Detection of Extended VHE Gamma Ray Emission from G106.3+2.7 with Veritas

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 703; no. 1; pp. L6 - L9
• Main Authors: Acciari, V. A, Aliu, E, Arlen, T, Aune, T, Bautista, M, Beilicke, M, Benbow, W, Boltuch, D, Bradbury, S. M, Buckley, J. H, Bugaev, V, Butt, Y, Byrum, K, Cannon, A, Cesarini, A, Chow, Y. C, Ciupik, L, Cogan, P, Cui, W, Dickherber, R, Ergin, T, Fegan, S. J, Finley, J. P, Fortin, P, Fortson, L, Furniss, A, Gall, D, Gillanders, G. H, Gotthelf, E. V, Grube, J, Guenette, R, Gyuk, G, Hanna, D, Holder, J, Horan, D, Hui, C. M, Humensky, T. B, Kaaret, P, Karlsson, N, Kertzman, M, Kieda, D, Konopelko, A, Krawczynski, H, Krennrich, F, Lang, M. J, LeBohec, S, Maier, G, McCann, A, McCutcheon, M, Millis, J, Moriarty, P, Mukherjee, R, Ong, R. A, Otte, A. N, Pandel, D, Perkins, J. S, Pohl, M, Quinn, J, Ragan, K, Reyes, L. C, Reynolds, P. T, Roache, E, Rose, H. J, Schroedter, M, Sembroski, G. H, Smith, A. W, Steele, D, Swordy, S. P, Theiling, M, Toner, J. A, Vassiliev, V. V, Vincent, S, Wagner, R. G, Wakely, S. P, Ward, J. E, Weekes, T. C, Weinstein, A, Weisgarber, T, Williams, D. A, Wissel, S, Wood, M, Zitzer, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IOP Publishing 20-09-2009
• Subjects: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; COSMIC RADIO SOURCES; CRAB NEBULA; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; EMISSION; ENERGY RANGE; ENERGY SPECTRA; GAMMA RADIATION; IONIZING RADIATIONS; NEBULAE; PULSARS; RADIATIONS; SPECTRA; SUPERNOVA REMNANTS; TELESCOPES; TEV RANGE
• ISSN: 1538-4357; 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/703/1/L6

We report the detection of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from supernova remnant (SNR) G106.3+2.7. Observations performed in 2008 with the VERITAS atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescope resolve extended emission overlapping the elongated radio SNR. The 7.3sigma (pre-trials) detection has a full angular extent of roughly 0.{sup 0}6 by 0.{sup 0}4. Most notably, the centroid of the VHE emission is centered near the peak of the coincident {sup 12}CO (J = 1-0) emission, 0.{sup 0}4 away from the pulsar PSR J2229+6114, situated at the northern end of the SNR. Evidently the current-epoch particles from the pulsar wind nebula are not participating in the gamma-ray production. The VHE energy spectrum measured with VERITAS is well characterized by a power law dN/dE = N {sub 0}(E/3 TeV){sup -G}AMMA with a differential index of GAMMA = 2.29 +- 0.33{sub stat} +- 0.30{sub sys} and a flux of N{sub 0} = (1.15 +- 0.27{sub stat} +- 0.35{sub sys}) x 10{sup -13} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} TeV{sup -1}. The integral flux above 1 TeV corresponds to {approx}5 percent of the steady Crab Nebula emission above the same energy. We describe the observations and analysis of the object and briefly discuss the implications of the detection in a multiwavelength context.