Very High Energy Particle Astrophysics with VERITAS

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The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), located at the F. L. Whipple Observatory basecamp of Mt. Hopkins, AZ, is in a full science-driven mode. The array consists of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), allowing observations of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays above an energy threshold of 50 GeV to detect exotic sources of VHE gamma rays throughout the galaxy and extra-galactic space, probing the extreme physics of sources such as the jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), supernova remnants and microquasars. VERITAS is well-positioned to complement the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope launched by NASA in June 2008 where the two observatories together provide overlapping spectral coverage from the tens of MeV to tens of TeV range.This award will provide this University of Minnesota (UMN) group with base support of their VERITAS science and collaboration service efforts over the next three years. The group will continue development of improved analysis techniques using advanced multivariate algorithms developed by the High Energy Physics community. Their scientific analysis efforts will be in studies of extragalactic sources including AGN, starburst galaxies, and galaxy clusters with a focus on locating the source of gamma-ray emission in blazars and understanding the origin of cosmic rays. The group will continue to lead the VERITAS multi-wavelength coordination efforts and, in particular, will bring the new important resource of optical polarimetry to the multi-wavelength study of blazar emission zones. The team will also contribute multiwavelength correlation studies complementing the TeV data obtained with VERITAS. Broader Impact: The outreach effort has two components. The first is to work with the established Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at UMN to actively mentor undergraduates on a VERITAS-related project each summer. The second component is to select at least one undergraduate to participate in the Adler Planetarium's VERITAS EPO program which recruits students from VERITAS collaborating institutions to work with scientists in the Adler's Space Visualization Laboratory to develop gamma-ray computer interactives.