TGRS MEASUREMENTS OF THE POSITRON ANNIHILATION SPECTRUM, FROM THE GALACTIC CENTER

M. J. HARRIS(1,2), B. J. TEEGARDEN(1), T. L. CLINE(1), N. GEHRELS(1), D. M. PALMER(1,2), R. RAMATY(1), AND H. SEIFERT(1,2)

(1) Code 661, NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
(2) Universities Space Research Association, harris@tgrs2.gsfc.nasa.gov

Paper: ApJ, in press

EPrint Server: astro-ph/9803247


Abstract:

We have obtained spectra of the Galactic center at energies 400-600 keV from high-resolution data acquired by the TGRS Ge spectrometer on board the WIND mission during 1995-1997. The data were obtained using an on-board occulter, and are relatively free from systematics and backgrounds. Analysis of the spectra reveals a well-resolved electron-positron annihilation line at 511 keV and the associated continuum due to annihilation via positronium formation. Measurements of the line width and the continuum-to-line ratio allow some constraints to be placed on the interstellar sites where annihilation occurs.


Preprints available from the authors at HARRIS@tgrs2.gsfc.nasa.gov , or the raw TeX (no figures) if you click here.

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