Discovery of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the vicinity of PSR J1913+1011 with H.E.S.S

F. Aharonian , A.G. Akhperjanian , A.R. Bazer-Bachi (1) , B. Behera , M. Beilicke , W. Benbow , D. Berge , K. Bernlöhr , C. Boisson (2) , O. Bolz , V. Borrel (1) , I. Braun , E. Brion (3) , A.M. Brown , R. Bühler , T. Bulik , I. Büsching , T. Boutelier (4) , S. Carrigan , P.M. Chadwic , L.-M. Chounet (5) , A.C. Clapson , G. Coignet (6) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange (5) , H.J. Dickinson , A. Djannati-Ataï (7) , W. Domainko , L.O'C. Drury , G. Dubus (5) , J. Dyks , K. Egberts , D. Emmanoulopoulos , P. Espigat (8) , C. Farnier (9) , F. Feinstein (9) , A. Fiasson (9) , A. F¨orster , G. Fontaine (5) , Y. Fukui , Seb. Funk , S. Funk , M. Füssling , Y.A. Gallant (9) , B. Giebels (5) , J.F. Glicenstein (3) , B. Glück , P. Goret (3) , C. Hadjichristidis , D. Hauser , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri (4) , G. Hermann , J.A. Hinton , A. Hoffmann , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , S. Hoppe , D. Horns , A. Jacholkowska (9) , O.C. de Jager , E. Kendziorra , M. Kerschhagg , B. Khélifi (5) , Nu. Komin (9) , K. Kosack , G. Lamanna (6) , I.J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemière (8) , M. Lemoine-Goumard (5) , J.-P. Lenain (2) , T. Lohse , J.M. Martin (2) , O. Martineau-Huynh (10) , A. Marcowith (9) , C. Masterson , G. Maurin (8) , T.J.L. Mccomb , R. Moderski , Y. Moriguchi , Emmanuel Moulin (9) , M. de Naurois (10) , D. Nedbal , S.J. Nolan , J.-P. Olive (1) , K.J. Orford , J.L. Osborne , M. Ostrowski , M. Panter , G. Pedaletti , G. Pelletier (4) , P.-O. Petrucci (4) , S. Pita (8) , G. P¨uhlhofer , M. Punch (8) , S. Ranchon (6) , B.C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , S.M. Rayner , O. Reimer , M. Renaud , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland (3) , S. Rosier-Lees (6) , G. Rowell , B. Rudak , J. Ruppel , V. Sahakian , A. Santangelo , L. Saugé , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , R. Schroder , U. Schwanke , S. Schwarzburg , S. Schwemmer , A. Shalchi , H. Sol (2) , D. Spangler , Ł. Stawarz , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , G. Superina (5) , T. Takeuchi , P.H. Tam , J.-P. Tavernet (10) , R. Terrier (8) , C. van Eldik , G. Vasileiadis (9) , C. Venter , J.P. Vialle (6) , P. Vincent (10) , M. Vivier (3) , H.J. Volk , F. Volpe (5) , S.J. Wagner , M. Ward

1 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
2 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
3 DAPNIA - Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée
4 LAOG - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
5 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
6 LAPP - Laboratoire d'Annecy de Physique des Particules
7 APC - AHE - APC - Astrophysique des Hautes Energies
8 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
9 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
10 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies

The H.E.S.S. experiment, an array of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes with high sensitivity and large field-of-view, has been used to search for emitters of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) gamma-rays along the Galactic plane, covering the region 30 deg < l < 60 deg, 280 deg < l < 330 deg, and -3 deg < b < 3 deg. In this continuation of the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Scan, a new extended VHE gamma-ray source was discovered at alpha(2000)=19h12m49s, delta(2000)=+10d09'06'' (HESS J1912+101). Its integral flux between 1-10 TeV is ~10% of the Crab Nebula flux in the same energy range. The measured energy spectrum can be described by a power law with a photon index Gamma = 2.7+-0.2(stat)+-0.3(sys). HESS J1912+101 is plausibly associated with the high spin-down luminosity pulsar PSR J1913+1011. We also discuss associations with an as yet unconfirmed SNR candidate proposed from low frequency radio observation and/or with molecular clouds found in 13CO data.

Domaines: Astrophysique [astro-ph]; Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]

F. Aharonian, A.G. Akhperjanian, A.R. Bazer-Bachi, B. Behera, M. Beilicke, et al.. Discovery of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the vicinity of PSR J1913+1011 with H.E.S.S. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2008, 484, pp.435-440. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361:20078715⟩. ⟨in2p3-00260702⟩