SNR observations with VERITAS

ORAL

Abstract

The acceleration of particles in supernova shocks is widely accepted as the source of cosmic rays below the ``knee'' in the spectrum at 3 $\times$ $10^{15}$ eV. The subsequent production of TeV gamma-rays, either via leptonic processes or hadron-hadron interaction in the surrounding media, gives us a window into these processes. Using VERITAS, an array of 4 Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes located at Mt. Hopkins near Tucson, Arizona, the VERITAS collaboration is searching for evidence of cosmic ray production in nearby supernova remnants. We present a summary of observations and analysis of several supernova remnants observed during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 observing seasons.

Authors

  • Mark Theiling

    Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory