A Detailed Study of the Molecular and Atomic Gas Toward the {\gamma}-ray SNR RX J1713.7-3946: Spatial TeV {\gamma}-ray and ISM Gas Correspondence

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spatial correlation between TeV gamma-ray emissions and interstellar medium gas in SNR RX J1713.7-3946, supporting a hadronic origin of the gamma rays through detailed gas mapping.

Contribution

It demonstrates that including ext{H} extsc{I} gas improves the spatial match with gamma-ray data, strengthening the hadronic scenario for gamma-ray production in the SNR.

Findings

ext{H} extsc{I} gas enhances the spatial correlation with gamma-ray emissions.

The gamma-ray emission is consistent with hadronic interactions involving ISM protons.

Estimated total CR proton energy is approximately 10^{48} ergs.

Abstract

RX J1713.7$-$3946 is the most remarkable TeV $\gamma$-ray SNR which emits $\gamma$-rays in the highest energy range. We made a new combined analysis of CO and \ion{H}{1} in the SNR and derived the total protons in the interstellar medium (ISM). We have found that the inclusion of the \ion{H}{1} gas provides a significantly better spatial match between the TeV $\gamma$-rays and ISM protons than the H$_2$ gas alone. In particular, the southeastern rim of the $\gamma$-ray shell has a counterpart only in the \ion{H}{1}. The finding shows that the ISM proton distribution is consistent with the hadronic scenario that comic ray (CR) protons react with ISM protons to produce the $\gamma$-rays. This provides another step forward for the hadronic origin of the $\gamma$-rays by offering one of the necessary conditions missing in the previous hadronic interpretations. We argue that the highly inhomogeneous distribution of the ISM protons is crucial in the origin of the $\gamma$-rays. Most of the neutral gas was likely swept up by the stellar wind of an OB star prior to the SNe to form a low-density cavity and a swept-up dense wall. The cavity explains the low-density site where the diffusive shock acceleration of charged particles takes place with suppressed thermal X-rays, whereas the CR protons can reach the target protons in the wall to produce the $\gamma$-rays. The present finding allows us to estimate the total CR proton energy to be $\sim 10^{48}$ ergs, 0.1% of the total energy of a SNe.