Discovery of extended VHE gamma-ray emission from the asymmetric pulsar wind nebula in MSH 15-52 with HESS

The Supernova Remnant MSH 15-52 has been observed in very high energy (VHE) γ-rays using the HESS 4-telescope array located in Namibia. A γ-ray signal is detected at the 25 sigma level during an exposure of 22.1 h live time. The image reveals an elliptically shaped emission region around the pulsar...

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Veröffentlicht in:	Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin) 2005-05, Vol.435 (1), p.L17-L20
Hauptverfasser:	Aharonian, F., Akhperjanian, A. G., Aye, K.-M., Bazer-Bachi, A. R., Beilicke, M., Benbow, W., Berge, D., Berghaus, P., Bernlöhr, K., Boisson, C., Bolz, O., Braun, I., Breitling, F., Brown, A. M., Bussons Gordo, J., Chadwick, P. M., Chounet, L.-M., Cornils, R., Costamante, L., Degrange, B., Djannati-Ataï, A., L. O'C. Drury, Dubus, G., Emmanoulopoulos, D., Espigat, P., Feinstein, F., Fleury, P., Fontaine, G., Fuchs, Y., Funk, S., Gallant, Y. A., Giebels, B., Gillessen, S., Glicenstein, J. F., Goret, P., Hadjichristidis, C., Hauser, M., Heinzelmann, G., Henri, G., Hermann, G., Hinton, J. A., Hofmann, W., Holleran, M., Horns, D., de Jager, O. C., Khélifi, B., Komin, Nu, Konopelko, A., Latham, I. J., Le Gallou, R., Lemière, A., Lemoine-Goumard, M., Leroy, N., Lohse, T., Martineau-Huynh, O., Marcowith, A., Masterson, C., McComb, T. J. L., de Naurois, M., Nolan, S. J., Noutsos, A., Orford, K. J., Osborne, J. L., Ouchrif, M., Panter, M., Pelletier, G., Pita, S., Pühlhofer, G., Punch, M., Raubenheimer, B. C., Raue, M., Raux, J., Rayner, S. M., Redondo, I., Reimer, A., Reimer, O., Ripken, J., Rob, L., Rolland, L., Rowell, G., Sahakian, V., Saugé, L., Schlenker, S., Schlickeiser, R., Schuster, C., Schwanke, U., Siewert, M., Sol, H., Steenkamp, R., Stegmann, C., Tavernet, J.-P., Terrier, R., Théoret, C. G., Tluczykont, M., Vasileiadis, G., Venter, C., Vincent, P., Völk, H. J., Wagner, S. J.
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	Astrophysics Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics gamma-rays: observations ISM: individual objects: G 320.4–1.2 ISM: individual objects: PSR B1509–58 ISM: supernova remnants Physics pulsar wind nebula Sciences of the Universe
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Zusammenfassung:	The Supernova Remnant MSH 15-52 has been observed in very high energy (VHE) γ-rays using the HESS 4-telescope array located in Namibia. A γ-ray signal is detected at the 25 sigma level during an exposure of 22.1 h 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 ~$2'$. 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 $\Gamma=2.27\pm0.03_{\textrm {\scriptsize \,stat}}\pm 0.20_{\textrm{\scriptsize \,syst}}$. The detected emission can be plausibly explained by inverse Compton scattering of accelerated relativistic electrons with soft photons.
ISSN:	0004-6361 1432-0746 1432-0756
DOI:	10.1051/0004-6361:200500105