Observation of the Galactic Center in the Sub-MeV Gamma-Ray Band with an Electron-Tracking Compton Camera

Abstract: We report the first detection of gamma-ray emission from the Galactic center in the 150-600 keV band using a linear, imaging-spectroscopy approach used in common telescopes with an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) aboard the SMILE-2+ balloon experiment. A one-day flight over Australia resulted in a significant gamma-ray detection in the light curve and revealed a $7.9\sigma$ excess in the image map from the Galactic center region. These results, obtained through a simple and unambiguous analysis, demonstrate the high reliability and sensitivity of the ETCC and establish its potential for future high-precision MeV gamma-ray observations. The measured intensity and spatial distribution were tested against three emission models: a single point-like source, a multi-component structure, and a symmetric two-dimensional Gaussian. All models were found to be statistically consistent with the data. The positronium-related flux in the multi-component model is $(3.2~\pm~1.4)~\times~10^{-2}$ photons cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, which is approximately a factor of two higher than the value reported by INTEGRAL, with a discrepancy at the $2\sigma$ level. This difference may arise from unresolved sources or truly diffuse emission, such as exotic processes involving light dark matter or primordial black holes.