Gamma-ray Production in Supernova Remnants

Supernova remnants are widely believed to be a principal source of galactic cosmic rays, produced by diffusive shock acceleration in the environs of the remnant’s expanding shock. This review discusses recent modelling of how such energetic particles can produce gamma-rays via interactions with the remnants’ ambient interstellar medium, specifically via neutral pion decay, bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton emission. Predictions that relate to the handful of associations between EGRET unidentified sources and known radio/optical/X-ray emitting remnants are summarized. The cessation of acceleration above 1 TeV 10 TeV energies in young shell-type remnants is critical to model consistency with Whipple’s TeV upper limits; these observations provide important diagnostics for theoretical models.