Cherenkov telescopes results on pulsar wind nebulae and pulsars

Abstract

The last few years have seen a revolution in very highγ-ray astronomy (VHE; E>100 GeV) driven largely by a new generation of Cherenkov telescopes. These new facilities, namely H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope) and its upgrade MAGIC 2, VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) and CANGAROO (Collaboration of Australia and Nippon for a Gamma Ray Observatory in the Outback) were designed to increase the flux sensitivity in the energy regime of hundreds of GeV, expanding the observed energy range from 50 to multi-TeV, and fostered as a result a period of rapid growth in our understanding of the Non-Thermal Universe. As a result of this fast development the number of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) detected has increased from a few in the early 90’s to more than two dozen of firm candidates nowadays. Also, the low energy threshold achieved allows to investigate the pulsed spectra of the high energy pulsars powering PWNe. A review of the most relevant VHE results concerning pulsars and their relativistic winds is discussed here in the context of Cherenkov telescopes.