Journal
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Volume 439, Issue 3, Pages 1013-1021Publisher
EDP SCIENCES S A
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20053195
Keywords
gamma rays : observations; Galaxy : disk
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The serendipitous discovery of an unidentified extended TeV gamma-ray source close to the galactic plane named HESSJ1303-631 at a significance of 21 standard deviations is reported. The observations were performed between February and June 2004 with the HESS stereoscopic system of Cherenkov telescopes in Namibia. HESS J1303-631 was discovered roughly 0.6 degrees north of the binary system PSRB1259-63/SS2883, the target object of the initial observation campaign which was also detected at TeV energies in the same field of view. HESS J1303-631 is extended with a width of an assumed intrinsic Gaussian emission profile of sigma = (0.16 +/- 0.02)degrees. and the integral flux above 380 GeV is compatible with constant emission over the entire observational period of (17 +/- 3)% of the Crab Nebula flux. The measured energy spectrum can be described by a power-law dN/dE similar to E-Gamma with a photon index of G = 2.44 +/- 0.05(stat) +/- 0.2(syst). Up to now, no counterpart at other wavelengths is identified. Various possible TeV production scenarios are discussed.
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