Critical Re-Examination of Electromagnetic Gamma-Ray Source Functions
Abstract
Cosmic gamma-ray production by bremsstrahlung in the interstellar gas and inverse Compton scattering of 2.7 K blackbody microwave photons involves cosmic ray electrons with energies below 1 GeV and above 100 GeV, respectively. In these energy ranges the electron energy spectrum is rather poorly known and quite uncertain. The influence of this uncertainty on the gamma-ray source functions was estimated. It is shown that for both processes the integral source function above 100MeV is uncertain to at least a factor of 8 (bremsstrahlung) and 6 (microwave photon scattering). The consequences for galactic and extragalactic gamma ray astronomy are discussed.
- Publication:
-
Recent Advances in Gamma-Ray Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- July 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977ESASP.124..219S
- Keywords:
-
- Cosmic Rays;
- Gamma Rays;
- Radiation Sources;
- Bremsstrahlung;
- Compton Effect;
- Galactic Radiation;
- High Energy Electrons;
- Interstellar Gas;
- Microwaves;
- Space Radiation