Search for Pulsed VHE Gamma-Ray Emission from Young Pulsars with H.E.S.S

F. Aharonian , A.G. Akhperjanian , A.R. Bazer-Bachi (1) , M. Beilicke , W. Benbow , D. Berge , K. Bernlohr , C. Boisson (2) , O. Bolz , V. Borrel , I. Braun , E. Brion (3) , A.M. Brown , R. Buhler , I. Busching , T. Boutelier (4) , S. Carrigan , P.M. Chadwick , L.-M. Chounet (5) , G. Coignet (6) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange , H.J. Dickinson , A. Djannati-Ataï (7) , L.O'C. Drury , G. Dubus (5) , K. Egberts , T. Eifert , D. Emmanoulopoulos , P. Espigat (8) , C. Farnier (9) , F. Feinstein (9) , E. Ferrero , A. Fiasson (9) , G. Fontaine (5) , Seb. Funk , S. Funk , M. Fussling , Y.A. Gallant (9) , B. Giebels (5) , J.F. Glicenstein (3) , B. Gluck , P. Goret (3) , C. Hadjichristidis , D. Hauser , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri (4) , G. Hermann , J.A. Hinton , A. Hoffmann , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , S. Hoppe , D. Horns , A. Jacholkowska (9) , O.C. de Jager , E. Kendziorra , M. Kerschhaggl , B. Khelifi (5) , Nu. Komin (9) , K. Kosack , G. Lamanna (6) , I.J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemière (8) , M. Lemoine-Goumard (5) , T. Lohse , R.N. Manchester , J.M. Martin (2) , O. Martineau-Huynh (10) , A. Marcowith (1, 9) , C. Masterson , G. Maurin , T.J.L. Mccomb , Emmanuel Moulin (3, 9) , M. de Naurois , D. Nedbal , S.J. Nolan , A. Noutsos , J.-P. Olive (1) , K.J. Orford , J.L. Osborne , M. Panter , G. Pelletier (4) , P.-O. Petrucci (4) , S. Pita (8) , G. P¨uhlhofer , M. Punch (8) , S. Ranchon (6) , B.C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , S.M. Rayner , O. Reimer , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland (3) , S. Rosier-Lees (6) , G. Rowell , V. Sahakian , A. Santangelo , L. Sauge (4) , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , F. Schmidt , R. Schroder , U. Schwanke , S. Schwarzburg , S. Schwemmer , A. Shalchi , H. Sol (2) , D. Spangler , F. Spanier , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , G. Superina (5) , P.H. Tam , J.-P. Tavernet (10) , R. Terrier (8) , M. Tluczykont (5) , C. van Eldik , G. Vasileiadis (9) , C. Venter , J.P. Vialle (6) , P. Vincent (10) , H.J. Volk , S.J. Wagner , M. Ward

1 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
2 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
3 DAPNIA - Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée
4 LAOG - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble
5 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
6 LAPP - Laboratoire d'Annecy de Physique des Particules
7 APC - AHE - APC - Astrophysique des Hautes Energies
8 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
9 LPTA - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules
10 LPNHE - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies

We present the results of a search for pulsed very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from young pulsars using data taken with the H.E.S.S. imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope system. Data on eleven pulsars, selected according to their spin-down luminosity relative to distance, are searched for gamma-ray signals with periodicity at the respective pulsar spin period. Special analysis efforts were made to improve the sensitivity in the 100 GeV gamma-ray energy domain in an attempt to reduce the gap between satellite and ground-based gamma-ray instruments. No significant evidence for pulsed emission is found in any data set. Differential upper limits on pulsed energy flux are determined for all selected pulsars in the approximate gamma-ray energy range between 100 GeV and 50 TeV, using different limit determination methods, testing a wide range of possible pulsar light curves and energy spectra. The limits derived here imply that the magnetospheric VHE gamma-ray production efficiency in young pulsars is less than 10^-4 of the pulsar spin-down luminosity, requiring spectral turnovers for the high-energy emission of four established gamma-ray pulsars, and constrain the inverse Compton radiation component predicted by several outer gap models.

Mots clés: Gamma-rays: observations; Pulsars: individual: Crab pulsar/ Vela pulsar/ PSRB1259 63/ PSRB1509 58/ PSRB1706 44

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

F. Aharonian, A.G. Akhperjanian, A.R. Bazer-Bachi, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, et al.. Search for Pulsed VHE Gamma-Ray Emission from Young Pulsars with H.E.S.S. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2007, 466, pp.543-554. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361:20066737⟩. ⟨in2p3-00130812⟩