In the very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray wave band, pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) represent to date the most populous class of Galactic sources. Nevertheless, the details of the energy conversion mechanisms in the vicinity of pulsars are not well understood, nor is it known which pulsars are able to drive PWNe and emit high-energy radiation. In this paper we present a systematic study of a connection between pulsars and VHE gamma-ray sources based on a deep survey of the inner Galactic plane conducted with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). We find clear evidence that pulsars with large spin-down energy flux are associated with VHE gamma-ray sources. This implies that these pulsars emit on the order of 1% of their spin-down energy as TeV gamma-rays.
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