The origin of cosmic rays and TeV gamma-ray astronomy

Abstract

Cosmic rays are accelerated to high energies in Galactic and extragalactic objects like Supernova remnants (SNR) and active galactic nuclei (AGN). How these accelerators work and how efficient they accelerate different types of particles to energies of 1015 eV or beyond, is 100 years after the discovery of cosmic rays by Victor Hess, still unknown. Gamma rays trace cosmic rays at their site of acceleration and give crucial information on the nature and inner workings of these extreme objects. Gamma rays can be used to find the sources of cosmic rays and to determine their type, age and dynamics. We review in these proceedings the observational techniques and recent findings on gamma-ray emission from Supernova remnants.