WOU-MMA: Understanding Cosmic Particle Accelerators with VERITAS

超大质量黑洞是宇宙中最极端的物理环境之一。从这些系统的相对论流出和喷流是高能宇宙射线，伽马射线和河外中微子的候选源。这些系统影响着星系和星系团的演化，从宇宙喷泉中气体的再循环到星系团间介质的加热。该奖项支持马里兰州巴尔的摩县大学（UMBC）的科学家在美国亚利桑那州弗雷德·劳伦斯维普莱天文台使用高能辐射成像望远镜阵列系统（VERITAS）进行研究。 具体而言，该项目将通过与VERITAS协调的多波长观测，提供对黑洞流出及其对宿主和环境影响的更好理解。 该计划将支持研究生和本科生研究人员在结合天体物理数据和理论模型方面的独特培训和指导。 此外，与UMBC物理学会的学生一起，该计划将为当地学校的公共天文台之夜和外联活动开发便携式探测器。 VERITAS提供了一个目标视场，在测量~50 GeV至500 TeV的伽马射线时具有领先的灵敏度。 然而，没有已知的天文源仅在甚高能（VHE）伽马射线波段发射，并且要充分理解限制源理论模型的物理条件，需要对输出的全光谱进行采样。 VERITAS观测与Swift X射线天文台以及地面光学和无线电监测方案相结合，可同时提供多波长覆盖和高分辨率成像。 一个多波长中央数据“枢纽”为与VERITAS协调使用的大约12个观测站自动提供关于目标甚高频热辐射天体物理物体及其存档和计划观测的最新信息。 这些信息将被证明是至关重要的，以测试长期考虑的模型的起源和演变的VHE排放的喷流，包括其潜在的作用，作为源的高能宇宙射线和高能中微子。该项目推进了NSF宇宙大创意窗口的目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Accreting super-massive black holes are some of the most extreme physical environments in the Universe. The relativistic outflows and jets from these systems are candidate sources of energetic cosmic rays, gamma rays and extragalactic neutrinos. These systems impact the evolution of the galaxies and clusters, from recycling of gas in cosmic fountains to heating the inter-cluster medium. This award supports scientists at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) performing research with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona, USA. Specifically, the awarded program will provide improved understanding of the outflows from black holes and their impact on their hosts and environments via coordinated multiwavelength observations with VERITAS. The program will support unique training and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate student researchers in combining astrophysical data and theoretical models. In addition, with the UMBC Society of Physics students the program will develop portable detectors for public observatory nights and outreach events at local schools. VERITAS provides a targeted field of view with leading sensitivity in the measurement of gamma-rays from ~50 GeV to 500 TeV. No known astronomical sources emit solely in the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray band, however, and a full understanding of the physical conditions to constrain theoretical models of the source requires sampling of the full spectrum of output. Pairing VERITAS observations with the Swift X-ray observatory and ground-based optical and radio monitoring programs provides simultaneous multi-wavelength coverage and high-resolution imaging. A multi-wavelength central data ‘hub’ provides automatically updated information on target VHE astrophysical objects as well as their archival and planned observations for the approximate dozen observatories used in coordination with VERITAS. This information will prove crucial to testing long-considered models of the origin and evolution of VHE emission in jets, including their potential role as sources of energetic cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.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.