SWGO

The Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) is an astrophysics project in the southern hemisphere.

The scientific potential of a wide field of view and very high-duty cycle ground-based gamma-ray detectors has been demonstrated by the current generation instruments HAWC and ARGO, and this potential will be extended in the Northern Hemisphere by LHAASO. No such instrument currently exists in the Southern Hemisphere, where there is significant potential for mapping large-scale emissions and providing access to the entire sky for transient and variable multi-wavelength and multi-messenger phenomena. Access to the Galactic Center, in conjunction with the major facility CTA-South, motivates the establishment of such a gamma-ray observatory in the south. Additionally, there is substantial potential for cosmic ray studies, including anisotropy.

The shared concept for the future observatory is as follows:

• A gamma-ray observatory based on ground-level particle detection, with close to 100% duty cycle and order steradian field of view.
• Located in Atacama Astronomical Park, Chile.
• At an altitude of 4770 m.
• Covering an energy range from 100s of GeV to the PeV scale.
• Based primarily on water Cherenkov detector units.
• With a high fill-factor core detector with an area considerably larger than HAWC and significantly better sensitivity, and a low-density outer array.