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Fermi detection of gamma-ray emission from the hot coronae of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei

Nature Astronomy volume 9, pages 1086–1097 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Relativistic jets around supermassive black holes are well-known powerful γ-ray emitters. In the absence of the jets in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei, how the supermassive black holes work in γ-ray bands is still unknown despite great observational efforts in the past three decades. Here, considering the previous efforts, we carefully select an active galactic nucleus sample composed of 37 nearby Seyfert galaxies with ultrahard X-rays for γ-ray detection by excluding all potential contamination in this band. Adopting a stacking technique, we report the significant γ-ray detection (test statistic 30.6, or 5.2σ) from the sample using 15-year Fermi-LAT observations. We find the average γ-ray luminosity of the sample to be (1.5 ± 1.0) × 1040 erg s−1 at energies of 1–300 GeV. Limited by the well-known pair production from the interaction of γ-rays with low-energy photons, γ-rays of more than several giga-electronvolts are found to originate from an extended corona (~2.7 × 106 gravitational radii), whereas the canonical much more compact X-ray corona (~10 gravitational radii) is responsible for γ-rays of one to several giga-electronvolts. The finding of the compact region lends strong support to the long-time theoretical expectations, but the extended corona is an unexpected finding. One promising scenario is that the electron–positron pairs produced in the compact X-ray corona would expand as a fireball, similar to that in γ-ray bursts, forming the structure of extended corona.

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Fig. 1: Stacked TS profile for FGR sample containing 37 sources.
Fig. 2: Average SED of the FGR sample constructed from archival data taken from the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) and our Fermi-LAT analysis.
Fig. 3: Illustration of the AGN corona scenario used to explain the γ-ray emission from the FGR sample.

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Data availability

The Fermi-LAT data are publicly available at https://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/data/access/.

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Acknowledgements

Useful discussions are acknowledged with P. Du, Y.-R. Li, Y.-J. Chen and Y.-L. Wang from the IHEP AGN Group. We thank the support from NSFC (grant numbers 12333003, 12273038, 11991050 and 11991054), from the National Key R&D Program of China (grant numbers 2020YFC2201400 and 2021YFA1600404). The Fermi-LAT Collaboration acknowledges support for LAT development, operation and data analysis from NASA and DOE (United States), CEA/Irfu and IN2P3/CNRS (France), ASI and INFN (Italy), MEXT, KEK and JAXA (Japan), and the K.A. Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council and the National Space Board (Sweden). Science analysis support in the operations phase from INAF (Italy) and CNES (France) is also gratefully acknowledged. This work was performed in part under DOE Contract DE-AC02-76SF00515.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing, China

    Jun-Rong Liu & Jian-Min Wang

  2. School of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Jun-Rong Liu & Jian-Min Wang

  3. National Astronomical Observatory of China, Beijing, China

    Jian-Min Wang

  4. IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Toulouse, France

    S. Abdollahi

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kinard Lab of Physics, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    M. Ajello & L. Marcotulli

  6. Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    R. Alves Batista & M. Sánchez-Conde

  7. Università di Pisa and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Pisa, Italy

    L. Baldini, A. Fiori & M. Razzano

  8. Sezione di Bari, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Bari, Italy

    C. Bartolini, E. Bissaldi, L. Di Venere, P. Fusco, F. Gargano, N. Giglietto, M. Giliberti, F. Giordano, F. Loparco, L. Lorusso, M. N. Mazziotta, G. Panzarini, R. Pillera, S. Rainò, D. Serini & P. Spinelli

  9. Università degli studi di Trento, Trento, Italy

    C. Bartolini

  10. Sezione di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Padua, Italy

    D. Bastieri & R. Rando

  11. Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia ‘G. Galilei’, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    D. Bastieri & R. Rando

  12. Center or Space Studies and Activities ‘G. Colombo’, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    D. Bastieri & R. Rando

  13. Dpto. Astrofísica, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain

    J. Becerra Gonzalez

  14. Sezione di Pisa, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Pisa, Italy

    R. Bellazzini, M. Kuss, M. Pesce-Rollins, C. Sgrò & G. Spandre

  15. Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    B. Berenji

  16. Dipartimento di Fisica, “M. Merlin” dell’ Università e del Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy

    E. Bissaldi, P. Fusco, N. Giglietto, M. Giliberti, F. Giordano, F. Loparco, L. Lorusso, G. Panzarini, R. Pillera, S. Rainò & P. Spinelli

  17. W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    R. D. Blandford, R. A. Cameron, N. Di Lalla, P. F. Michelson, M. E. Monzani, I. V. Moskalenko, N. Omodei, E. Orlando, T. A. Porter & J. B. Thayer

  18. Sezione di Torino, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Turin, Italy

    R. Bonino, N. Cibrario & S. Maldera

  19. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy

    R. Bonino & N. Cibrario

  20. Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, CNRS/IN2P3, École polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France

    P. Bruel, S. J. Fegan, D. Horan & A. Laviron

  21. Institut für Theoretische Physik and Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    S. Buson

  22. Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica Milano, Milan, Italy

    P. A. Caraveo & G. Chiaro

  23. Italian Space Agency, Roma, Italy

    E. Cavazzuti

  24. Sezione di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Rome, Italy

    S. Ciprini, C. Gasbarra, D. Gasparrini & A. Morselli

  25. Space Science Data Center – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Rome, Italy

    S. Ciprini & D. Gasparrini

  26. Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    P. Cristarella Orestano, S. Germani & I. Mereu

  27. Sezione di Perugia, stituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Perugia, Italy

    P. Cristarella Orestano, S. Cutini, S. Germani, P. Lubrano & I. Mereu

  28. INAF Istituto di Radioastronomia, Bologna, Italy

    F. D’Ammando, M. Giroletti, M. Orienti & G. Principe

  29. Grupo de Altas Energías, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    A. Dinesh & A. Domínguez

  30. Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    A. Franckowiak

  31. Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Y. Fukazawa, M. Hashizume, T. Kayanoki, T. Morishita & R. Niwa

  32. Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen- Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

    S. Funk

  33. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    C. Gasbarra

  34. Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Munich, Germany

    D. Green & D. Paneque

  35. AIM, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    I. A. Grenier

  36. Department of Physics, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    S. Guiriec

  37. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    S. Guiriec, E. Hays, C. Karwin, N. Mirabal & B. Rani

  38. Department of Physics, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA

    J. W. Hewitt

  39. Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China

    Xian Hou

  40. Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China

    Xian Hou

  41. Université Bordeaux, CNRS, LP2I Bordeaux, UMR 5797, Gradignan, France

    M. Lemoine-Goumard

  42. Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Jian Li

  43. School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Jian Li & Zi-Hao Zhao

  44. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA

    I. Liodakis

  45. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    F. Longo, G. Martí-Devesa & G. Principe

  46. Sezione di Trieste, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Trieste, Italy

    F. Longo, M. Persic & G. Principe

  47. Department of Astronomy, Department of Physics and Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    L. Marcotulli

  48. Department of Physics and Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    N. Mirabal & B. Rani

  49. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    W. Mitthumsiri

  50. Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    T. Mizuno

  51. Vatican Observatory, Castel Gandolfo, Vatican City State, Italy

    M. E. Monzani

  52. Department of physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    M. Negro

  53. Sezione di Trieste, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    E. Orlando

  54. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    J. F. Ormes

  55. INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Padua, Italy

    M. Persic

  56. Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    A. Reimer & O. Reimer

  57. Departamento de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    M. Sánchez-Conde

  58. Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    P. M. Saz Parkinson

  59. NYCB Real-Time Computing Inc., Lattingtown, NY, USA

    E. J. Siskind

  60. Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN, USA

    D. J. Suson

  61. Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    H. Tajima

  62. Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    H. Tajima

  63. Institute of Space Sciences, Campus UAB, Barcelona, Spain

    D. F. Torres

  64. Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    D. F. Torres

  65. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain

    D. F. Torres

Authors
  1. Jun-Rong Liu
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  2. Jian-Min Wang
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Consortia

Fermi-LAT Collaboration

  • S. Abdollahi
  • , M. Ajello
  • , R. Alves Batista
  • , L. Baldini
  • , C. Bartolini
  • , D. Bastieri
  • , J. Becerra Gonzalez
  • , R. Bellazzini
  • , B. Berenji
  • , E. Bissaldi
  • , R. D. Blandford
  • , R. Bonino
  • , P. Bruel
  • , S. Buson
  • , R. A. Cameron
  • , P. A. Caraveo
  • , E. Cavazzuti
  • , G. Chiaro
  • , N. Cibrario
  • , S. Ciprini
  • , P. Cristarella Orestano
  • , S. Cutini
  • , F. D’Ammando
  • , N. Di Lalla
  • , A. Dinesh
  • , L. Di Venere
  • , A. Domínguez
  • , S. J. Fegan
  • , A. Fiori
  • , A. Franckowiak
  • , Y. Fukazawa
  • , S. Funk
  • , P. Fusco
  • , F. Gargano
  • , C. Gasbarra
  • , D. Gasparrini
  • , S. Germani
  • , N. Giglietto
  • , M. Giliberti
  • , F. Giordano
  • , M. Giroletti
  • , D. Green
  • , I. A. Grenier
  • , S. Guiriec
  • , M. Hashizume
  • , E. Hays
  • , J. W. Hewitt
  • , D. Horan
  • , Xian Hou
  • , C. Karwin
  • , T. Kayanoki
  • , M. Kuss
  • , A. Laviron
  • , M. Lemoine-Goumard
  • , Jian Li
  • , I. Liodakis
  • , F. Longo
  • , F. Loparco
  • , L. Lorusso
  • , P. Lubrano
  • , S. Maldera
  • , L. Marcotulli
  • , G. Martí-Devesa
  • , M. N. Mazziotta
  • , I. Mereu
  • , P. F. Michelson
  • , N. Mirabal
  • , W. Mitthumsiri
  • , T. Mizuno
  • , M. E. Monzani
  • , T. Morishita
  • , A. Morselli
  • , I. V. Moskalenko
  • , M. Negro
  • , R. Niwa
  • , N. Omodei
  • , M. Orienti
  • , E. Orlando
  • , J. F. Ormes
  • , D. Paneque
  • , G. Panzarini
  • , M. Persic
  • , M. Pesce-Rollins
  • , R. Pillera
  • , T. A. Porter
  • , G. Principe
  • , S. Rainò
  • , R. Rando
  • , B. Rani
  • , M. Razzano
  • , A. Reimer
  • , O. Reimer
  • , M. Sánchez-Conde
  • , P. M. Saz Parkinson
  • , D. Serini
  • , C. Sgrò
  • , E. J. Siskind
  • , G. Spandre
  • , P. Spinelli
  • , D. J. Suson
  • , H. Tajima
  • , J. B. Thayer
  • , D. F. Torres
  •  & Zi-Hao Zhao

Contributions

J.-M.W. conceived the project of γ-rays from radio-quiet AGNs and suggested the current corona model. J.L. led the project and drafted the first version of the paper. J.-R.L. led reduction of the Fermi data and drafted the Methods. J.L. and J.-M.W. led the revision of the manuscript by considering suggestions and comments from all the authors. All the authors discussed the contents, revised the first version and formed the final version of the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian-Min Wang.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Astronomy thanks Vera G. Sinitsyna and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–11 and Tables 1–5.

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Liu, JR., Wang, JM. & Fermi-LAT Collaboration. Fermi detection of gamma-ray emission from the hot coronae of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei. Nat Astron 9, 1086–1097 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02538-2

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