A detailed study of Gamma-ray emission from Cassiopeia A using VERITAS

Understand

Supernova remnants (SNRs) have long been considered the leading candidate sites for the acceleration of cosmic rays within the Galaxy through the process of diffusive shock acceleration.

• The connection between SNRs and cosmic rays is supported by the detection of high energy (HE; 100 MeV to 100 GeV) and very high energy (VHE; 100 GeV to 100 TeV) gamma rays from young and middle-aged SNRs.
• However, the interpretation of the gamma-ray observations is not unique.
• This is due to the fact that gamma rays can be produced by electrons through non-thermal Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering, and by protons through proton-proton collisions and subsequent neutral pion decay.