Discovery of extended VHE gamma-ray emission from the asymmetric pulsar wind nebula in MSH 15-52 with H.E.S.S
F. Aharonian
,
A. G. Akhperjanian
,
K.-M. Aye
,
A. R. Bazer-Bachi
,
M. Beilicke
,
W. Benbow
,
D. Berge
,
P. Berghaus
(1)
,
K. Bernlöhr
,
C. Boisson
,
O. Bolz
,
C. Borgmeier
,
I. Braun
,
F. Breitling
,
A. M. Brown
,
J. Bussons Gordo
(2)
,
P. M. Chadwick
,
L.-M. Chounet
(3)
,
R. Cornils
,
L. Costamante
,
B. Degrange
(3)
,
A. Djannati-Ataï
(1)
,
L. O'C. Drury
,
G. Dubus
(3)
,
T. Ergin
,
P. Espigat
(1)
,
F. Feinstein
(2)
,
P. Fleury
(3)
,
G. Fontaine
(3)
,
S. Funk
,
Y.A. Gallant
(2)
,
B. Giebels
(3)
,
S. Gillessen
,
P. Goret
,
C. Hadjichristidis
,
M. Hauser
,
G. Heinzelmann
,
G. Henri
,
G. Hermann
,
J. A. Hinton
,
W. Hofmann
,
M. Holleran
,
D. Horns
,
O. C. de Jager
,
I. Jung
,
B. Khélifi
,
Nu. Komin
,
A. Konopelko
,
I. J. Latham
,
R. Le Gallou
,
A. Lemière
(1)
,
M. Lemoine
(3)
,
N. Leroy
(3)
,
T. Lohse
,
A. Marcowith
,
C. Masterson
,
T. J. L. Mccomb
,
M. de Naurois
(4)
,
S. J. Nolan
,
A. Noutsos
,
K. J. Orford
,
J. L. Osborne
,
M. Ouchrif
(4)
,
M. Panter
,
G. Pelletier
,
S. Pita
(1)
,
G. Pühlhofer
,
M. Punch
(1)
,
B. C. Raubenheimer
,
M. Raue
,
J. Raux
(4)
,
S. M. Rayner
,
I. Redondo
,
A. Reimer
,
O. Reimer
,
J. Ripken
,
L. Rob
,
L. Rolland
(4)
,
G. Rowell
,
V. Sahakian
,
L. Saugé
,
S. Schlenker
,
R. Schlickeiser
,
C. Schuster
,
U. Schwanke
,
M. Siewert
,
H. Sol
,
R. Steenkamp
,
C. Stegmann
,
J.-P. Tavernet
(4)
,
R. Terrier
(1)
,
C.G. Théoret
(1)
,
M. Tluczykont
(3)
,
D. J. van Der Walt
,
G. Vasileiadis
(2)
,
C. Venter
,
P. Vincent
(4)
,
B. Visser
,
H. J. Völk
,
S. J. Wagner
,
O. Martineau-Huynh
(4)
F. Aharonian
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755280
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1157-3915
A. G. Akhperjanian
- Function : Author
K.-M. Aye
- Function : Author
A. R. Bazer-Bachi
- Function : Author
M. Beilicke
- Function : Author
W. Benbow
- Function : Author
D. Berge
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755461
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2918-1824
K. Bernlöhr
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755488
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8065-3252
C. Boisson
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755462
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5893-1797
O. Bolz
- Function : Author
C. Borgmeier
- Function : Author
I. Braun
- Function : Author
F. Breitling
- Function : Author
A. M. Brown
- Function : Author
P. M. Chadwick
- Function : Author
R. Cornils
- Function : Author
L. Costamante
- Function : Author
L. O'C. Drury
- Function : Author
G. Dubus
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 746648
- IdHAL : guillaume-dubus
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5130-2514
- IdRef : 164946438
T. Ergin
- Function : Author
S. Funk
- Function : Author
S. Gillessen
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755358
- ORCID : 0000-0002-5708-0481
P. Goret
- Function : Author
C. Hadjichristidis
- Function : Author
M. Hauser
- Function : Author
G. Heinzelmann
- Function : Author
G. Henri
- Function : Author
G. Hermann
- Function : Author
J. A. Hinton
- Function : Author
W. Hofmann
- Function : Author
M. Holleran
- Function : Author
D. Horns
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755282
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1945-0119
O. C. de Jager
- Function : Author
I. Jung
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755283
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1187-4240
Nu. Komin
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755464
- ORCID : 0000-0003-3280-0582
A. Konopelko
- Function : Author
I. J. Latham
- Function : Author
R. Le Gallou
- Function : Author
N. Leroy
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 738354
- IdHAL : nicolas-leroy-cnrs
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2321-1017
- IdRef : 113609736
T. Lohse
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755171
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9751-7633
A. Marcowith
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 174341
- IdHAL : alexandre-marcowith
- ORCID : 0000-0002-3971-0910
- IdRef : 114473609
C. Masterson
- Function : Author
T. J. L. Mccomb
- Function : Author
M. de Naurois
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755312
- IdHAL : mathieu-de-naurois
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7245-201X
S. J. Nolan
- Function : Author
A. Noutsos
- Function : Author
K. J. Orford
- Function : Author
J. L. Osborne
- Function : Author
M. Panter
- Function : Author
G. Pelletier
- Function : Author
G. Pühlhofer
- Function : Author
M. Punch
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 742769
- IdHAL : michael-punch
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4710-2165
- IdRef : 15174677X
B. C. Raubenheimer
- Function : Author
M. Raue
- Function : Author
S. M. Rayner
- Function : Author
I. Redondo
- Function : Author
A. Reimer
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755465
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8604-7077
O. Reimer
- Function : Author
J. Ripken
- Function : Author
L. Rob
- Function : Author
L. Rolland
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 4321
- IdHAL : loic-rolland
- ORCID : 0000-0003-0589-9687
- IdRef : 090243080
G. Rowell
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755359
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9516-1581
V. Sahakian
- Function : Author
L. Saugé
- Function : Author
S. Schlenker
- Function : Author
R. Schlickeiser
- Function : Author
C. Schuster
- Function : Author
U. Schwanke
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755454
- ORCID : 0000-0002-1229-278X
M. Siewert
- Function : Author
H. Sol
- Function : Author
R. Steenkamp
- Function : Author
C. Stegmann
- Function : Author
D. J. van Der Walt
- Function : Author
C. Venter
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 755527
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2666-4812
B. Visser
- Function : Author
H. J. Völk
- Function : Author
S. J. Wagner
- Function : Author
Abstract
The Supernova Remnant MSH 15-52 has been observed in very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays using the H.E.S.S. 4-telescope array located in Namibia. A gamma-ray signal is detected at the 25 sigma level during an exposure of 22.1 hours live time. The image reveals an elliptically shaped emission region around the pulsar PSR B1509-58, with semi-major axis 6' in the NW-SE direction and semi-minor axis 2' approximately. This morphology coincides with the diffuse pulsar wind nebula as observed at X-ray energies by ROSAT. The overall energy spectrum from 280 GeV up to 40 TeV can be fitted by a power law with photon index Gamma = 2.27 +/- 0.03(stat.) +/- 0.20(syst.). The detected emission can be plausibly explained by inverse Compton scattering of accelerated relativistic electrons with soft photons.