Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants

Markus Ackermann; Marco Ajello; A. Allafort; Luca Baldini; Jean Ballet; Guido Barbiellini; M. G. Baring; D. Bastieri; K. Bechtol; R. Bellazzini; R. D. Blandford; E. D. Bloom; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; E. Bottacini; T. J. Brandt; J. Bregeon; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; R. Buehler; G. Busetto; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; P. A. Caraveo; J. M. Casandjian; C. Cecchi; Ö. Çelik; E. Charles; S. Chaty; R. C. G. Chaves; A. Chekhtman; C. C. Cheung; J. Chiang; G. Chiaro; A. N. Cillis; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; L. R. Cominsky; J. Conrad; S. Corbel; S. Cutini; F. d'Ammando; A. de Angelis; F. de Palma; C. D. Dermer; E. Do Couto E Silva; P. S. Drell; A. Drlica-Wagner; L. Falletti; C. Favuzzi; E. C. Ferrara; A. Franckowiak; Y. Fukazawa; S. Funk; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; S. Germani; N. Giglietto; P. Giommi; F. Giordano; M. Giroletti; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; I. A. Grenier; M.-H. Grondin; J. E. Grove; S. Guiriec; D. Hadasch; Y. Hanabata; A. K. Harding; M. Hayashida; K. Hayashi; E. Hays; J. W. Hewitt; A. B. Hill; R. E. Hughes; M. S. Jackson; T. Jogler; G. Jóhannesson; A. S. Johnson; T. Kamae; J. Kataoka; J. Katsuta; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. Kuss; J. Lande; S. Larsson; L. Latronico; M. Lemoine-Goumard; F. Longo; F. Loparco; M. N. Lovellette; P. Lubrano; G. M. Madejski; F. Massaro; M. Mayer; M. N. Mazziotta; J. E. Mcenery; J. Mehault; P. F. Michelson; R. P. Mignani; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; A. A. Moiseev; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; T. Nakamori; R. Nemmen; E. Nuss; M. Ohno; T. Ohsugi; N. Omodei; M. Orienti; E. Orlando; J. F. Ormes; D. Paneque; J. S. Perkins; M. Pesce-Rollins; F. Piron; G. Pivato; S. Rainò; R. Rando; M. Razzano; S. Razzaque; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; S. Ritz; C. Romoli; M. Sánchez-Conde; A. Schulz; C. Sgrò; P. E. Simeon; E. J. Siskind; David Stanley Smith; G. Spandre; P. Spinelli; F. W. Stecker; A. W. Strong; D. J. Suson; H. Tajima; H. Takahashi; T. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; J. G. Thayer; J. B. Thayer; D. J. Thompson; S. E. Thorsett; L. Tibaldo; O. Tibolla; M. Tinivella; E. Troja; Y. Uchiyama; T. L. Usher; J. Vandenbroucke; V. Vasileiou; G. Vianello; V. Vitale; A. P. Waite; M. Werner; B. L. Winer; K. S. Wood; M. Wood; R. Yamazaki; Z. Yang; S. Zimmer

doi:10.1126/science.1231160

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Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants

Journal article

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Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants

Markus Ackermann, Marco Ajello, A. Allafort, Luca Baldini, Jean Ballet, Guido Barbiellini, M. G. Baring, D. Bastieri, K. Bechtol, R. Bellazzini, …

Science, Vol.339, pp.807-811

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1231160

Abstract

Cosmic rays are particles (mostly protons) accelerated to relativistic speeds. Despite wide agreement that supernova remnants (SNRs) are the sources of galactic cosmic rays, unequivocal evidence for the acceleration of protons in these objects is still lacking. When accelerated protons encounter interstellar material, they produce neutral pions, which in turn decay into gamma rays. This offers a compelling way to detect the acceleration sites of protons. The identification of pion-decay gamma rays has been difficult because high-energy electrons also produce gamma rays via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. We detected the characteristic pion-decay feature in the gamma-ray spectra of two SNRs, IC 443 and W44, with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This detection provides direct evidence that cosmic-ray protons are accelerated in SNRs.

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Title: Detection of the Characteristic Pion-Decay Signature in Supernova Remnants
Creators - without role: Markus Ackermann - Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Marco Ajello - University of California, Berkeley
A. Allafort - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Luca Baldini - University of Pisa
Jean Ballet - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
Guido Barbiellini - University of Trieste
M. G. Baring
D. Bastieri - University of Padua
K. Bechtol - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Bellazzini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
R. D. Blandford
E. D. Bloom
E. Bonamente - University of Perugia
A. W. Borgland
E. Bottacini - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. J. Brandt - Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie
J. Bregeon - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Brigida - Polytechnic University of Bari
Pascal Bruel - École Polytechnique
R. Buehler - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. Busetto - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
S. Buson - University of Padua
G. A. Caliandro
R. A. Cameron
P. A. Caraveo - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
J. M. Casandjian - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
C. Cecchi - University of Perugia
Ö. Çelik - Goddard Space Flight Center
E. Charles - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Chaty - Université Paris Cité
R. C. G. Chaves
A. Chekhtman - George Mason University
C. C. Cheung
J. Chiang - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. Chiaro - University of Padua
A. N. Cillis
S. Ciprini - University of Perugia
R. Claus - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Cohen-Tanugi - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
L. R. Cominsky
J. Conrad - Stockholm University
S. Corbel - Institut Universitaire de France
S. Cutini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. d'Ammando
A. de Angelis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
F. de Palma - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
C. D. Dermer
E. Do Couto E Silva
P. S. Drell
A. Drlica-Wagner - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
L. Falletti - Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier
C. Favuzzi - Polytechnic University of Bari
E. C. Ferrara
A. Franckowiak - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
S. Funk - Stanford University
P. Fusco - Polytechnic University of Bari
F. Gargano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
S. Germani - University of Perugia
N. Giglietto - Polytechnic University of Bari
P. Giommi - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. Giroletti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
T. Glanzman - Stanford University
G. Godfrey - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
I. A. Grenier - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
M.-H. Grondin - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
J. E. Grove
S. Guiriec - Goddard Space Flight Center
D. Hadasch - Institute of Space Sciences
Y. Hanabata - Hiroshima University
A. K. Harding
M. Hayashida - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
K. Hayashi - Hiroshima University
E. Hays - Goddard Space Flight Center
J. W. Hewitt
A. B. Hill - Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
R. E. Hughes
M. S. Jackson
T. Jogler - Stanford University
G. Jóhannesson - University of Iceland
A. S. Johnson
T. Kamae - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Kataoka - Waseda University
J. Katsuta - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Jürgen Knödlseder - Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie
M. Kuss - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
J. Lande - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Larsson - Stockholm University
L. Latronico - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino
M. Lemoine-Goumard - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. N. Lovellette
P. Lubrano - University of Perugia
G. M. Madejski
F. Massaro - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Mayer - Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
M. N. Mazziotta
J. E. Mcenery
J. Mehault - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
P. F. Michelson
R. P. Mignani
W. Mitthumsiri - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
A. A. Moiseev
M. E. Monzani
A. Morselli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
I. V. Moskalenko
S. Murgia - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Nakamori - Waseda University
R. Nemmen - Goddard Space Flight Center
E. Nuss - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
M. Ohno - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
N. Omodei - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Orienti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
E. Orlando - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. F. Ormes
D. Paneque - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. S. Perkins
M. Pesce-Rollins - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
F. Piron - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
G. Pivato - University of Padua
S. Rainò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
R. Rando - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
M. Razzano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
S. Razzaque - George Mason University
A. Reimer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
O. Reimer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Ritz - University of California, Santa Cruz
C. Romoli - University of Padua
M. Sánchez-Conde - Stanford University
A. Schulz - Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
C. Sgrò - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
P. E. Simeon
E. J. Siskind
David Stanley Smith - GLAST
G. Spandre - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
P. Spinelli - Polytechnic University of Bari
F. W. Stecker
A. W. Strong
D. J. Suson
H. Tajima - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Takahashi - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
T. Tanaka - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. G. Thayer
J. B. Thayer
D. J. Thompson
S. E. Thorsett
L. Tibaldo - University of Padua
O. Tibolla - University of Würzburg
M. Tinivella - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
E. Troja - Goddard Space Flight Center
Y. Uchiyama - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. L. Usher
J. Vandenbroucke - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vasileiou - Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
G. Vianello - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vitale - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
A. P. Waite
M. Werner - Universität Innsbruck
B. L. Winer
K. S. Wood
M. Wood - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Yamazaki - Aoyama Gakuin University
Z. Yang - Stockholm University
S. Zimmer - AlbaNova
Publication Details: Science, Vol.339, pp.807-811
Identifiers: 9937380509311
Academic Unit: Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier - LUPM
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00824307