Detection of gamma rays around SNR HB9 and its implication to the diffusive shock-acceleration history

TL;DR

This study analyzes 12 years of Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data around SNR HB9 to understand the evolution of diffusive shock acceleration and particle escape, revealing harder spectra in nearby molecular clouds consistent with proton escape models.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the spectral characteristics of gamma-ray emissions near SNR HB9 and supports the theory of particle escape and diffusion in the SNR environment.

Findings

Detection of gamma-ray emission from molecular clouds near HB9

Harder spectra in cloud regions compared to the SNR shell

Diffusion coefficient near HB9 similar to Galactic average

Abstract

We analyze the GeV gamma-ray emission data from the vicinity of the supernova remnant (SNR) HB9 (G160.9+2.6) from the \textit{Fermi}-LAT 12-year observations to quantify the evolution of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the SNR. In the vicinity of HB9, there are molecular clouds whose locations do not coincide with the SNR shell in the line of sight. We detect significant gamma-ray emissions above 1~GeV spatially coinciding with the two prominent cloud regions, as well as a emission from the SNR shell, the latter of which is consistent with the results of previous studies. The energy spectrum above 1~GeV in each region is fitted with a simple power-law function of $dN/dE \propto E^{-\Gamma}$. The fitting result indicates harder spectra with power-law indices of $\Gamma$ = $1.84 \pm 0.18$ and $1.84 \pm 0.14$ than that at the SNR shell with $\Gamma$= $2.55 \pm 0.10$. The observed spectra from the cloud regions are found to be consistent with the theoretically expected gamma-ray emissions originating in the protons that escaped from SNR HB9, where particles can be accelerated up to higher energies than those at the shell at present. The resultant diffusion coefficient in the vicinity of the SNR is comparable to that of the Galactic mean.