H.E.S.S. Observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Résumé
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is an irregular satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, which has been observed extensively at Very-High-Energy (VHE) γ rays with the H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) telescopes, obtaining a deep exposure of 210 hours. In this talk we will present the results of this campaign. Besides the already known pulsar wind nebula N 157B, these observations establish significant VHE γ-ray emission from the super-bubble 30 Dor C and show evidence for emission from the supernova remnant N 132D. It is the first unambiguous detection of γ rays from a super-bubble and for the first time individual cosmic-ray accelerators are identified in an external galaxy. Contrary to theoretical expectations, VHE γ-ray emission is not detected from the supernova remnant SN 1987A. We will discuss these three objects, representing the high-energy tip of the VHE γ-ray source population in the LMC, as possible cosmic-ray accelerators, and compare them with similar systems in our Galaxy. Further discoveries can be expected with more sensitive surveys of the LMC in γ rays, for instance with the Cherenkov Telescope Array.