Upper limits to the SN1006 multi-TeV gamma-ray flux from HESS observations

F. Aharonian , A. G. Akhperjanian , K.-M. Aye , A. R. Bazer-Bachi , M. Beilicke , W. Benbow , D. Berge , P. Berghaus (1) , K. Bernlöhr , C. Boisson , O. Bolz , C. Borgmeier , F. Breitling , A. M. Brown , J. Bussons Gordo (2) , P. M. Chadwick , L.-M. Chounet (3) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange (3) , A. Djannati-Ataï (1) , L. O'C. Drury , G. Dubus (3) , T. Ergin , P. Espigat (1) , F. Feinstein (2) , P. Fleury (3) , G. Fontaine (3) , S. Funk , Y.A. Gallant (2) , B. Giebels (3) , S. Gillessen , P. Goret , C. Hadjichristidis , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri , G. Hermann , J. A. Hinton , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , D. Horns , O. C. de Jager , I. Jung , B. Khélifi , Nu. Komin , A. Konopelko , I. J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemière (1) , M. Lemoine (3) , N. Leroy (3) , T. Lohse , A. Marcowith , C. Masterson , T. J. L. Mccomb , M. de Naurois (4) , S. J. Nolan , A. Noutsos , K. J. Orford , J. L. Osborne , M. Ouchrif (4) , M. Panter , G. Pelletier , S. Pita (1) , G. Pühlhofer , M. Punch (1) , B. C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , J. Raux (4) , S. M. Rayner , I. Redondo (3) , A. Reimer , O. Reimer , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland (4) , G. P. Rowell , V. Sahakian , L. Saugé , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , C. Schuster , U. Schwanke , M. Siewert , H. Sol , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , J.-P. Tavernet (4) , C.G. Théoret (1) , M. Tluczykont (3) , D. J. van Der Walt , G. Vasileiadis (2) , P. Vincent (4) , B. Visser , H. J. Völk , S. J. Wagner

1 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
2 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
3 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
4 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies

Observations of the shell-type supernova remnant SN1006 have been carried out with the HESS system of Cherenkov telescopes during 2003 (18.2 h with two operating telescopes) and 2004 (6.3 h with all four telescopes). No evidence for TeV $\gamma$-ray emission from any compact or extended region associated with the remnant is seen and resulting upper limits at the 99.9% confidence level are up to a factor 10 lower than previously-published fluxes from CANGAROO. For SN1006 at its current epoch of evolution we define limits for a number of important global parameters. Upper limits on the $\gamma$-ray luminosity (for E = 0.26 to 10 TeV, distance d = 2 kpc) of $L_\gamma < 1.7$ $\times$ 1033 erg s-1, and the total energy in corresponding accelerated protons, $W_{\rm p}<1.6$ $\times$ 1050 erg are estimated (for proton energies $E_{\rm p} \sim 1.5$ to 60 TeV and assuming the lowest value n=0.05 cm-3 of the ambient target density discussed in literature). Extending this estimate to cover the range of proton energies observed in the cosmic ray spectrum up to the knee (we take here $E_{\rm p} \sim$ 1 GeV to 3 PeV, assuming a differential particle index -2) gives $W_{\rm p}<6.3$ $\times$ 1050 erg. A lower limit on the post-shock magnetic field of $B>25~\mu$G results when considering the synchrotron/inverse-Compton framework for the observed X-ray flux and $\gamma$-ray upper limits.

Keywords: gamma rays: observations; ISM: supernova remnants

Domains: Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysics [astro-ph]

F. Aharonian, A. G. Akhperjanian, K.-M. Aye, A. R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, et al.. Upper limits to the SN1006 multi-TeV gamma-ray flux from HESS observations. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2005, 437, pp.135-139. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361:20042522⟩. ⟨in2p3-00024436⟩