{"id":{"repo_id":"potsdam-diss","oai_identifier":"oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:6941"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/potsdam-diss/oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:6941","repository":{"repo_id":"potsdam-diss","name":"Universität Potsdam - Diss","base_url":"https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/oai"},"display":{"title":"Gamma-ray studies of the young shell-type SNR RX J1713.7-3946","abstract":"One of the most significant current discussions in Astrophysics relates to the origin of high-energy cosmic rays. According to our current knowledge, the abundance distribution of the elements in cosmic rays at their point of origin indicates, within plausible error limits, that they were initially formed by nuclear processes in the interiors of stars. It is also believed that their energy distribution up to 1018 eV has Galactic origins. But even though the knowledge about potential sources of cosmic rays is quite poor above „ 1015 eV, that is the “knee” of the cosmic-ray spectrum, up to the knee there seems to be a wide consensus that supernova remnants are the most likely candidates. Evidence of this comes from observations of non-thermal X-ray radiation, requiring synchrotron electrons with energies up to 1014 eV, exactly in the remnant of supernovae. To date, however, there is not conclusive evidence that they produce nuclei, the dominant component of cosmic rays, in addition to electrons. In light of this dearth of evidence, γ-ray observations from supernova remnants can offer the most promising direct way to confirm whether or not these astrophysical objects are indeed the main source of cosmic-ray nuclei below the knee. Recent observations with space- and ground-based observatories have established shell-type supernova remnants as GeV-to- TeV γ-ray sources. The interpretation of these observations is however complicated by the different radiation processes, leptonic and hadronic, that can produce similar fluxes in this energy band rendering ambiguous the nature of the emission itself. The aim of this work is to develop a deeper understanding of these radiation processes from a particular shell-type supernova remnant, namely RX J1713.7–3946, using observations of the LAT instrument onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Furthermore, to obtain accurate spectra and morphology maps of the emission associated with this supernova remnant, an improved model of the diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission background is developed. The analyses of RX J1713.7–3946 carried out with this improved background show that the hard Fermi-LAT spectrum cannot be ascribed to the hadronic emission, leading thus to the conclusion that the leptonic scenario is instead the most natural picture for the high-energy γ-ray emission of RX J1713.7–3946. The leptonic scenario however does not rule out the possibility that cosmic-ray nuclei are accelerated in this supernova remnant, but it suggests that the ambient density may not be high enough to produce a significant hadronic γ-ray emission. Further investigations involving other supernova remnants using the improved back- ground developed in this work could allow compelling population studies, and hence prove or disprove the origin of Galactic cosmic-ray nuclei in these astrophysical objects. A break- through regarding the identification of the radiation mechanisms could be lastly achieved with a new generation of instruments such as CTA.","abstract_html":"One of the most significant current discussions in Astrophysics relates to the origin of high-energy cosmic rays. According to our current knowledge, the abundance distribution of the elements in cosmic rays at their point of origin indicates, within plausible error limits, that they were initially formed by nuclear processes in the interiors of stars. It is also believed that their energy distribution up to 1018 eV has Galactic origins. But even though the knowledge about potential sources of cosmic rays is quite poor above „ 1015 eV, that is the “knee” of the cosmic-ray spectrum, up to the knee there seems to be a wide consensus that supernova remnants are the most likely candidates. Evidence of this comes from observations of non-thermal X-ray radiation, requiring synchrotron electrons with energies up to 1014 eV, exactly in the remnant of supernovae. To date, however, there is not conclusive evidence that they produce nuclei, the dominant component of cosmic rays, in addition to electrons. In light of this dearth of evidence, γ-ray observations from supernova remnants can offer the most promising direct way to confirm whether or not these astrophysical objects are indeed the main source of cosmic-ray nuclei below the knee. Recent observations with space- and ground-based observatories have established shell-type supernova remnants as GeV-to- TeV γ-ray sources. The interpretation of these observations is however complicated by the different radiation processes, leptonic and hadronic, that can produce similar fluxes in this energy band rendering ambiguous the nature of the emission itself. The aim of this work is to develop a deeper understanding of these radiation processes from a particular shell-type supernova remnant, namely RX J1713.7–3946, using observations of the LAT instrument onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Furthermore, to obtain accurate spectra and morphology maps of the emission associated with this supernova remnant, an improved model of the diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission background is developed. The analyses of RX J1713.7–3946 carried out with this improved background show that the hard Fermi-LAT spectrum cannot be ascribed to the hadronic emission, leading thus to the conclusion that the leptonic scenario is instead the most natural picture for the high-energy γ-ray emission of RX J1713.7–3946. The leptonic scenario however does not rule out the possibility that cosmic-ray nuclei are accelerated in this supernova remnant, but it suggests that the ambient density may not be high enough to produce a significant hadronic γ-ray emission. Further investigations involving other supernova remnants using the improved back- ground developed in this work could allow compelling population studies, and hence prove or disprove the origin of Galactic cosmic-ray nuclei in these astrophysical objects. A break- through regarding the identification of the radiation mechanisms could be lastly achieved with a new generation of instruments such as CTA.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Federici, Simone"],"institution":"Universität Potsdam","degree_name":null,"degree_level":"thesis.doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pohl, Martin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-06-13","date_published":"2014-06-13","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:51:46Z","subjects":["Supernovaüberrest","gamma-ray","cosmic-rays","supernova remnants"],"languages":[],"rights":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/6941","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"source_url"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pohl, Martin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Federici, Simone"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Universität Potsdam"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["doctoralThesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["thesis.doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Universität Potsdam"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Supernovaüberrest","gamma-ray","cosmic-rays","supernova remnants"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["One of the most significant current discussions in Astrophysics relates to the origin of high-energy cosmic rays. According to our current knowledge, the abundance distribution of the elements in cosmic rays at their point of origin indicates, within plausible error limits, that they were initially formed by nuclear processes in the interiors of stars. It is also believed that their energy distribution up to 1018 eV has Galactic origins. But even though the knowledge about potential sources of cosmic rays is quite poor above „ 1015 eV, that is the “knee” of the cosmic-ray spectrum, up to the knee there seems to be a wide consensus that supernova remnants are the most likely candidates. Evidence of this comes from observations of non-thermal X-ray radiation, requiring synchrotron electrons with energies up to 1014 eV, exactly in the remnant of supernovae. To date, however, there is not conclusive evidence that they produce nuclei, the dominant component of cosmic rays, in addition to electrons. In light of this dearth of evidence, γ-ray observations from supernova remnants can offer the most promising direct way to confirm whether or not these astrophysical objects are indeed the main source of cosmic-ray nuclei below the knee. Recent observations with space- and ground-based observatories have established shell-type supernova remnants as GeV-to- TeV γ-ray sources. The interpretation of these observations is however complicated by the different radiation processes, leptonic and hadronic, that can produce similar fluxes in this energy band rendering ambiguous the nature of the emission itself. The aim of this work is to develop a deeper understanding of these radiation processes from a particular shell-type supernova remnant, namely RX J1713.7–3946, using observations of the LAT instrument onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Furthermore, to obtain accurate spectra and morphology maps of the emission associated with this supernova remnant, an improved model of the diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission background is developed. The analyses of RX J1713.7–3946 carried out with this improved background show that the hard Fermi-LAT spectrum cannot be ascribed to the hadronic emission, leading thus to the conclusion that the leptonic scenario is instead the most natural picture for the high-energy γ-ray emission of RX J1713.7–3946. The leptonic scenario however does not rule out the possibility that cosmic-ray nuclei are accelerated in this supernova remnant, but it suggests that the ambient density may not be high enough to produce a significant hadronic γ-ray emission. Further investigations involving other supernova remnants using the improved back- ground developed in this work could allow compelling population studies, and hence prove or disprove the origin of Galactic cosmic-ray nuclei in these astrophysical objects. A break- through regarding the identification of the radiation mechanisms could be lastly achieved with a new generation of instruments such as CTA.","Eine der gegenwärtigen bedeutendsten geführten Diskussionen in der Astrophysik bezieht sich auf den Ursprung der hochenergetischen Kosmischen Strahlung. Nach unserem heutigen Verständnis weist die am Ort des Ursprungs elementare Zusam- mensetzung der Kosmischen Strahlung darauf hin, dass diese zu Beginn mittels nuklearer Prozesse im Inneren von Sternen gebildet wurde. Weiterhin wird ange- nommen, dass die Kosmische Strahlung bis 1018 eV galaktischen Ursprungs ist. Auch wenn das Verständnis über die potentiellen Quellen der Kosmischen Strahlung ober- halb von 1015 eV, dem sogenannten „Knie“ des Spektrums der Kosmischen Strah- lung, lückenhaft ist, so liegt doch der Konsens vor, dass Supernovaüberreste (SNR) die wahrscheinlichsten Quellen für Energien bis 1015 eV sind. Unterstützt wird die- ser Sachverhalt durch Beobachtungen von nichtthermischer Röntgenstrahlung von SNR, deren Emission Elektronen mit Energien bis zu 1014 eV erfordern. Jedoch gibt es bis heute keinen überzeugenden Beweis, dass SNR zusätzlich zu den Elektronen auch Atomkerne, die den dominierenden Anteil in der Kosmischen Strahlung bilden, beschleunigen. Trotz fehlender überzeugender Beweise ermöglichen nun Beobachtungen von SNR im γ-Strahlungsbereich einen vielversprechenden Weg zur Aufklärung der Fra- ge, ob diese astrophysikalischen Objekte in der Tat die Hauptquelle der Kosmischen Strahlung unterhalb des Knies sind. Kürzlich durchgeführte Beobachtungen im Welt- raum und auf der Erdoberfläche haben zu der Erkenntnis geführt, dass schalenartige SNR γ-Strahlung im GeV- und TeV-Bereich emittieren. Die Interpretation dieser Beobachtungen ist jedoch schwierig, da sowohl Atomkerne als auch Elektronen im betrachteten Energiebereich zu ähnlichen γ-Emissionen führen. Dadurch wird die eindeutige Identifizierung der Emission als das Resultat hadronischer oder leptoni- scher Emissionsprozesse erschwert. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, am Beispiel des schalenartigen SNR RX J1713.7- 3946 ein tieferes Verständnis über die Strahlungsprozesse zu erhalten, indem vom γ-Weltraumteleskop Fermi durchgeführte Beobachtungen analysiert werden. Um ge- naue Spektren und die Ausdehnung der Region der Emission zu erhalten, wird ein verbessertes Modell für die diffuse galaktische γ-Hintergrundstrahlung entwickelt. Die mit diesem verbesserten Hintergrund durchgeführte Analyse von RX J1713.7- 3946 zeigt, dass das vom Fermi-Satelliten beobachtete Spektrum nicht dem hadro- nischen Szenario zugeschrieben werden kann, sodass das leptonische Szenario für die γ-Emissionen von diesem SNR verantwortlich ist. Das leptonische Szenario schließt jedoch nicht die Möglichkeit aus, dass auch Atomkerne in diesem SNR beschleu- nigt werden. Aber es deutet darauf hin, dass die umgebende Teilchendichte nicht ausreichend hoch genug ist, um zu einer signifikanten hadronischen γ-Emission zu führen. Weitere Untersuchungen, die andere SNR in Kombination mit dem hier ent- wickelten verbesserten Modell der Hintergrundstrahlung beinhalten, können Popu- lationsstudien erlauben. Dies könnte klären, ob die SNR tatsächlich die Quellen der galaktischen Kosmischen Strahlung sind. Ein Durchbruch bezüglich der Identi- fikation des Strahlungsmechanismus könnte auch durch eine neue Generation von Beobachtungsinstrumenten, wie das Cherenkov Telescope Array, erreicht werden."]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Gamma-ray studies of the young shell-type SNR RX J1713.7-3946","Untersuchung im Gamma-Strahlungsbereich des schalenartigen Supernova-Überrests RX J1713.7−3946"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Pohl, Martin"],"dc:creator":["Federici, Simone"],"dc:description.abstract":["One of the most significant current discussions in Astrophysics relates to the origin of high-energy cosmic rays. According to our current knowledge, the abundance distribution of the elements in cosmic rays at their point of origin indicates, within plausible error limits, that they were initially formed by nuclear processes in the interiors of stars. It is also believed that their energy distribution up to 1018 eV has Galactic origins. But even though the knowledge about potential sources of cosmic rays is quite poor above „ 1015 eV, that is the “knee” of the cosmic-ray spectrum, up to the knee there seems to be a wide consensus that supernova remnants are the most likely candidates. Evidence of this comes from observations of non-thermal X-ray radiation, requiring synchrotron electrons with energies up to 1014 eV, exactly in the remnant of supernovae. To date, however, there is not conclusive evidence that they produce nuclei, the dominant component of cosmic rays, in addition to electrons. In light of this dearth of evidence, γ-ray observations from supernova remnants can offer the most promising direct way to confirm whether or not these astrophysical objects are indeed the main source of cosmic-ray nuclei below the knee. Recent observations with space- and ground-based observatories have established shell-type supernova remnants as GeV-to- TeV γ-ray sources. The interpretation of these observations is however complicated by the different radiation processes, leptonic and hadronic, that can produce similar fluxes in this energy band rendering ambiguous the nature of the emission itself. The aim of this work is to develop a deeper understanding of these radiation processes from a particular shell-type supernova remnant, namely RX J1713.7–3946, using observations of the LAT instrument onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Furthermore, to obtain accurate spectra and morphology maps of the emission associated with this supernova remnant, an improved model of the diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission background is developed. The analyses of RX J1713.7–3946 carried out with this improved background show that the hard Fermi-LAT spectrum cannot be ascribed to the hadronic emission, leading thus to the conclusion that the leptonic scenario is instead the most natural picture for the high-energy γ-ray emission of RX J1713.7–3946. The leptonic scenario however does not rule out the possibility that cosmic-ray nuclei are accelerated in this supernova remnant, but it suggests that the ambient density may not be high enough to produce a significant hadronic γ-ray emission. Further investigations involving other supernova remnants using the improved back- ground developed in this work could allow compelling population studies, and hence prove or disprove the origin of Galactic cosmic-ray nuclei in these astrophysical objects. A break- through regarding the identification of the radiation mechanisms could be lastly achieved with a new generation of instruments such as CTA.","Eine der gegenwärtigen bedeutendsten geführten Diskussionen in der Astrophysik bezieht sich auf den Ursprung der hochenergetischen Kosmischen Strahlung. Nach unserem heutigen Verständnis weist die am Ort des Ursprungs elementare Zusam- mensetzung der Kosmischen Strahlung darauf hin, dass diese zu Beginn mittels nuklearer Prozesse im Inneren von Sternen gebildet wurde. Weiterhin wird ange- nommen, dass die Kosmische Strahlung bis 1018 eV galaktischen Ursprungs ist. Auch wenn das Verständnis über die potentiellen Quellen der Kosmischen Strahlung ober- halb von 1015 eV, dem sogenannten „Knie“ des Spektrums der Kosmischen Strah- lung, lückenhaft ist, so liegt doch der Konsens vor, dass Supernovaüberreste (SNR) die wahrscheinlichsten Quellen für Energien bis 1015 eV sind. Unterstützt wird die- ser Sachverhalt durch Beobachtungen von nichtthermischer Röntgenstrahlung von SNR, deren Emission Elektronen mit Energien bis zu 1014 eV erfordern. Jedoch gibt es bis heute keinen überzeugenden Beweis, dass SNR zusätzlich zu den Elektronen auch Atomkerne, die den dominierenden Anteil in der Kosmischen Strahlung bilden, beschleunigen. Trotz fehlender überzeugender Beweise ermöglichen nun Beobachtungen von SNR im γ-Strahlungsbereich einen vielversprechenden Weg zur Aufklärung der Fra- ge, ob diese astrophysikalischen Objekte in der Tat die Hauptquelle der Kosmischen Strahlung unterhalb des Knies sind. Kürzlich durchgeführte Beobachtungen im Welt- raum und auf der Erdoberfläche haben zu der Erkenntnis geführt, dass schalenartige SNR γ-Strahlung im GeV- und TeV-Bereich emittieren. Die Interpretation dieser Beobachtungen ist jedoch schwierig, da sowohl Atomkerne als auch Elektronen im betrachteten Energiebereich zu ähnlichen γ-Emissionen führen. Dadurch wird die eindeutige Identifizierung der Emission als das Resultat hadronischer oder leptoni- scher Emissionsprozesse erschwert. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, am Beispiel des schalenartigen SNR RX J1713.7- 3946 ein tieferes Verständnis über die Strahlungsprozesse zu erhalten, indem vom γ-Weltraumteleskop Fermi durchgeführte Beobachtungen analysiert werden. Um ge- naue Spektren und die Ausdehnung der Region der Emission zu erhalten, wird ein verbessertes Modell für die diffuse galaktische γ-Hintergrundstrahlung entwickelt. Die mit diesem verbesserten Hintergrund durchgeführte Analyse von RX J1713.7- 3946 zeigt, dass das vom Fermi-Satelliten beobachtete Spektrum nicht dem hadro- nischen Szenario zugeschrieben werden kann, sodass das leptonische Szenario für die γ-Emissionen von diesem SNR verantwortlich ist. Das leptonische Szenario schließt jedoch nicht die Möglichkeit aus, dass auch Atomkerne in diesem SNR beschleu- nigt werden. Aber es deutet darauf hin, dass die umgebende Teilchendichte nicht ausreichend hoch genug ist, um zu einer signifikanten hadronischen γ-Emission zu führen. Weitere Untersuchungen, die andere SNR in Kombination mit dem hier ent- wickelten verbesserten Modell der Hintergrundstrahlung beinhalten, können Popu- lationsstudien erlauben. Dies könnte klären, ob die SNR tatsächlich die Quellen der galaktischen Kosmischen Strahlung sind. Ein Durchbruch bezüglich der Identi- fikation des Strahlungsmechanismus könnte auch durch eine neue Generation von Beobachtungsinstrumenten, wie das Cherenkov Telescope Array, erreicht werden."],"dc:format.medium":["application/pdf"],"dc:publisher":["Universität Potsdam"],"dc:rights":["CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International"],"dc:subject":["Supernovaüberrest","gamma-ray","cosmic-rays","supernova remnants"],"dc:title":["Gamma-ray studies of the young shell-type SNR RX J1713.7-3946","Untersuchung im Gamma-Strahlungsbereich des schalenartigen Supernova-Überrests RX J1713.7−3946"],"dc:type":["doctoralThesis"],"thesis:degree_level":["thesis.doctoral"],"thesis:institution_name":["Universität Potsdam"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:51:46Z"}