New hybrid reconstruction techniques for first analyses of ultra-high energy gamma-ray data from the hybrid TAIGA detector

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The accelerators of the highest energy Galactic cosmic rays, the Pevatrons, are yet to be identified. Sensitive gamma-ray observations in the ultra-high energy gamma-ray regime (E>10 TeV up to several 100 TeV) are essential for this task. In order to cover this energy range, a very large instrumented area (several square kilometers) is required. The currently existing and planned instruments follow the well-established approaches of either stereoscopic imaging air Cherenkov telescopes (e.g., HESS, MAGIC, VERITAS, CTA) or non-imaging particle shower-front sampling arrays (HAWC, LHAASO). The German-Russian TAIGA experiment is pioneering a hybrid approach, which combines widely spaced Cherenkov telescopes with a Cherenkov light timing array. The individual telescope images are combined with the timing and amplitude information from the timing array in a novel hybrid reconstruction method. In our preliminary work, we have shown that such a combination reaches a performance comparable to classical stereoscopic arrays, while dramatically reducing the required number of telescopes.The main objective of this proposal is the development and verification of new and optimized hybrid imaging/timing reconstruction techniques, using extensive and realistic air shower and detector simulations. We will apply these methods to initial TAIGA data and carry out the first sensitive point source analyses of prominent objects. With the commissioning data to be taken, we will explore the ultra-high energy end of the Crab nebula emission spectrum, observing an electron Pevatron at work. Finally, we will develop the physics case (particle acceleration, photon propagation, heavy dark matter etc.) for ultra-high energy gamma-ray observations in this new observational window.