SUPERNOVA REMNANT KESTEVEN 27: INTERACTION WITH A NEIGHBOR HI CLOUD VIEWED BY FERMI

We report on the likely detection of gamma-ray emission from the supernova remnant (SNR) Kesteven 27 (Kes 27). We analyze 5.7 yr Fermi Large Area Telescope data of the SNR region and find an unresolved source at a position consistent with the radio brightness peak and the X-ray knot of Kes 27, which is located in the eastern region of the SNR and caused by its interaction with a nearby HI cloud. The source's emission is best fit with a power-law spectrum with a photon index of 2.5 +/- 0.1 and a >0.2 GeV luminosity of 5.8 x 10(34) erg s(-1) assuming a distance of 4.3 kpc, as derived from radio observations of the nearby HI cloud. Comparing the properties of the source with that of other SNRs that are known to be interacting with nearby high-density clouds, we discuss the origin of the source's emission. The spectral energy distribution of the source can be described by a hadronic model that considers the interaction of energetic protons escaping from the shock front of Kes 27 with a high-density cloud.