Discovery of the Binary Pulsar PSR B1259-63 in Very-High-Energy Gamma Rays around Periastron with H.E.S.S

We report the discovery of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission of the binary system PSR B1259-63/SS 2883 of a radio pulsar orbiting a massive, luminous Be star in a highly eccentric orbit. The observations around the 2004 periastron passage of the pulsar were performed with the four 13 m Cherenkov telescopes of the H.E.S.S. experiment, recently installed in Namibia and in full operation since December 2003. Between February and June 2004, a gamma-ray signal from the binary system was detected with a total significance above 13 sigma. The flux was found to vary significantly on timescales of days which makes PSR B1259-63 the first variable galactic source of VHE gamma-rays observed so far. Strong emission signals were observed in pre- and post-periastron phases with a flux minimum around periastron, followed by a gradual flux decrease in the months after. The measured time-averaged energy spectrum above a mean threshold energy of 380 GeV can be fitted by a simple power law F_0(E/1 TeV)^-Gamma with a photon index Gamma = 2.7+-0.2_stat+-0.2_sys and flux normalisation F_0 = (1.3+-0.1_stat+-0.3_sys) 10^-12 TeV^-1 cm^-2 s^-1. This detection of VHE gamma-rays provides unambiguous evidence for particle acceleration to multi-TeV energies in the binary system. In combination with coeval observations of the X-ray synchrotron emission by the RXTE and INTEGRAL instruments, and assuming the VHE gamma-ray emission to be produced by the inverse Compton mechanism, the magnetic field strength can be directly estimated to be of the order of 1 G.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics on 2 June 2005, replace: document unchanged, replaced author field in astro-ph entry - authors are all members of the H.E.S.S. collaboration and three additional authors (99+3, see document

A low level of extragalactic background light as revealed by big gamma-rays from blazars

The diffuse extragalactic background light consists of the sum of the starlight emitted by galaxies through the history of the Universe, and it could also have an important contribution from the 'first stars', which may have formed before galaxy formation began. Direct measurements are difficult and not yet conclusive, owing to the large uncertainties caused by the bright foreground emission associated with zodiacal light1. An alternative approach2, 3, 4, 5 is to study the absorption features imprinted on the -ray spectra of distant extragalactic objects by interactions of those photons with the background light photons6. Here we report the discovery of -ray emission from the blazars7 H 2356 - 309 and 1ES 1101 - 232, at redshifts z = 0.165 and z = 0.186, respectively. Their unexpectedly hard spectra provide an upper limit on the background light at optical/near-infrared wavelengths that appears to be very close to the lower limit given by the integrated light of resolved galaxies8. The background flux at these wavelengths accordingly seems to be strongly dominated by the direct starlight from galaxies, thus excluding a large contribution from other sources—in particular from the first stars formed9. This result also indicates that intergalactic space is more transparent to -rays than previously thought

Constraints on axionlike particles with H.E.S.S. from the irregularity of the PKS 2155-304 energy spectrum

Axionlike particles (ALPs) are hypothetical light (sub-eV) bosons predicted in some extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. In astrophysical environments comprising high-energy gamma rays and turbulent magnetic fields, the existence of ALPs can modify the energy spectrum of the gamma rays for a sufficiently large coupling between ALPs and photons. This modification would take the form of an irregular behavior of the energy spectrum in a limited energy range. Data from the H.E.S.S. observations of the distant BL Lac object PKS 2155-304 (z=0.116) are used to derive upper limits at the 95% C.L. on the strength of the ALP coupling to photons, ggammaa<2.1×10-11GeV-1 for an ALP mass between 15 and 60 neV. The results depend on assumptions on the magnetic field around the source, which are chosen conservatively. The derived constraints apply to both light pseudoscalar and scalar bosons that couple to the electromagnetic fieldFil: Medina, Maria Clementina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia (i); ArgentinaFil: H.E.S. S. collaboration

Observation of a sudden cessation of a very-high-energy gamma-ray flare in PKS 1510-089 with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC in May 2016

The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1510-089 is known for its complex multiwavelength behavior, and is one of only a few FSRQs detected at very high energy (VHE, E >100 GeV) -rays. VHE -ray observations with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC during late May and early June 2016 resulted in the detection of an unprecedented flare, which reveals for the first time VHE -ray intranight variability in this source. While a common variability timescale of 1.5 hr is found, there is a significant deviation near the end of the flare with a timescale of ∼ 20 min marking the cessation of the event. The peak flux is nearly two orders of magnitude above the low-level emission. For the first time, curvature is detected in the VHE -ray spectrum of PKS 1510-089, which is fully explained through absorption by the extragalactic background light. Optical R-band observations with ATOM reveal a counterpart of the -ray flare, even though the detailed flux evolution differs from the VHE lightcurve. Interestingly, a steep flux decrease is observed at the same time as the cessation of the VHE flare. In the high energy (HE, E >100 MeV) -ray band only a moderate flux increase is observed with Fermi-LAT, while the HE -ray spectrum significantly hardens up to a photon index of 1.6. A search for broad-line region (BLR) absorption features in the -ray spectrum indicates that the emission region is located outside of the BLR. Radio VLBI observations reveal a fast moving knot interacting with a standing jet feature around the time of the flare. As the standing feature is located ∼ 50 pc from the black hole, the emission region of the flare may have been located at a significant distance from the black hole. If this correlation is indeed true, VHE rays have been produced far down the jet where turbulent plasma crosses a standing shock.Accepted manuscrip

Energy dependent γ\gamma-ray morphology in the pulsar wind nebula HESS J1825-137

Aims. We present results from deep $\gamma$-ray observations of the Galactic pulsar wind nebula HESS J1825-137 performed with the HESS array. Methods. Detailed morphological and spatially resolved spectral studies reveal the very high-energy (VHE) $\gamma$-ray aspects of this object with unprecedented precision. Results. We confirm previous results obtained in a survey of the Galactic Plane in 2004. The $\gamma$-ray emission extends asymmetrically to the south and south-west of the energetic pulsar PSR J1826-1334 , that is thought to power the pulsar wind nebula. The differential $\gamma$-ray spectrum of the whole emission region is measured over more than two orders of magnitude, from 270 GeV to 35 TeV, and shows indications for a deviation from a pure power law. Spectra have also been determined for spatially separated regions of HESS J1825-137. The photon indices from a power-law fit in the different regions show a softening of the spectrum with increasing distance from the pulsar and therefore an energy dependent morphology. Conclusions. This is the first time that an energy dependent morphology has been detected in the VHE $\gamma$-ray regime. The VHE $\gamma$-ray emission of HESS J1825-137 is phenomenologically discussed in the scenario where the $\gamma$-rays are produced by VHE electrons via Inverse Compton scattering. The high $\gamma$-ray luminosity of the source cannot be explained on the basis of constant spin-down power of the pulsar and requires higher injection power in past

Energy dependent gamma-ray morphology in the pulsar wind nebula HESSJ1825-137

Aims. We present results from deep γ-ray observations of the Galactic pulsar wind nebula HESS J1825-137 performed with the HESS array. Methods. Detailed morphological and spatially resolved spectral studies reveal the very high-energy (VHE) γ-ray aspects of this object with unprecedented precision. Results. We confirm previous results obtained in a survey of the Galactic Plane in 2004. The γ-ray emission extends asymmetrically to the south and south-west of the energetic pulsar PSR J1826-1334, that is thought to power the pulsar wind nebula. The differential γ-ray spectrum of the whole emission region is measured over more than two orders of magnitude, from 270 GeV to 35 TeV, and shows indications for a deviation from a pure power law. Spectra have also been determined for spatially separated regions of HESS J1825-137. The photon indices from a power-law fit in the different regions show a softening of the spectrum with increasing distance from the pulsar and therefore an energy dependent morphology. Conclusions. This is the first time that an energy dependent morphology has been detected in the VHE γ-ray regime. The VHE γ-ray emission of HESS J1825-137 is phenomenologically discussed in the scenario where the γ-rays are produced by VHE electrons via Inverse Compton scattering. The high γ-ray luminosity of the source cannot be explained on the basis of constant spin-down power of the pulsar and requires higher injection power in past. © ESO 2006.F. Aharonian ... G. Rowell ... et al

A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way

Very high energy {gamma}-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy {gamma}-rays. At least two have no known radio or x-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of "dark" nucleonic cosmic ray sources

Calibration of cameras of the H.E.S.S. detector

H.E.S.S.—the high energy stereoscopic system—is a new system of large atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes for GeV/TeV astronomy. Each of the four telescopes of 107 m2 mirror area is equipped with a 960-pixel photomultiplier-tube camera. This paper describes the methods used to convert the photomultiplier signals into the quantities needed for Cherenkov image analysis. Two independent calibration techniques have been applied in parallel to provide an estimation of uncertainties. Results on the long-term stability of the H.E.S.S. cameras are also presented

Evidence for VHE gamma-ray emission from the distant BL Lac PG 1553+113

The high-frequency peaked BL Lac PG 1553+113 was observed in 2005 with the H.E.S.S. stereoscopic array of imaging atmospheric-Cherenkov telescopes in Namibia. Using the H.E.S.S. standard analysis, an excess was measured at the 4.0 sigma level in these observations (7.6 hours live time). Three alternative, lower-threshold analyses yield >5 sigma excesses. The observed integral flux above 200 GeV is (4.8 +/- 1.3_{stat} +/- 1.0_{syst}) x10^{-12} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, and shows no evidence for variability. The measured energy spectrum is characterized by a very soft power law (photon index of Gamma=4.0 +/- 0.6). Although the redshift of PG 1553+113 is unknown, there are strong indications that it is greater than z=0.25 and possibly larger than z=0.78. The observed spectrum is interpreted in the context of VHE gamma-ray absorption by the Extragalactic Background Light, and is used to place an upper limit on the redshift of z<0.74

Search for dark matter annihilation signals in the H.E.S.S. Inner Galaxy Survey

The central region of the Milky Way is one of the foremost locations to look for dark matter (DM) signatures. We report the first results on a search for DM particle annihilation signals using new observations from an unprecedented gamma-ray survey of the Galactic Center (GC) region, ${\it i.e.}$, the Inner Galaxy Survey, at very high energies ($\gtrsim$ 100 GeV) performed with the H.E.S.S. array of five ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. No significant gamma-ray excess is found in the search region of the 2014-2020 dataset and a profile likelihood ratio analysis is carried out to set exclusion limits on the annihilation cross section $\langle \sigma v\rangle$. Assuming Einasto and Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) DM density profiles at the GC, these constraints are the strongest obtained so far in the TeV DM mass range. For the Einasto profile, the constraints reach $\langle \sigma v\rangle$ values of $\rm 3.7\times10^{-26} cm^3s^{-1}$ for 1.5 TeV DM mass in the $W^+W^-$ annihilation channel, and $\rm 1.2 \times 10^{-26} cm^3s^{-1}$ for 0.7 TeV DM mass in the $\tau^+\tau^-$ annihilation channel. With the H.E.S.S. Inner Galaxy Survey, ground-based $\gamma$-ray observations thus probe $\langle \sigma v\rangle$ values expected from thermal-relic annihilating TeV DM particles