Search for >= 400 GeV gamma-rays from the SNR Cas A

Abstract

The recent detection of a hard X-ray component in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A is interpreted as synchrotron emission from electrons accelerated to energies up to 40 TeV (Allen et al., 1997). It is therefore tempting to consider TeV gamma-ray emission from this object through : i) bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton radiation from electrons and/or ii) pi0 production from an associated high energy cosmic ray component hitting surrounding material. Cas A was observed by the CAT imaging Cherenkov telescope during the observing season Aug-Nov 1998. An upper limit to the integral flux above 400 GeV of 0.74x10^-11 gamma.cm^-2.s^-1 is derived. This result is used to constrain shock-acceleration models for production of VHE gamma-rays in SNRs.