Fermi-LAT study of Gamma-ray emission in the direction of supernova remnant W49B

Abstract

We present an analysis of the gamma-ray data obtained with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in the direction of SNR W49B (G43.3-0.2). A bright unresolved gamma-ray source detected at a significance of 38s is found to coincide with SNR W49B. The energy spectrum in the 0.2-200 GeV range gradually steepens toward high energies. The luminosity is estimated to be 1.5 × 1036 (D/8 kpc)2 erg s -1 in this energy range. There is no indication that the gamma-ray emission comes from a pulsar. Assuming that the supernova remnant (SNR) shell is the site of gamma-ray production, the observed spectrum can be explained either by the decay of neutral π mesons produced through the proton-proton collisions or by electron bremsstrahlung. The calculated energy density of relativistic particles responsible for the LAT flux is estimated to be remarkably large, Ue,p > 104 eVcm-3, for either gamma-ray production mechanism. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.