The all-sky survey in high-energy gamma rays (E>30 MeV) carried out by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) aboard the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory provides a unique opportunity to examine in detail the diffuse gamma-ray emission. The observed diffuse emission has a Galactic component arising from cosmic-ray interactions with the local interstellar gas and radiation as well an almost uniformly distributed component that is generally believed to originate outside the Galaxy. Through a careful study and removal of the Galactic diffuse emission, the flux, spectrum and uniformity of the extragalactic emission is deduced. The analysis indicates that the extragalactic emission is well described by a power law photon spectrum with an index of -(2.10±0.03) in the 30 MeV to 100 GeV energy range. No large scale spatial anisotropy or changes in the energy spectrum are observed in the deduced extragalactic emission. The most likely explanation for the origin of this extragalactic high-energy gamma-ray emission is that it arises primarily from unresolved gamma-ray-emitting blazars.
The third catalog of high-energy gamma-ray sources detected by the EGRET telescope on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory includes data from 1991 April 22 to 1995 October 3 (cycles 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the mission). In addition to including more data than the second EGRET catalog and its supplement, this catalog uses completely reprocessed data (to correct a number of mostly minimal errors and problems). The 271 sources (E [ 100 MeV) in the catalog include the single 1991 solar Ñare bright enough to be detected as a source, the Large Magellanic Cloud, Ðve pulsars, one probable radio galaxy detection (Cen A), and 66 high-conÐdence identiÐcations of blazars (BL Lac objects, Ñat-spectrum radio quasars, or unidentiÐed Ñat-spectrum radio sources). In addition, 27 lower conÐdence potential blazar identiÐcations are noted. Finally, the catalog contains 170 sources not yet identiÐed Ðrmly with known objects, although potential identiÐcations have been suggested for a number of those. A Ðgure is presented that gives approximate upper limits for gamma-ray sources at any point in the sky, as well as information about sources listed in the second catalog and its supplement, that do not appear in this catalog.
A survey of Galactic gamma-ray sources at a median energy of ~20 TeV has been
performed using the Milagro Gamma Ray Observatory. Eight candidate sources of
TeV emission are detected with pre-trials significance $>4.5\sigma$ in the
region of Galactic longitude $l\in[30^\circ,220^\circ]$ and latitude
$b\in[-10^\circ,10^\circ]$. Four of these sources, including the Crab nebula
and the recently published MGRO J2019+37, are observed with significances
$>4\sigma$ after accounting for the trials involved in searching the 3800
square degree region. All four of these sources are also coincident with EGRET
sources. Two of the lower significance sources are coincident with EGRET
sources and one of these sources is Geminga. The other two candidates are in
the Cygnus region of the Galaxy. Several of the sources appear to be spatially
extended. The fluxes of the sources at 20 TeV range from ~25% of the Crab flux
to nearly as bright as the Crab.Comment: Submitted to Ap
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