Ebook: The Nature of Unidentified Galactic High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sources: Proceedings of the Workshop held at Tonantzintla, Puebla, México, 9-11 October 2000

The Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) instru­ ment on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory left as a legacy its Third Catalog of High Energy Gamma-Ray Sources, whose detections include a large number of blazars, some pulsars, the Large Magellanic Cloud and a solar flare. Most of the newly discovered objects - a majority of the catalog -are unidentified sources, with a clearly predominant Galactic population. Are all these radio-quiet pulsars, like Geminga, or is there a novel type of celestial object, awaiting identification? In spite of the limited angular resolution provided by EGRET and COMPTEL, there is still much to learn about unidentified ,-ray sources: correlation studies, multiwavelength observations and theoretical work can provide valuable clues, specially if these efforts are carried out in a coordinated manner. The aim of this workshop, held from October 9 to 11, 2000, at the Instituto N acional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, at Tonantzintla, Mexico, was to gather experts on the subject, including observational as­ tronomers specialized in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in an effort to address the question of the Nature of Galactic high-energy gamma-ray sources, both from the theoretical and observational perspec­ tive, and elaborate schemes for future identification studies which can make use of existing and forthcoming facilities.

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This is the first book dedicated to unidentified celestial gamma-ray sources. The launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory allowed the first all-sky surveys in gamma-rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. The Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope discovered more than 270 sources of high-energy protons, more than half of which are not identified with known celestial objects. Most of these objects belong to the Milky Way and more than one class of sources are present among the unidentified sources.
Unravelling the nature of all these objects requires the combination of different sorts of instruments, like radio telescopes, optical telescopes, and X-ray satellites, together with the next generations of space and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes.
This book presents the current knowledge on the subject and outlines strategies for identification of objects with current astronomical facilities. It provides a forward look by outlining the prospects of future generation gamma-ray telescopes. The contributions are detailed and represent valuable material for undergraduate and postgraduate astrophysics students and researchers in the field.