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Origin of the diffuse galactic gamma-ray emission at low and medium gamma-ray energies

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Abstract

Recently the galactic plane has been observed in the low and medium energy gamma-ray range in the directions towards the center and anticenter. Spectral measurements are now available at those energies, where the contribution from π°-decay gamma rays can be neglected. The high MeV-fluxes observed in both parts of the Galaxy are an indication of either a strong electron induced component or a high contribution from unresolved sources. Several interstellar cosmic-ray electron spectra have been used to calculate the contribution from electron bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton collisions with optical, infrared and 2.7 K black-body photons. From these calculations restrictions on the interstellar electron spectrum are derived.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Physik und Astrophysik, Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 8046, Garching, Germany

    W. Sacher & V. Schönfelder

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  1. W. Sacher
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  2. V. Schönfelder
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Proceedings of the XVIII General Assembly of the IAU: Galactic Astrophysics and Gamma-Ray Astronomy, held at Patras, Greece, 19 August 1982.

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Sacher, W., Schönfelder, V. Origin of the diffuse galactic gamma-ray emission at low and medium gamma-ray energies. Space Sci Rev 36, 249–266 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247090

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