Particle Astrophysics with Milagro

该提案要求提供资金，以支持马里兰州大学小组参与米拉格罗实验。该探测器是一种新型的水切伦科夫，广泛的空气簇射探测器，旨在观察来自太空高能物体的甚高能量（VHE）伽马射线。探测器位于新墨西哥州洛斯阿拉莫斯附近，海拔2630米。 它由一个约5000平方米的中央水池探测器组成，周围环绕着一个由175个仪表水箱（外伸支架）组成的阵列，面积约为40，000平方米。 它是地面大气层切伦科夫望远镜的补充，因为它可以观测大气层切伦科夫望远镜无法观测的地点和时间，也可以在高能量下具有更大的有效面积，从而补充卫星实验。这些特点使它成为一个理想的仪器，以寻找来自未知来源的排放，并研究和潜在的发现伽玛射线暴（GRBs）在VHE伽玛射线。该实验现在正进入一个新的操作阶段，配备了完整的探测器和新的触发系统。在教育/外展领域，该小组一直积极向学生和公众介绍粒子天体物理学领域令人兴奋的情况。最近，Milagro成为首批加入QuarkNet计划的粒子天体物理学实验之一，并让课堂教师参与他们的研究。

This proposal requests funds to support the University of Maryland group in their participation in the Milagro experiment. This detector is a new type of water-Cherenkov, extensive air shower detector designed to look at very high-energy (VHE) gamma rays coming from energetic objects in space. The detector is located near Los Alamos, NM at an altitude of 2630 m. It consists of a ~5000 m2 central pond detector surrounded by an array of 175 instrumented water tanks (outriggers) that span an area of roughly 40,000 m2. It is complementary to ground-based atmospheric-Cherenkov telescopes (ACTs) by observing where and when ACTs cannot and to satellite experiments by having a much larger effective area at high energies. These features make it an ideal instrument to search for emission from unknown sources and to study and potentially discover Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) in VHE gamma rays. The experiment is now moving into a new phase of operation with a full detector and a new trigger system. In the education/outreach area, the group has been active in exposing students and the general public to the excitement of the particle astrophysics field. Recently, Milagro became one of the first particle astrophysics experiments to join the QuarkNet program and involve classroom teachers in their research.