Observations of the Unidentified TeV Gamma-Ray Source TeV J2032+4130 with the Whipple Observatory 10 m Telescope

A. Konopelko, R. W. Atkins, G. Blaylock, J. H. Buckley, Y. Butt, D. A. Carter-Lewis, O. Celik, P. Cogan, Y. C. K. Chow, W. Cui, C. Dowdall, T. Ergin, A. D. Falcone, D. J. Fegan, S. J. Fegan, J. P. Finley, P. Fortin, G. H. Gillanders, K. J. Gutierrez, J. Hall, D. Hanna, D. Horan, S. B. Hughes, T. B. Humensky, A. Imran, I. Jung, P. Kaaret, G. E. Kenny, M. Kertzman, D. B. Kieda, J. Kildea, J. Knapp, K. Kosack, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, M. J. Lang, S. LeBohec, P. Moriarty, R. Mukherjee, T. Nagai, R. A. Ong, J. S. Perkins, M. Pohl, K. Ragan, P. T. Reynolds, H. J. Rose, G. H. Sembroski, M. Schroedter, A. W. Smith, D. Steele, A. Syson, S. P Swordy, J. A. Toner, L. Valcarcel, V. V. Vassiliev, R. G. Wagner, S. P. Wakely, T. C. Weekes, R. J. White, D. A. Williams, B. Zitzer

Published 2006-11-24Version 1

We report on observations of the sky region around the unidentified TeV gamma-ray source TeV J2032+4130 carried out with the Whipple Observatory 10 m atmospheric Cherenkov telescope for a total of 65.5 hrs between 2003 and 2005. The standard two-dimensional analysis developed by the Whipple collaboration for a stand-alone telescope reveals an excess in the field of view at a pre-trials significance level of 6.1 standard deviations. The measured position of this excess is alpha(2000) =20 h 32 m 27 s, delta(2000) = 41 deg 39 min 17 s. The estimated integral flux for this gamma-ray source is about 8% of the Crab-Nebula flux. The data are consistent with a point-like source. Here we present a detailed description of the standard two-dimensional analysis technique used for the analysis of data taken with the Whipple Observatory 10 m telescope and the results for the TeV J2032+4130 campaign. We include a short discussion of the physical mechanisms that may be responsible for the observed gamma-ray emission, based on possible association with known astrophysical objects, in particular Cygnus OB2.