A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way Author(s): Aharonian F., Feinstein F., Gallant Y., Komin N., Marcowith A., Vasileiadis G., Berghaus P., Bussons Gordo J., Chounet L.-M., Degrange B., Djannati-Ataï A., Dubus G., Espigat P., Fleury P., Fontaine G., Giebels B., Lemoine M., Leroy N., De Naurois M., Ouchrif M., Pita S., Punch M., Tavernet J.-P., Terrier R., Théoret C.G., Tluczykont M. (Article) Published: Annual Review Of Nuclear And Particle Science, vol. 307 p.1938-1942 (2005) Links openAccess full text : Ref HAL: in2p3-00024064_v1 Ref Arxiv: astro-ph/0504380 DOI: 10.1126/science.1108643 Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS Exporter : BibTex | endNote 275 citations Abstract: Very high energy gamma-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy gamma-rays. At least two have no known radio or X-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of `dark' nucleonic cosmic ray sources. |