Study of the Very High Energy emission from Supernova Remnants with H.E.S.S

TL;DR

This paper analyzes over 8 years of H.E.S.S. observations to study very high energy emissions from supernova remnants, aiming to understand their role in cosmic-ray acceleration.

Contribution

It provides new VHE flux upper limits for undetected SNRs and constrains their efficiency in accelerating cosmic rays.

Findings

Only 8 SNRs have firmly associated VHE emission.

Constraints on cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency in SNRs.

Upper limits on VHE flux for undetected SNRs.

Abstract

From radio and higher-frequency observations, more than 300 SNRs have been discovered in the Milky Way, of which 220 fall into the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey. However only 50 SNRs are coincident with a H.E.S.S source and in 8 cases the VHE emission is firmly associated with the SNR. The H.E.S.S. dataset includes now more than 8 years of observations and it is of great interest to extract VHE flux upper limits from undetected SNRs. These new measurements can then be used to test the standard paradigm of the SNRs as the origin of Galactic cosmic rays. In this contribution, the H.E.S.S. results on the population of SNRs and the subsequent constraints on the cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency in these sources will be presented.