Discovery of new TeV supernova remnant shells in the Galactic plane with H.E.S.S

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new systematic method for identifying TeV-emitting supernova remnant shells in the Galactic plane using H.E.S.S. data, leading to the discovery of three new SNR candidates and confirming known ones.

Contribution

A novel method for detecting TeV SNR shells in H.E.S.S. data that successfully identifies known remnants and uncovers three new candidates in the Galactic plane.

Findings

Successfully identified known TeV SNR shells.

Discovered three new SNR candidates at TeV energies.

Two candidates lack radio/X-ray counterparts, remaining unconfirmed.

Abstract

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are prime candidates for efficient particle acceleration up to the knee in the cosmic ray particle spectrum. In this work we present a new method for a systematic search for new TeV-emitting SNR shells in 2864 hours of H.E.S.S. phase I data used for the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey. This new method, which correctly identifies the known shell morphologies of the TeV SNRs covered by the survey, HESS J1731-347, RX 1713.7-3946, RCW 86, and Vela Junior, reveals also the existence of three new SNR candidates. All three candidates were extensively studied regarding their morphological, spectral, and multi-wavelength (MWL) properties. HESS J1534-571 was associated with the radio SNR candidate G323.7-1.0, and thus is classified as an SNR. HESS J1912+101 and HESS J1614-518, on the other hand, do not have radio or X-ray counterparts that would permit to identify them firmly as SNRs, and therefore they remain SNR candidates, discovered first at TeV energies as such. Further MWL follow up observations are needed to confirm that these newly discovered SNR candidates are indeed SNRs.