Very High Energy Astrophysics with VERITAS

使用 VERITAS 进行极高能天体物理学

• 批准号: 2110737
• 负责人: Lucy Fortson
• 金额: $ 56.5万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2110737&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Very; Energy; Astrophysics; VERITAS

Gamma-ray astronomy probes the extreme physics of systems such as the black holes at the centers of active galaxies or the remnants of supernova explosions that end the lives of many giant stars. These systems emit radiation throughout the electromagnetic spectrum and hundreds are now detectable in the very-high-energy gamma-ray energy band observable by ground-based detectors. The VERITAS gamma-ray observatory, located at the F. L. Whipple Observatory in Arizona, has been and continues to be a key driver of the field’s expansion, making discoveries that, combined with the information obtained from telescopes operating at multiple wavelengths, has significantly increased our understanding of the most energetic processes in the Universe. The VERITAS team at the University of Minnesota, involving postdoctoral and student researchers, focuses on investigations that can help decipher how active galaxies power the emission of gamma rays and the possible links to the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and astrophysical neutrino production, two outstanding questions in the field. The team is also developing calibration techniques for the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope envisaged as a component of the next-generation Cherenkov Telescope Array. Through this effort, a citizen science project via Zooniverse.org provides direct opportunities for public participation in gamma-ray related science via crowdsourced classifications of VERITAS images that will improve the classification of astrophysical objects. Ground-based very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astrophysics has matured as a field in the last decade, expanding the VHE catalog from a handful to over 200 objects across a wide range of source classes that represent the most extreme phenomena in the Universe. VERITAS observations combined with a wealth of multi-wavelength data from radio to X-ray, and especially high-energy gamma rays from NASA’s Fermi-LAT satellite, has significantly increased our understanding of the most energetic processes in the Universe. The work carried out under this grant is crucial to maintaining the sensitivity of VERITAS to maximize the science return on data taking campaigns across the spectrum as well as with multi-messenger observatories. New analysis methods are targeted that boost sensitivity to weak sources, implement modifications that monitor and account for changes in the overall detector throughput, and address systematic uncertainties at the highest recorded energies by the observatory. These efforts will enable discoveries of new VHE emitting active galactic nuclei (AGN) and observations of known VHE blazars with the goal to better characterize the so-called blazar sequence that postulates an inverse relationship between blazar luminosity and peak synchrotron emission frequency potentially due to cosmic evolution. It will also enable the investigation of blazar spectra at high optical depth where absorption features due to gamma-ray interactions on the extragalactic photon fields becomes important. Results from this work can also be used to elucidate the astrophysics behind gamma-ray emission in blazars and its links to the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and astrophysical neutrino production.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

伽玛射线天文学问题是系统的极端物理，例如活跃星系中心的黑洞或超新星爆炸的残余物，结束了许多巨星的生命。这些系统在整个电子光谱中散发辐射，现在可以在可通过地面检测器观察的非常高能量的伽马射线能带中检测到数百个辐射。位于亚利桑那州F. L. Whipple天文台的Veritas伽马射线观测一直是并继续是该领域扩张的关键驱动力，发现与从多个波长运行的望远镜获得的信息相结合，我们对我们对Universe中最有能力的过程的理解大大提高了我们的信息。明尼苏达大学的Veritas团队涉及博士后和学生研究人员，重点介绍了可以帮助解读Active Galaxies如何为伽马射线排放的动力以及与超高能宇宙射线的起源和天体神经物质神经物质的起源的可能联系，并在该领域的两个杰出问题。该团队还为Schwarzschild-Couder望远镜原型开发了校准技术，该望远镜被设想为下一代Cherenkov望远镜阵列的组成部分。通过这项努力，通过Zooniverse.org进行的公民科学项目通过众包Veritas图像的分类为公众参与相关科学提供了直接的机会，从而可以改善天体物理对象的分类。在过去的十年中，地面非常高能量（VHE）伽马射线天体物理学已成熟，将VHE目录从少数几个对象扩展到代表宇宙中最极端现象的广泛源类别中的200多个物体。 Veritas观察结果与从无线电到X射线的大量多波长数据相结合，尤其是NASA的Fermi-Lat卫星的高能量伽马射线，已经大大提高了我们对宇宙中最有能力的过程的理解。根据这笔赠款进行的工作对于维持Veritas的敏感性至关重要，以最大程度地提高跨频谱以及多门传播者观察者的数据收益回报率。新的分析方法是针对性的，可以提高对弱源的敏感性，实施修改以监控整体检测器吞吐量的变化，并通过观察值以最高记录的能量来解决系统的不确定性。这些努力将使新VHE发射活跃的银河核（AGN）和对已知的Vhe Blazars的观察结果进行发现，以便更好地表征所谓的Blazar序列，该序列假定了由于宇宙进化而潜在的，它可能会假设Blazar亮度和峰值同步型发射频率之间存在逆关系。这还将使Blazar光谱在高光学深度上的投资，在这些深度上，由于伽玛射线相互作用在外层状光子场上的相互作用引起的滥用功能变得很重要。这项工作的结果还可以用来阐明Blazars伽马射线排放背后的天体物理学及其与超高能量宇宙射线和天体物理神经元生产的起源的联系。这奖反映了NSF的法规使命，并认为通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的criter scriter scriter scriter scriter criter criter criter criter criter criter criter criter criter criteria crietia crietia crietia crietia crietia criteria cristia cropteria sectional seck.

项目成果

VERITAS Discovery of Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from S3 1227+25 and Multiwavelength Observations

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acd2d0
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: A. Acharyya;C. Adams;A. Archer;P. Bangale;W. Benbow;A. Brill;J. Christiansen;A. Chromey;M. Errando;A. Falcone;Q. Feng;J. Finley;G. Foote;L. Fortson;A. Furniss;G. Gallagher;W. Hanlon;D. Hanna;O. Hervet;C. Hinrichs;J. Hoang;J. Holder;Weidong Jin;Madalyn Johnson;P. Kaaret;M. Kertzman;D. Kieda;T. Kleiner;N. Korzoun;F. Krennrich;Mark Lang;Matt Lundy;G. Maier;Conor McGrath;M. Millard;J. Millis;Connor Mooney;P. Moriarty;R. Mukherjee;S. O’Brien;R. Ong;M. Pohl;E. Pueschel;J. Quinn;K. Ragan;Paul Reynolds;D. Ribeiro;E. Roache;I. Sadeh;A. Sadun;L. Saha;M. Santander;G. Sembroski;R. Shang;M. Splettstoesser;A. Talluri;J. Tucci;V. Vassiliev;David Williams;S. Wong;T. Hovatta;S. Jorstad;S. Kiehlmann;A. Lahteenmaki;I. Liodakis;A. Marscher;W. Max-Moerbeck;A. Readhead;R. Reeves;Paul S. Smith;M. Tornikoski

Search for Ultraheavy Dark Matter from Observations of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies with VERITAS

通过 VERITAS 对矮球状星系的观测寻找超重暗物质

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acbc7b
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: Acharyya, A.;Archer, A.;Bangale, P.;Bartkoske, J. T.;Batista, P.;Baumgart, M.;Benbow, W.;Buckley, J. H.;Falcone, A.;Feng, Q.
• 通讯作者: Feng, Q.

VTSCat: The VERITAS Catalog of Gamma-Ray Observations

VTSCat：VERITAS 伽马射线观测目录

• DOI: 10.3847/2515-5172/acb147
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Research Notes of the AAS
• 作者: Acharyya, A.;Adams, C. B.;Archer, A.;Bangale, P.;Bartkoske, J. T.;Batista, P.;Benbow, W.;Brill, A.;Brose, R.;Buckley, J. H.
• 通讯作者: Buckley, J. H.

Gamma-ray observations of MAXI J1820+070 during the 2018 outburst

2018 年爆发期间 MAXI J1820 070 的伽马射线观测

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac2686
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Abe, H;Abe, S;Acciari, V A;Aniello, T;Ansoldi, S;Antonelli, L A;Arbet Engels, A;Arcaro, C;Artero, M;Asano, K
• 通讯作者: Asano, K

VERITAS and Fermi-LAT Constraints on the Gamma-Ray Emission from Superluminous Supernovae SN2015bn and SN2017egm

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acb7e6
• 发表时间: 2023-02
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: A. Acharyya;C. Adams;P. Bangale;W. Benbow;J. Buckley;M. Capasso;V. Dwarkadas;M. Errando;A. Falcone;Q. Feng;J. Finley;G. Foote;L. Fortson;A. Furniss;G. Gallagher;A. Gent;W. Hanlon;O. Hervet;J. Holder;T. Humensky;W. Jin;P. Kaaret;M. Kertzman;M. Kherlakian;D. Kieda;T. Kleiner;S. Kumar;M. Lang;M. Lundy;G. Maier;C. McGrath;J. Millis;P. Moriarty;R. Mukherjee;M. Nievas-Rosillo;S. O’Brien;R. Ong;S. Patel;K. Pfrang;M. Pohl;E. Pueschel;J. Quinn;K. Ragan;P. Reynolds;D. Ribeiro;E. Roache;J. Ryan;I. Sadeh;M. Santander;G. Sembroski;R. Shang;M. Splettstoesser;D. Tak;J. Tucci;A. Weinstein;D. Williams;B. Metzger;M. Nicholl;I. Vurm