257 research outputs found
Detection of extended gamma-ray emission around the Geminga pulsar with H.E.S.S
Geminga is an enigmatic radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar located at a mere 250 pc
distance from Earth. Extended very-high-energy gamma-ray emission around the
pulsar was discovered by Milagro and later confirmed by HAWC, which are both
water Cherenkov detector-based experiments. However, evidence for the Geminga
pulsar wind nebula in gamma rays has long evaded detection by imaging
atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) despite targeted observations. The
detection of gamma-ray emission on angular scales > 2 deg poses a considerable
challenge for the background estimation in IACT data analysis. With recent
developments in understanding the complementary background estimation
techniques of water Cherenkov and atmospheric Cherenkov instruments, the
H.E.S.S. IACT array can now confirm the detection of highly extended gamma-ray
emission around the Geminga pulsar with a radius of at least 3 deg in the
energy range 0.5-40 TeV. We find no indications for statistically significant
asymmetries or energy-dependent morphology. A flux normalisation of
cmsTeV at 1 TeV is obtained
within a 1 deg radius region around the pulsar. To investigate the particle
transport within the halo of energetic leptons around the pulsar, we fitted an
electron diffusion model to the data. The normalisation of the diffusion
coefficient obtained of
cms, at an electron energy of 100 TeV, is compatible with values
previously reported for the pulsar halo around Geminga, which is considerably
below the Galactic average.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
HESS J1809193: a halo of escaped electrons around a pulsar wind nebula?
Context. HESS J1809193 is an unassociated very-high-energy -ray
source located on the Galactic plane. While it has been connected to the nebula
of the energetic pulsar PSR J18091917, supernova remnants and molecular
clouds present in the vicinity also constitute possible associations. Recently,
the detection of -ray emission up to energies of 100 TeV with the
HAWC observatory has led to renewed interest in HESS J1809193.
Aims. We aim to understand the origin of the -ray emission of HESS
J1809193.
Methods. We analysed 93.2 h of data taken on HESS J1809193 above 0.27 TeV
with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), using a multi-component,
three-dimensional likelihood analysis. In addition, we provide a new analysis
of 12.5 yr of Fermi-LAT data above 1 GeV within the region of HESS J1809193.
The obtained results are interpreted in a time-dependent modelling framework.
Results. For the first time, we were able to resolve the emission detected
with H.E.S.S. into two components: an extended component that exhibits a
spectral cut-off at 13 TeV, and a compact component that is located close
to PSR J18091917 and shows no clear spectral cut-off. The Fermi-LAT analysis
also revealed extended -ray emission, on scales similar to that of the
extended H.E.S.S. component.
Conclusions. Our modelling indicates that based on its spectrum and spatial
extent, the extended H.E.S.S. component is likely caused by inverse Compton
emission from old electrons that form a halo around the pulsar wind nebula. The
compact component could be connected to either the pulsar wind nebula or the
supernova remnant and molecular clouds. Due to its comparatively steep
spectrum, modelling the Fermi-LAT emission together with the H.E.S.S.
components is not straightforward. (abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. Corresponding
authors: Vikas Joshi, Lars Mohrman
H.E.S.S. follow-up observations of GRB221009A
GRB221009A is the brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected. To probe the
very-high-energy (VHE, \!100 GeV) emission, the High Energy Stereoscopic
System (H.E.S.S.) began observations 53 hours after the triggering event, when
the brightness of the moonlight no longer precluded observations. We derive
differential and integral upper limits using H.E.S.S. data from the third,
fourth, and ninth nights after the initial GRB detection, after applying
atmospheric corrections. The combined observations yield an integral energy
flux upper limit of above GeV. The
constraints derived from the H.E.S.S. observations complement the available
multiwavelength data. The radio to X-ray data are consistent with synchrotron
emission from a single electron population, with the peak in the SED occurring
above the X-ray band. Compared to the VHE-bright GRB190829A, the upper limits
for GRB221009A imply a smaller gamma-ray to X-ray flux ratio in the afterglow.
Even in the absence of a detection, the H.E.S.S. upper limits thus contribute
to the multiwavelength picture of GRB221009A, effectively ruling out an IC
dominated scenario.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in APJL. Corresponding
authors: J. Damascene Mbarubucyeye, H. Ashkar, S. J. Zhu, B. Reville, F.
Sch\"ussle
A MeerKAT, e-MERLIN, H.E.S.S. and Swift search for persistent and transient emission associated with three localised FRBs
A deep spectromorphological study of the -ray emission surrounding the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1
Young massive stellar clusters are extreme environments and potentially
provide the means for efficient particle acceleration. Indeed, they are
increasingly considered as being responsible for a significant fraction of
cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated within the Milky Way. Westerlund 1, the most
massive known young stellar cluster in our Galaxy is a prime candidate for
studying this hypothesis. While the very-high-energy -ray source HESS
J1646-458 has been detected in the vicinity of Westerlund 1 in the past, its
association could not be firmly identified. We aim to identify the physical
processes responsible for the -ray emission around Westerlund 1 and
thus to better understand the role of massive stellar clusters in the
acceleration of Galactic CRs. Using 164 hours of data recorded with the High
Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), we carried out a deep
spectromorphological study of the -ray emission of HESS J1646-458. We
furthermore employed H I and CO observations of the region to infer the
presence of gas that could serve as target material for interactions of
accelerated CRs. We detected large-scale ( diameter) -ray
emission with a complex morphology, exhibiting a shell-like structure and
showing no significant variation with -ray energy. The combined energy
spectrum of the emission extends to several tens of TeV, and is uniform across
the entire source region. We did not find a clear correlation of the
-ray emission with gas clouds as identified through H I and CO
observations. We conclude that, of the known objects within the region, only
Westerlund 1 can explain the bulk of the -ray emission. Several CR
acceleration sites and mechanisms are conceivable, and discussed in detail.
(abridged)Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Corresponding authors: L. Mohrmann, S. Ohm, R.
Rauth, A. Specoviu
Detection of extended TeV emission around the Geminga pulsar with H.E.S.S.
Highly extended gamma-ray emission around the Geminga pulsar was discovered by Milagro and verified by HAWC. Despite many observations with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), detection of gamma-ray emission on angular scales exceeding the IACT field-of-view has proven challenging. Recent developments in analysis techniques have enabled the detection of significant emission around Geminga in archival data with H.E.S.S.. In 2019, further data on the Geminga region were obtained with an adapted observation strategy. Following the announcement of the detection of significant TeV emission around Geminga in archival data, in this contribution we present the detection in an independent dataset. New analysis results will be presented, and emphasis given to the technical challenges involved in observations of highly extended gamma-ray emission with IACTs
Astronomy outreach in Namibia : H.E.S.S. and beyond
Astronomy plays a major role in the scientific landscape of Namibia. Because of its excellent sky conditions, Namibia is home to ground-based observatories like the High Energy Spectroscopic System (H.E.S.S.), in operation since 2002. Located near the Gamsberg mountain, H.E.S.S. performs groundbreaking science by detecting very-high-energy gamma rays from astronomical objects. The fascinating stories behind many of them are featured regularly in the "Source of the Month", a blog-like format intended for the general public with more than 170 features to date. In addition to other online communication via social media, H.E.S.S. outreach activities have been covered locally, e.g. through 'open days' and guided tours on the site itself. An overview of the H.E.S.S. outreach activities are presented in this contribution, along with discussions relating to the current landscape of astronomy outreach and education in Namibia. There has also been significant activity in the country in recent months, whereby astronomy is being used to further sustainable development via human capacity-building. Finally, as we take into account the future prospects of radio astronomy in the country, momentum for a wider range of astrophysics research is clearly building — this presents a great opportunity for the astronomy community to come together to capitalise on this movement and support astronomy outreach, with the overarching aim to advance sustainable development in Namibia
Detection of new Extreme BL Lac objects with H.E.S.S. and Swift XRT
Extreme high synchrotron peaked blazars (EHBLs) are amongst the most powerful accelerators found in nature. Usually the synchrotron peak frequency of an EHBL is above 10 Hz, i.e., lies in the range of medium to hard X-rays making them ideal sources to study particle acceleration and radiative processes. EHBL objects are commonly observed at energies beyond several TeV, making them powerful probes of gamma-ray absorption in the intergalactic medium. During the last decade, several attempts have been made to increase the number of EHBL detected at TeV energies and probe their spectral characteristics. Here we report new detections of EHBLs in the TeV energy regime, each at a redshift of less than 0.2, by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). Also, we report on X-ray observations of these EHBLs candidates with Swift-XRT. In conjunction with the very high energy observations, this allows us to probe the radiation mechanisms and the underlying particle acceleration processes
Limits on primordial black hole evaporation from H.E.S.S. observations
Primordial Black Holes are expected to be formed in the early Universe by the gravitational collapse of overdense regions, among other mechanisms. They are also expected to loose their mass over time by the Hawking radiation process. As the rates of this radiation increase with temperature, the PBH evaporation should result in a violent explosion. The current upper limits on explosion rates are on the order of 10 − 10pcyr. In this contribution we'll present the results of a search for TeV γ-ray burst within timescale of few seconds, using nearly 5000 hours of H.E.S.S. data. The search algorithm and statistical estimation strategy will be presented as well as cosmological implications of this measurement
Science verification of the new FlashCam-based camera in the 28 m telescope of H.E.S.S.
In October 2019 the central 28 m telescope of the H.E.S.S. experiment has been upgraded with a new camera. The camera is based on the FlashCam design which has been developed in view of a possible future implementation in the medium-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). We report here on the results of the science verification program that has been performed after commissioning of the new camera, to show that the camera and software pipelines are working up to expectations
- …