@article{ArchambaultArcherBenbowetal.2016,
  author    = {Archambault, S. and Archer, A. and Benbow, W. and Bird, R. and Biteau, Jonathan and Buchovecky, M. and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Byrum, K. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, Xuhui and Ciupik, L. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Eisch, J. D. and Errando, M. and Falcone, A. and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Fortin, P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and Huetten, M. and Hakansson, Nils and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Humensky, T. B. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kelley-Hoskins, N. and Kertzman, M. and Kieda, D. and Krause, M. and Krennrich, F. and Kumar, S. and Lang, M. J. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nguyen, T. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Perkins, J. S. and Pichel, A. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Pueschel, Elisa and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Rovero, A. C. and Santander, M. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Smith, A. W. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weiner, O. M. and Weinstein, A. and Williams, D. A. and Zitzer, B. and Fumagalli, M. and Prochaska, J. X.},
  title     = {UPPER LIMITS FROM FIVE YEARS OF BLAZAR OBSERVATIONS WITH THE VERITAS CHERENKOV TELESCOPES},
  series = {The astronomical journal},
  volume    = {151},
  journal   = {The astronomical journal},
  publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.},
  address   = {Bristol},
  organization    = {VERITAS Collaboration},
  issn      = {0004-6256},
  doi       = {10.3847/0004-6256/151/6/142},
  pages     = {19},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Between the beginning of its full-scale scientific operations in 2007 and 2012, the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope array observed more than 130 blazars; of these, 26 were detected as very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray sources. In this work, we present the analysis results of a sample of 114 undetected objects. The observations constitute a total live-time of similar to 570 hr. The sample includes several unidentified Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) sources (located at high Galactic latitude) as well as all the sources from the second Fermi-LAT catalog that are contained within the field of view of the VERITAS observations. We have also performed optical spectroscopy measurements in order to estimate the redshift of some of these blazars that do not have spectroscopic distance estimates. We present new optical spectra from the Kast instrument on the Shane telescope at the Lick observatory for 18 blazars included in this work, which allowed for the successful measurement or constraint on the redshift of four of them. For each of the blazars included in our sample, we provide the flux upper limit in the VERITAS energy band. We also study the properties of the significance distributions and we present the result of a stacked analysis of the data set, which shows a 4s excess.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AliuArchambaultArcheretal.2016,
  author    = {Aliu, E. and Archambault, S. and Archer, A. and Arlen, T. and Aune, T. and Barnacka, Anna and Behera, B. and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Berger, K. and Bird, R. and B{\"o}ttcher, Markus and Bouvier, A. and Buchovecky, M. and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Cardenzana, J. V. and Cerruti, M. and Cesarini, A. and Chen, Xuhui and Ciupik, L. and Collins-Hughes, E. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Dumm, J. and Eisch, J. D. and Falcone, A. and Federici, Simone and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Fortin, P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gall, D. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Griffiths, S. T. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and H{\"u}tten, M. and Hakansson, Nils and Holder, J. and Hughes, G. and Humensky, T. B. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kelley-Hoskins, N. and Kertzman, M. and Khassen, Y. and Kieda, D. and Krause, M. and Krawczynski, H. and Krennrich, F. and Lang, M. J. and Madhavan, A. S. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Millis, J. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Orr, M. and Otte, A. N. and Pandel, D. and Park, N. and Pelassa, V. and Perkins, J. S. and Pichel, A. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Roache, E. and Rousselle, J. and Rovero, A. C. and Saxon, D. B. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Sheidaei, F. and Skole, C. and Smith, A. W. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Theiling, M. and Todd, N. W. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Varlotta, A. and Vassiliev, V. V. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weiner, O. M. and Weinstein, A. and Welsing, R. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Zitzer, B. and Baring, M. G. and Gonzalez, J. Becerra and Cillis, A. N. and Horan, D. and Paneque, D.},
  title     = {Very high energy outburst of Markarian 501 in May 2009},
  series = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies},
  volume    = {594},
  journal   = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  organization    = {Veritas Collaboration},
  issn      = {1432-0746},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201628744},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {The very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938-54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multiwavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE yray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the preflare baseline flux (3.9 x 10(-11) ph cm(-2) s(-1)), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor similar to 4 in 25 min, and a falling time of similar to 50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple, VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AbramowskiAharonianBenkhalietal.2015,
  author    = {Abramowski, Attila and Aharonian, Felix A. and Benkhali, Faical Ait and Akhperjanian, A. G. and Ang{\"u}ner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan and Anton, Gisela and Backes, Michael and Balenderan, Shangkari and Balzer, Arnim and Barnacka, Anna and Becherini, Yvonne and Tjus, J. Becker and Bernl{\"o}hr, K. and Birsin, E. and Bissaldi, E. and Biteau, Jonathan and Boettcher, Markus and Boisson, Catherine and Bolmont, J. and Bordas, Pol and Brucker, J. and Brun, Francois and Brun, Pierre and Bulik, Tomasz and Carrigan, Svenja and Casanova, Sabrina and Chadwick, Paula M. and Chalme-Calvet, R. and Chaves, Ryan C. G. and Cheesebrough, A. and Chretien, M. and Colafrancesco, Sergio and Cologna, Gabriele and Conrad, Jan and Couturier, C. and Cui, Y. and Dalton, M. and Daniel, M. K. and Davids, I. D. and Degrange, B. and Deil, C. and deWilt, P. and Dickinson, H. J. and Djannati-Ata{\"i}, A. and Domainko, W. and Dubus, G. and Dutson, K. and Dyks, J. and Dyrda, M. and Edwards, T. and Egberts, Kathrin and Eger, P. and Espigat, P. and Farnier, C. and Fegan, S. and Feinstein, F. and Fernandes, M. V. and Fernandez, D. and Fiasson, A. and Fontaine, G. and Foerster, A. and Fuessling, M. and Gajdus, M. and Gallant, Y. A. and Garrigoux, T. and Giavitto, G. and Giebels, B. and Glicenstein, J. F. and Grondin, M. -H. and Grudzinska, M. and Haeffner, S. and Hahn, J. and Harris, J. and Heinzelmann, G. and Henri, G. and Hermann, G. and Hervet, O. and Hillert, A. and Hinton, James Anthony and Hofmann, W. and Hofverberg, P. and Holler, M. and Horns, D. and Jacholkowska, A. and Jahn, C. and Jamrozy, M. and Janiak, M. and Jankowsky, F. and Jung, I. and Kastendieck, M. A. and Katarzynski, K. and Katz, Uli and Kaufmann, S. and Khelifi, B. and Kieffer, M. and Klepser, S. and Klochkov, D. and Kluzniak, W. and Kneiske, Tanja and Kolitzus, D. and Komin, Nu. and Kosack, K. and Krakau, S. and Krayzel, F. and Krueger, P. P. and Laffon, H. and Lamanna, G. and Lefaucheur, J. and Lemiere, A. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Lenain, J. -P. and Lohse, T. and Lopatin, A. and Lu, C. -C. and Marandon, V. and Marcowith, A. and Marx, R. and Maurin, G. and Maxted, N. and Mayer, M. and McComb, T. J. L. and Mehault, J. and Meintjes, P. J. and Menzler, U. and Meyer, M. and Moderski, R. and Mohamed, M. and Moulin, E. and Murach, T. and Naumann, C. L. and de Naurois, M. and Niemiec, J. and Nolan, S. J. and Oakes, L. and Odaka, H. and Ohm, S. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Opitz, B. and Ostrowski, M. and Oya, I. and Panter, M. and Parsons, R. D. and Arribas, M. Paz and Pekeur, N. W. and Pelletier, G. and Perez, J. and Petrucci, P. -O. and Peyaud, B. and Pita, S. and Poon, H. and Puehlhofer, G. and Punch, M. and Quirrenbach, A. and Raab, S. and Raue, M. and Reichardt, I. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, Olaf and Renaud, M. and de los Reyes, R. and Rieger, F. and Rob, L. and Romoli, C. and Rosier-Lees, S. and Rowell, G. and Rudak, B. and Rulten, C. B. and Sahakian, V. and Sanchez, David M. and Santangelo, A. and Schlickeiser, R. and Schuessler, F. and Schulz, A. and Schwanke, U. and Schwarzburg, S. and Schwemmer, S. and Sol, H. and Spengler, G. and Spies, F. and Stawarz, L. and Steenkamp, R. and Stegmann, Christian and Stinzing, F. and Stycz, K. and Sushch, Iurii and Tavernet, J. -P. and Tavernier, T. and Taylor, A. M. and Terrier, R. and Tluczykont, M. and Trichard, C. and Valerius, K. and van Eldik, Christopher and van Soelen, B. and Vasileiadis, G. and Venter, C. and Viana, A. and Vincent, P. and Voelk, H. J. and Volpe, F. and Vorster, M. and Vuillaume, T. and Wagner, S. J. and Wagner, P. and Wagner, R. M. and Ward, M. and Weidinger, M. and Weitzel, Q. and White, R. and Wierzcholska, A. and Willmann, P. and Wrnlein, A. and Wouters, D. and Yang, R. and Zabalza, V. and Zacharias, M. and Zdziarski, A. A. and Zech, Alraune and Zechlin, H. -S. and Finke, J. and Fortin, P. and Horan, D.},
  title     = {The high-energy gamma-ray emission of AP Librae},
  series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  volume    = {573},
  journal   = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  organization    = {HESS Collaboration},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201321436},
  pages     = {7},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The gamma-ray spectrum of the low-frequency-peaked BL Lac (LBL) object AP Librae is studied, following the discovery of very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission up to the TeV range by the H.E.S.S. experiment. Thismakes AP Librae one of the few VHE emitters of the LBL type. The measured spectrum yields a flux of (8.8 +/- 1.5(stat) +/- 1.8(sys)) x 10(-12) cm(-2) s(-1) above 130 GeV and a spectral index of Gamma = 2.65 +/- 0.19(stat) +/- 0.20(sys). This study also makes use of Fermi-LAT observations in the high energy (HE, E > 100 MeV) range, providing the longest continuous light curve (5 years) ever published on this source. The source underwent a flaring event between MJD 56 306-56 376 in the HE range, with a flux increase of a factor of 3.5 in the 14 day bin light curve and no significant variation in spectral shape with respect to the low-flux state. While the H.E.S.S. and (low state) Fermi-LAT fluxes are in good agreement where they overlap, a spectral curvature between the steep VHE spectrum and the Fermi-LAT spectrum is observed. The maximum of the gamma-ray emission in the spectral energy distribution is located below the GeV energy range.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AleksicAnsoldiAntonellietal.2015,
  author    = {Aleksic, J. and Ansoldi, S. and Antonelli, L. A. and Antoranz, P. and Babic, A. and Bangale, P. and de Almeida, U. Barres and Barrio, J. A. and Gonzalez, J. Becerra and Bednarek, W. and Bernardini, E. and Biasuzzi, B. and Biland, A. and Blanch Bigas, O. and Boller, A. and Bonnefoy, S. and Bonnoli, G. and Borracci, F. and Bretz, T. and Carmona, E. and Carosi, A. and Colin, P. and Colombo, E. and Contreras, J. L. and Cortina, J. and Covino, S. and Da Vela, P. and Dazzi, F. and De Angelis, A. and De Caneva, G. and De Lotto, B. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Mendez, C. Delgado and Prester, Dijana Dominis and Dorner, D. and Doro, M. and Einecke, S. and Eisenacher, D. and Elsaesser, D. and Fonseca, M. V. and Font, L. and Frantzen, K. and Fruck, C. and Galindo, D. and Lopez, R. J. Garcia and Garczarczyk, M. and Terrats, D. Garrido and Gaug, M. and Godinovic, N. and Munoz, A. Gonzalez and Gozzini, S. R. and Hadasch, D. and Hanabata, Y. and Hayashida, M. and Herrera, J. and Hildebrand, D. and Hose, J. and Hrupec, D. and Hughes, G. and Idec, W. and Kadenius, V. and Kellermann, H. and Knoetig, M. L. and Kodani, K. and Konno, Y. and Krause, J. and Kubo, H. and Kushida, J. and La Barbera, A. and Lelas, D. and Lewandowska, N. and Lindfors, E. and Lombardi, S. and Lopez, M. and Lopez-Coto, R. and Lopez-Oramas, A. and Lorenz, E. and Lozano, I. and Makariev, M. and Mallot, K. and Maneva, G. and Mankuzhiyil, N. and Mannheim, K. and Maraschi, L. and Marcote, B. and Mariotti, M. and Martinez, M. and Mazin, D. and Menzel, U. and Miranda, J. M. and Mirzoyan, R. and Moralejo, A. and Munar-Adrover, P. and Nakajima, D. and Niedzwiecki, A. and Nilsson, K. and Nishijima, K. and Noda, K. and Orito, R. and Overkemping, A. and Paiano, S. and Palatiello, M. and Paneque, D. and Paoletti, R. and Paredes, J. M. and Paredes-Fortuny, X. and Persic, M. and Moroni, P. G. Prada and Prandini, E. and Puljak, I. and Reinthal, R. and Rhode, W. and Ribo, M. and Rico, J. and Garcia, J. Rodriguez and Rugamer, S. and Saito, T. and Saito, K. and Satalecka, K. and Scalzotto, V. and Scapin, V. and Schultz, C. and Schweizer, T. and Sun, S. and Shore, S. N. and Sillanpaa, A. and Sitarek, J. and Snidaric, I. and Sobczynska, D. and Spanier, F. and Stamatescu, V. and Stamerra, A. and Steinbring, T. and Steinke, B. and Storz, J. and Strzys, M. and Takalo, L. and Takami, H. and Tavecchio, F. and Temnikov, P. and Terzic, T. and Tescaro, D. and Teshima, M. and Thaele, J. and Tibolla, O. and Torres, D. F. and Toyama, T. and Treves, A. and Uellenbeck, M. and Vogler, P. and Zanin, R. and Archambault, S. and Archer, A. and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Berger, K. and Bird, R. and Biteau, Jonathan and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, Xiaoming and Ciupik, L. and Collins-Hughes, E. and Cui, W. and Eisch, J. D. and Falcone, A. and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fortin, P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Gyuk, G. and Hakansson, Nils and Holder, J. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kertzman, M. and Kieda, D. and Lang, M. J. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Millis, J. and Moriarty, P. and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Perkins, J. S. and Pichel, A. and Pohl, Manuela and Popkow, A. and Prokoph, H. and Pueschel, Elisa and Ragan, K. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Rovero, A. C. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Varlotta, A. and Wakely, S. P. and Welsing, R. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Buson, S. and Finke, J. and Villata, M. and Raiteri, C. and Aller, H. D. and Aller, M. F. and Cesarini, A. and Chen, W. P. and Gurwell, M. A. and Jorstad, S. G. and Kimeridze, G. N. and Koptelova, E. and Kurtanidze, O. M. and Kurtanidze, S. O. and Lahteenmaki, A. and Larionov, V. M. and Larionova, E. G. and Lin, H. C. and McBreen, B. and Moody, J. W. and Morozova, D. A. and Marscher, A. P. and Max-Moerbeck, W. and Nikolashvili, M. G. and Perri, M. and Readhead, A. C. S. and Richards, J. L. and Ros, J. A. and Sadun, A. C. and Sakamoto, T. and Sigua, L. A. and Smith, P. S. and Tornikoski, M. and Troitsky, I. S. and Wehrle, A. E. and Jordan, B.},
  title     = {Unprecedented study of the broadband emission of Mrk 421 during flaring activity in March 2010},
  series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  volume    = {578},
  journal   = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  organization    = {MAGIC Collaboration, VERITAS Collaboration},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201424811},
  pages     = {26},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Context. Because of its proximity, Mrk 421 is one of the best sources on which to study the nature of BL Lac objects. Its proximity allows us to characterize its broadband spectral energy distribution (SED). Aims. The goal is to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the broadband emission and the temporal evolution of Mrk 421. These mechanisms may also apply to more distant blazars that cannot be studied with the same level of detail. Methods. A flare occurring in March 2010 was observed for 13 consecutive days (from MJD 55 265 to MJD 55 277) with unprecedented wavelength coverage from radio to very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-rays with MAGIC, VERITAS, Whipple, Fermi-LAT, MAXI, RXTE, Swift, GASP-WEBT, and several optical and radio telescopes. We modeled the day-scale SEDs with one-zone and two-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) models, investigated the physical parameters, and evaluated whether the observed broadband SED variability can be associated with variations in the relativistic particle population. Results. The activity of Mrk 421 initially was high and then slowly decreased during the 13-day period. The flux variability was remarkable at the X-ray and VHE bands, but it was minor or not significant at the other bands. The variability in optical polarization was also minor. These observations revealed an almost linear correlation between the X-ray flux at the 2-10 keV band and the VHE gamma-ray flux above 200 GeV, consistent with the gamma-rays being produced by inverse-Compton scattering in the Klein-Nishina regime in the framework of SSC models. The one-zone SSC model can describe the SED of each day for the 13 consecutive days reasonably well, which once more shows the success of this standard theoretical scenario to describe the SEDs of VHE BL Lacs such as Mrk 421. This flaring activity is also very well described by a two-zone SSC model, where one zone is responsible for the quiescent emission, while the other smaller zone, which is spatially separated from the first, contributes to the daily variable emission occurring at X-rays and VHE gamma-rays. The second blob is assumed to have a smaller volume and a narrow electron energy distribution with 3 x 10(4) < gamma < 6 x 10(5), where. is the Lorentz factor of the electrons. Such a two-zone scenario would naturally lead to the correlated variability at the X-ray and VHE bands without variability at the optical/UV band, as well as to shorter timescales for the variability at the X-ray and VHE bands with respect to the variability at the other bands. Conclusions. Both the one-zone and the two-zone SSC models can describe the daily SEDs via the variation of only four or five model parameters, under the hypothesis that the variability is associated mostly with the underlying particle population. This shows that the particle acceleration and cooling mechanism that produces the radiating particles might be the main mechanism responsible for the broadband SED variations during the flaring episodes in blazars. The two-zone SSC model provides a better agreement with the observed SED at the narrow peaks of the low-and high-energy bumps during the highest activity, although the reported one-zone SSC model could be further improved by varying the parameters related to the emitting region itself (delta, B and R), in addition to the parameters related to the particle population.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AbramowskiAharonianBenkhalietal.2014,
  author    = {Abramowski, Attila and Aharonian, Felix A. and Benkhali, Faical Ait and Akhperjanian, A. G. and Ang{\"u}ner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan and Anton, Gisela and Backes, Michael and Balenderan, Shangkari and Balzer, Arnim and Barnacka, Anna and Becherini, Yvonne and Tjus, J. Becker and Bernl{\"o}hr, K. and Birsin, E. and Bissaldi, E. and Biteau, Jonathan and Boettcher, Markus and Boisson, Catherine and Bolmont, J. and Bordas, Pol and Brucker, J. and Brun, Francois and Brun, Pierre and Bulik, Tomasz and Carrigan, Svenja and Casanova, Sabrina and Chadwick, Paula M. and Chalme-Calvet, R. and Chaves, Ryan C. G. and Cheesebrough, A. and Chretien, M. and Colafrancesco, Sergio and Cologna, Gabriele and Conrad, Jan and Couturier, C. and Cui, Y. and Djannati-Ata{\"i}, A. and Domainko, W. and Dubus, G. and Dutson, K. and Dyks, J. and Dyrda, M. and Edwards, T. and Egberts, Kathrin and Eger, P. and Espigat, P. and Farnier, C. and Fegan, S. and Feinstein, F. and Fernandes, M. V. and Fernandez, D. and Fiasson, A. and Fontaine, G. and Foerster, A. and Fussling, Matthias and Gajdus, M. and Gallant, Y. A. and Garrigoux, T. and Giavitto, G. and Giebels, B. and Glicenstein, J. F. and Grondin, M. -H. and Grudzinska, M. and Haeffner, S. and Hahn, J. and Harris, J. and Heinzelmann, G. and Henri, G. and Hermann, G. and Hervet, O. and Hillert, A. and Hinton, James Anthony and Hofmann, W. and Hofverberg, P. and Holler, M. and Horns, D. and Jacholkowska, A. and Jahn, C. and Jamrozy, M. and Janiak, M. and Jankowsky, F. and Jung, I. and Kastendieck, M. A. and Katarzynski, K. and Katz, U. and Kaufmann, S. and Khelifi, B. and Kieffer, M. and Klepser, S. and Klochkov, D. and Kluzniak, W. and Kneiske, T. and Kolitzus, D. and Komin, Nu. and Kosack, K. and Krakau, S. and Krayzel, F. and Krueger, P. P. and Laffon, H. and Lamanna, G. and Lefaucheur, J. and Lemiere, A. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Lenain, J. -P. and Lohse, T. and Lopatin, A. and Lu, C. -C. and Marandon, V. and Marcowith, A. and Marx, R. and Maurin, G. and Maxted, N. and Mayer, M. and McComb, T. J. L. and Mehault, J. and Meintjes, P. J. and Menzler, U. and Meyer, M. and Moderski, R. and Mohamed, M. and Moulin, E. and Murach, T. and Naumann, C. L. and de Naurois, M. and Niemiec, J. and Nolan, S. J. and Oakes, L. and Odaka, H. and Ohm, S. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Opitz, B. and Ostrowski, M. and Oya, I. and Panter, M. and Parsons, R. D. and Arribas, M. Paz and Pekeur, N. W. and Pelletier, G. and Perez, J. and Petrucci, P. -O. and Peyaud, B. and Pita, S. and Poon, H. and Puehlhofer, G. and Punch, M. and Quirrenbach, A. and Raab, S. and Raue, M. and Reichardt, I. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, O. and Renaud, M. and Reyes, R. de los and Rieger, F. and Rob, L. and Romoli, C. and Rosier-Lees, S. and Rowell, G. and Rudak, B. and Rulten, C. B. and Sahakian, V. and Sanchez, David M. and Santangelo, A. and Schlickeiser, R. and Schuessler, F. and Schulz, A. and Schwanke, U. and Schwarzburg, S. and Schwemmer, S. and Sol, H. and Spengler, G. and Spies, F. and Stawarz, L. and Steenkamp, R. and Stegmann, Christian and Stinzing, F. and Stycz, K. and Sushch, Iurii and Tavernet, J. -P. and Tavernier, T. and Taylor, A. M. and Terrier, R. and Tluczykont, M. and Trichard, C. and Valerius, K. and van Eldik, C. and van Soelen, B. and Vasileiadis, G. and Venter, C. and Viana, A. and Vincent, P. and Voelk, H. J. and Volpe, F. and Vorster, M. and Vuillaume, T. and Wagner, S. J. and Wagner, P. and Wagner, R. M. and Ward, M. and Weidinger, M. and Weitzel, Q. and White, R. and Wierzcholska, A. and Willmann, P. and Woernlein, A. and Wouters, D. and Yang, R. and Zabalza, V. and Zacharias, M. and Zdziarski, A. A. and Zech, Alraune and Zechlin, H. -S. and Malyshev, D.},
  title     = {Search for extended gamma-ray emission around AGN with HESS and Fermi-LAT},
  series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  volume    = {562},
  journal   = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  organization    = {HESS Collaboration},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201322510},
  pages     = {10},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Context. Very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from blazars inevitably gives rise to electron-positron pair production through the interaction of these gamma-rays with the extragalactic background light (EBL). Depending on the magnetic fields in the proximity of the source, the cascade initiated from pair production can result in either an isotropic halo around an initially- beamed source or a magnetically- broadened cascade :aux. Aims. Both extended pair-halo (PH) and magnetically broadened cascade (MBC) emission from regions surrounding the blazars 1ES 1101-232, IRS 0229+200, and PKS 2155-304 were searched for using VHE y-ray data taken with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS.) and high-energy (HE; 100 MeV < E < 100 GeV) gamma-ray data with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Methods. By comparing the angular distributions of the reconstructed gamma-ray events to the angular profiles calculated from detailed theoretical models, the presence of PH and MBC was investigated. Results. Upper limits on the extended emission around lES 1101-232, lES 0229+200, and PKS 2155-304 are found to be at a level of a few per cent of the Crab nebula flux above 1 TeV, depending on the assumed photon index of the cascade emission. Assuming strong extra-Galactic magnetic field (EGME) values, >10(-12) G, this limits the production of pair haloes developing from electromagnetic cascades. For weaker magnetic fields, in which electromagnetic cascades would result in MBCs. EGMF strengths in the range (0.3-3) x 10(-15) G were excluded for PKS 2155-304 at the 99\% confidence level, under the assumption of a 1 Mpc coherence length.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AbramowskiAharonianBenkhalietal.2014,
  author    = {Abramowski, Attila and Aharonian, Felix A. and Benkhali, Faical Ait and Akhperjanian, A. G. and Ang{\"u}ner, Ekrem Oǧuzhan and Anton, Gisela and Balenderan, Shangkari and Balzer, Arnim and Barnacka, Anna and Becherini, Yvonne and Tjus, J. Becker and Bernl{\"o}hr, K. and Birsin, E. and Bissaldi, E. and Biteau, Jonathan and Boettcher, Markus and Boisson, Catherine and Bolmont, J. and Bordas, Pol and Brucker, J. and Brun, Francois and Brun, Pierre and Bulik, Tomasz and Carrigan, Svenja and Casanova, Sabrina and Cerruti, M. and Chadwick, Paula M. and Chalme-Calvet, R. and Chaves, Ryan C. G. and Cheesebrough, A. and Chretien, M. and Colafrancesco, Sergio and Cologna, Gabriele and Conrad, Jan and Couturier, C. and Cui, Y. and Dalton, M. and Daniel, M. K. and Davids, I. D. and Degrange, B. and Deil, C. and dewilt, P. and Dicldnson, H. J. and Djannati-Ata{\"i}, A. and Domainko, W. and Dubus, G. and Dutson, K. and Dyks, J. and Dyrda, M. and Edwards, T. and Egberts, Kathrin and Eger, P. and Espigat, P. and Farnier, C. and Fegan, S. and Feinstein, F. and Fernandes, M. V. and Fernandez, D. and Fiasson, A. and Fontaine, G. and Foerster, A. and Fuessling, M. and Gajdus, M. and Gallant, Y. A. and Garrigoux, T. and Giavitto, G. and Giebels, B. and Glicenstein, J. F. and Grondin, M. -H. and Grudzinska, M. and Haeffner, S. and Hahn, J. and Harris, J. and Heinzelmann, G. and Henri, G. and Hermann, G. and Hervet, O. and Hillert, A. and Hinton, James Anthony and Hofmann, W. and Hofverberg, P. and Holler, M. and Horns, D. and Jacholkowska, A. and Jahn, C. and Jamrozy, M. and Janiak, M. and Jankowsky, F. and Jung, I. and Kastendieck, M. A. and Katarzynski, K. and Katz, U. and Kaufmann, S. and Khelifi, B. and Kieffer, M. and Klepser, S. and Klochkov, D. and Kluzniak, W. and Kneiske, T. and Kolitzus, D. and Komin, Nu. and Kosack, K. and Krakau, S. and Krayzel, F. and Krueger, P. P. and Laffon, H. and Lamanna, G. and Lefaucheur, J. and Lemiere, A. and Lemoine-Goumard, M. and Lenain, J. -P. and Lennarz, D. and Lohse, T. and Lopatin, A. and Lu, C. -C. and Marandon, V. and Marcowith, A. and Marx, R. and Maurin, G. and Maxted, N. and Mayer, M. and McComb, T. J. L. and Mehault, J. and Meintjes, P. J. and Menzler, U. and Meyer, M. and Moderski, R. and Mohamed, M. and Moulin, E. and Murach, T. and Naumann, C. L. and de Naurois, M. and Niemiec, J. and Nolan, S. J. and Oakes, L. and Ohm, S. and Wilhelmi, E. de Ona and Opitz, B. and Ostrowski, M. and Oya, I. and Panter, M. and Parsons, R. D. and Arribas, M. Paz and Pekeur, N. W. and Pelletier, G. and Perez, J. and Petrucci, P. -O. and Peyaud, B. and Pita, S. and Poon, H. and Puehlhofer, G. and Punch, M. and Quirrenbach, A. and Raab, S. and Raue, M. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, O. and Renaud, M. and Reyes, R. de Los and Rieger, F. and Rob, L. and Romoli, C. and Rosier-Lees, S. and Rowell, G. and Rudak, B. and Rulten, C. B. and Sahakian, V. and Sanchez, David M. and Santangelo, A. and Schlickeiser, R. and Schuessler, F. and Schulz, A. and Schwanke, U. and Schwarzburg, S. and Schwemmer, S. and Sol, H. and Spengler, G. and Spies, F. and Stawarz, L. and Steenkamp, R. and Stegmann, Christian and Stinzing, F. and Stycz, K. and Sushch, Iurii and Szostek, A. and Tavernet, J. -P. and Tavernier, T. and Taylor, A. M. and Terrier, R. and Tluczykont, M. and Trichard, C. and Valerius, K. and van Eldik, C. and van Soelen, B. and Vasileiadis, G. and Venter, C. and Viana, A. and Vincent, P. and Voelk, H. J. and Volpe, F. and Vorster, M. and Vuillaume, T. and Wagner, S. J. and Wagner, P. and Ward, M. and Weidinger, M. and Weitzel, Q. and White, R. and Wierzcholska, A. and Willmann, P. and Woernlein, A. and Wouters, D. and Zabalza, V. and Zacharias, M. and Zajczyk, A. and Zdziarski, A. A. and Zech, Alraune and Zechlin, H. -S.},
  title     = {Flux upper limits for 47 AGN observed with HESS in 2004-2011},
  series = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  volume    = {564},
  journal   = {Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal},
  publisher = {EDP Sciences},
  address   = {Les Ulis},
  organization    = {HESS Collaboration},
  issn      = {0004-6361},
  doi       = {10.1051/0004-6361/201322897},
  pages     = {10},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Context. About 40\% of the observation time of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is dedicated to studying active galactic nuclei (AGN), with the aim of increasing the sample of known extragalactic very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) sources and constraining the physical processes at play in potential emitters. Aims. H.E.S.S. observations of AGN, spanning a period from April 2004 to December 2011, are investigated to constrain their gamma-ray fluxes. Only the 47 sources without significant excess detected at the position of the targets are presented. Methods. Upper limits on VHE fluxes of the targets were computed and a search for variability was performed on the nightly time scale. Results. For 41 objects, the flux upper limits we derived are the most constraining reported to date. These constraints at VHE are compared with the flux level expected from extrapolations of Fermi-LAT measurements in the two-year catalog of AGN. The H.E.S.S. upper limits are at least a factor of two lower than the extrapolated Fermi-LAT fluxes for 11 objects Taking into account the attenuation by the extragalactic background light reduces the tension for all but two of them, suggesting intrinsic curvature in the high-energy spectra of these two AGN. Conclusions. Compilation efforts led by current VHE instruments are of critical importance for target-selection strategies before the advent of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ArchambaultAuneBeheraetal.2014,
  author    = {Archambault, S. and Aune, T. and Behera, B. and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Berger, K. and Bird, R. and Biteau, Jonathan and Bugaev, V. and Byrum, K. and Cardenzana, J. V. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, Xuhui and Ciupik, L. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, Wei and Dumm, J. and Errando, M. and Falcone, A. and Federici, Simone and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Griffiths, S. T. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Hughes, G. and Humensky, T. B. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kertzman, M. and Khassen, Y. and Kieda, D. and Krawczynski, H. and Krennrich, F. and Kumar, S. and Lang, M. J. and Madhavan, A. S. and Maier, G. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nieto, Daniel and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Prokoph, H. and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Rajotte, J. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Varlotta, A. and Vassiliev, V. V. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weinstein, A. and Welsing, R. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Ackermann, Margit and Ajello, M. and Albert, A. and Baldini, L. and Bastieri, D. and Bellazzini, R. and Bissaldi, E. and Bregeon, Johan and Buehler, R. and Buson, S. and Caliandro, G. A. and Cameron, R. A. and Caraveo, P. A. and Cavazzuti, E. and Charles, E. and Chiang, J. and Ciprini, S. and Claus, R. and Cutini, S. and de Angelis, A. and de Palma, F. and Dermer, C. D. and Digel, S. W. and Di Venere, L. and Drell, P. S. and Favuzzi, C. and Franckowiak, A. and Fusco, P. and Gargano, F. and Gasparrini, D. and Giglietto, N. and Giordano, F. and Giroletti, M. and Grenier, I. A. and Guiriec, S. and Jogler, T. and Kuss, M. and Larsson, S. and Latronico, L. and Longo, F. and Loparco, F. and Lubrano, P. and Madejski, G. M. and Mayer, M. and Mazziotta, Mario Nicola and Michelson, P. F. and Mizuno, T. and Monzani, M. E. and Morselli, Aldo and Murgia, S. and Nuss, E. and Ohsugi, T. and Ormes, J. F. and Paneque, D. and Perkins, J. S. and Piron, F. and Pivato, G. and Raino, S. and Razzano, M. and Reimer, A. and Reimer, Olaf and Ritz, S. and Schaal, M. and Sgro, C. and Siskind, E. J. and Spinelli, P. and Takahashi, H. and Tibaldo, L. and Tinivella, M. and Troja, E. and Vianello, G. and Werner, M. and Wood, M.},
  title     = {Deep broadband observations of the distant gamma-ray blazar PKS 1424+240},
  series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters},
  volume    = {785},
  journal   = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.},
  address   = {Bristol},
  organization    = {VERITAS Collaboration, Fermi LAT Collaboration},
  issn      = {2041-8205},
  doi       = {10.1088/2041-8205/785/1/L16},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {We present deep VERITAS observations of the blazar PKS 1424+240, along with contemporaneous Fermi Large Area Telescope, Swift X-ray Telescope, and Swift UV Optical Telescope data between 2009 February 19 and 2013 June 8. This blazar resides at a redshift of z >= 0.6035, displaying a significantly attenuated gamma-ray flux above 100 GeV due to photon absorption via pair-production with the extragalactic background light. We present more than 100 hr of VERITAS observations over three years, a multiwavelength light curve, and the contemporaneous spectral energy distributions. The source shows a higher flux of (2.1 +/- 0.3) x 10(-7) photons m(-2) s(-1) above 120 GeV in 2009 and 2011 as compared to the flux measured in 2013, corresponding to (1.02 +/- 0.08) x 10-7 photons m(-2) s(-1) above 120 GeV. The measured differential very high energy (VHE; E >= 100 GeV) spectral indices are Gamma = 3.8 +/- 0.3, 4.3 +/- 0.6 and 4.5 +/- 0.2 in 2009, 2011, and 2013, respectively. No significant spectral change across the observation epochs is detected. We find no evidence for variability at gamma-ray opacities of greater than tau = 2, where it is postulated that any variability would be small and occur on timescales longer than a year if hadronic cosmic-ray interactions with extragalactic photon fields provide a secondary VHE photon flux. The data cannot rule out such variability due to low statistics.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ArchambaultArlenAuneetal.2014,
  author    = {Archambault, S. and Arlen, T. and Aune, T. and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Bird, R. and Boettcher, Markus and Bouvier, A. and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Ciupik, L. and Collins-Hughes, E. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Dickherber, R. and Dumm, J. and Errando, M. and Falcone, A. and Federici, Simone and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Gall, D. and Garson, A. III. and Gillanders, G. H. and Griffin, S. and Grube, J. and Gusbar, C. and Gyuk, G. and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Hughes, G. and Kaaret, P. and Kertzman, M. and Khassen, Y. and Kieda, D. and Krawczynski, H. and Lamerato, A. and Lang, M. J. and Li, K. and Madhavan, A. S. and Maier, G. and Majumdar, P. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Millis, J. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Orr, M. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Perkins, J. S. and Pohl, Martin and Popkow, A. and Prokoph, H. and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Roustazadeh, P. and Saxon, D. B. and Sembroski, G. H. and Senturk, G. D. and Skole, C. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tesic, G. and Theiling, M. and Varlotta, A. and Vassiliev, V. V. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weinstein, A. and Welsing, R. and Williams, D. A. and Zitzer, B.},
  title     = {Test of models of the cosmic infrared background with multiwavelength observations of the blazar 1ES 1218+30.4 IN 2009},
  series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  volume    = {788},
  journal   = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.},
  address   = {Bristol},
  issn      = {0004-637X},
  doi       = {10.1088/0004-637X/788/2/158},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {We present the results of a multi-wavelength campaign targeting the blazar 1ES 1218+30.4 with observations with the 1.3 m McGraw-Hill optical telescope, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, and the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). The RXTE and VERITAS observations were spread over a 13 day period and revealed clear evidence for flux variability, and a strong X-ray and gamma-ray flare on 2009 February 26 (MJD 54888). The campaign delivered a well-sampled broadband energy spectrum with simultaneous RXTE and VERITAS very high energy (VHE, > 100 GeV) observations, as well as contemporaneous optical and Fermi observations. The 1ES 1218+30.4 broadband energy spectrum-the first with simultaneous X-ray and VHE gamma-ray energy spectra-is of particular interest as the source is located at a high cosmological redshift for a VHE source (z = 0.182), leading to strong absorption of VHE gamma rays by photons from the optical/infrared extragalactic background light (EBL) via gamma VHE +gamma EBL -> e(+) e(-)pair-creation processes. We model the data with a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission model and with the extragalactic absorption predicted by several recent EBL models. We find that the observations are consistent with the SSC scenario and all the EBL models considered in this work. We discuss observational and theoretical avenues to improve on the EBL constraints.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZhangChenBoettcher2014,
  author    = {Zhang, Haocheng and Chen, Xuhui and Boettcher, Markus},
  title     = {Synchrotron polarization in blazars},
  series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  volume    = {789},
  journal   = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.},
  address   = {Bristol},
  issn      = {0004-637X},
  doi       = {10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/66},
  pages     = {16},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {We present a detailed analysis of time-and energy-dependent synchrotron polarization signatures in a shock-in-jet model for gamma-ray blazars. Our calculations employ a full three-dimensional radiation transfer code, assuming a helical magnetic field throughout the jet. The code considers synchrotron emission from an ordered magnetic field, and takes into account all light-travel-time and other relevant geometric effects, while the relevant synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton effects are handled with the two-dimensional Monte-Carlo/Fokker-Planck (MCFP) code. We consider several possible mechanisms through which a relativistic shock propagating through the jet may affect the jet plasma to produce a synchrotron and high-energy flare. Most plausibly, the shock is expected to lead to a compression of the magnetic field, increasing the toroidal field component and thereby changing the direction of the magnetic field in the region affected by the shock. We find that such a scenario leads to correlated synchrotron + synchrotron-self-Compton flaring, associated with substantial variability in the synchrotron polarization percentage and position angle. Most importantly, this scenario naturally explains large polarization angle rotations by greater than or similar to 180 degrees, as observed in connection with gamma-ray flares in several blazars, without the need for bent or helical jet trajectories or other nonaxisymmetric jet features.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ArcherBarnackaBeilickeetal.2014,
  author    = {Archer, A. and Barnacka, Anna and Beilicke, M. and Benbow, W. and Berger, K. and Bird, R. and Biteau, Jonathan and Buckley, J. H. and Bugaev, V. and Byrum, K. and Cardenzana, J. V. and Cerruti, M. and Chen, W. and Chen, Xiaoming and Ciupik, L. and Connolly, M. P. and Cui, W. and Dickinson, H. J. and Dumm, J. and Eisch, J. D. and Falcone, A. and Federici, Simone and Feng, Q. and Finley, J. P. and Fleischhack, H. and Fortson, L. and Furniss, A. and Galante, N. and Griffin, S. and Griffiths, S. T. and Grube, J. and Gyuk, G. and Hakansson, Nils and Hanna, D. and Holder, J. and Hughes, G. and Johnson, C. A. and Kaaret, P. and Kar, P. and Kertzman, M. and Khassen, Y. and Kieda, D. and Krawczynski, H. and Kumar, S. and Lang, M. J. and Maier, G. and McArthur, S. and McCann, A. and Meagher, K. and Moriarty, P. and Mukherjee, R. and Nieto, D. and Ong, R. A. and Otte, A. N. and Park, N. and Perkins, J. S. and Pohl, Manuela and Popkow, A. and Prokoph, H. and Pueschel, Elisa and Quinn, J. and Ragan, K. and Rajotte, J. and Reyes, L. C. and Reynolds, P. T. and Richards, G. T. and Roache, E. and Sembroski, G. H. and Shahinyan, K. and Smith, A. W. and Staszak, D. and Telezhinsky, Igor O. and Tucci, J. V. and Tyler, J. and Varlotta, A. and Vincent, S. and Wakely, S. P. and Weinstein, A. and Welsing, R. and Wilhelm, Alina and Williams, D. A. and Zajczyk, A. and Zitzer, B.},
  title     = {Very-high energy observations of the galactic center region by veritas IN 2010-2012},
  series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  volume    = {790},
  journal   = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.},
  address   = {Bristol},
  issn      = {0004-637X},
  doi       = {10.1088/0004-637X/790/2/149},
  pages     = {9},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The Galactic center is an interesting region for high-energy (0.1-100 GeV) and very-high-energy (E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray observations. Potential sources of GeV/TeV gamma-ray emission have been suggested, e.g., the accretion of matter onto the supermassive black hole, cosmic rays from a nearby supernova remnant (e.g., Sgr A East), particle acceleration in a plerion, or the annihilation of dark matter particles. The Galactic center has been detected by EGRET and by Fermi/LAT in the MeV/GeV energy band. At TeV energies, the Galactic center was detected with moderate significance by the CANGAROO and Whipple 10 m telescopes and with high significance by H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS. We present the results from three years of VERITAS observations conducted at large zenith angles resulting in a detection of the Galactic center on the level of 18 standard deviations at energies above similar to 2.5 TeV. The energy spectrum is derived and is found to be compatible with hadronic, leptonic, and hybrid emission models discussed in the literature. Future, more detailed measurements of the high-energy cutoff and better constraints on the high-energy flux variability will help to refine and/or disentangle the individual models.},
  language  = {en}
}