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Serendipitous discovery of the unidentified extended TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1303-631
Article de revue scientifique   Open Access   Avec comité de lecture

Serendipitous discovery of the unidentified extended TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1303-631

F. Aharonian, A.G. Akhperjanian, K.-M. Aye, A.R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, D. Berge, P. Berghaus, K. Bernlohr, C. Boisson, …
Astronomy & Astrophysics - A&A, Vol.439, p.1013-1021
2005
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20053195

Résumé

Gamma rays: observations Galaxy: disk
The serendipitous discovery of an unidentified extended TeV $\gamma$-ray source close to the galactic plane named HESS J1303-631 at a significance of 21 standard deviations is reported. The observations were performed between February and June 2004 with the H.E.S.S. stereoscopic system of Cherenkov telescopes in Namibia. HESS J1303-631 was discovered roughly 0.6 \degres north of the binary system PSR B1259-63/SS 2883, the target object of the initial observation campaign which was also detected at TeV energies in the same field of view. HESS J1303-631 is extended with a width of an assumed intrinsic Gaussian emission profile of $\sigma$ = (0.16 $\pm$ 0.02)\degres and the integral flux above 380 GeV is compatible with constant emission over the entire observational period of (17$\pm$ 3)% of the Crab Nebula flux. The measured energy spectrum can be described by a power-law dN/dE $\sim$ E$^{-\Gamma}$ with a photon index of $\Gamma$ = 2.44 $\pm 0.05$_{stat} \pm$ 0.2$_{syst}$. Up to now, no counterpart at other wavelengths is identified. Various possible TeV production scenarios are discussed.

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