Journal Articles Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A Year : 2006

First detection of a VHE gamma-ray spectral maximum from a Cosmic source: H.E.S.S. discovery of the Vela X nebula

F. Aharonian , A.G. Akhperjanian , A.R. Bazer-Bachi , M. Beilicke , Wystan Benbow , David Berge , K. Bernlohr , C. Boisson , O. Bolz , V. Borrel , I. Braun , F. Breitling , A.M. Brown , R. Buhler , S. Carrigan , P.M. Chadwick , L.-M. Chounet (1) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange (1) , H.J. Dickinson , A. Djannati-Atai (2) , L.O'C. Drury , G. Dubus (1) , K. Egberts , D. Emmanoulopoulos , P. Espigat (2) , F. Feinstein (3) , G. Fontaine (1) , S. Funk , Y. Gallant (3) , B. Giebels (1) , J.F. Glicenstein , P. Goret , C. Hadjichristidis , D. Hauser , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri , G. Hermann , J.A. Hinton , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , Dieter Horns , A. Jacholkowska (3) , O.C. de Jager , B. Khelifi (1) , S. Klages , Nu. Komin , A. Konopelko , I.J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemiere (2) , M. Lemoine-Goumard (1) , T. Lohse , J.M. Martin , O. Martineau-Huynh (3) , A. Marcowith , C. Masterson , T.J.L. Mccomb , M. de Naurois (3) , D. Nedbal , S.J. Nolan , A. Noutsos , K.J. Orford , J.L. Osborne , M. Ouchrif (3) , M. Panter , G. Pelletier (4) , S. Pita (2) , G. Puhlhofer , M. Punch (2) , B.C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , S.M. Rayner , A. Reimer , O. Reimer , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland , G. Rowell , V. Sahakian , L. Sauge (4) , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , C. Schuster , U. Schwanke , M. Siewert , H. Sol , D. Spangler , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , G. Superina , J.-P. Tavernet (3) , R. Terrier (2) , C.G. Theoret (2) , M. Tluczykont (1) , C. van Eldik , G. Vasileiadis (3) , C. Venter , P. Vincent (3) , H.J. Volk , S.J. Wagner , M. Ward
F. Aharonian
A.G. Akhperjanian
  • Function : Author
A.R. Bazer-Bachi
  • Function : Author
M. Beilicke
  • Function : Author
Wystan Benbow
  • Function : Author
David Berge
  • Function : Author
K. Bernlohr
  • Function : Author
C. Boisson
O. Bolz
  • Function : Author
V. Borrel
  • Function : Author
I. Braun
  • Function : Author
F. Breitling
  • Function : Author
A.M. Brown
  • Function : Author
R. Buhler
  • Function : Author
S. Carrigan
  • Function : Author
P.M. Chadwick
  • Function : Author
R. Cornils
  • Function : Author
L. Costamante
  • Function : Author
H.J. Dickinson
  • Function : Author
L.O'C. Drury
  • Function : Author
G. Dubus
K. Egberts
  • Function : Author
D. Emmanoulopoulos
  • Function : Author
S. Funk
  • Function : Author
J.F. Glicenstein
  • Function : Author
P. Goret
  • Function : Author
C. Hadjichristidis
  • Function : Author
D. Hauser
  • 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
Dieter Horns
  • Function : Author
O.C. de Jager
  • Function : Author
B. Khelifi
S. Klages
  • Function : Author
Nu. Komin
A. Konopelko
  • Function : Author
I.J. Latham
  • Function : Author
R. Le Gallou
  • Function : Author
M. Lemoine-Goumard
T. Lohse
J.M. Martin
  • Function : Author
A. Marcowith
C. Masterson
  • Function : Author
T.J.L. Mccomb
  • Function : Author
D. Nedbal
  • Function : Author
S.J. Nolan
  • Function : Author
A. Noutsos
  • Function : Author
K.J. Orford
  • Function : Author
J.L. Osborne
  • Function : Author
M. Panter
  • Function : Author
G. Puhlhofer
  • Function : Author
M. Punch
B.C. Raubenheimer
  • Function : Author
M. Raue
  • Function : Author
S.M. Rayner
  • Function : Author
A. Reimer
O. Reimer
  • Function : Author
J. Ripken
  • Function : Author
L. Rob
  • Function : Author
L. Rolland
G. Rowell
V. Sahakian
  • Function : Author
S. Schlenker
  • Function : Author
R. Schlickeiser
  • Function : Author
C. Schuster
  • Function : Author
U. Schwanke
M. Siewert
  • Function : Author
H. Sol
  • Function : Author
D. Spangler
  • Function : Author
R. Steenkamp
  • Function : Author
C. Stegmann
  • Function : Author
G. Superina
  • Function : Author
C. van Eldik
C. Venter
H.J. Volk
  • Function : Author
S.J. Wagner
  • Function : Author
M. Ward
  • Function : Author

Abstract

The Vela supernova remnant (SNR) is a complex region containing a number of sources of non-thermal radiation. The inner section of this SNR, within 2 degrees of the pulsar PSR B0833-45, has been observed by the H.E.S.S. gamma-ray atmospheric Cherenkov detector in 2004 and 2005. A strong signal is seen from an extended region to the south of the pulsar, within an integration region of radius 0.8 deg. around the position (RA = 08h 35m 00s, dec = -45 deg. 36' J2000.0). The excess coincides with a region of hard X-ray emission seen by the ROSAT and ASCA satellites. The observed energy spectrum of the source between 550 GeV and 65 TeV is well fit by a power law function with photon index = 1.45 +/- 0.09(stat) +/- 0.2(sys) and an exponential cutoff at an energy of 13.8 +/- 2.3(stat) +/- 4.1(sys) TeV. The integral flux above 1 TeV is (1.28 +/- 0.17 (stat) +/- 0.38(sys)) x 10^{-11} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. This result is the first clear measurement of a peak in the spectral energy distribution from a VHE gamma-ray source, likely related to inverse Compton emission. A fit of an Inverse Compton model to the H.E.S.S. spectral energy distribution gives a total energy in non-thermal electrons of ~2 x 10^{45} erg between 5 TeV and 100 TeV, assuming a distance of 290 parsec to the pulsar. The best fit electron power law index is 2.0, with a spectral break at 67 TeV.

Dates and versions

in2p3-00025549 , version 1 (14-08-2007)

Identifiers

Cite

F. Aharonian, A.G. Akhperjanian, A.R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, Wystan Benbow, et al.. First detection of a VHE gamma-ray spectral maximum from a Cosmic source: H.E.S.S. discovery of the Vela X nebula. Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A, 2006, 448, pp.L43-L47. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361:200600014⟩. ⟨in2p3-00025549⟩
25 View
0 Download

Altmetric

Share

More