Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1998-06-24
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
latex, 14 pages, 3 figures (accepted for publication in ApJ)
Scientific paper
10.1086/306456
Continuum low-frequency radio observations of the Galactic Center reveal the presence of two prominent radio sources, Sgr A East and its surrounding Halo, containing non-thermal particle distributions with power-law indices around 2.5-3.3 and 2.4, respectively. The central 1-2 pc region is also a source of intense (stellar) UV and (dust-reprocessed) far-IR radiation that bathes these extended synchrotron-emitting structures. A recent detection of gamma-rays (2EGJ1746-2852) from within around 1 degree of the Galactic Center by EGRET onboard the Compton GRO shows that the emission from this environment extends to very high energies. We suggest that inverse Compton scatterings between the power-law electrons inferred from the radio properties of Sgr A East and its Halo, and the UV and IR photons from the nucleus, may account for the possibly diffuse gamma-ray source as well. We show that both particle distributions may be contributing to the gamma-ray emission, though their relevant strength depends on the actual physical properties (such as the magnetic field intensity) in each source. If this picture is correct, the high-energy source at the Galactic Center is extended over several arcminutes, which can be tested with thenext generation of gamma-ray and hard X-ray missions.
Fatuzzo Marco
Melia Fulvio
Yusef-Zadeh Farhad
No associations
LandOfFree
A Model of the EGRET Source at the Galactic Center: Inverse Compton Scattering Within Sgr A East and its Halo does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A Model of the EGRET Source at the Galactic Center: Inverse Compton Scattering Within Sgr A East and its Halo, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A Model of the EGRET Source at the Galactic Center: Inverse Compton Scattering Within Sgr A East and its Halo will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-655989