MRI-R2 Consortium: Development of Improved Instrumentation for the VERITAS Gamma-Ray Observatory

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111 - 5）资助的。它将为提高VERITAS伽马射线观测站的能力提供资金。VERITAS天文台位于亚利桑那州阿马多附近的F. L维普莱天文台，是世界上仅有的三个地面伽马射线天文台之一，灵敏度为蟹状星云通量的1%，也是美国研究人员唯一可用的此类设施。VERITAS由四个直径为12米的成像大气切伦科夫望远镜组成，它们记录了地球大气中甚高能伽马射线相互作用产生的微弱的切伦科夫光闪烁。三项拟议的升级将大大提高VERITAS的每一个科学目标。主要成果将是降低VERITAS的能量阈值并提高其灵敏度：-相机升级：将VERITAS相机中的光电探测器更换为更高效的超双碱设备将使整体切伦科夫光子收集效率提高50%，相当于将镜子直径增加到14米以上，但成本大幅降低;-触发器升级：用更复杂的基于FPGA的设备取代望远镜级触发系统，将允许更快的符合窗口，并为未来的拓扑阵列级触发提供一条道路;-光学监测/强度干涉测量升级：为望远镜配备具有连续高速数据采集的快速中央光电检测器将使得能够进行光度测量，定时，和光学（U/V）波段中的源的干涉测量。这带来了任何其他地面伽马射线观测站所不具备的独特科学能力。该提案的更广泛影响包括加强VERITAS协作的教育和推广计划。其他活动包括犹他州的大学的蓬勃发展的本科生研究计划和倡议，由阿德勒天文馆，开发交互式可视化工具，解释和说明非常高的能量宇宙，以广泛的观众。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). It will provide funds to improve the capabilities of the VERITAS Gamma-Ray Observatory. Located at the F.L Whipple Observatory near Amado, AZ, the VERITAS Observatory is one of only three ground-based gamma-ray observatories in the world with sensitivity at the level of 1% of the Crab Nebula flux, and the only such facility available to U.S. researchers. VERITAS consists of an array of four, 12-meter diameter Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, which record the faint flashes of Cherenkov light resulting from the interactions of Very High Energy gamma rays in the Earth's atmosphere.The three proposed upgrades will substantially enhance every VERITAS science goal. The primary outcomes will be to lower the energy threshold of VERITAS and improve its sensitivity:- Camera Upgrade: replacing the photo-detectors in the VERITAS cameras with more efficient, super-bialkali devices will increase the overall Cherenkov photon collection efficiency by 50%, equivalent to increasing the mirror diameters to more than 14 m, but at a substantially lower cost;- Trigger Upgrade: replacing the telescope-level trigger system with a more sophisticated, FPGA-based device will allow faster coincidence windows and provide a path toward a future topological array-level trigger;- Optical Monitoring/ Intensity Interferometry Upgrade: equipping the telescopes with a fast central photodetector with continuous high speed data acquisition will enable photometric, timing, and interferometric measurements of sources in the optical (U/V) bands. This brings a unique scientific capability that does not exist on any other ground-based gamma-ray observatory. The broader impacts of this proposal include strengthening the VERITAS Collaboration's Education and Outreach programs. Additional activities include the University of Utah's vigorous undergraduate research program and initiatives, led by the Adler Planetarium, to develop interactive visualization tools which explain and illustrate the very high energy Universe to a broad audience.