Evidence for Cosmic-Ray Escape in the Small Magellanic Cloud using Fermi Gamma-rays

TL;DR

This study analyzes Fermi gamma-ray data of the Small Magellanic Cloud to investigate cosmic-ray feedback, revealing that cosmic rays are escaping the galaxy and contributing to gamma-ray emission primarily through interactions with the interstellar medium.

Contribution

First detailed gamma-ray analysis of the SMC showing cosmic-ray escape and transport mechanisms, with implications for understanding cosmic-ray feedback in external galaxies.

Findings

Gamma-ray emission detected along star-forming regions

Most gamma-ray flux attributed to cosmic-ray interactions

SMC's gamma-ray emissivity is five times lower than the Milky Way

Abstract

Galaxy formation simulations demonstrate that cosmic-ray (CR) feedback may be important in the launching of galactic-scale winds. CR protons dominate the bulk of the CR population, yet most observational constraints of CR feedback come from synchrotron emission of CR electrons. In this paper, we present an analysis of 105 months of Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), with the aim of exploring CR feedback and transport in an external galaxy. We produce maps of the 2-300 GeV emission and detect statistically significant, extended emission along the Bar and the Wing, where active star formation is occurring. Gamma-ray emission is not detected above 13 GeV, and we set stringent upper-limits on the flux above this energy. We find the best fit to the gamma-ray spectrum is a single-component model with a power-law of index $\Gamma=-2.11\pm0.06\pm0.06$ and an exponential cutoff energy of $E_{\rm c} =13.1\pm5.1\pm1.6$ GeV. We assess the relative contribution of pulsars and CRs to the emission, and we find that pulsars may produce up to 14$^{+4}_{-2}$% of the flux above 100 MeV. Thus, we attribute most of the gamma-ray emission (based on its spectrum and morphology) to CR interactions with the ISM. We show that the gamma-ray emissivity of the SMC is five times smaller than that of the Milky Way and that the SMC is far below the calorimetric limit, where all CR protons experience pion losses. We interpret these findings as evidence that CRs are escaping the SMC via advection and diffusion.