A candidate gamma-ray pulsar in the supernova remnant CTA 1

We present a detailed analysis of the high energy gamma-ray source 2EG J0008+7307. The source has a steady flux and a hard spectrum, softening above 2 GeV. The properties of the gamma-ray source are suggestive of emission from a young pulsar in the spatially coincident CTA 1 supernova remnant, which has recently been found to have a non-thermal X-ray plerion. Our 95% uncertainty contour around the >1 GeV source position includes the point-like X-ray source at the centre of the plerion. We propose that this object is a young pulsar and is the most likely counterpart of 2EG J0008+7307.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 6 pages including four PS figures. Uses mn.te

TeV neutrinos from microquasars in compact massive binaries

We consider a compact binary system in which a Wolf-Rayet star supplies matter onto a stellar mass black hole or a neutron star. This matter forms an accretion disk which ejects a jet as observed in Galactic microquasars. A part of the jet kinetic energy, typically 10%, can be transfered to relativistic nuclei. These nuclei lose nucleons as a result of photo-disintegration process in collisions with thermal photons from the accretion disk and the massive star. Due to the head on photon-nucleus collisions most of neutrons released from nuclei move towards the surface of the accretion disk and/or the massive star producing neutrinos in collisions with the matter. We calculate the spectra of muon neutrinos and expected neutrino event rates in a 1 km^2 neutrino detector of the IceCube type from a microquasar inside our Galaxy applying, as an example, the parameters of the Cyg X-3 binary system, provided that nuclei are accelerated to the Lorentz factors above 10^6 with the power law spectrum with an index close to 2.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, ApJ, accepte

Spectroscopy and 3D imaging of the Crab nebula

Spectroscopy of the Crab nebula along different slit directions reveals the 3 dimensional structure of the optical nebula. On the basis of the linear radial expansion result first discovered by Trimble (1968), we make a 3D model of the optical emission. Results from a limited number of slit directions suggest that optical lines originate from a complicated array of wisps that are located in a rather thin shell, pierced by a jet. The jet is certainly not prominent in optical emission lines, but the direction of the piercing is consistent with the direction of the X-ray and radio jet. The shell's effective radius is ~ 79 seconds of arc, its thickness about a third of the radius and it is moving out with an average velocity 1160 km/s.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures, submitted to ApJ, 3D movie of the Crab nebula available at http://www.fiz.uni-lj.si/~vidrih

Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission from Starburst Galaxies and M31

We present a search for high energy gamma-ray emission from 9 nearby starburst galaxies and M31 with the EGRET instrument aboard CGRO. Though the diffuse gamma-ray emission from starburst galaxies was suspected to be detectable, we find no emission from NGC 253, M82 nor from the average of all 9 galaxies. The 2 sigma upper limit for the EGRET flux above 100 MeV for the averaged survey observations is 1.8 x 10-8 ph cm-2 s-1. From a model of the expected radio and gamma-ray emission, we find that the magnetic field in the nuclei of these galaxies is > 25 micro Gauss, and the ratio of proton and electron densities is < 400. The EGRET limits indicate that the rate of massive star formation in the survey galaxies is only about an order of magnitude higher than in the Milky Way. The upper limit to the gamma-ray flux above 100 MeV for M31 is 1.6 x 10-8 ph cm-2 s-1. At the distance of M31, the Milky Way flux would be over twice this value, indicating higher gamma-ray emissivities in our Galaxy. Therefore, since the supernova rate of the Milky Way is higher than in M31, our null detection of M31 supports the theory of the supernova origin of cosmic rays in galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, plus 1 Postscript figure, AAS Latex macros v4.0, accepted for publication in ApJ Main Journa

Optical Spectrum of Main-, Inter- and Off-pulse Emission from Crab Pulsar

A dedicated stroboscopic device was used to obtain optical spectra of the Crab main-pulse and inter-pulse as well as the spectrum of the underlying nebula when the pulsar is turned off. As the nebular emission is very inhomogeneous, our ability to effectively subtract the nebular background signal is crucial. No spectral lines intrinsic to the pulsar are detected. The main-pulse and the inter-pulse behave as power laws, both with the same de-reddened index Alpha = +0.2 +- 0.1. This value was obtained by subtracting the nebular spectrum at the exact position of the pulsar. The underlying nebula is redder, Alpha = -0.4 +- 0.1. Its emission lines are split into approaching (sim. -1200 km/s) and receding (sim. +600 km/s) components. The strength of emission line components and the flux in nebular continuum vary on arcsec scale. The nebular line and continuum intensities along the N-S slit are given.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 10 pages, 3 Tables, 4 Figure

The AGASA/SUGAR Anisotropies and TeV Gamma Rays from the Galactic Center: A Possible Signature of Extremely High-energy Neutrons

Recent analysis of data sets from two extensive air shower cosmic ray detectors shows tantalizing evidence of an anisotropic overabundance of cosmic rays towards the Galactic Center (GC) that ``turns on'' around $10^{18}$ eV. We demonstrate that the anisotropy could be due to neutrons created at the Galactic Center through charge-exchange in proton-proton collisions, where the incident, high energy protons obey an $\sim E^{-2}$ power law associated with acceleration at a strong shock. We show that the normalization supplied by the gamma-ray signal from EGRET GC source 3EG J1746-2851 -- ascribed to pp induced neutral pion decay at GeV energies -- together with a very reasonable spectral index of 2.2, predicts a neutron flux at $\sim 10^{18}$ eV fully consistent with the extremely high energy cosmic ray data. Likewise, the normalization supplied by the very recent GC data from the HESS air-Cerenkov telescope at \~TeV energies is almost equally-well compatible with the $\sim 10^{18}$ eV cosmic ray data. Interestingly, however, the EGRET and HESS data appear to be themselves incompatible. We consider the implications of this discrepancy. We discuss why the Galactic Center environment can allow diffusive shock acceleration at strong shocks up to energies approaching the ankle in the cosmic ray spectrum. Finally, we argue that the shock acceleration may be occuring in the shell of Sagittarius A East, an unusual supernova remnant located very close to the Galactic Center. If this connection between the anisotropy and Sagittarius A East could be firmly established it would be the first direct evidence for a particular Galactic source of cosmic rays up to energies near the ankle.Comment: 57 pages, 2 figure