A search for TeV emission from AE Aquarii

We have observed the cataclysmic variable AE Aqr for a total of 68.7 hours over the epoch 1991–1995 using the Whipple Observatory 10 m gamma-ray telescope. An analysis of these data has revealed no evidence for any steady, pulsed or episodic TeV emission. We have calculated an upper limit for steady emission of 4.0 × 10−12 photons cm−2s−1 at an energy threshold of 900 GeV. This is three orders of magnitude less than the flux reported by others during burst activity. Our upper limits coherent pulsed emission at the first and second harmonics of the white dwarf frequency are 1.5 × 10−12 photons cm−2s−1 in each case.