WoU-MMA: Understanding the Strongest Accelerators in our Galaxy by Combining Data from the HAWC Observatory and Other Instruments

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

Observations of astrophysical gamma-rays, the highest energy form of electromagnetic radiation, provide the ability to study the conditions and processes in the most extreme astrophysical environments in the Universe. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, located in the Sierra Negra in Mexico, provides a unique view on gamma-ray emission from hundreds of GeV to beyond 100 TeV. This award supports scientists at Michigan Technological University performing research with HAWC. Analyses of the HAWC data will be used to improve the understanding of cosmic ray acceleration and transport by tracing the interactions with matter and radiation fields in the Universe that produce gamma-rays. The team will participate in education and outreach activities, including developing a Research Experience for Teachers program that will create lesson plans for gamma-ray and multi-messenger astronomy for use in high school and community college classrooms and summer youth programs. The HAWC observatory provides a unique view of the gamma-ray sky, with a nearly 100% duty cycle and an instantaneous field-of-view of about 2 steradians. With realized improvements in the sensitivity, and the image and energy resolution of the observatory, HAWC has measured the most extensive TeV-scale gamma-ray dataset of the northern hemisphere sky. Employing state-of-the-art statistical methods and combining data from the observatory with multi-messenger data has the potential to significantly improve our understanding of extreme sources of cosmic ray origin, acceleration, and transport. At the same time, enhancing the accessibility of HAWC data to the multi-messenger community maximizes the science return, in particular in studies of a number of source classes including star forming regions, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, and binary systems. 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.