In:
Astronomy & Astrophysics, EDP Sciences, Vol. 612 ( 2018-4), p. A13-
Abstract:
The H.E.S.S. Collaboration has discovered a new very high energy (VHE, E 〉 0.1 TeV) γ -ray source, HESS J1741−302, located in the Galactic plane. Despite several attempts to constrain its nature, no plausible counterpart has been found so far at X-ray and MeV/GeV γ -ray energies, and the source remains unidentified. An analysis of 145-h of observations of HESS J1741−302 at VHEs has revealed a steady and relatively weak TeV source (~1% of the Crab Nebula flux), with a spectral index of Γ = 2.3 ± 0.2 stat ± 0.2 sys , extending to energies up to 10 TeV without any clear signature of a cut-off. In a hadronic scenario, such a spectrum implies an object with particle acceleration up to energies of several hundred TeV. Contrary to most H.E.S.S. unidentified sources, the angular size of HESS J1741−302 is compatible with the H.E.S.S. point spread function at VHEs, with an extension constrained to be below 0.068° at a 99% confidence level. The γ -ray emission detected by H.E.S.S. can be explained both within a hadronic scenario, due to collisions of protons with energies of hundreds of TeV with dense molecular clouds, and in a leptonic scenario, as a relic pulsar wind nebula, possibly powered by the middle-aged (20 kyr) pulsar PSR B1737−30. A binary scenario, related to the compact radio source 1LC 358.266+0.038 found to be spatially coincident with the best fit position of HESS J1741−302, is also envisaged.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0004-6361
,
1432-0746
DOI:
10.1051/0004-6361/201730581
Language:
English
Publisher:
EDP Sciences
Publication Date:
2018
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1458466-9
SSG:
16,12
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