All‐Sky Search for Transient Sources near 0.5 MeV with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE)

Abstract
We present a search for bright, transient emission lines near 0.5 MeV in nearly two years of data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. Such features have been reported from black hole candidates Nova Muscae and 1E 1740.7-2942 and from the Crab, lasting for ≈ 1 day. Our survey covers the whole sky and is sensitive to events with durations from 0.5-3.0 day. No transients are observed, and the systematic errors are low enough that the upper limits are significantly below the fluxes of the two most significant events previously reported.