Background Modelling in Very-High-Energy gamma-ray Astronomy

Abstract

Ground based Cherenkov telescope systems measure astrophysical gamma-ray emission against a background of cosmic-ray induced air showers. The subtraction of this background is a major challenge for the extraction of spectra and morphology of gamma-ray sources. The unprecedented sensitivity of the new generation of ground based very-high-energy gamma-ray experiments such as H.E.S.S. has lead to the discovery of many previously unknown extended sources. The analysis of such sources requires a range of different background modelling techniques. Here we describe some of the techniques that have been applied to data from the H.E.S.S. instrument and compare their performance. Each background model is introduced and discussed in terms of suitability for image generation or spectral analysis and possible caveats are mentioned. We show that there is not a single multi-purpose model, different models are appropriate for different tasks. To keep systematic uncertainties under control it is important to apply several models to the same data set and compare the results.

arXiv comment13 pages, 10 figures, submitted to A&A

References in corpus (14)

• Observations of the Crab Nebula with H.E.S.S
• The H.E.S.S. survey of the Inner Galaxy in very high-energy gamma-rays
• High-energy particle acceleration in the shell of a supernova remnant
• The Status of the H.E.S.S. Project
• VERITAS: the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System
• A detailed spectral and morphological study of the gamma-ray supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 with H.E.S.S
• A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way
• Evidence for TeV gamma ray emission from Cassiopeia A
• Detection of TeV gamma-ray Emission from the Shell-Type Supernova Remnant RX J0852.0-4622 with H.E.S.S
• H.E.S.S. Observations of PKS 2155-304
• The Trigger System of the H.E.S.S. Telescope Array
• Serendipitous discovery of the unidentified extended TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1303-631
• A new template background estimate for source searching in TeV gamma-ray astronomy
• Upper limits to the SN1006 multi-TeV gamma-ray flux from H.E.S.S. observations

Cited by in corpus (243)

• An Exceptional VHE Gamma-Ray Flare of PKS 2155-304
• Acceleration of petaelectronvolt protons in the Galactic Centre
• The H.E.S.S. Galactic plane survey
• Discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission coincident with molecular clouds in the W28 (G6.4-0.1) field
• A very-high-energy component deep in the Gamma-ray Burst afterglow
• A connection between star formation activity and cosmic rays in the starburst galaxy M 82
• Search for a Dark Matter annihilation signal from the Galactic Center halo with H.E.S.S
• New constraints on the Mid-IR EBL from the HESS discovery of VHE gamma rays from 1ES 0229+200
• Search for TeV Gamma-ray Emission from GRB 100621A, an extremely bright GRB in X-rays, with H.E.S.S
• Monte Carlo design studies for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• HESS VHE Gamma-Ray Sources Without Identified Counterparts
• Discovery of TeV Gamma Ray Emission from Tycho's Supernova Remnant
• Revealing x-ray and gamma ray temporal and spectral similarities in the GRB 190829A afterglow
• First detection of VHE gamma-rays from SN 1006 by H.E.S.S
• Gamma-Hadron Separation in Very-High-Energy gamma-ray astronomy using a multivariate analysis method
• The exceptionally powerful TeV gamma-ray emitters in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• VERITAS Observations of the gamma-Ray Binary LS I +61 303
• TeV and Multi-wavelength Observations of Mrk 421 in 2006-2008
• Spectrum and variability of the Galactic Center VHE gamma-ray source HESS J1745-290
• Dark Matter Constraints from a Joint Analysis of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Observations with VERITAS
• Discovery of extended VHE γ-ray emission from the vicinity of the young massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1
• H.E.S.S. observations of RX J1713.7-3946 with improved angular and spectral resolution; evidence for gamma-ray emission extending beyond the X-ray emitting shell
• Discovery of gamma-ray emission from the shell-type supernova remnant RCW 86 with H.E.S.S
• Search for dark matter annihilation signatures in H.E.S.S. observations of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
• A realistic assessment of the CTA sensitivity to dark matter annihilation
• Diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emission with H.E.S.S
• VERITAS Deep Observations of the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Segue 1
• H.E.S.S. discovery of VHE gamma-rays from the quasar PKS 1510-089
• Rapid TeV Gamma-Ray Flaring of BL Lacertae
• Spectral Energy Distribution of Markarian 501: Quiescent State vs. Extreme Outburst
• Dark matter profiles and annihilation in dwarf spheroidal galaxies: prospectives for present and future gamma-ray observatories - I. The classical dSphs
• VERITAS Discovery of >200GeV Gamma-ray Emission from the Intermediate-frequency-peaked BL Lac Object W Comae
• Gammapy: A Python package for gamma-ray astronomy
• VERITAS Observations of a Very High Energy Gamma-ray Flare from the Blazar 3C 66A
• Probing the extent of the non-thermal emission from the Vela X region at TeV energies with H.E.S.S
• Time-resolved hadronic particle acceleration in the recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi
• Observations of the shell-type SNR Cassiopeia A at TeV energies with VERITAS
• Particle Transport within the Pulsar Wind Nebula HESS J1825-137
• The Discovery of gamma-Ray Emission From The Blazar RGB J0710+591
• Spectral analysis and interpretation of the γ-ray emission from the Starburst galaxy NGC 253
• A new SNR with TeV shell-type morphology: HESS J1731-347
• VERITAS Search for VHE Gamma-ray Emission from Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
• Exploring a SNR/Molecular Cloud Association Within HESS J1745-303
• Constraints on the multi-TeV particle population in the Coma Galaxy Cluster with H.E.S.S. observations
• Discovery of very high energy gamma rays from PKS 1424+240 and multiwavelength constraints on its redshift
• Towards open and reproducible multi-instrument analysis in gamma-ray astronomy
• Characterising the VHE diffuse emission in the central 200 parsecs of our Galaxy with H.E.S.S
• Detection of Extended VHE Gamma Ray Emission from G106.3+2.7 with VERITAS
• Localising the VHE gamma-ray source at the Galactic Centre
• The 2012 flare of PG 1553+113 seen with H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT
• Discovery of Variability in the Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission of 1ES 1218+304 with VERITAS
• Population study of Galactic supernova remnants at very high $\gamma$-ray energies with H.E.S.S.
• Detection of Very High Energy radiation from HESS J1908+063 confirms the Milagro unidentified source MGRO J1908+06
• The 2014 TeV Gamma-ray Flare of Mrk 501 Seen with H.E.S.S.: Temporal and Spectral Constraints on Lorentz Invariance Violation
• Flux upper limits for 47 AGN observed with H.E.S.S. in 2004-2011
• Discovery of a VHE gamma-ray source coincident with the supernova remnant CTB 37A
• Simultaneous Multiwavelength Observations of Markarian 421 During Outburst
• Observations of the unidentified gamma-ray source TeV J2032+4130 by VERITAS
• TeV gamma-ray observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 with H.E.S.S
• Resolving acceleration to very high energies along the Jet of Centaurus A
• Very high energy gamma-ray observations of the galaxy clusters Abell 496 and Abell 85 with H.E.S.S
• Discovery of two candidate pulsar wind nebulae in very-high-energy gamma rays
• Discovery of Very High-Energy Gamma-Ray Radiation from the BL Lac 1ES 0806+524
• Measurement of Cosmic-ray Electrons at TeV Energies by VERITAS
• A Very High Energy $\gamma$-Ray Survey towards the Cygnus Region of the Galaxy
• Improved $\gamma$/hadron separation for the detection of faint gamma-ray sources using boosted decision trees
• H.E.S.S. observations of gamma-ray bursts in 2003-2007
• Search for dark matter signals towards a selection of recently-detected DES dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way with H.E.S.S
• Deeper H.E.S.S. observations of Vela Junior (RX J0852.0$-$4622): Morphology studies and resolved spectroscopy
• VERITAS 2008 - 2009 monitoring of the variable gamma-ray source M87
• Evidence for proton acceleration up to TeV energies based on VERITAS and Fermi-LAT observations of the Cas A SNR
• The most powerful flaring activity from the NLSy1 PMN J0948+0022
• Discovery of hard-spectrum γ-ray emission from the BL Lac object 1ES 0414+009
• VERITAS Observations of the Galactic Center Region at Multi-TeV Gamma-Ray Energies
• H.E.S.S. Observations of the Crab during its March 2013 GeV Gamma-Ray Flare
• Very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the direction of the Galactic globular cluster Terzan 5
• Multiwavelength follow-up of a rare IceCube neutrino multiplet
• Constraints on an Annihilation Signal from a Core of Constant Dark Matter Density around the Milky Way Center with H.E.S.S
• The $\gamma$-ray spectrum of the core of Centaurus A as observed with H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT
• Long-term TeV and X-ray Observations of the Gamma-ray Binary HESS J0632+057
• A search for new supernova remnant shells in the Galactic plane with H.E.S.S
• Gamma rays as probes of cosmic-ray propagation and interactions in galaxies
• PKS 2005-489 at VHE: Four Years of Monitoring with HESS and Simultaneous Multi-wavelength Observations
• H.E.S.S. observations of the globular clusters NGC 6388 and M 15 and search for a Dark Matter signal
• Discovery of the hard spectrum VHE gamma-ray source HESS J1641-463
• Investigating Broadband Variability of the TeV Blazar 1ES 1959+650
• The supernova remnant W49B as seen with H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT
• Chandra and H.E.S.S. observations of the Supernova Remnant CTB 37B
• Multi-wavelength Observations of H 2356-309
• A search for a dark matter annihilation signal towards the Canis Major overdensity with H.E.S.S
• Discovery of TeV Gamma-ray Emission from CTA 1 by VERITAS
• Investigating the TeV Morphology of MGRO J1908+06 with VERITAS
• A search for enhanced very high energy gamma-ray emission from the March 2013 Crab Nebula flare
• Discovery of a new TeV gamma-ray source: VER J0521+211
• Discovery of the source HESS J1356-645 associated with the young and energetic PSR J1357-6429
• Upper Limits from HESS AGN Observations in 2005-2007
• Discovery of VHE $\gamma$-ray emission from the SNR G54.1+0.3
• Identification of HESS J1303-631 as a Pulsar Wind Nebula through gamma-ray, X-ray and radio observations
• TeV Gamma-ray Observations of The Galactic Center Ridge By VERITAS
• Discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission from PKS 0447-439 and derivation of an upper limit on its redshift
• A search for spectral hysteresis and energy-dependent time lags from X-ray and TeV gamma-ray observations of Mrk 421
• Validation of open-source science tools and background model construction in $\gamma$-ray astronomy
• H.E.S.S and Fermi-LAT discovery of gamma rays from the blazar 1ES 1312-423
• Gamma-ray blazar spectra with H.E.S.S. II mono analysis: the case of PKS 2155-304 and PG 1553+113
• HESS J1640-465 - an exceptionally luminous TeV gamma-ray supernova remnant
• Multiwavelength observations and modeling of 1ES 1959+650 in a low flux state
• Broadband Multi-wavelength Properties of M87 during the 2018 EHT Campaign including a Very High Energy Flaring Episode
• H.E.S.S. Observations of the Prompt and Afterglow Phases of GRB 060602B
• The high-energy $\gamma$-ray emission of AP Librae
• H.E.S.S. upper limits for Kepler's supernova remnant
• H.E.S.S. and Suzaku observations of the Vela X pulsar wind nebula
• Probing Quantum Gravity with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• VERITAS Upper Limit on the VHE Emission from the Radio Galaxy NGC 1275
• Long-term monitoring of PKS 2155$-$304 with ATOM and H.E.S.S.: investigation of optical/$\gamma$-ray correlations in different spectral states
• The GeV-TeV Connection in Galactic gamma-ray sources
• Detailed spectral and morphological analysis of the shell type SNR RCW 86
• The H.E.S.S. central data acquisition system
• Long term observations of B2 1215+30 with VERITAS
• H.E.S.S. detection of TeV emission from the interaction region between the supernova remnant G349.7+0.2 and a molecular cloud
• H.E.S.S. reveals a lack of TeV emission from the supernova remnant Puppis A
• Very-high energy observations of the Galactic center region by VERITAS in 2010-2012
• Probing the gamma-ray emission from HESS J1834-087 using H.E.S.S. and Fermi LAT observations
• Detection of extended gamma-ray emission around the Geminga pulsar with H.E.S.S
• H.E.S.S. follow-up observations of GRB221009A
• Discovery of gamma-ray emission from the extragalactic pulsar wind nebula N157B with the High Energy Stereoscopic System
• Search for Gamma-ray Spectral Lines from Dark Matter Annihilation up to 100 TeV towards the Galactic Center with MAGIC
• H.E.S.S. detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the quasar PKS 0736+017
• TeV emission of Galactic plane sources with HAWC and H.E.S.S
• Detection of very-high-energy γ-ray emission from the colliding wind binary η Car with H.E.S.S
• Discovery and follow-up studies of the extended, off-plane, VHE gamma-ray source HESS J1507-622
• The throughput calibration of the VERITAS telescopes
• A spatial likelihood analysis for MAGIC telescope data
• H.E.S.S. observations of the Carina nebula and its enigmatic colliding wind binary Eta Carinae
• Background Rejection in Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes using Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks
• H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT observations of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 during its 2014 and 2017 periastron passages
• Preliminary evidence for a virial shock around the Coma galaxy cluster
• Deep learning with photosensor timing information as a background rejection method for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Observation of the gamma-ray binary HESS J0632+057 with the H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS telescopes
• Discovery of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the vicinity of PSR J1913+1011 with H.E.S.S
• Evidence of 100 TeV $\gamma$-ray emission from HESS J1702-420: A new PeVatron candidate
• Detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the vicinity of PSR B1706-44 and G343.1-2.3 with H.E.S.S
• Multi-wavelength study of the galactic PeVatron candidate LHAASO J2108+5157
• Gamma-ray Observations Under Bright Moonlight with VERITAS
• TeV γ-ray observations of the young synchrotron-dominated SNRs G1.9+0.3 and G330.2+1.0 with H.E.S.S
• HESS J1809$-$193: a halo of escaped electrons around a pulsar wind nebula?
• Spectrum and extension of the inverse-Compton emission of the Crab Nebula from a combined Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. analysis
• Event reconstruction techniques for the wide-angle air Cherenkov detector HiSCORE
• VERITAS Observations of the Microquasar Cygnus X-3
• Measurement of the Iron Spectrum in Cosmic Rays by VERITAS
• VERITAS Discovery of VHE Emission from the Radio Galaxy 3C 264: A Multi-Wavelength Study
• Search for Very-high-energy γ-ray emission from Galactic globular clusters with H.E.S.S
• Systematic Differences due to High Energy Hadronic Interaction Models in Air Shower Simulations in the 100 GeV-100 TeV Range
• Signal discovery, limits, and uncertainties with sparse On/Off measurements: an objective Bayesian analysis
• Extended VHE gamma-ray emission towards SGR1806-20, LBV1806-20, and stellar cluster Cl*1806-20
• Analysis of the Very Inner Milky Way Dark Matter Distribution and Gamma-Ray Signals
• Search for dark matter annihilation in the dwarf irregular galaxy WLM with H.E.S.S
• Constraints on very high energy gamma-ray emission from the Fermi Bubbles with future ground-based experiments
• Photon Reconstruction for H.E.S.S. Using a Semi-Analytical Shower Model
• VERITAS and Multiwavelength Observations of the BL Lacertae Object 1ES 1741+196
• An extreme particle accelerator in the Galactic plane: HESS J1826$-$130
• A search for very high-energy flares from the microquasars GRS 1915+105, Circinus X-1, and V4641 Sgr using contemporaneous H.E.S.S. and RXTE observations
• Observations of the Crab Nebula with H.E.S.S. Phase II
• Upper Limits on Very-High-Energy Gamma-ray Emission from Core-Collapse Supernovae Observed with H.E.S.S
• Discovery of Very High Energy Gamma Rays from 1ES 1440+122
• The H.E.S.S. transients follow-up system
• H.E.S.S. follow-up observations of Binary Black Hole Coalescence events during the second and third Gravitational Waves observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo
• Probing the galactic cosmic-ray density with current and future $\gamma$-ray instruments
• Constraints on the gamma-ray emission from the cluster-scale AGN outburst in the Hydra A galaxy cluster
• HESS J1818-154, a new composite supernova remnant discovered in TeV gamma rays and X-rays
• A Search for TeV Gamma-ray Emission from Pulsar Tails by VERITAS
• Curvature in the very-high energy gamma-ray spectrum of M87
• A generalized likelihood ratio test statistic for Cherenkov telescope data
• Detection of variable VHE gamma-ray emission from the extra-galactic gamma-ray binary LMC P3
• Handling Systematic Uncertainties and Combined Source Analyses for Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• Searching for TeV gamma-ray emission from SGR\,1935+2154 during its 2020 X-ray and radio bursting phase
• A MeerKAT, e-MERLIN, H.E.S.S. and Swift search for persistent and transient emission associated with three localised FRBs
• VERITAS Observations of the Unusual Extragalactic Transient Swift J164449.3+573451
• Detection prospects of very and ultra high-energy gamma rays from extended sources with ASTRI, CTA, and LHAASO
• LMC N132D: A mature supernova remnant with a power-law gamma-ray spectrum extending beyond 8 TeV
• Upgrading and testing the 3D reconstruction of gamma-ray air showers as observed with an array of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes
• Multiwavelength constraints on the unidentified Galactic TeV sources HESS J1427$-$608, HESS J1458$-$608, and new VHE $\gamma$-ray source candidates
• Analysis of the H.E.S.S. public data release with ctools
• HESS J1741-302: a hidden accelerator in the Galactic plane
• Study of the GeV to TeV morphology of the $\gamma$-Cygni SNR (G78.2+2.1) with MAGIC and Fermi-LAT
• First limits on the very-high energy gamma-ray afterglow emission of a fast radio burst: H.E.S.S. observations of FRB 150418
• Analysis methods to search for transient events in ground-based Very High Energy gamma-ray astronomy
• Lower Bound on the Cosmic TeV Gamma-ray Background Radiation
• Evidence for gamma-ray emission from the remnant of Kepler's supernova based on deep H.E.S.S. observations
• On the faintest solar coronal hard X-rays observed with FOXSI
• VERITAS discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission from S3 1227+25 and multiwavelength observations
• Constraining the cosmic-ray pressure in the inner Virgo Cluster using H.E.S.S. observations of M 87
• VERITAS Observations of Six Bright, Hard-Spectrum Fermi-LAT Blazars
• Significance in Gamma Ray Astronomy with Systematic Errors
• H.E.S.S. observations of the flaring gravitationally lensed galaxy PKS 1830-211
• Statistical Tools for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• Signal estimation in On/Off measurements including event-by-event variables
• Muons as a tool for background rejection in Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope arrays
• A search for VHE counterparts of Galactic Fermi bright sources and MeV to TeV spectral characterization
• The Making of Catalogues of Very-High-Energy γ-ray Sources
• Modeling the Galactic center gamma-ray emission with more realistic cosmic-ray dynamics
• The TeV supernova remnant shell HESS J1731-347 and its surroundings
• Exploring the high energy frontiers of the Milky Way with ground-based gamma-ray astronomy: PeVatrons and the quest for the origin of Galactic cosmic-rays
• Orbit Mode observation Technique Developed for VERITAS
• Combined dark matter search towards dwarf spheroidal galaxies with Fermi-LAT, HAWC, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS
• Background rejection using image residuals from large telescopes in imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays
• Search for Very High-Energy Emission from the millisecond pulsar PSR J0218+4232
• Pulsar Wind Nebulae and Cosmic Rays: A Bedtime Story
• Gamma-ray blazar spectra with H.E.S.S. II mono analysis: the case of PKS 2155-304 and PG 1553+113
• Extending the Li&Ma method to include PSF information
• HESS J1826$-$130: A Very Hard $\gamma$-Ray Spectrum Source in the Galactic Plane
• H.E.S.S. first public test data release
• VHE $\gamma$-ray discovery and multi-wavelength study of the blazar 1ES 2322-409
• Improvements to monoscopic analysis for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes: Application to H.E.S.S
• Prospects for gamma-ray emission from magnetar regions in CTAO observations
• Multi-wavelength study of OT 081: broadband modelling of a transitional blazar
• A new method of reconstructing very-high-energy gamma-ray spectra: the Template Background Spectrum
• VERITAS and multiwavelength observations of the Blazar B3 2247+381 in response to an IceCube neutrino alert
• An Archival Search for Neutron-Star Mergers in Gravitational Waves and Very-High-Energy Gamma Rays
• Constraints on Axion-Like Particles from VERITAS Observations of a Flaring Radio Galaxy in the Perseus Cluster
• Detection of very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from Eta Carinae during its 2020 periastron passage
• The H.E.S.S. extragalactic sky survey with the first decade of observations
• Analysis Methods for Gamma-ray Astronomy
• H.E.S.S. detection and multi-wavelength study of the $z\sim$ 1 blazar PKS 0346$-$27
• H.E.S.S. programme searching for VHE gamma rays associated with FRBs
• Observation of the Crab Nebula with the Single-Mirror Small-Size Telescope stereoscopic system at low altitude
• Nonparametric signal separation in very-high-energy gamma ray observations with probabilistic neural networks
• On Integral Upper Limits Assuming Power Law Spectra and the Sensitivity in High-Energy Astronomy
• H.E.S.S.: The High Energy Stereoscopic System
• Constraints on the VHE counterpart of two binary black hole mergers observed by the MAGIC and CTAO LST-1 telescopes
• The second H.E.S.S. gamma-ray burst catalogue: 15 years of observations with the H.E.S.S. telescopes
• LMC N132D: a mature supernova remnant with a youthful gamma-ray spectrum
• Search for enhanced TeV gamma-ray emission from Giant Molecular Clouds using H.E.S.S
• A search for Very High Energy gamma-ray emission from Passive Super-massive Black Holes
• Observation of burst activity from SGR1935+2154 associated to first galactic FRB with H.E.S.S
• Variability of VHE $\gamma$-ray emission from the binary PSR B1259-63/LS 2883
• VERITAS Limits on Dark Matter Annihilation in the Galactic Center Halo
• Search for Very-High-Energy (E $>$ 100 GeV) Emission from Geminga Supernova by VERITAS
• Unidentified Fermi Objects in the view of H.E.S.S. -- Possible Dark Matter Clumps
• Standardised formats and open-source analysis tools for the MAGIC telescopes data
• Event types in H.E.S.S.: a combined analysis for different telescope types and energy ranges
• Probing a cosmogenic origin of astrophysical neutrinos and cosmic rays using gamma-ray observations of TXS 0506+056
• Investigation of the Microquasar SS 433 with VERITAS
• Search for long-term variability of HESS J1745-290