The Fermi bubbles revisited

Abstract

We analyze 60 months of all-sky data from the Fermi-LAT. The Fermi bubble structures discovered previously are clearly revealed by our analysis. With more data, hence better statistics, we can now divide each bubble into constant longitude slices to investigate their gross γ-ray spectral morphology. While the detailed spectral behavior of each slice derived in our analysis is somewhat dependent on the assumed background model, we find, robustly, a relative deficit in the flux at low energies (i.e., hardening) toward the top of the south bubble. In neither bubble does the spectrum soften with longitude. The morphology of the Fermi bubbles is also revealed to be energy-dependent: at high energies they are more extended. We conclude from the gamma-ray spectrum at high latitudes that a low energy break in the parent cosmic ray population is required in both leptonic and hadronic models. We briefly discuss possible leptonic and hadronic interpretations of this phenomenology. © 2014 ESO.