Bridging grant application for VERITAS: Investigating the origin of high-energy particles in the Universe with multi-messenger observations

VERITAS 的过渡资助申请：通过多信使观测研究宇宙中高能粒子的起源

• 批准号: SAPPJ-2022-00027
• 负责人: Park, Nahee
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Project
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=763254
• 关键词: Bridging; grant; application; VERITAS; Investigating

The Earth is continuously bombarded by high-energy charged particles known as cosmic rays, which arrive from outside of the solar system. Although these cosmic rays were first discovered in 1912, their origins and how they propagate to Earth remain unclear. Notwithstanding several important advances in cosmic-ray science in the last decade, it has become evident that a multi-messenger approach is essential to reveal a complete picture of cosmic-ray production and propagation. Under such an approach, neutral particles such as gamma rays and neutrinos, which are created by the interactions of cosmic rays with the environment within our Universe, are used in conjunction with the vast cosmic-ray data set to pinpoint the ultimate origins of these charged particles. This proposal requests one year of support for the applicant to synchronize with the existing VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) collaboration project funding in fall 2022. VERITAS is a ground-based detector located near Tucson, US, pursuing studies of astrophysical gamma rays with energies higher than 100 GeV. One of three large telescope arrays built for the study of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays, VERITAS has contributed to advancements in our knowledge of high-energy particles in our Universe by discovering new sources and by testing fundamental physics in the VHE range. This application aims to exploit the full data set of VERITAS to study the gamma-ray diffuse emission from our Galaxy, to hunt down the origin of high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos with followup observations, and to improve the data analysis of VERITAS. The proposed research will make substantial contributions to the resolution of a 100-year-old question: what are the origins of the cosmic rays and how do they travel to Earth? I will develop a novel method to generate a gamma-ray-pure data set from over 8,000 hours of data that VERITAS has accumulated over the past ten years. The result will reveal the first measurements of diffuse gamma-ray emission in the northern hemisphere by a VERITAS-like detector. The search for diffuse gamma-ray emission inside the Galactic halo will provide insight into the interactions of cosmic rays and dark matter within the halo. The high-energy neutrino followup observations will provide much-needed samples of multi-messenger observations to probe the origin of high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos. The research will also train four HQPs in my group: 1 Master's degree student, 2 undergraduate students, and 1 postdoctoral fellow, with unique skills that are valuable in both academic and industrial settings, including the handling of large data sets, familiarity with a wide range of computer programming languages and technologies, and the analysis of data using sophisticated machine learning techniques. It will also provide opportunities for HQPs to operate the VERITAS telescopes and gain experience in handling and maintaining the detector system.

地球不断被称为宇宙射线的高能电荷颗粒轰炸，该颗粒从太阳系外部到达。尽管这些宇宙射线最初是在1912年发现的，但它们的起源以及它们如何传播到地球仍不清楚。尽管在过去十年中宇宙射线科学方面有了一些重要的进步，但很明显，多通信的方法对于揭示宇宙射线生产和传播的完整情况至关重要。在这样的方法下，由宇宙射线与宇宙中环境的相互作用所产生的中性颗粒（例如伽马射线和中微子）与巨大的宇宙射线数据集一起使用，以查明这些带电粒子的终极起源。该提案要求申请人在2022年秋季进行一年的支持，以与现有的Veritas（非常有力的辐射成像望远镜阵列系统）进行协作项目资金。Veritas是位于美国图森附近的基于地面的探测器，从而追求具有高于100 GEV的天体物理伽玛射线的研究。 Veritas为研究非常高的能量（VHE）伽玛射线研究而建造的三个大型望远镜阵列之一，通过发现新来源并测试VHE范围内的基本物理学，从而在我们对宇宙中高能颗粒的了解方面有了进步。该应用程序旨在利用Veritas的完整数据集来研究我们银河系的伽马射线扩散发射，以通过随访观察结果来寻找高能量宇宙射线和中微子的起源，并改善Veritas的数据分析。拟议的研究将为解决100年历史的问题做出重大贡献：宇宙射线的起源是什么？它们如何前往地球？我将开发一种新颖的方法，以生成来自Veritas在过去十年中积累的8,000多个小时的数据集中生成伽马射线图数据集。结果将揭示北半球在北半球弥漫性伽马射线发射的首次测量。搜索银河光环内部的弥漫性伽马射线发射将提供有关光环中宇宙射线和暗物质相互作用的洞察力。高能中微子的随访观测将提供急需的多通间观测样本，以探测高能量宇宙射线和中微子的起源。这项研究还将在我的小组中培训四个HQP：1名硕士学位的学生，2名本科生和1名博士后研究员，具有在学术和工业环境中都很有价值的独特技能，包括对大型数据集的处理，熟悉广泛的计算机程序编程语言和技术，以及使用精致的机器学习技术对数据进行分析。它还将为HQP提供运营Veritas望远镜并获得处理和维护探测器系统的经验的机会。