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Register a new userThe TeV supernova remnant shell HESS J1731-347 and its surroundings
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HESS J1731-347 is a shell-type supernova remnant emitting both TeV gamma rays and non-thermal X-ray photons, spatially coincident with the radio SNR G353.6-0.7. Hadronic and leptonic scenarios (or a blend of both) are discussed in the literature to explain the TeV emission from the object. In 2011, a $gamma$-ray excess was also found in the neighborhood of the source (HESS J1729-345). Here we present results of an updated analysis obtained with the meanwhile available additional H.E.S.S. data. Beyond HESS J1731-347, the analysis reveals the morphology of the emission of the adjacent TeV source HESS J1729-345 and the emission in between the two sources in greater detail. The results permit us to correlate the TeV emission outside of the SNR with molecular gas tracers, and to confront the data with scenarios in which the TeV emission outside the SNR is produced by escaping cosmic rays.
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A detailed analysis of the nonthermal X-ray emission from the North-Western and Southern parts of the supernova remnant (SNR) HESS J1731$ - $347 with {it Suzaku} is presented. The shell portions covered by the observations emit hard and line-less X-rays. The spectrum can be reproduced by a simple absorbed power-law model with a photon index $Gamma$ of 1.8-2.7 and an absorption column density $N_{rm H}$ of (1.0-2.1)$times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. These quantities change significantly from region to region; the North-Western part of the SNR has the hardest and most absorbed spectrum. The Western part of the X-ray shell has a smaller curvature than North-Western and Southern shell segments. A comparison of the X-ray morphology to the Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray and radio images was performed. The efficiency of electron acceleration and emission mechanism in each portion of the shell are discussed. Thermal X-ray emission from the SNR was searched for but could not be detected at a significant level.
The recent discovery of the radio shell-type supernova remnant (SNR), G353.6-0.7, in spatial coincidence with the unidentified TeV source HESS J1731-347 has motivated further observations of the source with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Cherenkov telescope array to test a possible association of the gamma-ray emission with the SNR. With a total of 59 hours of observation, representing about four times the initial exposure available in the discovery paper of HESS J1731-347, the gamma-ray morphology is investigated and compared with the radio morphology. An estimate of the distance is derived by comparing the interstellar absorption derived from X-rays and the one obtained from 12CO and HI observations. The deeper gamma-ray observation of the source has revealed a large shell-type structure with similar position and extension (r~0.25{deg}) as the radio SNR, thus confirming their association. By accounting for the H.E.S.S. angular resolution and projection effects within a simple shell model, the radial profile is compatible with a thin, spatially unresolved, rim. Together with RX J1713.7-3946, RX J0852.0-4622 and SN 1006, HESS J1731-347 is now the fourth SNR with a significant shell morphology at TeV energies. The derived lower limit on the distance of the SNR of 3.2 kpc is used together with radio and X-ray data to discuss the possible origin of the gamma-ray emission, either via inverse Compton scattering of electrons or the decay of neutral pions resulting from proton-proton interaction.
The shell-type supernova remnant HESS J1731$-$347 emits TeV gamma-rays, and is a key object for the study of the cosmic ray acceleration potential of supernova remnants. We use 0.5-1 arcminute Mopra CO/CS(1-0) data in conjunction with HI data to calculate column densities towards the HESS J1731$-$347 region. We trace gas within at least four Galactic arms, typically tracing total (atomic+molecular) line-of-sight H column densities of 2-3$times$10$^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. Assuming standard X-factor values and that most of the HI/CO emission seen towards HESS J1731$-$347 is on the near-side of the Galaxy, X-ray absorption column densities are consistent with HI+CO-derived column densities foreground to, but not beyond, the Scutum-Crux Galactic arm, suggesting a kinematic distance of $sim$3.2 kpc for HESS J1731$-$347. At this kinematic distance, we also find dense, infrared-dark gas traced by CS(1-0) emission coincident with the north of HESS J1731$-$347, the nearby HII region G353.43$-$0.37 and the nearby unidentified gamma-ray source HESS J1729$-$345. This dense gas lends weight to the idea that HESS J1729$-$345 and HESS J1731-347 are connected, perhaps via escaping cosmic-rays.
We report the first high-significance GeV gamma-ray detections of supernova remnants HESS J1731-347 and SN 1006, both of which have been previously detected by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes above 1 TeV. Using 8 years of Fermi Pass 8 data at energies between 1 GeV and 2 TeV, we detect emission at the position of HESS J1731-347 with a significance of $sim 5sigma$ and a spectral index of $Gamma = 1.66 pm 0.16_{rm stat} pm 0.12_{rm syst}$. The hardness of the index and the good connection with the TeV spectrum of HESS J1731-347 support an association between the two sources. We also confirm the detection of SN 1006 at $sim 6sigma$ with a spectral index of $Gamma = 1.79 pm 0.17_{rm stat} pm 0.27_{rm syst}$. The northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) limbs of SN 1006 were also fit separately, resulting in the detection of the NE region ($Gamma = 1.47 pm 0.26_{rm stat}$) and the non-detection of the SW region. The significance of different spectral components for the two limbs is $3.6sigma$, providing first indications of an asymmetry in the GeV $gamma$-ray emission.
The supernova remnant (SNR) HESS J1731-347 is a young SNR which displays a non-thermal X-ray and TeV shell structure. A molecular cloud at a distance of 3.2 kpc is spatially coincident with the western part of the SNR, and it is likely hit by the SNR. The X-ray emission from this part of the shell is much lower than from the rest of the SNR. Moreover, a compact GeV emission region coincident with the cloud has been detected with a soft spectrum. These observations seem to imply a shock-cloud collision scenario at this area, where the stalled shock can no longer accelerate super-TeV electrons or maintain strong magnetic turbulence downstream, while the GeV cosmic rays (CRs) are released through this stalled shock. To test this hypothesis, we have performed a detailed Fermi-LAT reanalysis of the HESS J1731-347 region with over 9 years of data. We find that the compact GeV emission region displays a spectral power-law index of -2.4, whereas the GeV emission from the rest of the SNR (excluding the cloud region) has an index of -1.8. A hadronic model involving a shock-cloud collision scenario is built to explain the -ray emission from this area. It consists of three CR sources: run-away super-TeV CRs that have escaped from the fast shock, leaked GeV CRs from the stalled shock, and the local CR sea. The X-ray and -ray emission of the SNR excluding the shock-cloud interaction region is explained in a one-zone leptonic model. Our shock-cloud collision model explains well the GeV-TeV observations from both cloud regions around HESS J1731-347, i.e. from the cloud in contact with the SNR and from the more distant cloud which is coincident with the nearby TeV source HESS J1729-345. We find however that the leaked GeV CRs from the shock-cloud collision do not necessarily dominate the GeV emission from the clouds, due to a comparable contribution from the local CR sea.
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