Constraining the Origin of the Puzzling Source HESS J1640−465 and the PeVatron Candidate HESS J1641−463 Using Fermi-Large Area Telescope Observations

There are only a few very-high-energy sources in our Galaxy that might accelerate particles up to the knee of the cosmic-ray spectrum. To understand the mechanisms of particle acceleration in these PeVatron candidates, Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) and High-Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) observations are essential to characterize their γ-ray emission. HESS J1640–465 and the PeVatron candidate HESS J1641–463 are two neighboring (0.25°) γ-ray sources, spatially coincident with the radio supernova remnants (SNRs) G338.3–0.0 and G338.5+0.1. Detected both by H.E.S.S. and the Fermi-LAT, we present here a morphological and spectral analysis of these two sources using 8 yr of Fermi-LAT data between 200 MeV and 1 TeV with multiwavelength observations to assess their nature. The morphology of HESS J1640–465 is described by a 2D Gaussian (σ = 0.053° ± 0.011°stat ± 0.03°syst) and its spectrum is modeled by a power law with a spectral index Γ = 1.8 ± 0.1stat ± 0.2syst. HESS J1641–463 is detected as a point-like source and its GeV emission is described by a logarithmic-parabola spectrum with α = 2.7 ± 0.1stat ± 0.2syst and significant curvature of β = 0.11 ± 0.03stat ± 0.05syst. Radio and X-ray flux upper limits were derived. We investigated scenarios to explain their emission, namely, the emission from accelerated particles within the SNRs spatially coincident with each source, molecular clouds illuminated by cosmic rays from the close-by SNRs, and a pulsar/pulsar wind nebula origin. Our new Fermi-LAT results and the radio and flux X-ray upper limits pose severe constraints on some of these models.