HESS upper limits for Kepler's supernova remnant

Aims. Observations of Kepler's supernova remnant (G4.5+6.8) with the HESS telescope array in 2004 and 2005 with a total live time of 13 h are presented. Methods. Stereoscopic imaging of Cherenkov radiation from extensive air showers is used to reconstruct the energy and direction of the incident gamma rays. Results. No evidence for a very high energy (VHE: >100 GeV) gamma-ray signal from the direction of the remnant is found. An upper limit (99% confidence level) on the energy flux in the range $230~{\rm GeV}{-}12.8~{\rm TeV}$ of 8.6 $\times$ $10^{-13}~{\rm erg}~{\rm cm}^{-2}~{\rm s}^{-1}$ is obtained. Conclusions. In the context of an existing theoretical model for the remnant, the lack of a detectable gamma-ray flux implies a distance of at least $6.4~{\rm kpc}$. A corresponding upper limit for the density of the ambient matter of $0.7~{\rm cm}^{-3}$ is derived. With this distance limit, and assuming a spectral index $\Gamma = 2$, the total energy in accelerated protons is limited to $E_{\rm p} < 8.6$ $\times$ $10^{49}~{\rm erg}$. In the synchrotron/inverse Compton framework, extrapolating the power law measured by RXTE between 10 and $20~{\rm keV}$ down in energy, the predicted gamma-ray flux from inverse Compton scattering is below the measured upper limit for magnetic field values greater than $52~\mu {\rm G}$

HESS upper limits for Kepler's supernova remnant

Aims. Observations of Kepler's supernova remnant (G4.5+6.8) with the HESS telescope array in 2004 and 2005 with a total live time of 13 h are presented. Methods. Stereoscopic imaging of Cherenkov radiation from extensive air showers is used to reconstruct the energy and direction of the incident gamma rays. Results. No evidence for a very high energy (VHE: >100 GeV) gamma-ray signal from the direction of the remnant is found. An upper limit (99% confidence level) on the energy flux in the range $230~{\rm GeV}{-}12.8~{\rm TeV}$ of 8.6 $\times$ $10^{-13}~{\rm erg}~{\rm cm}^{-2}~{\rm s}^{-1}$ is obtained. Conclusions. In the context of an existing theoretical model for the remnant, the lack of a detectable gamma-ray flux implies a distance of at least $6.4~{\rm kpc}$. A corresponding upper limit for the density of the ambient matter of $0.7~{\rm cm}^{-3}$ is derived. With this distance limit, and assuming a spectral index $\Gamma = 2$, the total energy in accelerated protons is limited to $E_{\rm p} < 8.6$ $\times$ $10^{49}~{\rm erg}$. In the synchrotron/inverse Compton framework, extrapolating the power law measured by RXTE between 10 and $20~{\rm keV}$ down in energy, the predicted gamma-ray flux from inverse Compton scattering is below the measured upper limit for magnetic field values greater than $52~\mu {\rm G}$

Discovery of VHE γ-rays from the high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object RGB J0152+017

Aims. The BL Lac object RGB J0152+017 (z=0.080) was predicted to be a very high-energy (VHE; >100 GeV) $\gamma$-ray source, due to its high X-ray and radio fluxes. Our aim is to understand the radiative processes by investigating the observed emission and its production mechanism using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) experiment. Methods. We report recent observations of the BL Lac source RGB J0152+017 made in late October and November 2007 with the HESS array consisting of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Contemporaneous observations were made in X-rays by the Swift and RXTE satellites, in the optical band with the ATOM telescope, and in the radio band with the Nançay Radio Telescope. Results. A signal of 173 $\gamma$-ray photons corresponding to a statistical significance of 6.6$\sigma$ was found in the data. The energy spectrum of the source can be described by a powerlaw with a spectral index of $\Gamma=2.95\pm0.36_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.20_{\mathrm{syst}}$. The integral flux above 300 GeV corresponds to ~2% of the flux of the Crab nebula. The source spectral energy distribution (SED) can be described using a two-component non-thermal synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) leptonic model, except in the optical band, which is dominated by a thermal host galaxy component. The parameters that are found are very close to those found in similar SSC studies in TeV blazars. Conclusions. RGB J0152+017 is discovered as a source of VHE $\gamma$-rays by HESS The location of its synchrotron peak, as derived from the SED in Swift data, allows clear classification as a high-frequency-peaked BL Lac (HBL)

Discovery of VHE γ-rays from the high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object RGB J0152+017

Aims. The BL Lac object RGB J0152+017 (z=0.080) was predicted to be a very high-energy (VHE; >100 GeV) $\gamma$-ray source, due to its high X-ray and radio fluxes. Our aim is to understand the radiative processes by investigating the observed emission and its production mechanism using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) experiment. Methods. We report recent observations of the BL Lac source RGB J0152+017 made in late October and November 2007 with the HESS array consisting of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Contemporaneous observations were made in X-rays by the Swift and RXTE satellites, in the optical band with the ATOM telescope, and in the radio band with the Nançay Radio Telescope. Results. A signal of 173 $\gamma$-ray photons corresponding to a statistical significance of 6.6$\sigma$ was found in the data. The energy spectrum of the source can be described by a powerlaw with a spectral index of $\Gamma=2.95\pm0.36_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.20_{\mathrm{syst}}$. The integral flux above 300 GeV corresponds to ~2% of the flux of the Crab nebula. The source spectral energy distribution (SED) can be described using a two-component non-thermal synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) leptonic model, except in the optical band, which is dominated by a thermal host galaxy component. The parameters that are found are very close to those found in similar SSC studies in TeV blazars. Conclusions. RGB J0152+017 is discovered as a source of VHE $\gamma$-rays by HESS The location of its synchrotron peak, as derived from the SED in Swift data, allows clear classification as a high-frequency-peaked BL Lac (HBL)