Detection of GeV $\gamma$-ray emission in the direction of HESS J1731-347 with Fermi-LAT

TL;DR

This paper reports the detection of GeV gamma-ray emission from supernova remnant HESS J1731-347 using Fermi-LAT data, revealing a spectrum that connects smoothly with TeV observations and suggesting a leptonic origin.

Contribution

First detection of GeV gamma-ray emission from HESS J1731-347 with detailed spectral analysis and modeling of emission mechanisms.

Findings

Detected a slightly extended GeV source coincident with HESS J1731-347.

The GeV spectrum connects smoothly with the TeV spectrum.

Leptonic models better explain the hard GeV spectrum.

Abstract

We report the detection of GeV $\gamma$-ray emission from supernova remnant HESS J1731-347 using 9 years of {\it Fermi} Large Area Telescope data. We find a slightly extended GeV source in the direction of HESS J1731-347. The spectrum above 1 GeV can be fitted by a power-law with an index of $\Gamma = 1.77\pm0.14$, and the GeV spectrum connects smoothly with the TeV spectrum of HESS J1731-347. Either a hadronic-leptonic or a pure leptonic model can fit the multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution of the source. However, the hard GeV $\gamma$-ray spectrum is more naturally produced in a leptonic (inverse Compton scattering) scenario, under the framework of diffusive shock acceleration. We also searched for the GeV $\gamma$-ray emission from the nearby TeV source HESS J1729-345. No significant GeV $\gamma$-ray emission is found, and upper limits are derived.