Gamma-Ray Astrophysics

天体物理学物体可以将粒子加速到任何地面加速器都无法达到的能量。 是什么推动了这种加速是天体物理学中的一个重要问题。 高能伽马射线发射是一个关键的诊断，可以用来探测加速机制。 有了这个奖项，爱荷华州大学粒子天体物理学小组将使用VERITAS成像空气切伦科夫望远镜对脉冲星风星云进行系统研究，这是最常见的银河系高能伽马射线源。 对脉冲星风星云的研究解决了高能天体物理学的核心问题，包括星际介质中相对论粒子的加速机制和传播。 为了扩大这项工作的更广泛影响，每年爱荷华州小组将接待一名来自代表性不足的少数民族的本科生暑期实习生，他们将直接参与研究。 该计划将借鉴爱荷华州数学系少数民族招生计划的成功经验，包括他们拥有大量少数民族入学的广泛的学院网络，以及阿德勒天文馆与芝加哥地区少数民族服务机构的联系。 此外，该小组还将致力于提高公众对天文学的兴趣，并通过物理学生协会当地分会运行的公共天文观测计划广泛传播他们的研究成果。脉冲星风星云由相对论粒子提供动力，这些粒子在旋转动力的脉冲星产生的风的终止冲击中加速。 爱荷华州小组将利用VERITAS对Milagro和HAWC在不久的将来发现的源进行的后续观测，研究北方半球脉冲星风星云的整个种群，形成一个无偏见的调查。目标是在北方的天空中产生一个强大的、邻近的轻子粒子加速器的完整清单。 该小组还将在多个波段对选定的脉冲星风星云进行详细观测，以限制其物理特性。爱荷华州集团还将继续运营和维护VERITAS定点监视器，并为VERITAS运营做出贡献。

Astrophysical objects can accelerate particles to energies beyond the reach of any ground-based accelerator yet built. What drives this acceleration is an important question in astrophysics. High energy gamma-ray emission is a key diagnostic and can be used to probe the acceleration mechanisms. With this award the University of Iowa particle astrophysics group will use the VERITAS imaging air Cherenkov telescope for a systematic study of pulsar wind nebulae, the most common galactic high energy gamma-ray sources. Studies of Pulsar Wind Nebulae address central questions in high-energy astrophysics including the acceleration mechanism and the propagation of relativistic particles in the interstellar medium. To extend the broader impacts of this work, each year the Iowa group will host an undergraduate summer intern from an underrepresented minority who will be directly involved in the research. This program will draw on the success of the minority recruitment program of the Math Department at Iowa, including their extensive network of colleges with large minority enrollments, and the connections of the Adler Planetarium with minority-serving institutions in the Chicago area. In addition, the group will work to increase public interest in astronomy and broadly disseminate the results of their research through the public astronomical observing program run by the local chapter of the Society of Physics Students.Pulsar wind nebulae are powered by relativistic particles accelerated in the termination shocks of the winds emanating from rotation-powered pulsars. The Iowa group will study the whole population of pulsar wind nebulae in the northern hemisphere using VERITAS follow-up observations of sources discovered by Milagro and in the near future by HAWC forming an unbiased survey. The goal is to produce a complete inventory of powerful, nearby leptonic particle accelerators in the northern sky. The group will also conduct detailed observations of selected pulsar wind nebulae at multiple wavebands to constrain their physical properties. The Iowa group will also continue to operate and maintain the VERITAS pointing monitors and contribute to VERITAS operations.