Observation of Very-High Energy Gamma Ray Sources from the South Pole

南极极高能伽马射线源的观测

• 批准号: 9220547
• 负责人: James Gaidos
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Purdue Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-06-01 至 1995-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9220547&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Observation; Very; Energy; Gamma; Ray

This is a continuation of a project to develop and operate air Cherenkov telescopes at South Pole Station for the purpose of studying discreet astrophysical sources of very high energy (VHE) gamma rays. The project is called Gamma-ray Astronomy at South Pole (GASP). The primary instrument consists of an array of parabolic mirrors, with photomultiplier tubes at their foci, which can detect light from VHE interactions in a small volume of the atmosphere. The experiment is expected to shed light on the origin of cosmic rays and possibly on sources of exotic radiation, if such radiation exists. GASP complements the pre-existing South Pole Air Shower Experiment (SPASE), which is operated by the Bartol Research Institute of the University of Delaware and Leeds University (UK), and extends downward by two to three orders of magnitude the energy threshold of SPASE. SPASE can survey most of the southern sky, and GASP will be able to focus on small regions of suspected activity. The location at South Pole allows GASP to view a single object for extended periods (weeks to months) through a constant thickness of atmosphere, while mid-latitude locations allow only a few hours of viewing at a time of a given object. The Polar location also means that the very interesting high declination southern sky is always within view, which gives GASP a great advantage over any mid- latitude observatory. The project is a collaboration of the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. It is jointly funded by NSF's Office of Polar Programs and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

这是在南极站开发和运行切伦科夫航空望远镜项目的延续，旨在研究极高能（VHE）伽马射线的谨慎天体物理源。 该项目称为南极伽马射线天文学（GASP）。 主要仪器由抛物面镜阵列组成，其焦点处带有光电倍增管，可以检测小体积大气中 VHE 相互作用产生的光。 该实验预计将揭示宇宙射线的起源，并可能揭示外来辐射的来源（如果存在这种辐射）。 GASP 补充了现有的南极空气簇射实验（SPASE），该实验由特拉华大学巴托尔研究所和英国利兹大学运营，并将 SPASE 的能量阈值向下延伸了两到三个数量级。 SPASE 可以调查大部分南部天空，而 GASP 将能够关注可疑活动的小区域。 南极的位置允许 GASP 通过恒定厚度的大气层长时间（数周至数月）观察单个物体，而中纬度位置仅允许对给定物体一次观察几个小时。 极地位置还意味着非常有趣的高赤纬南方天空始终在视野范围内，这使 GASP 比任何中纬度天文台都具有巨大优势。 该项目是威斯康星大学、普渡大学和史密森天体物理观测站的合作项目。 它由美国国家科学基金会极地项目办公室和史密森天体物理观测站共同资助。