Modulated High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from the Microquasar Cygnus X-3

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Baughman, B. M.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Brez, A.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Burnett, T. H.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Caraveo, P. A.; Casandjian, J. M.; Cecchi, C.; Celik, Oe; Chaty, S.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Cominsky, L. R.; Conrad, J.; Corbel, S.; Corbet, R.; Dermer, C. D.; de Palma, F; Digel, S. W.; do Couto e Silva, E.; Drell, P. S.; Dubois, R.; Dubus, G.; Dumora, D.; Farnier, C.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Focke, W. B.; Fortin, P.; Frailis, M.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gehrels, N.; Germani, S.; Giavitto, G.; Giebels, B.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grondin, M. -H.; Grove, J. E.; Guillemot, L.; Guiriec, S.; Hanabata, Y.; Harding, A. K.; Hayashida, M.; Hays, E.; Hill, A. B.; Hjalmarsdotter, L.; Horan, D.; Hughes, R. E.; Jackson, M. S.; Johannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, T. J.; Johnson, W. N.; Kamae, T.; Katagiri, H.; Kawai, N.; Kerr, M.; Knoedlseder, J.; Kocian, M. L.; Koerding, E.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lott, B.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Madejski, G. M.; Makeev, A.; Marchand, L.; Marelli, M.; Max-Moerbeck, W.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Mccoll, N.; Mcenery, J. E.; Meurer, C.; Michelson, P. F.; Migliari, S.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P. L.; Norris, J. P.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Omodei, N.; Ong, R. A.; Ormes, J. F.; Paneque, D.; Parent, D.; Pelassa, V.; Pepe, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Piron, F.; Pooley, G.; Porter, T. A.; Pottschmidt, K.; Raino, S.; Rando, R.; Ray, P. S.; Razzano, M.; Rea, N.; Readhead, A.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Richards, J. L.; Rochester, L. S.; Rodriguez, J.; Rodriguez, A. Y.; Romani, R. W.; Ryde, F.; Sadrozinski, H. F. -W.; Sander, A.; Saz, Parkinson P. M.; Sgro, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Smith, D. A.; Smith, P. D.; Spinelli, P.; Starck, J. -L.; Stevenson, M.; Strickman, M. S.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. B.; Thompson, D. J.; Tibaldo, L.; Tomsick, J. A.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Tramacere, A.; Uchiyama, Y.; Usher, T. L.; Vasileiou, V.; Vilchez, N.; Vitale, V.; Waite, A. P.; Wang, P.; Wilms, J.; Winer, B. L.; Wood, K. S.; Ylinen, T.; Ziegler, M.

doi:10.1126/science.1182174

Microquasars are accreting black holes or neutron stars in binary systems with associated relativistic jets. Despite their frequent outburst activity, they have never been unambiguously detected emitting high-energy gamma rays. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has detected a variable high-energy source coinciding with the position of the x-ray binary and microquasar Cygnus X-3. Its identification with Cygnus X-3 is secured by the detection of its orbital period in gamma rays, as well as the correlation of the LAT flux with radio emission from the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3. The gamma-ray emission probably originates from within the binary system, opening new areas in which to study the formation of relativistic jets.