Fermi LAT Measurements of the Gamma-Ray Emission from the Large Magellanic Cloud

Understand

Apart from the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the only other normal star-forming galaxy that was conclusively detected in high energy (> 100 MeV) gamma rays by the Energetic Gamma Ray Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory.

• However, the sensitivity of EGRET was sufficient only to marginally resolve the LMC.
• We report on measurements of the gamma-ray emission from the LMC by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
• For the first time an externally viewed star-forming galaxy is well resolved in gamma rays.