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The 2009 Fermi Symposium

Observations of Shell-type Supernova Remnants in the VHE Band with H.E.S.S.

Gerd Puehlhofer

Abstract:

Very high energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from shell-type supernova remnants (SNRs) probes high energy particle acceleration in strong shocks that expand into the interstellar medium after a supernova explosion. The VHE band covers the highest particle energies visible in gamma-rays, occasionally including spectral cutoffs that constrain the maximum particle energy confined in the remnant at present .me. Shell-type SNRs are thought to be the main sites of Galactic cosmic ray acceleration, and the particle energy budget derived from gamma-ray observations should give important clues to confirm this theory. The identification of the particle type - hadrons or leptons - responsible for the gamma-ray emission is however crucial for these estimates and usually relies on broadband spectral modeling.