The PeV Frontier: Status of Gamma-ray astronomy after two decades with H.E.S.S., MAGIC, VERITAS and the new window recently opened by HAWC and LHAASO

TL;DR

This paper reviews two decades of gamma-ray astronomy, highlighting discoveries with IACTs and recent ultra-high-energy observations from HAWC and LHAASO that challenge existing theories about cosmic ray origins.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the progress in gamma-ray astronomy and discusses how new ultra-high-energy observations are reshaping our understanding of cosmic ray sources.

Findings

Identification of diverse Galactic gamma-ray sources.

Recent ultra-high-energy gamma-ray detections challenge traditional models.

Need for revised theories on cosmic ray origins.

Abstract

One of the main purposes in $\gamma$-ray astronomy is linked to the origin of Galactic cosmic rays. Unlike cosmic rays, $\gamma$ rays can be used to probe their production sites in the Galaxy and to find which type of astrophysical sources is able to accelerated particles up to PeV energies. Twenty years of observations with current Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS) provided an unprecedented view of the very-high-energy $\gamma$-ray sky and a large variety of Galactic sources which are prominent TeV emitters, such as supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, massive stellar clusters and binary systems, in addition to a large fraction of unidentified TeV sources. For a long time, supernova remnants were the most promising candidates for the main source of Galactic cosmic rays, but the new window of ultra-high-energy $\gamma$ rays recently opened by HAWC and LHAASO gave unexpected results and demonstrated the need to re-evaluate some scenarios and to revise some of our definitions. The highest-energy $\gamma$-ray sources are not associated with standard candidates for the main source of Galactic cosmic rays and challenged our usual paradigms, highlighting the vastness of what needs to be explored and understood in the next decades.