A revised catalogue of EGRET gamma-ray sources

TL;DR

This paper presents a revised catalog of 188 gamma-ray sources detected by EGRET, utilizing improved background models and data analysis, leading to the confirmation, reclassification, and discovery of sources compared to the previous catalog.

Contribution

It introduces a revised EGRET gamma-ray source catalog with updated detection methods, background models, and new source identifications, refining previous results and expanding the known gamma-ray source list.

Findings

Revised catalog lists 188 sources, fewer than previous due to improved background modeling.

Identifies 30 new gamma-ray sources with no previous counterparts.

Many sources lack associations with known gamma-ray emitters, indicating potential new classes.

Abstract

We present a catalog of point gamma-ray sources detected by the EGRET detector aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. We have used the whole gamma-ray dataset of reprocessed photons at energies above 100 MeV together with new Galactic interstellar emission models based on recent CO, HI, dark gas, and interstellar radiation field data. Two different assumptions have been used for the cosmic-ray distribution in the Galaxy to explore the resulting systematic uncertainties in source detection and characterization. We have used the same 2-dimensional maximum-likelihood detection method as for the 3rd EGRET catalogue. The revised catalogue lists 188 sources, 14 of which are marked as confused, compared to the 271 entries of the 3rd EGRET (3EG) catalogue. 107 former sources have not been confirmed because of the additional structure in the interstellar background. The vast majority of them were unidentified and marked as possibly extended or confused in the 3EG catalogue. In particular, we do not confirm most of the 3EG sources associated with the local clouds of the Gould Belt. Alternatively, we find 30 new sources with no 3EG counterpart. The new error circles for the confirmed 3EG sources largely overlap the previous ones, but several counterparts of particular interest that had been discussed in the litterature, such as Sgr A*, radiogalaxies and several microquasars are now found outside the error circles. We have cross-correlated the source positions with a large number of radio pulsars, pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants, OB associations, blazars and flat radiosources and we find a surprising large number of sources (87) at all latitudes with no counterpart among the potential gamma-ray emitters.