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Register a new userDirect Evidence for Hadronic Cosmic-Ray Acceleration in the Supernova Renmant IC 443
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The Supernova Remnant (SNR) IC 443 is an intermediate-age remnant well known for its radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-ray energy emissions. In this Letter we study the gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV from IC 443 as obtained by the AGILE satellite. A distinct pattern of diffuse emission in the energy range 100 MeV-3 GeV is detected across the SNR with its prominent maximum (source A) localized in the Northeastern shell with a flux F = (47 pm 10) 10^{-8} photons cm^{-2} s^{-1} above 100 MeV. This location is the site of the strongest shock interaction between the SNR blast wave and the dense circumstellar medium. Source A is not coincident with the TeV source located 0.4 degree away and associated with a dense molecular cloud complex in the SNR central region. From our observations, and from the lack of detectable diffuse TeV emission from its Northeastern rim, we demonstrate that electrons cannot be the main emitters of gamma-rays in the range 0.1-10 GeV at the site of the strongest SNR shock. The intensity, spectral characteristics, and location of the most prominent gamma-ray emission together with the absence of co-spatial detectable TeV emission are consistent only with a hadronic model of cosmic-ray acceleration in the SNR. A high-density molecular cloud (cloud E) provides a remarkable target for nucleonic interactions of accelerated hadrons: our results show enhanced gamma-ray production near the molecular cloud/shocked shell interaction site. IC 443 provides the first unambiguous evidence of cosmic-ray acceleration by SNRs.
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We report a discovery of bright blob-like enhancements of an Fe I K$alpha$ line in the northwest and the middle of the supernova remnant (SNR) IC 443. The distribution of the line emission is associated with molecular clouds interacting with the shock front, and is totally different from that of the plasma. The Fe I K$alpha$ line has a large equivalent width. The most plausible scenario for the origin of the line emission is that the MeV protons accelerated in the shell leak into the molecular clouds and ionize the Fe atoms therein. The observed Fe I K$alpha$ line intensity is consistent with the prediction of a theoretical model, in which MeV protons are accelerated along with GeV and TeV protons at the SNR.
We present evidence that the very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission coincident with the supernova remnant IC 443 is extended. IC 443 contains one of the best-studied sites of supernova remnant/molecular cloud interaction and the pulsar wind nebula CXOU J061705.3+222127, both of which are important targets for VHE observations. VERITAS observed IC 443 for 37.9 hours during 2007 and detected emission above 300 GeV with an excess of 247 events, resulting in a significance of 8.3 standard deviations (sigma) before trials and 7.5 sigma after trials in a point-source search. The emission is centered at 06 16 51 +22 30 11 (J2000) +- 0.03_stat +- 0.08_sys degrees, with an intrinsic extension of 0.16 +- 0.03_stat +- 0.04_sys degrees. The VHE spectrum is well fit by a power law (dN/dE = N_0 * (E/TeV)^-Gamma) with a photon index of 2.99 +- 0.38_stat +- 0.3_sys and an integral flux above 300 GeV of (4.63 +- 0.90_stat +- 0.93_sys) * 10^-12 cm^-2 s^-1. These results are discussed in the context of existing models for gamma-ray production in IC 443.
We discuss recent observations of high energy cosmic ray positrons and electrons in the context of hadronic interactions in supernova remnants, the suspected accelerators of galactic cosmic rays. Diffusive shock acceleration can harden the energy spectrum of secondary positrons relative to that of the primary protons (and electrons) and thus explain the rise in the positron fraction observed by PAMELA above 10 GeV. We normalize the hadronic interaction rate by holding pion decay to be responsible for the gamma-rays detected by HESS from some SNRs. By simulating the spatial and temporal distribution of SNRs in the Galaxy according to their known statistics, we are able to then fit the electron (plus positron) energy spectrum measured by Fermi. It appears that IceCube has good prospects for detecting the hadronic neutrino fluxes expected from nearby SNRs.
We present near-infrared (2.5-5.0 {mu}m) spectral studies of shocked H2 gas in the two supernova remnants IC 443 and HB 21, which are well known for their interactions with nearby molecular clouds. The observations were performed with Infrared Camera (IRC) aboard the AKARI satellite. At the energy range 7000 K <= E(v,J) <= 20000 K, the shocked H2 gas in IC 443 shows an ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of 2.4+0.3-0.2, which is significantly lower than the equilibrium value 3, suggesting the existence of non-equilibrium OPR. The shocked gas in HB 21 also indicates a potential non-equilibrium OPR in the range of 1.8-2.0. The level populations are well described by the power-law thermal admixture model with a single OPR, where the temperature integration range is 1000-4000 K. We conclude that the obtained non-equilibrium OPR probably originates from the reformed H2 gas of dissociative J-shocks, considering several factors such as the shock combination requirement, the line ratios, and the possibility that H2 gas can form on grains with a non-equilibrium OPR. We also investigate C-shocks and partially-dissociative J-shocks for the origin of the non-equilibrium OPR. However, we find that they are incompatible with the observed ionic emission lines for which dissociative J-shocks are required to explain. The difference in the collision energy of H atoms on grain surfaces would make the observed difference between the OPRs of IC 443 and HB 21, if dissociative J-shocks are responsible for the H2 emission. Our study suggests that dissociative J-shocks can make shocked H2 gas with a non-equilibrium OPR.
A search for ultra-high energy gamma-rays emitted by the young, nearby supernova remnant that was discovered recently by the COMPTEL and ROSAT satellites was made using the JANZOS database for the period 1987-1993. A 95% confidence upper limit on the flux above 100 TeV of 3x10^(-13)cm^(-2)sec^(-1) was obtained. This is an order of magnitude below the expected flux based on the standard model of cosmic ray acceleration in supernova shocks. An optical survey of the region that has been commenced is also reported. This uses UK and ESO Schmidt plates, and CCD images by a NZ/Japan microlensing group.
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