Discovery of Very-High-Energy Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Centre Ridge

F. Aharonian; A.G. Akhperjanian; A.R. Bazer-Bachi; M. Beilicke; Wystan Benbow; David Berge; K. Bernlohr; C. Boisson; O. Bolz; V. Borrel; I. Braun; F. Breitling; A.M. Brown; P.M. Chadwick; L.-M. Chounet; R. Cornils; L. Costamante; B. Degrange; H.J. Dickinson; A. Djannati-Atai; L.O'C. Drury; G. Dubus; D. Emmanoulopoulos; P. Espigat; F. Feinstein; G. Fontaine; Y. Fuchs; S. Funk; Y. Gallant; B. Giebels; S. Gillessen; J.F. Glicenstein; P. Goret; C. Hadjichristidis; D. Hauser; M. Hauser; G. Heinzelmann; G. Henri; G. Hermann; J.A. Hinton; W. Hofmann; M. Holleran; Dieter Horns; A. Jacholkowska; O.C. de Jager; B. Khelifi; Nu. Komin; A. Konopelko; I.J. Latham; R. Le Gallou; A. Lemiere; M. Lemoine-Goumard; N. Leroy; T. Lohse; A. Marcowith; J.M. Martin; O. Martineau-Huynh; C. Masterson; T.J.L. Mccomb; M. de Naurois; S.J. Nolan; A. Noutsos; K.J. Orford; J.L. Osborne; M. Ouchrif; M. Panter; G. Pelletier; S. Pita; G. Puhlhofer; M. Punch; B.C. Raubenheimer; M. Raue; J. Raux; S.M. Rayner; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; J. Ripken; L. Rob; L. Rolland; G. Rowell; V. Sahakian; L. Sauge; S. Schlenker; R. Schlickeiser; U. Schwanke; M. Siewert; H. Sol; D. Spangler; R. Steenkamp; C. Stegmann; J.-P. Tavernet; R. Terrier; C.G. Theoret; M. Tluczykont; C. van Eldik; G. Vasileiadis; C. Venter; P. Vincent; H.J. Volk; S.J. Wagner

doi:10.1038/nature04467

Back

Discovery of Very-High-Energy Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Centre Ridge

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Discovery of Very-High-Energy Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Centre Ridge

F. Aharonian, A.G. Akhperjanian, A.R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, Wystan Benbow, David Berge, K. Bernlohr, C. Boisson, O. Bolz, V. Borrel, …

Nature, Vol.439, pp.695-698

2006

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04467

Abstract

The origin of Galactic cosmic rays (with energies up to 10^15 eV) remains unclear, though it is widely believed that they originate in the shock waves of expanding supernova remnants. Currently the best way to investigate their acceleration and propagation is by observing the gamma-rays produced when cosmic rays interact with interstellar gas. Here we report observations of an extended region of very high energy (VHE, >100 GeV) gamma-ray emission correlated spatially with a complex of giant molecular clouds in the central 200 pc of the Milky Way. The hardness of the gamma-ray spectrum and the conditions in those molecular clouds indicate that the cosmic rays giving rise to the gamma-rays are likely to be protons and nuclei rather than electrons. The energy associated with the cosmic rays could have come from a single supernova explosion around 10,000 years ago.

Files and links (1)

url

Find in HALView

Metrics

1 Record Views

See more details

Details

Title: Discovery of Very-High-Energy Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Centre Ridge
Creators - without role: F. Aharonian - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
A.G. Akhperjanian - A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory
A.R. Bazer-Bachi - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
M. Beilicke - Universität Hamburg
Wystan Benbow - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
David Berge - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
K. Bernlohr - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
C. Boisson - Observatoire de Paris
O. Bolz - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
V. Borrel - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
I. Braun - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
F. Breitling - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
A.M. Brown - Durham University
P.M. Chadwick - Durham University
L.-M. Chounet - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
R. Cornils - Universität Hamburg
L. Costamante - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
B. Degrange - École Polytechnique
H.J. Dickinson - Durham University
A. Djannati-Atai - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
L.O'C. Drury
G. Dubus - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
D. Emmanoulopoulos
P. Espigat - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
F. Feinstein - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
G. Fontaine - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
Y. Fuchs - Université Joseph Fourier
S. Funk - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Y. Gallant - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
B. Giebels - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
S. Gillessen - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
J.F. Glicenstein - CEA Paris-Saclay
P. Goret - Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
C. Hadjichristidis - Durham University
D. Hauser - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
M. Hauser
G. Heinzelmann - Universität Hamburg
G. Henri - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
G. Hermann - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
J.A. Hinton - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
W. Hofmann - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
M. Holleran - North-West University
Dieter Horns - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
A. Jacholkowska - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
O.C. de Jager - North-West University
B. Khelifi - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Nu. Komin - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
A. Konopelko - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
I.J. Latham - Durham University
R. Le Gallou - Durham University
A. Lemiere - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
M. Lemoine-Goumard - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
N. Leroy - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
T. Lohse - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
A. Marcowith - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
J.M. Martin - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
O. Martineau-Huynh - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
C. Masterson - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
T.J.L. Mccomb - Durham University
M. de Naurois - Sorbonne Université
S.J. Nolan - Durham University
A. Noutsos - Durham University
K.J. Orford - Durham University
J.L. Osborne - Durham University
M. Ouchrif - Sorbonne Université
M. Panter - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
G. Pelletier - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
S. Pita - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
G. Puhlhofer
M. Punch - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
B.C. Raubenheimer - North-West University
M. Raue - Universität Hamburg
J. Raux - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
S.M. Rayner - Durham University
A. Reimer - Ruhr University Bochum
O. Reimer - Ruhr University Bochum
J. Ripken - Universität Hamburg
L. Rob - Charles University
L. Rolland - Sorbonne Université
G. Rowell - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
V. Sahakian - A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory
L. Sauge - Université Joseph Fourier
S. Schlenker - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
R. Schlickeiser - Ruhr University Bochum
U. Schwanke - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
M. Siewert - Ruhr University Bochum
H. Sol - Observatoire de Paris
D. Spangler - Durham University
R. Steenkamp - University of Namibia
C. Stegmann - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
J.-P. Tavernet - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
R. Terrier - Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
C.G. Theoret - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
M. Tluczykont - Associated Research
C. van Eldik - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
G. Vasileiadis - Université de Montpellier
C. Venter - North-West University
P. Vincent - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
H.J. Volk - Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
S.J. Wagner
Publication Details: Nature, Vol.439, pp.695-698
Identifiers: 9940098109311
Academic Unit: Université de Montpellier
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00025901