Constraints on the Emission of Gamma-Rays from M31 with HAWC

Authors

A. Albert, Los Alamos National Laboratory
R. Alfaro, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
C. Alvarez, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
K. P. Arunbabu, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
D. Avila Rojas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
H. A. Ayala Solares, Pennsylvania State University
E. Belmont-Moreno, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
S. Y. Benzvi, University of Rochester
C. Brisbois, Michigan Technological University
K. S. Caballero-Mora, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
T. Capistrán, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica Optica y Electronica
A. Carramiñana, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica Optica y Electronica
S. Casanova, Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
U. Cotti, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
J. Cotzomi, Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla
S. Coutiño De León, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica Optica y Electronica
E. De La Fuente, Universidad de Guadalajara
C. De León, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
S. Dichiara, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
B. L. Dingus, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. A. Duvernois, University of Wisconsin-Madison
K. Engel, University of Maryland
C. Espinoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
H. Fleischhack, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
N. Fraija, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
A. Galván-Gámez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
D. García-Aguilar, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
J. A. García-González, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
F. Garfias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
M. M. González, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
J. A. Goodman, University of Maryland
B. Hona, Michigan Technological University
D. Huang, Michigan Technological University
P. Hüntemeyer, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-10-2020

Department

Department of Physics; Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Abstract

Cosmic rays, along with stellar radiation and magnetic fields, are known to make up a significant fraction of the energy density of galaxies such as the Milky Way. When cosmic rays interact in the interstellar medium, they produce gamma-ray emission which provides an important indication of how the cosmic rays propagate. Gamma-rays from the Andromeda galaxy (M31), located 785 kpc away, provide a unique opportunity to study cosmic-ray acceleration and diffusion in a galaxy with a structure and evolution very similar to the Milky Way. Using 33 months of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, we search for teraelectronvolt gamma-rays from the galactic plane of M31. We also investigate past and present evidence of galactic activity in M31 by searching for Fermi bubble-like structures above and below the galactic nucleus. No significant gamma-ray emission is observed, so we use the null result to compute upper limits on the energy density of cosmic rays >10 TeV in M31.

Publisher's Statement

© 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab7999

Publication Title

Astrophysical Journal

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