The Crab Pulsar and Nebula as Seen in Gamma-Rays

Abstract

Slightly more than 30 years ago, Whipple detection of the Crab Nebula was the start of Very High Energy gamma-ray astronomy. Since then, gamma-ray observations of this source have continued to provide new surprises and challenges to theories, with the detection of fast variability, pulsed emission up to unexpectedly high energy, and the very recent detection of photons with energy exceeding 1 PeV. In this article, we review the impact of gamma-ray observations on our understanding of this extraordinary accelerator.

Keywords

• ISM: supernova remnants
• ISM: individual objects—Crab Nebula
• pulsars: general
• radiation mechanisms: nonthermal
• gamma rays: general
• acceleration of particles