Suzaku observations of the hard X-ray spectrum of Vela Jr. (SNR RX J0852.0−4622)

Abstract

Abstract We report the results of Suzaku observations of the young supernova remnant, Vela Jr. (RX J0852.0−4622), which is known to emit synchrotron X-rays, as well as TeV gamma-rays. Utilizing 39 Suzaku mapping observation data from Vela Jr., a significant hard X-ray emission is detected with the hard X-ray detector (HXD) from the northwest TeV-emitting region. The X-ray spectrum is reproduced well by a single power-law model with a photon index of $3.15^{+1.18}_{-1.14}$ in the 12–22 keV band. Compiling this hard X-ray spectrum with the soft X-ray spectrum simultaneously observed with the X-ray imaging spectrometer (XIS) onboard Suzaku, we find that the wide-band X-ray spectrum in the 2–22 keV band is reproduced with a single power-law or concave broken power-law model, which are statistically consistent with each other. Whichever of the two models, single or broken power-law, is appropriate, clearly the spectrum has no roll-off structure. Applying this result to the method introduced in Yamazaki et al. (2014, Res. Astron. Astrophys., 14, 165), we find that a one-zone synchrotron model with electron spectrum having a power-law plus exponential cut-off may not be applicable to Vela Jr.