Morphological and spectral studies of the shell-type supernova remnants RX J1713.7-3946 and RX J0852.0-4622 with H.E.S.S.

In 2004 and 2005, the shell-type supernova remnants RX J1713.7-3946 and RX J0852.0-4622 were observed and detected with the complete H.E.S.S. array, a system of four Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes located in Namibia and dedicated to the observations of γ-rays above 100 GeV. The energy spectra of these two sources have been measured over a wide energy range and revealed an integral flux above 1 TeV similar to that of the Crab Nebula. Their morphologies were resolved with high accuracy with H.E.S.S. and exhibit a striking correlation with the X-ray images, thereby pioneering a technique of unambiguously identifying spatially extended γ-ray sources. The results of the observations will be presented. Similarities and differences between these two sources will be pointed out as well as possible implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]