Is the Stellar System WR 11 a Gamma-Ray Source?

Abstract

AbstractMany early-type stars are in systems; some of them have been indicated as putative high-energy emitters. The radiation would be produced at the region where two stellar winds collide. Compelling evidence of such emission was found only for the colliding-wind binary (CWB) Eta Car, which was associated to a GeV source. Very recently, the closest CWB, WR 11, was proposed as a counterpart of a 6σ emission excess, measured with the Fermi LAT satellite. We sought evidence to support or reject the hypothesis that WR 11 is responsible of the gamma-ray excess. Archive radio interferometric data at 1.4 and 2.5 GHz taken with the Australia Telescope Compact Array along 16 dates were reduced. The sizes of the field-of-view at 2.5 GHz and of the central region of the Fermi LAT excess are alike. We analysed the emission of the WR 11 field, characterised the radio sources detected and derived their spectral indices, to investigate their nature. Eight sources with fluxes above 10 mJy were detected at both frequencies. All but one (WR 11) showed negative spectral indices. Four of them were identified with known objects, including WR 11. A fifth source, labeled here S6, is a promising candidate to produce gamma-ray emission, besides the CWB WR 11.