CAREER: WoU-MMA: PeVatrons and Beyond: Tackling the Century-old Problem with the New Messengers

职业生涯：WoU-MMA：PeVatrons 及其他：用新使者解决百年问题

• 批准号: 2238916
• 负责人: Ke Fang
• 金额: $ 79.54万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2028-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2238916&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; WoU; MMA; PeVatrons; Beyond

Cosmic rays are charged particles composed of protons, helium, and heavier elements that travel at nearly the speed of light. They may carry energy above 1 Peta-electronvolt (PeV), well beyond the reach of man-made accelerators. A cosmic-ray source capable of accelerating protons up to the PeV energy is called a “PeVatron”. The nature of PeVatrons is among the most fundamental questions in Particle Astrophysics. This program aims to advance our understanding of PeVatrons through observational and theoretical studies. The research will be connected to educational outreach through activities including: (1) hosting a series of inter-disciplinary discussion events that serve as a bridge in connecting research areas in the physics, astronomy, and statistics programs at the PI’s institution; (2) engaging high school students in Madison, WI and nearby regions in hands-on classes that show how scientists use modern techniques to solve complicated physics problems; and (3) conducting outreach and mentoring activities to involve students from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in science. The team will analyze data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube) and the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-ray Observatory (HAWC) using an efficient joint-analysis framework and new source-finding algorithms. They will also research the theory of cosmic ray sources by numerically simulating particle transport and interaction in cosmic environments.The award is aligned with the NSF Big Idea of Windows on the Universe: the Era of Multi-messenger Astrophysics as it coordinates the use of multi-messengers observations utilizing high energy gamma rays from HAWC with high energy neutrinos from IceCube and will improve theoretical modeling to better interpret the data.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.

宇宙射线是由质子、氦和较重元素组成的带电粒子，以接近光速的速度传播。它们可能携带超过1千万亿电子伏（PeV）的能量，远远超出了人造加速器的范围。能够将质子加速到PeV能量的宇宙射线源被称为“PeVatron”。PeVatron的性质是粒子天体物理学中最基本的问题之一。该计划旨在通过观察和理论研究来促进我们对PeVatrons的理解。该研究将通过以下活动与教育外展联系起来：（1）举办一系列跨学科讨论活动，作为连接PI机构物理学，天文学和统计学项目研究领域的桥梁;（2）吸引麦迪逊的高中生，WI和附近地区的实践课程，展示科学家如何使用现代技术来解决复杂的物理问题;以及（3）开展外展和辅导活动，让传统上在科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生参与进来。 该团队将使用有效的联合分析框架和新的源查找算法分析来自IceCube中微子天文台（IceCube）和高海拔水切伦科夫伽马射线天文台（HAWC）的数据。他们还将通过数值模拟宇宙环境中的粒子传输和相互作用来研究宇宙射线源的理论。该奖项与NSF宇宙窗口的大创意一致：多信使天体物理学的时代，因为它协调使用多-利用HAWC的高能伽马射线和IceCube的高能中微子进行信使观测，并将改进理论建模，以更好地解释该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得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的支持。