Very‐High Energy Gamma‐Ray Flux Limits for Nearby Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract

Combining the results of targeted observations, H.E.S.S. has accumulated a large amount of extra‐galactic exposure at TeV energies. Due to its large field of view a considerable part of the sky (0.6 sr) has been observed with high sensitivity outside the targeted observation positions. Since this exposure region contains little inherent bias, it is well suited for studies of extra‐galactic source populations. Given the correlation between ultra‐high energy cosmic rays and nearby extra‐galactic objects recently claimed by the Auger collaboration, this unbiased sky sample by H.E.S.S. is of interest since it includes (besides the targeted sources) 63 AGN within 100 Mpc, for which very‐high energy gamma‐ray flux limits are derived.