Search for point sources and diffuse emission from the Galactic plane with the HEGRA-IACT-s.pdfVIP

c Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 2348 Copernicus Gesellschaft 2001 ICRC 2001 Search for point sources and diffuse emission from the Galactic plane with the HEGRA-IACT-system 1 ¨ 1 1 1 1 ¨ 1 H. Lampeitl , K. Bernlohr , A. Daum , W. Hofmann , A. Konopelko , G. Puhlhofer , and HEGRA-Collaboration 1 ¨ Max Planck Institut fur Kernphysik, Postfach 103980, D-69029 Heidelberg Abstract. The HEGRA-IACT-system with a FoV of mic rays with interstellar gas confined to the plane or with deg radius has been used for surveying one quater of the photons. Diffuse emission in the energy range from tens of Galactic disc in respect to point sources, moderately extended MeV to tens of GeV has been studied recently by EGRET sources and for diffuse emission in the energy range above (Hunter et al. 1997). The basic features can be modeled 1 TeV. In total 140 h of good observation time were accu- assuming decay as the dominant mechanism, with the mulated. No new source has been discoverd. Limits on the gamma-ray emission proportional to the product of the gas level of 20% or lower of the Crab flux on about 87 poten- column density and the cosmic-ray density (see, e.g., Hunter tial sources like SNR, Pulsars and EGRET sources are de- et al. 1997). Above 1 GeV, data show an excess in gamma- rived. A limit on the diffuse emission is given on the level of ray flux over model predictions (Hunter et al. 1997; see how- (E= 1 TeV) = 6.1 10 ph cm s sr Mev ever Aharonian and Atoyan 2000). At these energies, contri- resulting in a lower limit of 2.5 on the spectral index for the