The largest catalog of high-energy sources of gamma rays

The largest catalog of high-energy sources of gamma rays

Representatives of HESS published the results of a 15-year gamma observation in the Milky Way. Telescopes installed in Namibia studied populations of pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants, as well as microquasars, which were not previously found in gamma rays. These studies are complemented by precise measurements, such as the scattering of rays in the center of our galaxy. Now this kit will serve as reference material for the international scientific community.

In space, particles of cosmic rays are accelerated by galactic clusters, supernovae, binary stars, pulsars, and some varieties of supermassive black holes. Because of the unknown mechanism, they manage to gain a high level of energy observed in gamma rays. When they get to the earth's atmosphere, they are absorbed, forming a short-term downpour of secondary particles emitting bluish flashes - the Vavilov-Cherenkov effect.

In order to find these short-term flashes, in 2002, 14 countries created an array of HESS - the world's largest gamma observatory (Namibia). Large mirrors of 5 telescopes collect rays and reflect incredibly sensitive cameras. Each snapshot shows the direction of the gamma quantum arrival, and the amount of light collected gives information about the energy. In the spring of 2003, the galactic center and the remnants of the explosion of a massive star were the first sources identified by HESS telescopes. Since 2700 hours of time, the array has continuously monitored the galaxy in search of various sources of gamma rays. Then managed to find 78 points.

Today's catalog is 4 times larger than the 2006 compilation. For the first time, the global community of astrophysicists will have access to high-energy gamma rays in such a huge amount. HESS will also tell in detail about the particle accelerators underlying these sources, and how the cosmic rays pass through the interstellar medium. Emissions from new classes of objects, such as stellar-mass black holes revolving around massive stars, and rapidly moving stars are also noticed.

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