Discovery of extended VHE γ-ray emission from the vicinity of the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1

被引:83
|
作者
Abramowski, A. [1 ,2 ]
Acero, F. [3 ,4 ,5 ]
Aharonian, F. [5 ,6 ]
Akhperjanian, A. G. [7 ]
Anton, G. [7 ]
Balzer, A. [7 ]
Barnacka, A. [8 ,9 ]
de Almeida, U. Barres [10 ]
Becherini, Y. [11 ,12 ,13 ]
Becker, J. [14 ]
Behera, B. [15 ]
Bernloehr, K. [3 ,16 ]
Birsin, E. [16 ]
Biteau, J. [13 ]
Bochow, A. [3 ]
Boisson, C. [17 ]
Bolmont, J. [18 ]
Bordas, P. [19 ]
Brucker, J. [7 ]
Brun, F. [13 ]
Brun, P. [9 ]
Bulik, T. [20 ]
Buesching, I. [13 ]
Carrigan, S. [3 ]
Casanova, S. [17 ]
Cerruti, M. [17 ]
Chadwick, P. M. [10 ]
Charbonnier, A. [18 ]
Chaves, R. C. G. [3 ]
Cheesebrough, A. [10 ]
Chounet, L. -M. [13 ]
Clapson, A. C. [3 ]
Coignet, G. [22 ]
Cologna, G. [15 ]
Conrad, J. [23 ]
Dalton, M. [16 ]
Daniel, M. K. [10 ]
Davids, I. D. [24 ]
Degrange, B. [13 ]
Deil, C. [3 ]
Dickinson, H. J. [23 ]
Djannati-Atai, A. [11 ,12 ]
Domainko, W. [3 ]
Drury, L. O'C. [4 ]
Dubois, F. [22 ]
Dubus, G. [25 ]
Dutson, K. [26 ]
Dyks, J. [8 ]
Dyrda, M. [27 ]
Egberts, K. [28 ]
机构
[1] Univ Hamburg, Inst Expt Phys, D-22761 Hamburg, Germany
[2] Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Lab Univ & Particules Montpellier, F-34095 Montpellier 5, France
[3] Max Planck Inst Kernphys, D-69029 Heidelberg, Germany
[4] Dublin Inst Adv Studies, Dublin 2, Ireland
[5] Natl Acad Sci Republ Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia
[6] Yerevan Phys Inst, Yerevan 375036, Armenia
[7] Univ Erlangen Nurnberg, Inst Phys, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
[8] Nicolaus Copernicus Astron Ctr, PL-00716 Warsaw, Poland
[9] CEA Saclay, DSM IRFU, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette 91191, France
[10] Univ Durham, Dept Phys, Durham DH1 3LE, England
[11] Univ Paris 07, CNRS, Astroparticule & Cosmol APC, F-75205 Paris 13, France
[12] Univ Paris 07, CNRS, CEA, Observ Paris,UMR 7164, F-75205 Paris 13, France
[13] Ecole Polytech, CNRS IN2P3, Laboratoire Leprince Ringuet, F-91128 Palaiseau, France
[14] Ruhr Univ Bochum, Inst Theoret Phys, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
[15] Heidelberg Univ, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
[16] Humboldt Univ, Inst Phys, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
[17] Univ Paris Diderot, Observ Paris, CNRS, LUTH, F-92190 Meudon, France
[18] Univ Denis Diderot Paris 7, Univ Paris 06, CNRS IN2P3, LPNHE, F-75252 Paris 5, France
[19] Univ Tubingen, Inst Astron & Astrophys, D-72076 Tubingen, Germany
[20] Univ Warsaw, Astron Observ, PL-00478 Warsaw, Poland
[21] North West Univ, Unit Space Phys, ZA-2520 Potchefstroom, South Africa
[22] Univ Savoie, Lab Annecy Le Vieux Phys Particules, CNRS IN2P3, Annecy Le Vieux, France
[23] Stockholm Univ, Albanova Univ Ctr, Dept Phys, Oskar Klein Ctr, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
[24] Univ Namibia, Dept Phys, Windhoek, Namibia
[25] Univ Joseph Fourier, Lab Astrophys Grenoble, INSU CNRS, F-38041 Grenoble 9, France
[26] Univ Leicester, Dept Phys & Astron, Leicester LE1 7RH, Leics, England
[27] Inst Fizyki Jadrowej PAN, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
[28] Leopold Franzens Univ Innsbruck, Inst Astro & Teilchenphys, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
[29] Jagiellonian Univ, Obserwatorium Astronomiczne, PL-30244 Krakow, Poland
[30] Nicholas Copernicus Univ, Torun Ctr Astron, PL-87100 Torun, Poland
[31] Univ Adelaide, Sch Chem Phys, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
[32] Charles Univ Prague, Inst Particle & Nucl Phys, Fac Math & Phys, Prague 180, Czech Republic
[33] Univ Leeds, Sch Phys Astron, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England
来源
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS | 2012年 / 537卷
基金
新加坡国家研究基金会;
关键词
open clusters and associations: general; gamma rays: stars; astroparticle physics; GALACTIC PLANE SURVEY; PARTICLE-ACCELERATION; MOLECULAR CLOUDS; REDDENED CLUSTER; RADIO-EMISSION; STAR-CLUSTERS; COSMIC-RAYS; MILKY-WAY; X-RAYS; HESS;
D O I
10.1051/0004-6361/201117928
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
Aims. Results obtained in very-high-energy (VHE; E >= 100 GeV) gamma-ray observations performed with the H.E.S.S. telescope array are used to investigate particle acceleration processes in the vicinity of the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1 (Wd 1). Methods. Imaging of Cherenkov light from gamma-ray induced particle cascades in the Earth's atmosphere is used to search for VHE gamma rays from the region around Wd 1. Possible catalogued counterparts are searched for and discussed in terms of morphology and energetics of the H.E.S.S. source. Results. The detection of the degree-scale extended VHE gamma-ray source HESS J1646-458 is reported based on 45 h of H.E.S.S. observations performed between 2004 and 2008. The VHE gamma-ray source is centred on the nominal position of Wd 1 and detected with a total statistical significance of similar to 20 sigma. The emission region clearly extends beyond the H.E.S.S. point-spread function (PSF). The differential energy spectrum follows a power law in energy with an index of Gamma = 2.19 +/- 0.08(stat) +/- 0.20(sys) and a flux normalisation at 1 TeV of Phi(0) = (9.0 +/- 1.4(stat) +/- 1.8(sys)) x 10(-12) TeV-1 cm(-2) s(-1). The integral flux above 0.2 TeV amounts to (5.2 +/- 0.9) x 10(-11) cm(-2) s(-1). Conclusions. Four objects coincident with HESS J1646-458 are discussed in the search of a counterpart, namely the magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216, the X-ray binary 4U 1642-45, the pulsar PSR J1648-4611 and the massive stellar cluster Wd 1. In a single-source scenario, Wd 1 is favoured as site of VHE particle acceleration. Here, a hadronic parent population would be accelerated within the stellar cluster. Beside this, there is evidence for a multi-source origin, where a scenario involving PSR J1648-4611 could be viable to explain parts of the VHE gamma-ray emission of HESS J1646-458.
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