Gamma-Ray Astronomy and Cosmic-ray Astrophysics with the VERITAS and HAWC Observatories (University of Utah Group)

伽马射线是电磁辐射的最高能量形式。对天体物理伽马射线的观测可以作为宇宙中最极端环境中的物理条件和过程的探测器，并可用于测试基本物理。该奖项支持犹他大学的科学家使用两个互补的地面天文台进行伽马射线天体物理研究。位于亚利桑那州南部的高能辐射成像望远镜阵列系统(VERITAS)旨在用非常敏感的定点观测来研究高能伽马射线。位于墨西哥内格拉山脉山坡上的高海拔水切伦科夫(HAWC)天文台是一个连续运行的阵列，具有广泛的视场，每天可以观测三分之二的高能伽马射线天空。犹他大学小组将为VERITAS和HAWC的运行和维护做出贡献，并致力于科学数据的分析和解释。该小组将利用校园内的南物理天文台、高海拔威拉德·L·埃克尔斯天文台和犹他州星基天文台继续并扩大其现有的教育和外展活动，以开展公共教育和学生项目。他们将通过为该大学的奥舍研究所开发的课程，与犹他州的老年人建立新的联系。犹他大学的研究小组将使用VERITAS将对耀斑活动星系核的探测扩展到更高的红移，对河外背景光的流量设置更严格的限制。对高质量X射线双星以及其他星系双星和微类星体的长期VERITAS观测将用于探索它们随时间变化的伽马射线发射的相似性，而对银河系超新星遗迹的观测将用于探索星系宇宙射线的起源。该小组将协同使用VERITAS和HAWC，探索弥漫超新星遗迹和脉冲星风星云中宇宙射线的来源，并加强对来自不明星系高纬度VHe伽马射线源的中性微诺暗物质发射的搜索。

Gamma-rays are the highest energy form of electromagnetic radiation. Observations of astrophysical gamma-rays serve as probes of physical conditions and processes in the most extreme environments throughout the Universe, and can be used to test fundamental physics. This award supports scientists at the University of Utah to carry out gamma-ray astrophysics research using two complementary ground-based observatories. The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), located in southern Arizona, is designed to study high energy gamma-rays with very sensitive pointed observations. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, located on the slopes of the Sierra Negra in Mexico, is a continuously-operating array with a wide field of view that can observe two-thirds of the high energy gamma-ray sky every day. The University of Utah group will contribute to the operation and maintenance of VERITAS and HAWC and work on analysis and interpretation of the scientific data. The group will continue and expand their existing education and outreach activities using the on-campus South Physics Observatory, the high altitude Willard L. Eccles Observatory, and the Star Base Utah Observatory for both public education and student projects. They will build new connections to Utah senior citizens through courses developed for the University's Osher Institute. The University of Utah group will use VERITAS to extend detections of flaring active galactic nuclei to higher redshifts, setting more stringent limits on the flux of extragalactic background light. Long-term VERITAS observations of high mass x-ray binaries as well as other galactic binaries and microquasars will be used to explore similarities in their time-dependent gamma-ray emission, while observations of Galactic supernova remnants will be used to explore the origin of galactic cosmic rays. Using both VERITAS and HAWC synergistically, the group will explore the origin of cosmic rays in diffuse supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae, and enhance the search for neutralino Dark Matter emission from unidentified high galactic latitude VHE gamma-ray sources.