Speaker
Description
Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe), regions dynamically dominated by highly energetic particles accelerated in the vicinity of pulsars, are the most populous Galactic source class identified at TeV energies in the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane Survey. Recently, the first views of the Galactic plane at energies > 100 TeV from HAWC have unveiled a source population exclusively associated with energetic pulsars, known lepton factories. Gamma-ray emission beyond 100 TeV provides evidence for the presence of PeV particles, reaching the cosmic ray knee, whilst current data is consistent with a leptonic scenario for the emission. The detection of highly extended TeV emission around less energetic, nearby pulsars with ages > 100 kyr has prompted discussion of a distinct “halo" phenomenon, associated with particle escape from the PWN in later evolutionary stages. Multi-wavelength data provides an opportunity for further insights into the nature of halos and how their properties differ from those PWNe. Radio observations in particular, are key to morphological studies and in identifying molecular cloud regions that could act as targets for hadronic emission, enabling constraints on the presence of hadronic particles within pulsar environments to be made. In this talk, I will outline the prospects for future studies of PWNe and halos with CTA, emphasising how multi-wavelength data will play a vital role in advancing our understanding of PWNe at TeV energies.
