FERMI LAT DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED GAMMA-RAY EMISSION IN THE DIRECTION OF SUPERNOVA REMNANT W51C

Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Baring MG, Bastieri D, Baughman BM, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bouvier A, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Burnett TH, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Casandjian JM, Cecchi C, Celik O, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Cominsky LR, Conrad J, Cutini S, Dermer CD, De Angelis A, De Palma F, Digel SW, Dormody M, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Farnier C, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Focke WB, Fortin P, Frailis M, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giavitto G, Giebels B, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hanabata Y, Harding AK, Hayashida M, Hays E, Hughes RE, Jackson MS, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson TJ, Johnson WN, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Katsuta J, Kawai N, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kocian ML, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Makeev A, Mazziotta MN, Mcenery JE, Meurer C, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nakamori T, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Okumura A, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Paneque D, Parent D, Pelassa V, Pepe M, Pesce-Rollins M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Ritz S, Rodriguez AY, Romani RW, Roth M, Ryde F, Sadrozinski HFW, Sanchez D, Sander A, Parkinson PMS, Scargle JD, Schalk TL, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Tajima H, Takahashi HH, Takahashi T, Tanaka T, Thayer JB, Thayer JG, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Tibolla O, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Uchiyama Y, Usher TL, Vasileiou V, Venter C, Vilchez N, Vitale V, Waite AP, Wang P, Winer BL, Wood KS, Yamazaki R, Ylinen T, Ziegler M (2009)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2009

Journal

Book Volume: 706

Pages Range: L1-L6

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/706/1/L1

Abstract

The discovery of bright gamma-ray emission coincident with supernova remnant (SNR) W51C is reported using the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. W51C is a middle-aged remnant (similar to 10(4) yr) with intense radio synchrotron emission in its shell and known to be interacting with a molecular cloud. The gamma-ray emission is spatially extended, broadly consistent with the radio and X-ray extent of SNR W51C. The energy spectrum in the 0.2-50 GeV band exhibits steepening toward high energies. The luminosity is greater than 1 x 10(36) erg s(-1) given the distance constraint of D > 5.5 kpc, which makes this object one of the most luminous gamma-ray sources in our Galaxy. The observed gamma-rays can be explained reasonably by a combination of efficient acceleration of nuclear cosmic rays at supernova shocks and shock-cloud interactions. The decay of neutral pi mesons produced in hadronic collisions provides a plausible explanation for the gamma-ray emission. The product of the average gas density and the total energy content of the accelerated protons amounts to (n) over bar W-H(p) similar or equal to 5 x 10(51) (D/6 kpc)(2) erg cm(-3). Electron density constraints from the radio and X-ray bands render it difficult to explain the LAT signal as due to inverse Compton scattering. The Fermi LAT source coincident with SNR W51C sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Rice University United States (USA) (US) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University of Washington United States (USA) (US) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Sonoma State University United States (USA) (US) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan (JP) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) University of Tokyo Japan (JP) Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) / Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Germany (DE) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) University of Maryland United States (USA) (US) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) Japan (JP) Spanish National Research Council / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain (ES) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Germany (DE) Noordwes-Universiteit / North-West University South Africa (ZA)

How to cite

APA:

Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Baldini, L., Ballet, J., Barbiellini, G.,... Ziegler, M. (2009). FERMI LAT DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED GAMMA-RAY EMISSION IN THE DIRECTION OF SUPERNOVA REMNANT W51C. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 706(1), L1-L6. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/706/1/L1

MLA:

Abdo, A. A., et al. "FERMI LAT DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED GAMMA-RAY EMISSION IN THE DIRECTION OF SUPERNOVA REMNANT W51C." Astrophysical Journal Letters 706.1 (2009): L1-L6.

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