Abstract
RECENTLY Vasseur et al.1 reported the possible detection of pulsed gamma emission above 50 MeV from the Crab Nebula. They analysed their data from two balloon flights and stated that the probability of the observed pulsed effects on each flight had a 2 per cent chance of resulting from random fluctuations as they did not know in which of the twenty time channels to expect the pulsation. The overall chance probability for both flights is 0.04 per cent. The purpose of this letter is to point out that their method of analysis leads to a much higher probability for these effects to arise from random fluctuations.
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References
Vasseur, J., Paul, J., Parlier, B., Leray, J. P., Forichon, M., Agrinier, B., Boella, G., Maraschi, L., Treves, A., Buccheri, R., and Scarsi, L., Nature, 226, 534 (1970).
Fritz, G., Henry, R. C., Meekins, J. F., Chubb, T. A., and Friedman, H., Science, 164, 709 (1969).
Bradt, H., Rappaport, S., Mayer, W., Nather, R. E., Warner, B., McFarlane, M., and Kristan, J., Nature, 222, 728 (1969).
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DELVAILLE, J., MCBREEN, B. Pulsed Gamma Rays from the Crab Nebula ?. Nature 226, 1233–1234 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/2261233b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2261233b0
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