A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way

Aharonian, F; Akhperjanian, AG; Aye, KM; Bazer-Bachi, AR; Beilicke, M; Benbow, W; Berge, D; Berghaus, P; Bernlohr, K; Boisson, C; Bolz, O; Borgmeier, C; Braun, I; Breitling, F; Brown, AM; Gordo, JB; Chadwick, PM; Chounet, LM; Cornils, R; Costamante, L; Degrange, B; Djannati-Ata, A; Drury, LO; Dubus, G; Ergin, TÜLÜN; Espigat, P; Feinstein, F; Fteury, P; Fontaine, G; Funk, S; Gallant, YA; Giebels, B; Gillessen, S; Goret, P; Hadjichristidis, C; Hauser, M; Heinzelmann, G; Henri, G; Hermann, G; Hinton, JA; Hofmann, W; Holleran, M; Horns, D; de Jager, OC; Jung, I; Khelifi, B; Komin, N; Konopelko, A; Latham, IJ; Le Gallou, R; Lemiere, A; Lemoine, M; Leroy, N; Lohse, T; Marcowith, A; Masterson, C; McComb, TJL; de Naurois, M; Nolan, SJ; Noutsos, A; Orford, KJ; Osborne, JL; Ouchrif, M; Panter, M; Pelletier, G; Pita, S; Puhlhofer, G; Punch, M; Raubenheimer, BC; Raue, M; Raux, J; Rayner, SM; Redondo, I; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Ripken, J; Rob, L; Rolland, L; Rowell, G; Sahakian, V; Sauge, L; Schlenker, S; Schlickeiser, R; Schuster, C; Schwanke, U; Siewert, M; Sol, H; Steenkamp, R; Stegmann, C; Tavernet, JP; Terrier, R; Theoret, CG; Tluczykont, M; van der Walt, DJ; Vasileiadis, G; Venter, C; Vincent, P; Visser, B; Volk, HJ; Wagner, SJ

doi:10.1126/science.1108643

A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way

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Aharonian F., Akhperjanian A., Aye K., Bazer-Bachi A., Beilicke M., Benbow W., ...More

SCIENCE, vol.307, no.5717, pp.1938-1942, 2005 (SCI-Expanded)

Publication Type: Article / Article
Volume: 307 Issue: 5717
Publication Date: 2005
Doi Number: 10.1126/science.1108643
Journal Name: SCIENCE
Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
Page Numbers: pp.1938-1942
Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Very high energy gamma-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first-sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy gamma-rays. At least two have no known radio or x-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of "dark" nucleonic cosmic ray sources.