TY - JOUR
T1 - Discovery of a radiation component from the Vela pulsar reaching 20 teraelectronvolts
AU - The H.E.S.S. Collaboration et al.
AU - Aharonian, F.
AU - Benkhali, F. Ait
AU - Aschersleben, J.
AU - Ashkar, H.
AU - Backes, M.
AU - Martins, V. Barbosa
AU - Batzofin, R.
AU - Becherini, Y.
AU - Berge, D.
AU - Bernlöhr, K.
AU - Bi, B.
AU - Böttcher, M.
AU - Boisson, C.
AU - Bolmont, J.
AU - de Bony de Lavergne, M.
AU - Borowska, J.
AU - Bradascio, F.
AU - Breuhaus, M.
AU - Brose, R.
AU - Brun, F.
AU - Bruno, B.
AU - Bulik, T.
AU - Burger-Scheidlin, C.
AU - Bylund, T.
AU - Cangemi, F.
AU - Caroff, S.
AU - Casanova, S.
AU - Celic, J.
AU - Cerruti, M.
AU - Chand, T.
AU - Chandra, S.
AU - Chen, A.
AU - Chibueze, O.
AU - Cotter, G.
AU - Mbarubucyeye, J. Damascene
AU - Djannati-Ataï, A.
AU - Dmytriiev, A.
AU - Egberts, K.
AU - Ernenwein, J. P.
AU - Feijen, K.
AU - Fiasson, A.
AU - Fichet de Clairfontaine, G.
AU - Fontaine, G.
AU - Füßling, M.
AU - Funk, S.
AU - Gabici, S.
AU - Gallant, Y. A.
AU - Ghafourizadeh, S.
AU - Giavitto, G.
AU - Giunti, L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2023/11/1
Y1 - 2023/11/1
N2 - Gamma-ray observations have established energetic isolated pulsars as outstanding particle accelerators and antimatter factories. However, many questions are still open regarding the acceleration and radiation processes involved, as well as the locations where they occur. The radiation spectra of all gamma-ray pulsars observed to date show strong cutoffs or a break above energies of a few gigaelectronvolts. Using the High Energy Stereoscopic System’s Cherenkov telescopes, we discovered a radiation component from the Vela pulsar which emerges beyond this generic cutoff and extends up to energies of at least 20 teraelectronvolts. This is an order of magnitude larger than in the case of the Crab pulsar, the only other pulsar detected in the teraelectronvolt energy range. Our results challenge the state-of-the-art models for the high-energy emission of pulsars. Furthermore, they pave the way for investigating other pulsars through their multiteraelectronvolt emission, thereby imposing additional constraints on the acceleration and emission processes in their extreme energy limit.
AB - Gamma-ray observations have established energetic isolated pulsars as outstanding particle accelerators and antimatter factories. However, many questions are still open regarding the acceleration and radiation processes involved, as well as the locations where they occur. The radiation spectra of all gamma-ray pulsars observed to date show strong cutoffs or a break above energies of a few gigaelectronvolts. Using the High Energy Stereoscopic System’s Cherenkov telescopes, we discovered a radiation component from the Vela pulsar which emerges beyond this generic cutoff and extends up to energies of at least 20 teraelectronvolts. This is an order of magnitude larger than in the case of the Crab pulsar, the only other pulsar detected in the teraelectronvolt energy range. Our results challenge the state-of-the-art models for the high-energy emission of pulsars. Furthermore, they pave the way for investigating other pulsars through their multiteraelectronvolt emission, thereby imposing additional constraints on the acceleration and emission processes in their extreme energy limit.
U2 - 10.1038/s41550-023-02052-3
DO - 10.1038/s41550-023-02052-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173933154
SN - 2397-3366
VL - 7
SP - 1341
EP - 1350
JO - Nature Astronomy
JF - Nature Astronomy
IS - 11
ER -