[4.09] Evidence for New Unidentified TeV $\gamma$ -ray Sources from Directionally-Correlated Sky Fluctuations observed by Northern Sky Surveys by the Milagro Observatory and the Tibet Air Shower Array

8th HEAD Meeting, 8-11 September, 2004
Session 4 Jets and Blazars
Poster, Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 9:00am-10:00pm

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[4.09] Evidence for New Unidentified TeV \gamma -ray Sources from Directionally-Correlated Sky Fluctuations observed by Northern Sky Surveys by the Milagro Observatory and the Tibet Air Shower Array

D. B. Kieda, G. Walker, R. Atkins (University of Utah Department of Physics)

We have examined the directional cross-correlation of statisical `hot-spots' between a Northern Sky TeV Gamma Ray Survey by the Milagro Observatory and a similar Northern Sky TeV Gamma Ray Survey by the Tibet Array. We find the directions of these hotspots are angularly uncorrelated between the two surveys for large angular separations (\Delta\theta > 4^o), but there appears to be a statistically significant correlation between hot-spot directions for \Delta\theta < 1.5^o. Independent simulations indicate the chance probability for observing this correlation at small angular separation is approximately 10^-5, indicating the existence of one or more previously unobserved TeV \gamma-ray sources with a flux at 500 to 700 milliCrab. The data is consistent with both a point-like source or a diffuse emission with extent of 1^o-2^o. > The source may be steady or time-episodic, and could also possess non-conventional \gamma-ray energy spectrum with a strong emission component beginning above 1-2 TeV.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: kieda@physics.utah.edu

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