Ponente
Descripción
Star-forming galaxies (SFGs) provide a unique laboratory to investigate cosmic-ray (CR) acceleration and transport in environments shaped by massive stellar populations. Their non-thermal emission, including γ-rays, is primarily associated with star formation rather than active galactic nuclei, as evidenced by the well-established correlation between star formation rate (SFR) and both radio and γ-ray luminosities.
γ rays in SFGs are mainly produced through interactions between hadronic CRs and the interstellar medium (ISM), while CRs themselves are accelerated at supernova remnants (SNRs) and possibly in additional sites such as young massive star clusters. These acceleration regions, abundant in SFGs, may contribute significantly to the γ-ray output, particularly in systems with elevated SFR. While GeV γ-ray emission from SFGs has been firmly detected, their very-high-energy (VHE) counterparts remain largely unexplored due to observational limitations.
In this work, we compiled a sample of GeV-detected SFGs and additional candidates identified from near-infrared surveys in the Local Volume. Employing empirical models constrained by multi-wavelength observations, we predicted their TeV spectra and assessed their detectability with current and next-generation ground-based γ-ray observatories. Our results indicate that the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) has the potential to detect nearly a dozen SFGs, significantly expanding the population of extragalactic VHE emitters. Such detections would not only establish SFGs as a new class of TeV sources, but also provide valuable constraints on CR acceleration mechanisms and the interplay between star formation and high-energy processes in galaxies.
