U.S.-U.K. Cooperative Research: Analysis of Data From the South Pole Air Shower Experiment

该奖项将支持托马斯K博士之间的合作研究。Gaisser和Todor Stanev，Bartol研究所和A.M. Hillas博士，英国利兹大学Gaisser博士和Stanev博士将前往利兹进行南极空气淋浴实验（SPASE）的数据分析，这是两个机构正在进行的联合实验。实验的目的是检查探测到的空气簇射的到达方向，并寻找超高能伽马射线的点源。寻找地外超高能伽马射线源是一个非常有趣的天体物理学问题，涉及银河系中宇宙射线的加速以及X射线双星系统的过程和模型。南极的位置为不间断地观测南方天空提供了一个独特的机会，预计南方天空将有丰富的资源。此外，SPASE是寻找来自新超新星SN 1987a的超高能伽马射线的理想地点。这一信号的发现对于理解年轻超新星的加速过程和演化具有重要意义。将用于实验的探测器与英国利兹小组现在部署的阵列非常相似，用于寻找来自北方源的信号。数据采集的密切协调和两次独立数据分析的比较对于实验的成功至关重要。这项研究汇集了空气淋浴实验分析方面的三位领先专家。

This award will support collaborative research between Drs. Thomas K. Gaisser and Todor Stanev, Bartol Research Institute and Dr. A.M. Hillas, University of Leeds, U.K. Drs. Gaisser and Stanev will travel to Leeds to work on a data analysis of the South Pole Air Shower Experiment (SPASE), which is an ongoing joint experiment of the two institutions. The purpose of the experiment is to inspect the arrival direction of detected air showers and to search for point sources of ultra-high energy gamma-rays. The search for extraterrestrial sources of ultra-high energy gamma-rays is an extremely interesting astrophysical problem, related to the acceleration of the cosmic rays in the Galaxy and to processes and models of X-ray binary systems. The South Pole location provides a unique opportunity for uninterrupted observations of the southern sky, which is expected to be rich in sources. In addition, SPASE is ideally situated to look for ultra-high energy gamma-rays from the new Supernova, SN 1987a. The discovery of such a signal would be of great importance for understanding acceleration processes and evolution of young supernovae. The detector that will be used for the experiment is very similar to the array now deployed by the Leeds group in England to look for signals from Northern Hemisphere sources. Close coordination of data acquisition and comparison of two independent analyses of the data are essential for success of the experiment. This research brings together three of the leading experts in the analysis of air shower experiments.