the Unidentified Gamma-Ray Source TEV J2032+413 with the Whipple 10m Telescope

J. P. Finley (Purdue University), VERITAS Collaboration

The HEGRA Collaboration reported the detection of an unidentified gamma-ray source above 1 TeV during observations carried out at La Palma between 1999-2001 (Aharonian et al. 2002). The source, designated TEV J2032+413, has a hard spectrum (photon index of -1.9) and may be extended (size approximately 5.6'). The detected flux from the putative source in 1999-2001 is approximately 3 the Crab Nebula’s TeV flux, the standard candle of ground-based gamma ray astronomy. Archival data from the 1989-1990 Whipple 10m observing season confirms the detection of TEV J2032+413 at a level of 12 Nebula flux above an energy of 0.6 TeV (Lang et al. 2004). The source is positionally coincident with the core of the Cyg OB2 association and may represent a new class of source in the TeV sky but, as yet, no counterpart at another wavelength can be firmly established. We will report on the results of a campaign carried out during the 2003 and 2004 seasons by the VERITAS collaboration utilizing the Whipple 10 meter telescope. The results of these observations will be compared with the HEGRA and archival Whipple detections, and the nature of this unidentified source will be discussed.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.