Pulsars in a Bubble? Following Electron Diffusion in the Galaxy with TeV Gamma Rays

TeV Halos, extended regions of TeV gamma-ray emission around middle-aged pulsars, have recently been established as a new source class in gamma-ray astronomy. These halos have been attributed to relativistic electrons and positrons that have left the acceleration region close to the pulsar and are diffusing in the surrounding medium. Measuring the morphology of TeV Halos enables for the first time a direct measurement of the electron diffusion on scales of tens of parsecs. There are hints that the presence of relativistic particles affects the diffusion rate in the pulsars' surroundings. Understanding electron diffusion is necessary to constrain the origins of the apparent `excess' of cosmic-ray positrons at tens of GeV. TeV Halos can also be used to find mis-aligned pulsars, as well as study certain properties of the Galaxy's pulsar population. Future VHE gamma-ray instruments will detect more of those TeV Halos and determine how much pulsars contribute to the observed cosmic-ray electron and positron fluxes, and how they affect diffusion in their environments.
Comment: Whitepaper for the US Astro2020 decadal survey