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Issue A&A
Volume 442, Number 3, November II 2005
Page(s) L45 - L48
Section Letters
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200500187



A&A 442, L45-L48 (2005)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:200500187

Letter

Diffuse galactic sub-MeV $\gamma $-ray excess from high-energy electrons

R. Schröder1, R. Schlickeiser1 and A. W. Strong2

1  1 Institut für Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum- und Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
    e-mail: rsch@tp4.rub.de
2  Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany

(Received 22 July 2005 / Accepted 11 September 2005)

Abstract
Recent INTEGRAL observations have confirmed the existence of diffuse sub-MeV radiation from the inner Galaxy. We propose a new explanation for the origin of this diffuse component in terms of electrostatic bremsstrahlung radiation from high-energy electrons. This electrostatic bremsstrahlung interpretation requires a very flat power law energy spectrum of high-energy electrons in the inner Galaxy which is reasonable if many point sources with significant spectral dispersion contribute to the injection of high-energy electrons in the Galaxy. The electrostatic bremsstrahlung interpretation avoids the enormous source power problem that previous explanations by radiation from low-energy electrons have.


Key words: cosmic ray electrons -- diffuse galactic gamma rays -- radiation processes




© ESO 2005


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