Observations of Galactic TeV Sources with VERITAS

我们的银河系包含的天体物理系统可以将粒子加速到人类建造的任何加速器都无法达到的能量。是什么驱动这些加速器是天体物理学中的一个主要问题，了解这些加速器具有广泛的意义。TeV光子是高能粒子的关键诊断。最简单地说，一个TeV光子的发射要求发射电子、质子或其他粒子开始时的能量为1 TeV或更高。TeV波段的观测是对各种银河系物体中发生的最具能量的物理过程的敏感探测。探测到含有中子星或黑洞的双星系统的TeV发射是一个令人兴奋的、新的、意想不到的结果。该小组将利用高能辐射成像望远镜阵列系统（VERITAS）在TeV波段进行观测，对高能光子撞击地球大气层时产生的切伦科夫光的闪光进行成像。他们将使用VERITAS来研究银河粒子加速器，包括来自恒星质量黑洞和快速旋转的射流、年轻的中子星、超新星遗迹和未知的伽马射线源。此外，他们将进行多波长（x射线/GeV/TeV）观测，这是理解这些系统中粒子加速过程的关键。他们将操作和维护指向监控系统，并为VERITAS阵列的操作做出贡献。作为更广泛的影响，拟议活动的一个组成部分将是利用阿德勒天文馆和天文博物馆领导的VERITAS教育和推广计划中开发的材料，向大学和高中学生和普通公众广泛传播有关高能伽马射线天文学的信息。关于伽马射线天文学和VERITAS的具体结果的报告将作为爱荷华大学物理和天文系以及位于爱荷华州锡达拉皮兹附近的东爱荷华天文台和学习中心（EIOLC）的“科学鹰眼”项目的一部分，向高中班级和公众进行。

Our Galaxy contains astrophysical systems that accelerate particles to energies beyond the reach of any accelerator built by humans. What drives these accelerators is a major question in astrophysics, and understanding these accelerators has broad implications. TeV photons are a key diagnostic of highly energetic particles. Most simply put, emission of a TeV photon requires that the emitting electron, proton, or other particle began at an energy of a TeV or greater. Observations in the TeV band are a sensitive probe of the most energetic physical processes occurring in a variety of Galactic objects. Detection of TeV emission from binaries systems containing a neutron star or black hole is an exciting, new, and unexpected result. With this award, this group will conduct observations in the TeV band using the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) to image flashes of Cherenkov light produced when highly energetic photons strike Earth's atmosphere. They will use VERITAS to study Galactic particle accelerators including jets from stellar-mass black holes and rapidly rotating, young neutron stars, supernova remnants, and unidentified gamma-ray sources. In addition, they will conduct multi-wavelength (X-ray/GeV/TeV) observations that are the key to understanding the particle acceleration process in these systems. They will operate and maintain the pointing monitor system and contribute to the operation of the VERITAS array. As Broader Impacts, an integral part of the proposed activity will be the broad dissemination of information on very high energy gamma-ray astronomy to college and high school students and the general public making use of materials developed in the VERITAS education and outreach program being led by the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. Presentations on gamma-ray astronomy and specific results from VERITAS will be made to high school classes and to the general public as part of the "Hawk-Eyes on Science" program of the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Iowa and at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center (EIOLC) located near Cedar Rapids, IA.