Speaker
Description
High-precision measurements of cosmic-ray (CR) electrons are confined to the heliospheric environment, leaving the distribution in the nearby interstellar medium poorly constrained. We propose to probe the CR-electron spectrum outside the heliosphere by searching for extended Compton emissions from the stellar radiation fields surrounding individual stars in Fermi--LAT data. We have identified a sample of isolated O- and B-type stars at high Galactic latitudes where the predicted Compton emission is comparable to the diffuse background, reducing the source confusion that limited previous studies. We also create custom models of the diffuse background from dust maps computed from Gaia stellar-extinction data, allowing us to separate structures along the line of sight at parsec-scale resolutions. Detection of these Compton gamma-ray halos would enable the first direct constraints on the CR electron intensity at distances of 100--400 pc from the Solar system. Here we will report on our preliminary results.
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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