WoU-MMA: Operations of VERITAS in the Epoch 2022 to 2025

Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Gamma rays are the highest energy form of electromagnetic radiation, and their observation has proven essential to advancing our understanding of the most extreme astrophysical processing in the Universe. Located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona, USA, the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) observatory provides world-leading sensitivity to gamma-rays for energies above 100 GeV. This award provides the funding to continue operations of VERITAS and the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT). During the period of this award, the observatory will operate to provide in-depth gamma-ray studies of a wide variety of Galactic and extragalactic very high-energy signals, including those associated with multi-messenger and time-domain astrophysics. The award will also support opportunities for the professional development of early career scientists, enabling unique field work and hard and software developments. More broadly, the award supports the VERITAS collaboration’s efforts in Zooniverse projects, and community engagement at the FLWO Visitor Centre. VERITAS is an array of four 12m diameter atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (ACT), each with an imaging field of view of 3.5 degrees. The pSCT employs a novel ACT dual-mirror optical system design developed for use in the next-generation gamma-ray observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). Operating in conjunction, the observatory studies Galactic objects including supernova remnants, pulsars, binary systems, and the Galactic Center, and extragalactic objects including active galactic nuclei, radio galaxies, and starburst galaxies. The multi-messenger program of the observatory includes searches for transient events from sources associated with gamma-ray bursts, gravitational wave signal, and high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. In addition, VERITAS observations address key questions related to the origin of high-energy cosmic-rays, the search for dark matter, and cosmology. 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.