Investigating a TeV-Halo Candidate around PSR J1928+1746 with HAWC
Abstract
We present an updated High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) analysis of the crowded Galactic-plane area near PSR J1928+1746, which was previously linked to the extended source 3HWC J1928+178. With 2904 days of HAWC data, improved event reconstruction, and a multicomponent likelihood model that includes six TeV source components and Galactic diffuse emission, we describe the region using six components and find a distinct, moderately extended source close to PSR J1928+1746. This source, HAWC J1928+1750, is detected from about 2 TeV to above 100 TeV and is well-described by a log-parabola spectrum with normalization K = 5.0 × 10−15 TeV−1 cm−2 s−1 at 12 TeV, index α= 2.09, curvature β= 0.35, and Gaussian extension σ= 0.19∘. Interpreting the emission using diffusion-halo templates under the assumption B = 8 μG yields the diffusion coefficient D(100 TeV) = 2.1 × 1027 cm2 s−1, which is about 500 times smaller than typical interstellar diffusion values at similar energies. This suggests that particle transport around PSR J1928+1746 is strongly suppressed under the TeV-halo interpretation. The TeV spectrum is consistent with leptonic inverse-Compton emission originating from pulsar-injected electrons and positrons, which requires less than approximately 1% of the pulsar's characteristic spin-down energy. However, a hadronic contribution from the surrounding environment cannot be excluded.
Related
- Investigating IceCube Neutrino Alerts with the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory
- Anomalous horizontal track-like events at the HAWC observatory: candidate neutrino-induced charged leptons from the Pico de Orizaba volcano
- Halo formation and distribution around cosmic web
- Caught in the act: diffuse stellar and Lyα emission around a halo-less quasar in the assembling cluster CARLA J0800+4029 at z=2
- Astrometric planet search around southern ultracool dwarfs. V. Discovery of the exoplanet candidate PALTA-1 b
BibTeX
@misc{collaboration2026investigating,
title = {{Investigating a TeV-Halo Candidate around PSR J1928+1746 with HAWC}},
author = {The HAWC Collaboration and R. Alfaro and C. Alvarez and A. Andrés and E. Anita-Rangel and M. Araya and J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez and D. Avila Rojas and H. A. Ayala Solares and R. Babu and P. Bangale and A. Bernal and K. S. Caballero-Mora and T. Capistrán and A. Carramiñana and F. Carreón and S. Casanova and U. Cotti and J. Cotzomi and E. De la Fuente and P. Desiati and N. Di Lalla and R. Diaz Hernandez and M. A. DuVernois and J. C. Díaz-Vélez and K. Engel and T. Ergin and C. Espinoza and N. Fraija and S. Fraija and J. A. García-González and F. Garfias and N. Ghosh and S. Giri and M. M. González and J. A. González and J. A. Goodman and S. Groetsch and J. Gyeong and J. P. Harding and I. Herzog and D. Huang and F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla and P. Hüntemeyer and A. Iriarte and S. Kaufmann and D. Kieda and R. Lake and K. Leavitt and H. León Vargas and A. L. Longinotti and G. Luis-Raya and K. Malone and O. Martinez and J. Martínez-Castro and H. Martínez-Huerta and J. A. Matthews and P. Miranda-Romagnoli and P. E. Mirón-Enriquez and J. A. Morales-Soto},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.29127},
eprint = {2610.29127},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29127},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Investigating a TeV-Halo Candidate around PSR J1928+1746 with HAWC
AU - The HAWC Collaboration
AU - R. Alfaro
AU - C. Alvarez
AU - A. Andrés
AU - E. Anita-Rangel
AU - M. Araya
AU - J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez
AU - D. Avila Rojas
AU - H. A. Ayala Solares
AU - R. Babu
AU - P. Bangale
AU - A. Bernal
AU - K. S. Caballero-Mora
AU - T. Capistrán
AU - A. Carramiñana
AU - F. Carreón
AU - S. Casanova
AU - U. Cotti
AU - J. Cotzomi
AU - E. De la Fuente
AU - P. Desiati
AU - N. Di Lalla
AU - R. Diaz Hernandez
AU - M. A. DuVernois
AU - J. C. Díaz-Vélez
AU - K. Engel
AU - T. Ergin
AU - C. Espinoza
AU - N. Fraija
AU - S. Fraija
AU - J. A. García-González
AU - F. Garfias
AU - N. Ghosh
AU - S. Giri
AU - M. M. González
AU - J. A. González
AU - J. A. Goodman
AU - S. Groetsch
AU - J. Gyeong
AU - J. P. Harding
AU - I. Herzog
AU - D. Huang
AU - F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla
AU - P. Hüntemeyer
AU - A. Iriarte
AU - S. Kaufmann
AU - D. Kieda
AU - R. Lake
AU - K. Leavitt
AU - H. León Vargas
AU - A. L. Longinotti
AU - G. Luis-Raya
AU - K. Malone
AU - O. Martinez
AU - J. Martínez-Castro
AU - H. Martínez-Huerta
AU - J. A. Matthews
AU - P. Miranda-Romagnoli
AU - P. E. Mirón-Enriquez
AU - J. A. Morales-Soto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.29127
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29127
AB - We present an updated High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) analysis of the crowded Galactic-plane area near PSR J1928+1746, which was previously linked to the extended source 3HWC J1928+178. With 2904 days of HAWC data, improved event reconstruction, and a multicomponent likelihood model that includes six TeV source components and Galactic diffuse emission, we describe the region using six components and find a distinct, moderately extended source close to PSR J1928+1746. This source, HAWC J1928+1750, is detected from about 2 TeV to above 100 TeV and is well-described by a log-parabola spectrum with normalization K = 5.0 × 10^−15 TeV^−1 cm^−2 s^−1 at 12 TeV, index α= 2.09, curvature β= 0.35, and Gaussian extension σ= 0.19^∘. Interpreting the emission using diffusion-halo templates under the assumption B = 8 μG yields the diffusion coefficient D(100 TeV) = 2.1 × 10^27 cm^2 s^−1, which is about 500 times smaller than typical interstellar diffusion values at similar energies. This suggests that particle transport around PSR J1928+1746 is strongly suppressed under the TeV-halo interpretation. The TeV spectrum is consistent with leptonic inverse-Compton emission originating from pulsar-injected electrons and positrons, which requires less than approximately 1% of the pulsar's characteristic spin-down energy. However, a hadronic contribution from the surrounding environment cannot be excluded.
ER -