Modeling of GeV-TeV gamma-ray emission of Cygnus Cocoon

TL;DR

This paper models the gamma-ray emission of Cygnus Cocoon, attributing it to hadronic interactions of accelerated protons from stellar winds and supernova shocks, explaining the observed GeV-TeV spectrum with a spectral break around 1 TeV.

Contribution

It presents a detailed model of particle acceleration and transport in a superbubble to explain the gamma-ray spectrum of Cygnus Cocoon, incorporating MHD fluctuations and shock acceleration processes.

Findings

Proton interactions explain gamma-ray observations.

Spectral break at about 1 TeV is consistent with the model.

Model applicable to similar superbubbles and stellar clusters.

Abstract

OB-associations and superbubbles being energetically essential galactic powerhouses are likely to be the important acceleration sites of galactic cosmic rays (CRs). The emission profile of gamma-ray sources related to superbubbles and stellar clusters indicates on continuous particle acceleration by winds of massive stars. One of the most luminous galactic gamma-ray sources is Cygnus Cocoon superbubble, observed by multiple instruments, such as Fermi-LAT, ARGO, and, recently, HAWC. We discuss a model of particle acceleration and transport in a superbubble to explain GeV-TeV gamma-ray spectrum of Cygnus Cocoon, which has a break at the energy of about 1 TeV. It is shown that the gamma rays produced by hadronic interactions of high-energy protons accelerated by an ensemble of shocks from winds of massive stars and supernovae in the Cygnus Cocoon can explain the observations. The proton spectral shape at the highest energies depends on the MHD-fluctuation spectrum in the Cocoon. The viable solutions for Cygnus Cocoon may be applied to some other associations showing similar behaviour. We briefly discuss the similarity and differences of particle acceleration processes in extended superbubbles and compact clusters of young massive stars as represented by Westerlund 1 and 2 gamma-ray sources.