WOU-MMA: Understanding Cosmic Particle Accelerators with VERITAS

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Accreting super-massive black holes are some of the most extreme physical environments in the Universe. The relativistic outflows and jets from these systems are candidate sources of energetic cosmic rays, gamma rays and extragalactic neutrinos. These systems impact the evolution of the galaxies and clusters, from recycling of gas in cosmic fountains to heating the inter-cluster medium. This award supports scientists at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) performing research with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona, USA. Specifically, the awarded program will provide improved understanding of the outflows from black holes and their impact on their hosts and environments via coordinated multiwavelength observations with VERITAS. The program will support unique training and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate student researchers in combining astrophysical data and theoretical models. In addition, with the UMBC Society of Physics students the program will develop portable detectors for public observatory nights and outreach events at local schools. VERITAS provides a targeted field of view with leading sensitivity in the measurement of gamma-rays from ~50 GeV to 500 TeV. No known astronomical sources emit solely in the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray band, however, and a full understanding of the physical conditions to constrain theoretical models of the source requires sampling of the full spectrum of output. Pairing VERITAS observations with the Swift X-ray observatory and ground-based optical and radio monitoring programs provides simultaneous multi-wavelength coverage and high-resolution imaging. A multi-wavelength central data ‘hub’ provides automatically updated information on target VHE astrophysical objects as well as their archival and planned observations for the approximate dozen observatories used in coordination with VERITAS. This information will prove crucial to testing long-considered models of the origin and evolution of VHE emission in jets, including their potential role as sources of energetic cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos. 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.