WoU-MMA: Studying Extreme Particle Accelerators with VERITAS and CTA

伽马射线天文学影响了广泛的关键科学问题，包括间接暗物质探测、基本物理定律测试、宇宙学研究、与活动星系核有关的喷注物理、伽马射线爆发、微类星体和星系粒子加速。该奖项支持哥伦比亚大学和尼维斯实验室的伽马射线小组专注于：(1)操作和优化Schwarzschild-Couder望远镜(PSCT)原型；(2)协调部署成像大气切伦科夫望远镜阵列VERITAS的高级分析和模拟开发工作；(3)研究中央引擎、它们的环境和相对论喷流的物理；(4)了解银河宇宙射线的加速和传播；以及(5)为VERITAS寻找更多的时间域机会，并为下一代切伦科夫望远镜阵列CTA做准备。基本重要的问题和极端的物理环境混合在一起，使这个领域对公众来说很吸引人。哥伦比亚大学和巴纳德学院的团队通过公开讲座和辅导地区的高中生来分享这种兴奋。这些问题横跨高能天体物理学、宇宙学和粒子物理学，研究暗物质的性质、最高能量宇宙射线的来源、最极端环境中物质的相互作用，以及恒星形成的宇宙史。该项目包括将PSCT纳入VERITAS阵列，并将先进的簇射重建和背景辨别方法扩展到伽玛暴的低能量、短时间尺度曝光以及对瞬变和银河中心的大天顶角观测。Veritas位于亚利桑那州南部，是跟踪LIGO/Virgo和IceCube事件的理想地点，并研究GC的多TeV排放。计划中的分析发展使所有VERITAS科学受益，但对多信使天文学和GC物理学将产生特别大的影响。随着国际社会致力于CTA，目前正在进行关键的优化，展示了pSCT的性能将在未来几年最大限度地发挥CTA对粒子天体物理学的影响。这个项目推进了NSF宇宙大理想之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Gamma-ray astronomy impacts a broad range of key science questions, including indirect dark matter detection, tests of fundamental physical laws, cosmological studies, the jet physics associated with active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and micro-quasars, and galactic particle acceleration. This award supports the gamma-ray group at Columbia University and Nevis Labs to focus specifically on: (1) operating and optimizing the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT); (2) coordinating deployment of advanced analysis and simulations development work for the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array VERITAS; (3) studying the physics of central engines, their environments, and relativistic jets; (4) understanding the acceleration and propagation of Galactic cosmic rays; and (5) seeking out further time-domain opportunities for VERITAS and in preparation for the next generation Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA. The mixture of fundamentally important questions and extreme physical environments makes this field fascinating to the public. The Columbia and Barnard groups share that excitement via public lectures, and mentoring area high school students. They also provide vital research experiences to their undergraduates.These questions cut across high-energy astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics, studying the nature of dark matter, the sources of the highest-energy cosmic rays, the interactions of matter in the most extreme environments, and the cosmic history of star formation. This project includes integrating pSCT into the VERITAS array, and extending the advanced shower reconstruction and background discrimination methods to low energy, short-time-scale exposures for GRBs and for large-zenith-angle observations of transients and the Galactic Center (GC). VERITAS, being in southern Arizona, is ideally sited to follow up events from LIGO/Virgo and IceCube, and to study multi-TeV emission from the GC. The planned analysis developments benefit all VERITAS science, but will be especially impactful for multi-messenger astronomy and the physics of the GC. As the international community works towards CTA, currently undergoing critical optimization, demonstrating the pSCT's performance will maximize the impact of CTA on particle astrophysics in the years to come. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.