In recent years, Cherenkov telescopes like H.E.S.S. have identified PulsarWind Nebulae (PWNe) at energies between 100 GeV and 100 TeV as one of the main source populations emitting gamma-rays at these energies. PWNe consist of electrons and positrons emitted by pulsars which radiatively cool down by undergoing synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton scattering. In the case of inverse Compton scattering, the resulting photons show energies up to hundreds of TeV and are therefore making PWNe visible in the mentioned energy range. The first part of this work is dedicated to a model describing the spectral and spatial distribution of the gamma-ray emission from PWNe. Its application to the PWN created by the Geminga pulsar shows an agreement with measured flux values obtained by the Milagro and EGRET experiments. The modelled spatial extension coincides with Milagro observations. The aim of the second part is to verify previously derived analytical results concerning the spectral evolution of electrons due to inverse Compton scattering with a Monte-Carlo simulation using the exact Klein-Nishina cross section. Analytically expected spectral shapes have been qualitatively reproduced for both a burst-like and a stationary injection scenario assumingmono-energetic or blackbody distributed target photons.

In view of the current and forthcoming observational data on pulsar wind nebulae, this book offers an assessment of the theoretical state of the art of modelling them. The expert authors also review the observational status of the field and provide an outlook for future developments. During the last few years, significant progress on the study of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) has been attained both from a theoretical and an observational perspective, perhaps focusing on the closest, more energetic, and best studied nebula: the Crab, which appears in the cover. Now, the number of TeV detected PWNe is similar to the number of characterized nebulae observed at other frequencies over decades of observations. And in just a few years, the Cherenkov Telescope Array will increase this number to several hundreds, actually providing an essentially complete account of TeV emitting PWNe in the Galaxy. At the other end of the multi-frequency spectrum, the SKA and its pathfinder instruments, will reveal thousands of new pulsars, and map in exquisite detail the radiation surrounding them for several hundreds of nebulae. By carefully reviewing the state of the art in pulsar nebula research this book prepares scientists and PhD students for future work and progress in the field.

Observations of TeV gamma rays enable investigation of extreme, high-energy astrophysical environments. Of the identied TeV sources within the Galaxy, the largest number are pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), formed by the shocked wind of relativistic leptons emitted by a pulsar and conned by the surrounding medium, with broadband emission arising from synchrotron and inverse Compton mechanisms. PWNe exhibit a wide range of morphologies as a result of a complex evolution, depending on the properties of the parent pulsar and conning medium. This work describes the discovery of gamma-ray emission from the PWN within the supernova remnant (SNR) CTA 1 by the VERITAS telescope array. By imaging the Cherenkov light from gamma-ray induced atmospheric showers, VERITAS revealed an extended TeV nebula surrounding the pulsar PSR J0007+7303. Comparison of the observed properties with known PWN, along with a one-zone model, suggests a recent interaction with the SNR reverse shock and allows for an estimate of the average nebular magnetic eld strength. No signicant energy-dependent morphology is seen. A multi-zone, cylindrically symmetric model is created to investigate tailed-out PWN morphology, accounting for multiple mechanisms for particle transport and cooling. The model is applied to the CTA 1 data, with a limited search of the parameter space performed to t the observed spectrum and extent. Possible improvements to the model performance are discussed.

Energetic particles streaming out from rapidly spinning neutron stars radiate across the electromagnetic spectrum, creating a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). Many PWNe are spatially resolved in the radio, X-ray, and even gamma-ray wavebands, and thereby provide an excellent laboratory to study not only pulsar winds and dynamics, but also shock processes, magnetic field evolution, and particle transport. Single-zone spectral energy distribution (SED) models have long been used to study the global properties of PWNe, but to fully take advantage of high spatial resolution data one must move beyond these simple models. Supported by multiple X-ray PWN observations, we describe multi-zone time-dependent SED model fitting, with particular emphasis on the spatial variations within nebulae. The SED model constrains the wind velocity profile, magnetic field profile, age and spin-down history of the central pulsar, and the PWN injection spectrum. These constraints are of great value to the study of the gamma-ray pulsar population, and to investigations of particle acceleration and the cosmic ray spectrum. The large size of many PWNe in the very high energy gamma-ray (TeV) regime is indicative of significant particle transport over the pulsar lifetime, and in the case study of HESS J1825-137 we find that rapid diffusion of high energy particles is required to match the multi-wavelength data.

Recent advances in very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy have opened a new observational window on the physics of pulsars. The high sensitivity of current imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, and in particular of the H.E.S.S. array, has already led to the discovery of about a dozen VHE-emitting pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) and PWN candidates. These include the plerions in the composite supernova remnants MSH 15-52, G21.5-0.9, Kes 75, and Vela, two sources in the Kookaburra, and the nebula of PSR B1823-13. This VHE emission is generally interpreted as inverse Compton emission from the relativistic electrons and positrons accelerated by the pulsar and its wind; as such, it can yield a more direct spatial and spectral view of the accelerated particles than can be inferred from observations of their synchrotron emission. The VHE-emitting PWNe detected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes are reviewed and the implications for pulsar physics discussed.

Pulsars are rapidly-rotating neutron stars born out of the death of stars. A diffuse nebula is formed when particles stream from these neutron stars and interact with the ambient medium. These pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are visible across the electromagnetic spectrum, producing some of the most brilliant objects ever observed. The launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in 2008 has offered us an unprecedented view of the cosmic gamma-ray sky. Using data from the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi, we search for new gamma-ray-emitting PWN. With these new observations, we vastly expand the number of PWN observed at these energies. We interpret the observed gamma-ray emission from these PWN in terms of a model where accelerated electrons produce gamma-rays through inverse Compton upscattering when they interact with interstellar photon fields. We conclude by studying how the observed PWN evolve with the age and spin-down power of the host pulsar.