HESS Observations of the Galactic Center Region and Their Possible Dark Matter Interpretation

F. Aharonian , A. G. Akhperjanian , A.R. Bazer-Bachi (1) , M. Beilicke , W. Benbow , D. Berge , K. Bernlöhr , C. Boisson (2) , O. Bolz , V. Borrel (1) , I. Braun , F. Breitling , A. M. Brown , R. Bühler , I. Büsching , S. Carrigan , P. M. Chadwick , L.-M. Chounet (3) , R. Cornils , L. Costamante , B. Degrange (3) , H. J. Dickinson , A. Djannati-Ataï (4) , L. O.'C. Drury , G. Dubus (3) , K. Egberts , D. Emmanoulopoulos , P. Espigat (5) , F. Feinstein (6) , E. Ferrero , A. Fiasson (6) , G. Fontaine (3) , Seb. Funk , S. Funk , Y.A. Gallant (6) , B. Giebels (3) , J. F. Glicenstein (7) , P. Goret (7) , C. Hadjichristidis , D. Hauser , M. Hauser , G. Heinzelmann , G. Henri (8) , G. Hermann , J. A. Hinton , W. Hofmann , M. Holleran , D. Horns , A. Jacholkowska (6) , O. C. de Jager , B. Khélifi (3) , Nu. Komin , A. Konopelko , K. Kosack , I. J. Latham , R. Le Gallou , A. Lemière (5) , M. Lemoine-Goumard (3) , T. Lohse , J.M. Martin (2) , O. Martineau-Huynh (9) , A. Marcowith (1) , C. Masterson , T. J. L. Mccomb , M. de Naurois (9) , D. Nedbal , S. J. Nolan , A. Noutsos , K. J. Orford , J. L. Osborne , M. Ouchrif (9) , M. Panter , G. Pelletier (8) , S. Pita (5) , G. Pühlhofer , M. Punch (5) , B. C. Raubenheimer , M. Raue , S. M. Rayner , A. Reimer , O. Reimer , J. Ripken , L. Rob , L. Rolland (7, 9) , G. Rowell , V. Sahakian , L. Saugé (8) , S. Schlenker , R. Schlickeiser , U. Schwanke , H. Sol (2) , D. Spangler , F. Spanier , R. Steenkamp , C. Stegmann , G. Superina (3) , J.-P. Tavernet (9) , R. Terrier (5) , C.G. Théoret (5) , M. Tluczykont (3) , C. van Eldik , G. Vasileiadis (6) , C. Venter , P. Vincent (9) , H. J. Völk , S. J. Wagner , M. Ward

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

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[prime](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.

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.. HESS Observations of the Galactic Center Region and Their Possible Dark Matter Interpretation. Physical Review Letters, 2006, 97, pp.221102. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.221102⟩. ⟨in2p3-00137679⟩