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Observation Date (UT) Observation Lat

Canonical Name:LS I +61 303
TeVCat Name:TeV J0240+612
Other Names:
Source Type:Binary
R.A.:02 40 34 (hh mm ss)
Dec.:+61 15 25 (dd mm ss)
Gal Long: 135.67 (deg)
Gal Lat: 1.11 (deg)
Distance: 2 kpc
Flux:0.16 (Crab Units)
Energy Threshold:400 GeV
Spectral Index:
Extended:No
Discovery Date:2006-06
Discovered By: MAGIC
TeVCat SubCat:Default Catalog

Source Notes:

Period:
From Wu et al. (2017):
- "We conducted multi-epoch VLBA phase reference observations of
LS I +61 303 in order to study its precessing radio jet. Compared to
similar observations in 2006, we find that the observed elliptical
trajectory of emission at 8.4 GHz repeats after the 9-year gap. The
accurate alignment of the emission patterns yields a precession period
of 26.926 +/- 0.005 d, which is consistent with that determined by
Lomb-Scargle analysis of the radio light curve."
- "A Lomb-Scargle timing analysis of 36.8-yr radio observations
(Massi & Torricelli-Ciamponi 2016) confirmed previous discoveries
(e.g., Massi et al. 2015) of two characteristic periods:
P1 = 26.496 +/- 0.013 d and
P2 = 26.935 +/- 0.013 d,
in the emission from LS I +61 303"
- "The period P1 corresponds to orbital periodicity (Gregory 2002)."
- "The second feature in the spectrum, at P2 = 26.935 +/- 0.013 d, was
more challenging to understand. The simplest explanation is that the
observed flux density from a relativistic jet (Mirabel & Rodriguez 1999)
is the product of an intrinsically variable jet and Doppler boosting
toward the observer"

Source position and its uncertainty:
From Albert et al.(2006):
- RA (J2000): 2h40m34s
- Dec (J2000): 61d15'25"
- uncertainties: +/- 0.4'(stat) +/- 2'(syst)
From Acciari et al.(2008):
- RA (J2000): 2h40m41s +/- 73"(stat) (=4.9s)
- Dec (J2000): 61d13'12" +/- 30"(stat)
- The systematic uncertainty is +/- 90"

Flux:
The flux from this source has been found to be variable and to
reach a maximum at different phases of the orbit during different
observational campagins (see References)

From Massi et al. (2020):
- this paper discusses an observing campaign that took place to get
simultaneous observations of this system during one single orbit:
- "... the existing multiwavelength data are not simultaneous. In this
paper, we report the results of a campaign covering radio, X-ray, and
gamma-ray observations of the system along one single orbit. Our
results confirm the two predicted events along the orbit and in
addition show that the positions of radio and gamma-ray peaks are
coincident with X-ray dips as expected for radio and gamma-ray
emitting ejections depleting the X-ray emitting accretion flow."

From VERITAS Collaboration (2016):
- Flux: 30% Crab Nebula
- "... bright TeV flares around apastron at flux levels peaking above
30% of the Crab Nebula flux were detected. This is the brightest such
activity from this source ever seen in the TeV regime. The strong
outbursts have rise and fall times of less than a day. The short
timescale of the flares, in conjunction with the observation of 10 TeV
photons from LS I +61 303 during the flares, provides constraints on
the properties of the accelerator in the source."

From O'Faolain de Bhroithe et al. (2015):
- Flux: 25% Crab Nebula
- "VERITAS, detected exceptionally bright flares from LS I 303 during
the period October-December 2014"

From Aleksic et al. (2012):
- Flux: 1.3% Crab Nebula
From Acciari et al. (2011):
- Flux: 5% Crab Nebula
From Acciari et al. (2008):
- Flux: 15%-20% Crab Nebula
From Albert et al. (2006):
- Flux: 16% Crab Nebula

Spectral Properties:
From Ahnen et al. (2016):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.6-0.8 in 2011: 2.2 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.7 in 2012: 2.7 +/- 0.5(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.5-0.8 in 2011: 2.5 +/- 0.5(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.5-0.8 in 2011: 2.5 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
From Aleksic et al. (2012):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.6-0.8 in 2009-2010: 2.5 +/- 0.5(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
From Anderhub et al. (2009):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.6-0.7 in 2007: 2.7 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
From Albert et al. (2009):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.5-0.6 in 2006: 2.7 +/- 0.4(stat) +/- 0.2(syst)
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.6-0.7 in 2006: 2.6 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.8(syst)
From Acciari et al. (2008):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.5-0.8 in 2006: 2.40 +/- 0.16(stat) +/- 0.2(sys)
From Albert et al. (2006):
- Spectral index for orbital interval 0.4-0.7 in 2006: 2.6 +/- 0.2(stat) +/-0.2(syst)


Seen by: MAGIC, VERITAS
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