A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way

F. Aharonian , A. G. Akhperjanian , K.-M. Aye , A. R. Bazer-Bachi , M. Beilicke , W. Benbow , D. Berge , P. Berghaus (1) , K. Bernlöhr , C. Boisson , O. Bolz , C. Borgmeier , I. Braun , F. Breitling , A. M. Brown , J. Bussons Gordo (2) , P. M. Chadwick , L.-M. Chounet (3) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange (3) , A. Djannati-Ataï (1) , L. O'C. Drury , G. Dubus (3) , T. Ergin , P. Espigat (1) , F. Feinstein (2) , P. Fleury (3) , G. Fontaine (3) , S. Funk , Y.A. Gallant (2) , B. Giebels (3) , S. Gillessen , P. Goret , C. Hadjichristidis , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri , G. Hermann , J. A. Hinton , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , D. Horns , O. C. de Jager , I. Jung , B. Khélifi , Nu. Komin , A. Konopelko , I. J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemière , M. Lemoine (3) , N. Leroy (3) , T. Lohse , A. Marcowith , C. Masterson , T. J. L. Mccomb , M. de Naurois (4) , S. J. Nolan , A. Noutsos , K. J. Orford , J. L. Osborne , M. Ouchrif (4) , M. Panter , G. Pelletier , S. Pita (1) , G. Pühlhofer , M. Punch (1) , B. C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , J. Raux , S. M. Rayner , I. Redondo , A. Reimer , O. Reimer , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland , G. Rowell , V. Sahakian , L. Saugé , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , C. Schuster , U. Schwanke , M. Siewert , H. Sol , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , J.-P. Tavernet (4) , R. Terrier (1) , C.G. Théoret (1) , M. Tluczykont (3) , D. J. van Der Walt , G. Vasileiadis (2) , C. Venter , P. Vincent (4) , B. Visser , H. J. Völk , S. J. Wagner

1 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
2 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
3 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
4 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies

Very high energy gamma-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy gamma-rays. At least two have no known radio or X-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of `dark' nucleonic cosmic ray sources.

Domains: Physics [physics]; Astrophysics [astro-ph]; Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO]; Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Astrophysics [astro-ph]

F. Aharonian, A. G. Akhperjanian, K.-M. Aye, A. R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, et al.. A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way. Science, 2005, 307, pp.1938-1942. ⟨10.1126/science.1108643⟩. ⟨in2p3-00024064⟩