Non-thermal GeV emission from the Nereides nebula: confirming the nature of the supernova remnant G107.7-5.1

TL;DR

This paper confirms the supernova remnant nature of the Nereides nebula through gamma-ray analysis, revealing non-thermal GeV emission, estimating its age, and modeling its particle acceleration mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed gamma-ray analysis of G107.7-5.1, confirming its SNR status and characterizing its non-thermal emission and environment.

Findings

Extended GeV emission coincident with the nebula

Hard gamma-ray spectrum up to 100 GeV

Estimated age of 10-50 kyr based on models

Abstract

Recently the Nereides nebula was discovered through deep optical emission line observations and was classified as a supernova remnant (SNR) candidate, G107.7-5.1. Since very little is known about this SNR we look at several archival data sets to better understand the environment and properties of the object. We present a detailed analysis of the gamma-ray emission detected by the \textit{Fermi} Large Area Telescope in the region of the nebula. A model of the non-thermal emission is presented which allows us to derive the particle distribution responsible for the gamma rays. We also use molecular gas and atomic hydrogen observations to try to constrain the source age and distance. An extended (~2deg) GeV source coincident with the location of the nebula is found. The non-thermal emission has a hard spectrum and is detected up to about 100 GeV, confirming the SNR nature of this object. The GeV properties of G107.7-5.1 are similar to those of other SNRs such as G150.3+4.5, and likely expands in a relatively low-density medium. The Nereides nebula is one more example of a growing population of dim SNRs detected at high energies. A simple leptonic model is able to account for the gamma-ray emission. Standard SNR evolutionary models constrain the age to be in the 10-50 kyr range, which is consistent with estimates of the maximum particle energy obtained from GeV observations. However, more detailed observations of the source should be carried out to better understand its properties.