Future science issues for Galactic very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy

TL;DR

This paper discusses the scientific challenges and opportunities for the next generation of Galactic very-high-energy gamma-ray telescopes, emphasizing increased sensitivity and broader energy coverage to study various astrophysical sources.

Contribution

It provides a summary of key Galactic science issues and outlines the capabilities needed for future VHE gamma-ray instruments.

Findings

Next-generation VHE instruments will have about ten times more sensitivity.

Broader energy coverage from tens of GeV to tens of TeV will enhance observations.

Potential to study diverse Galactic sources with improved detail.

Abstract

This work intends to provide a brief summary of some of the Galactic science issues for the next generation of very high energy (VHE) instruments. The latter is here generically understood, as an instrument or set of instruments providing about one order of magnitude more sensitivity at its central energy (at about 1 TeV), but extending the observational window to have a real broadband capability (from a few tens of GeV up to tens of TeV); exceeding at low energies the current VHE threshold for observations set by MAGIC as well as the few-tens-of-GeV sensitivity set by Fermi. Science topics regarding populations of emitters, pulsars and their nebula, binaries, supernova remnants, stars, and their associations, are discussed.