Particle Astrophysics with VERITAS

该提案要求为加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）的VERITAS（高能辐射成像望远镜阵列系统）项目的科学家提供运营资金。由于空间和地面伽玛射线望远镜的发现，高能粒子天体物理学在过去十年中发生了革命性的变化。在GeV能量下，EGRET卫星望远镜探测到300多个点源，其中不到四分之一与其他波长的已知物体有积极联系。同样，地面望远镜使用大气成像切伦科夫技术，现在已经探测到超过35个能量超过100 GeV的伽玛辐射源。通过这些探测，我们开始探索和理解宇宙中能量最高的物体中发生的加速和发射机制。现在比以往任何时候都更需要更充分地探索高能天空，以寻找和理解这些宇宙加速器。在地面上，由四个大型切伦科夫大气望远镜组成的VERITAS将于2007年3月开始全面运行。与上一代仪器相比，VERITAS的灵敏度将提高一个数量级，并在更低的能量阈值下运行。它也将是北半球最灵敏的伽马射线望远镜，在性能上可与南半球的四望远镜H.E.S.S.阵列相媲美。VERITAS阵列的建设将于2006年12月完成。2005年第一台望远镜的运行表明，该仪器的所有性能属性都已达到。两台望远镜已经探测到几个高能伽玛射线源，并验证了阵列操作的原理。四架望远镜阵列的科学观测将于2007年3月在惠普尔天文台大本营的临时地点开始。加州大学洛杉矶分校集团致力于支持VERITAS教育和公共推广（EPO）计划，这是它帮助开发的。EPO项目将通过惠普尔天文台游客中心的当地观众、阿德勒天文馆的博物馆观众以及VERITAS教育网站的普通公众了解。VERITAS的材料也将用于加州大学洛杉矶分校当地的EPO工作，涉及洛杉矶地区的学校。

This proposal requests operational funding to support scientists working at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) project. High-energy particle astrophysics has been revolutionized during the last decade as a result of discoveries made by both space-borne and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes. At GeV energies, the EGRET satellite telescope detected over 300 point sources of which less than one-fourth have been positively associated with known objects at other wavelengths. Similarly, ground-based telescopes using the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique have now detected more than 35 point sources of gamma-radiation at energies above 100 GeV. With these detections, we are beginning to explore and understand the acceleration and emission mechanisms taking place in the most energetic objects in the universe. The need to more fully explore the high-energy sky to search for, and understand, these cosmic accelerators is stronger now than ever. On the ground, VERITAS, an array of four large atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, will start full operations in March 2007. VERITAS will be an order of magnitude more sensitive, and operate at a significantly lower energy threshold, than the earlier generation of instruments. It will also be the most sensitive gamma-ray telescope in the northern hemisphere and will be comparable in performance to the four-telescope H.E.S.S. array in the south. The construction of the VERITAS array is on track for completion by December 2006. Operation of the first telescope in 2005 demonstrated that all performance attributes of the instrument have been achieved. Two telescopes have detected several Very High Energy gamma-ray sources and have verified the principle of array operation. Science observations with the four-telescope array will start in March 2007 at a temporary site at the base camp of the Whipple Observatory. The UCLA group is committed to supporting the overall VERITAS Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program, which it helped to develop. The EPO program will reach local audiences at the Whipple Observatory Visitor's Center, museum audiences at the Adler Planetarium, and the general public through the VERITAS education web site. VERITAS materials will also be used for local EPO efforts at UCLA involving schools in the Los Angeles area.