Discovery of extended VHE γ-ray emission from the vicinity of the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1
Creators: name: HESS Collaboration
name: Abramowski, A.
name: Acero, F.
name: Aharonian, F.
name: Akhperjanian, A. G.
name: Anton, G.
name: Balzer, A.
name: Barnacka, A.
name: de Almeida, U. Barres
name: Becherini, Y.
name: Becker, J.
name: Behera, B.
name: Bernlöhr, K.
name: Birsin, E.
name: Biteau, J.
name: Bochow, A.
name: Boisson, C.
name: Bolmont, J.
name: Bordas, P.
name: Brucker, J.
name: Brun, F.
name: Brun, P.
name: Bulik, T.
name: Büsching, I.
name: Carrigan, S.
name: Casanova, S.
name: Cerruti, M.
name: Chadwick, P. M.
name: Charbonnier, A.
name: Chaves, R. C. G.
name: Cheesebrough, A.
name: Chounet, L. -M.
name: Clapson, A. C.
name: Coignet, G.
name: Cologna, G.
name: Conrad, J.
name: Dalton, M.
name: Daniel, M. K.
name: Davids, I. D.
name: Degrange, B.
name: Deil, C.
name: Dickinson, H. J.
name: Djannati-Ataï, A.
name: Domainko, W.
name: Drury, L. O'C.
name: Dubois, F.
name: Dubus, G.
name: Dutson, K.
name: Dyks, J.
name: Dyrda, M.
name: Egberts, K.
name: Eger, P.
name: Espigat, P.
name: Fallon, L.
name: Farnier, C.
name: Fegan, S.
name: Feinstein, F.
name: Fernandes, M. V.
name: Fiasson, A.
name: Fontaine, G.
name: Förster, A.
name: Füßling, M.
name: Gallant, Y. A.
name: Gast, H.
name: Gérard, L.
name: Gerbig, D.
name: Giebels, B.
name: Glicenstein, J. F.
name: Glück, B.
name: Goret, P.
name: Göring, D.
name: Häffner, S.
name: Hague, J. D.
name: Hampf, D.
name: Hauser, M.
name: Heinz, S.
name: Heinzelmann, G.
name: Henri, G.
name: Hermann, G.
name: Hinton, J. A.
name: Hoffmann, A.
name: Hofmann, W.
name: Hofverberg, P.
name: Holler, M.
name: Horns, D.
name: Jacholkowska, A.
name: de Jager, O. C.
name: Jahn, C.
name: Jamrozy, M.
name: Jung, I.
name: Kastendieck, M. A.
name: Katarzynski, K.
name: Katz, U.
name: Kaufmann, S.
name: Keogh, D.
name: Khangulyan, D.
name: Khélifi, B.
name: Klochkov, D.
name: Kluźniak, W.
name: Kneiske, T.
name: Komin, Nu.
name: Kosack, K.
name: Kossakowski, R.
name: Laffon, H.
name: Lamanna, G.
name: Lennarz, D.
name: Lohse, T.
name: Lopatin, A.
name: Lu, C. -C.
name: Marandon, V.
name: Marcowith, A.
name: Masbou, J.
name: Maurin, D.
name: Maxted, N.
name: Mayer, M.
name: McComb, T. J. L.
name: Medina, M. C.
name: Méhault, J.
name: Moderski, R.
name: Moulin, E.
name: Naumann, C. L.
name: Naumann-Godo, M.
name: de Naurois, M.
name: Nedbal, D.
name: Nekrassov, D.
name: Nguyen, N.
name: Nicholas, B.
name: Niemiec, J.
name: Nolan, S. J.
name: Ohm, S.
name: Wilhelmi, E. de Ona
name: Opitz, B.
name: Ostrowski, M.
name: Oya, I.
name: Panter, M.
name: Arribas, M. Paz
name: Pedaletti, G.
name: Pelletier, G.
name: Petrucci, P. -O.
name: Pita, S.
name: Pühlhofer, G.
name: Punch, M.
name: Quirrenbach, A.
name: Raue, M.
name: Rayner, S. M.
name: Reimer, A.
name: Reimer, O.
name: Renaud, M.
name: Reyes, R. de los
name: Rieger, F.
name: Ripken, J.
name: Rob, L.
name: Rosier-Lees, S.
name: Rowell, G.
name: Rudak, B.
name: Rulten, C. B.
name: Ruppel, J.
name: Sahakian, V.
name: Sanchez, D.
name: Santangelo, A.
name: Schlickeiser, R.
name: Schöck, F. M.
name: Schulz, A.
name: Schwanke, U.
name: Schwarzburg, S.
name: Schwemmer, S.
name: Sheidaei, F.
name: Sikora, M.
name: Skilton, J. L.
name: Sol, H.
name: Spengler, G.
name: Stawarz, L.
name: Steenkamp, R.
name: Stegmann, C.
name: Stinzing, F.
name: Stycz, K.
name: Sushch, I.
name: Szostek, A.
name: Tavernet, J. -P.
name: Terrier, R.
name: Tluczykont, M.
name: Valerius, K.
name: van Eldik, C.
name: Vasileiadis, G.
name: Venter, C.
name: Vialle, J. P.
name: Viana, A.
name: Vincent, P.
name: Völk, H. J.
name: Volpe, F.
name: Vorobiov, S.
name: Vorster, M.
name: Wagner, S. J.
name: Ward, M.
name: White, R.
name: Wierzcholska, A.
name: Zacharias, M.
name: Zajczyk, A.
name: Zdziarski, A. A.
name: Zech, A.
name: Zechlin, H. -S.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Results obtained in very-high-energy (VHE; E &gt; 100 GeV) γ-ray observations performed with the H.E.S.S. telescope array are used to investigate particle acceleration processes in the vicinity of the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1 (Wd 1). Imaging of Cherenkov light from γ-ray induced particle cascades in the Earth's atmosphere is used to search for VHE γ rays from the region around Wd 1. Possible catalogued counterparts are searched for and discussed in terms of morphology and energetics of the H.E.S.S. source. The detection of the degree-scale extended VHE γ-ray source HESS J1646-458 is reported based on 45 hours of H.E.S.S. observations performed between 2004 and 2008. The VHE γ-ray source is centred on the nominal position of Wd 1 and detected with a total statistical significance of ~20σ. The emission region clearly extends beyond the H.E.S.S. point-spread function (PSF). The differential energy spectrum follows a power law in energy with an index of Γ=2.19 \pm 0.08_{stat} \pm 0.20_{sys} and a flux normalisation at 1 TeV of Φ_0 = (9.0 \pm 1.4_{stat} \pm 1.8_{sys}) x 10^{-12} TeV^{-1} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The integral flux above 0.2 TeV amounts to (5.2 \pm 0.9) x 10^{-11} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. Four objects coincident with HESS J1646-458 are discussed in the search of a counterpart, namely the magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216, the X-ray binary 4U 1642-45, the pulsar PSR J1648-4611 and the massive stellar cluster Wd 1. In a single-source scenario, Wd 1 is favoured as site of VHE particle acceleration. Here, a hadronic parent population would be accelerated within the stellar cluster. Beside this, there is evidence for a multi-source origin, where a scenario involving PSR J1648-4611 could be viable to explain parts of the VHE γ-ray emission of HESS J1646-458.
description: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&amp;A