MRI: Development of the HAWC-256 Wide-Field Gamma Ray Detector

高能伽马射线探测最极端的天体物理环境，包括那些产生最高能量宇宙射线粒子的环境。在TeV能量范围内的大多数发现都是通过成像大气切伦科夫望远镜（IACT）完成的，这些望远镜具有几个毫球面度的视场和~10%的占空比。然而，米拉格罗天文台已经证明，具有宽视场和近100%占空比的探测器可以发现能量在10到100 TeV之间的TeV伽马射线的新来源，并绘制来自我们银河系平面的漫发射。HAWC（High Altitude Water Cherenkov）天文台以Milagro的经验和技术为基础，制造了第二代高灵敏度探测器，能够连续测量TeV天空中100 GeV至100 TeV的稳定和瞬态源。该MRI奖项旨在通过在高空建造核心阵列来开发HAWC电子设备和仪器。该仪器将由美国和墨西哥的合作开发，由建造Milagro的美国团队领导，并率先开发用于伽马射线天文学的水切伦科夫技术。它将位于墨西哥Sierra Negra附近，海拔4100米，靠近现有的基础设施和合作大学，并将允许Cherenkov探测器和高海拔电子设备的开发，作为最终建造整个HAWC探测器的前奏。除了天体物理学，这将与墨西哥的粒子物理学家和天体物理学家建立一个卓越的国际科学合作。此次合作将利用这一独特的机会接触拉美裔，并保持为本科生，研究生和博士后研究员提供强大的科学和教育机会的米拉格罗传统。

High energy gamma rays probe the most extreme astrophysical environments including those that produce the highest energy cosmic-ray particles. Most of the discoveries in the TeV energy range have been made by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) which have a few milli-steradian field of view and ~10% duty cycle. However, the Milagro observatory has demonstrated that a detector with a wide field of view and nearly 100% duty cycle can discover new sources of TeV gamma rays at energies between 10 and 100 TeV, and map the diffuse emission from the plane of our Galaxy. The HAWC (High Altitude Water Cherenkov) observatory builds on the experience and technology of Milagro to make a second-generation high-sensitivity detector that would be capable of continuously surveying the TeV sky for steady and transient sources from 100 GeV to 100 TeV. This MRI award is to develop the HAWC electronics and instrumentation by building a core array at high altitude. This instrument will be developed by a collaboration from the US and Mexico, led by the US team that built Milagro and pioneered the development of the water Cherenkov technique for gamma-ray astronomy. It will be located near Sierra Negra, Mexico, at an altitude of 4100m near existing infrastructure and collaborating universities and will allow the development of Cherenkov detectors and electronics at high altitude as a prelude to eventually building the entire HAWC detector. Beyond astrophysics, this will establish a preeminent international scientific collaboration with particle physicists and astrophysicists in Mexico. The collaboration will utilize this unique opportunity to reach out to Hispanics as well as maintain the Milagro tradition of providing strong scientific and educational opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.