WoU-MMA: Operation of the HAWC Gamma Ray Observatory

对天体物理高能（VHE）伽马射线的观测为探索宇宙中一些最极端环境的物理过程提供了一个窗口。位于墨西哥塞拉内格拉的高空水切伦科夫（HAWC）天文台是世界上最灵敏的连续运行大视场VHE伽玛射线望远镜之一。HAWC观测探索宇宙射线的起源，研究极端物理环境下粒子的加速，并寻找新的tev发射伽马射线天体物理源。这份授予马里兰大学帕克分校的合同将支持HAWC的持续运行，包括维护美国数据档案，为天文台的天空地图和实时天体物理瞬态警报提供公共数据访问。该奖项还支持HAWC的公共推广项目，该项目旨在为所有年龄段的学生（从小学生到老年人）提供HAWC和天体物理伽玛射线科学的机会，并支持西班牙裔美国人社区的活动和资源，包括双语视频和网站。位于墨西哥高山的HAWC天文台由300个大型水-切伦科夫探测器（wcd）组成，周围是350个较小的wcd组成的支臂阵列，以扩展能量范围。天文台宽广的视场，每天提供超过95%的时间，同时监测三分之二的天空。这提供了对TeV天空的持续深入调查，为发现极高能量源（如星系pevatron， TeV晕和微类星体）提供了灵敏度。HAWC为全球多信使计划提供了重要的输入，该计划搜索瞬态现象，如活动星系核和伽马射线爆发，这是由LIGO/VIRGO探测到的引力波的有利来源，以及冰立方中微子天文台探测到的高能中微子。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The observation of astrophysical very high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays provides a window to probe the physical processes of some of the most extreme environments in the Universe. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory, located in the Sierra Negra of Mexico, is one of the world’s most sensitive continuously operating wide field-of-view VHE gamma-ray telescopes. HAWC observations explore the origin of cosmic rays, study the acceleration of particles in extreme physical environments, and search for new TeV-emitting gamma-ray astrophyical sources. This award to the University of Maryland College Park supports the continued operation of HAWC, including maintenance of the US data archive and providing public data access to the observatory’s sky maps and real-time astrophysical transient alerts. The award also supports HAWC’s public outreach programs, broadly aimed to provide access to HAWC and astrophysical gamma-ray science to all age groups, from elementary school students through senior citizens, and supports activities and resources within the Hispanic-American community, including bilingual videos and websites. The HAWC Observatory in the high mountains of Mexico consists of 300 large water-Cherenkov detectors (WCDs) surrounded by an outrigger array of 350 smaller WCDs that extend the energy reach. The Observatory’s wide field-of-view provides over 95% on-time simultaneous monitoring of two-thirds of the sky each day. This delivers a continuous deep survey of the TeV-sky that provides sensitivity to discovery observations of extremely high-energy sources such as galactic PeVatrons, TeV Halos, and micro-quasars. HAWC provides crucial input to a global multi-messenger program that searches for transient phenomena like active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts, favored sources of gravitational waves, detected by LIGO/VIRGO, and IceCube Neutrino Observatory-detected high-energy neutrinos.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.