WoU-MMA: Multi-Messenger and Multi-Wavelength Particle Astrophysics with HAWC

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

Gamma-rays are the highest energy form of electromagnetic radiation. Observations of astrophysical gamma-rays serve as probes of physical conditions and processes in the most extreme environments throughout the Universe and can be used to test fundamental physics. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, located on the slopes of the Sierra Negra in Mexico, is a ground-based facility designed with unique capabilities to observe very high-energy gamma rays. This award supports scientists at Michigan State University doing research with HAWC. In addition to activities in support of HAWC operations, the group will use HAWC data to explore the origin and acceleration of particles in extreme physical environments. They will also use HAWC observations to search for gamma-ray counterparts of high-energy neutrinos detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The group will engage in education and public outreach activities, including installing a HAWC exhibit at the Michigan State University Abrams Planetarium. HAWC is a wide field of view, continuously operating observatory. Unlike more traditional ground-based telescopes that point at a small region of sky on clear nights, HAWC has the ability to study very extended regions of gamma-ray emission and to nearly-continuously monitor time-varying phenomena. The Michigan State University group will capitalize on these abilities by compiling a catalog of time-varying gamma-ray sources and looking for correlations with high-energy neutrino events recorded by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and lower energy gamma-ray emission recorded by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The group will also conduct a search for dark matter signals coming from the extended halo around the Galactic Center. This work directly addresses the goals of NSF's "Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics" 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.