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arXiv · 0811.0738

Gamma ray astrophysics: the EGRET results

D J Thompson
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Abstract

Cosmic gamma rays provide insight into some of the most dynamic processes in the Universe. At the dawn of a new generation of gamma-ray telescopes, this review summarizes results from the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the principal predecessor mission studying high-energy photons in the 100 MeV energy range. EGRET viewed a gamma-ray sky dominated by prominent emission from the Milky Way, but featuring an array of other sources, including quasars, pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, and many sources that remain unidentified. A central feature of the EGRET results was the high degree of variability seen in many gamma-ray sources, indicative of the powerful forces at work in objects visible to gamma-ray telescopes.

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D J Thompson. 2008-11-05. Gamma ray astrophysics: the EGRET results. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/71/11/116901

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