WoU-MMA: Particle Astrophysics with HAWC and SWGO

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, HAWC, is a unique facility that studies the most energetic form of light in the Universe, known as gamma rays, emitted by some of the most extreme energy objects and environments in the Universe. The University of Maryland (UMD) group has led the development, operations, and data analysis efforts for HAWC, located high in the mountains of Mexico, as well as contributing to its remote operation. Since 2015, HAWC has operated continuously, day and night, scanning two-thirds of the sky every day. It uses giant water tanks to detect these cosmic signals by capturing the showers of particles created when high-energy gamma rays hit Earth’s atmosphere. This award supports the scientists responsible for HAWC’s data analysis and software development, as well as the management of its US data archive, housed at UMD. The body of data, and the analyses of it, have led to many exciting and important discoveries about the sources of the highest-energy light in the Universe and what that can elucidate about the nature of the cosmos. Through this work, we also train students and postdoctoral researchers in the use of large-scale data systems, cutting-edge analysis methods, and data-mining techniques, critical skills for support of the U.S. high-tech industry. In addition to its leadership in HAWC, UMD is playing a central role in developing the next-generation observatory, the Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), ensuring continued U.S. leadership in this cutting-edge field. This grant supports the University of Maryland (UMD) scientists who lead the development, operations, and data analysis for the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory, housed at the University of Maryland. It also funds critical engineering, technical, and operational support for the HAWC Observatory itself, located on the side of the Sierra Negra volcano in Mexico, as well as contributing to its remote operation. HAWC is a wide-field-of-view, continuously operating TeV gamma-ray observatory that has enabled numerous landmark discoveries. These include the identification of TeV Halos; the characterization of TeV-emitting microquasars, such as SS 433 and V4641 Sgr; the observation of Galactic PeVatrons, including the first detection of gamma rays above 100 TeV from the Galactic Center; and the discovery of more than 40 previously unknown TeV sources. With ongoing data collection and substantial improvements in event reconstruction and analysis algorithms, including the use of machine-learning algorithms, the pace of HAWC discoveries continues to accelerate. The UMD group has recently led a full reprocessing of HAWC’s decade-long data set with significantly enhanced sensitivity and angular resolution, resulting in new source detections and improved source characterization. UMD also manages the 13 PB HAWC data archive, which supports both internal collaboration efforts and external community access. Through this work, we also train students and postdoctoral researchers in the use of large-scale data systems and cutting-edge analysis and data-mining techniques, critical skills for support of the U.S. tech industry. Looking to the future, UMD is playing a leading role in the development of the next-generation Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), a major international effort to extend wide-field TeV gamma-ray coverage to the Southern Hemisphere. This ensures continued U.S. leadership in ground-based gamma-ray astrophysics and positions UMD at the forefront of discovery in this rapidly evolving field. This project advances the objectives of "Windows on the Universe: the Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics", one of the 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investments. 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.