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The missing MeV window for identifying galactic PeVatrons: the need for a dedicated MeV observatory

Year: 2026

Type: conference-abstract

Abstract: LHAASO has revealed several Galactic sources emitting up to the PeV range, renewing the search for cosmic-ray PeVatrons. Yet the key 10-100 MeV band, where the pion-decay feature (“pion bump”) offers the clearest evidence of hadronic acceleration, remains essentially unobserved. Several mission concepts covering this range have been proposed but not selected, leaving growing ambiguity in interpreting candidate PeVatrons. We discuss the motivation for developing a compact, low-cost telescope dedicated to the 10-100 MeV window as a decisive tool to detect the pion bump in candidate PeVatrons sources. A focused mission in this narrow but critical range would provide high-impact science at low cost and offer a unique route to identify the hadronic origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Source: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

DOI: 10.1117/12.3102239

Authors: Martina Cardillo, Riccardo Campana, Yuri Evangelista, Fabio Muleri

Institutions: Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, National Institute for Astrophysics, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio

Language: English

Topic: Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7167225184

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