HESS observations of the galactic center region and their possible dark matter interpretation

F Aharonian; A G Akhperjanian; A R Bazer-Bachi; M Beilicke; W Benbow; D Berge; K Bernlöhr; C Boisson; O Bolz; V Borrel; I Braun; F Breitling; A M Brown; R Bühler; I Büsching; S Carrigan; P M Chadwick; L-M Chounet; R Cornils; L Costamante; B Degrange; H J Dickinson; A Djannati-Ataï; L O'C Drury; G Dubus; K Egberts; D Emmanoulopoulos; P Espigat; F Feinstein; E Ferrero; A Fiasson; G Fontaine; Seb Funk; S Funk; Y A Gallant; B Giebels; J F Glicenstein; P Goret; C Hadjichristidis; D Hauser; M Hauser; G Heinzelmann; G Henri; G Hermann; J A Hinton; W Hofmann; M Holleran; D Horns; A Jacholkowska; O C de Jager; B Khélifi; Nu Komin; A Konopelko; K Kosack; I J Latham; R Le Gallou; A Lemière; M Lemoine-Goumard; T Lohse; J M Martin; O Martineau-Huynh; A Marcowith; C Masterson; T J L McComb; M de Naurois; D Nedbal; S J Nolan; A Noutsos; K J Orford; J L Osborne; M Ouchrif; M Panter; G Pelletier; S Pita; G Pühlhofer; M Punch; B C Raubenheimer; M Raue; S M Rayner; A Reimer; O Reimer; J Ripken; L Rob; L Rolland; G Rowell; V Sahakian; L Saugé; S Schlenker; R Schlickeiser; U Schwanke; H Sol; D Spangler; F Spanier; R Steenkamp; C Stegmann; G Superina; J-P Tavernet; R Terrier; C G Théoret; M Tluczykont; C van Eldik; G Vasileiadis; C Venter; P Vincent; H J Völk; S J Wagner; M Ward; HESS Collaboration

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.221102

HESS observations of the galactic center region and their possible dark matter interpretation

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Dec 1;97(22):221102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.221102. Epub 2006 Nov 30.

Authors

F Aharonian¹, A G Akhperjanian, A R Bazer-Bachi, M Beilicke, W Benbow, D Berge, K Bernlöhr, C Boisson, O Bolz, V Borrel, I Braun, F Breitling, A M Brown, R Bühler, I Büsching, S Carrigan, P M Chadwick, L-M Chounet, R Cornils, L Costamante, B Degrange, H J Dickinson, A Djannati-Ataï, L O'C Drury, G Dubus, K Egberts, D Emmanoulopoulos, P Espigat, F Feinstein, E Ferrero, A Fiasson, G Fontaine, Seb Funk, S Funk, Y A Gallant, B Giebels, J F Glicenstein, P Goret, C Hadjichristidis, D Hauser, M Hauser, G Heinzelmann, G Henri, G Hermann, J A Hinton, W Hofmann, M Holleran, D Horns, A Jacholkowska, O C de Jager, B Khélifi, Nu Komin, A Konopelko, K Kosack, I J Latham, R Le Gallou, A Lemière, M Lemoine-Goumard, T Lohse, J M Martin, O Martineau-Huynh, A Marcowith, C Masterson, T J L McComb, M de Naurois, D Nedbal, S J Nolan, A Noutsos, K J Orford, J L Osborne, M Ouchrif, M Panter, G Pelletier, S Pita, G Pühlhofer, M Punch, B C Raubenheimer, M Raue, S M Rayner, A Reimer, O Reimer, J Ripken, L Rob, L Rolland, G Rowell, V Sahakian, L Saugé, S Schlenker, R Schlickeiser, U Schwanke, H Sol, D Spangler, F Spanier, R Steenkamp, C Stegmann, G Superina, J-P Tavernet, R Terrier, C G Théoret, M Tluczykont, C van Eldik, G Vasileiadis, C Venter, P Vincent, H J Völk, S J Wagner, M Ward; HESS Collaboration

Affiliation

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D-69029 Heidelberg, Germany.

PMID: 17155788
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.221102

Abstract

The detection of gamma rays from the source HESS J1745-290 in the Galactic Center (GC) region with the High Energy Spectroscopic System (HESS) array of Cherenkov telescopes in 2004 is presented. After subtraction of the diffuse gamma-ray emission from the GC ridge, the source is compatible with a point source with spatial extent less than 1.2;{'}(stat) (95% C.L.). The measured energy spectrum above 160 GeV is compatible with a power law with photon index of 2.25+/-0.04(stat)+/-0.10(syst) and no significant flux variation is detected. It is finally found that the bulk of the very high energy emission must have non-dark-matter origin.