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

Aharonian, F.; Akhperjanian, A.G.; Aye, K.M.; Bazer-Bachi, A.R.; Beilicke, M.; Benbow, W.; Berge, D.; Berghaus, P.; Bernlohr, K.; Boisson, C.; Bolz, O.; Braun, I.; Breitling, F.; Brown, A.M.; Gordo, J.B.; Chadwick, P.M.; Chounet, L.M.; Cornils, R.; Costamante, L.; Degrange, B.; Djannati-Atai, A.; Drury, L.O.; 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.; Khelifi, B.; Komin, N.; Konopelko, A.; Latham, I.J.; Le Gallou, R.; Lemiere, 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.; Puhlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Raubenheimer, B.C.; Raue, M.;...

Abstract

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 ~ in the NW-SE direction and semi-minor axis ~. 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 . The detected emission can be plausibly explained by inverse Compton scattering of accelerated relativistic electrons with soft photons. 


Citation

Aharonian, F., Akhperjanian, A., Aye, K., Bazer-Bachi, A., Beilicke, M., Benbow, W., …Wagner, S. (2005). Discovery of extended VHE gamma-ray emission from the asymmetric pulsar wind nebula in MSH 15-52 with HESS. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 435(1), L17-L20. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%3A200500105

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 27, 2005
• Online Publication Date: Apr 25, 2005
• Publication Date: 2005-05
• Journal: Astronomy and astrophysics.
• Print ISSN: 0004-6361
• Electronic ISSN: 1432-0746
• Publisher: EDP Sciences
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 435
• Issue: 1
• Pages: L17-L20
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%3A200500105
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1610661