Experiment

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.

Feb 1, 2025

IceCube Neutrino Observatory is an astrophysics project located at the geographic South Pole. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the first detector of its kind, designed to observe the cosmos from deep within the South Pole ice. The IceCube Collaboration is an international group of scientists responsible for scientific research. Encompassing a cubic kilometer of ice, IceCube searches for nearly massless subatomic particles called neutrinos. These high-energy astronomical messengers provide information to probe the most violent astrophysical sources, such as exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars. The Antarctic Neutrino Observatory, including the surface array IceTop and the dense infill array DeepCore, was designed as a multipurpose experiment. IceCube collaborators address several big questions in physics, like the nature of dark matter and the properties of the neutrino itself. IceCube also observes cosmic rays that interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, which have revealed fascinating structures that are not presently understood. The IceCube Collaboration comprises approximately 350 physicists from 58 institutions in 14 countries. The international team is responsible for the scientific program, and many collaborators contributed to the design and construction of the detector. Exciting new research conducted by the collaboration is opening a new window for exploring our universe. The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided the primary funding for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, with assistance from partner funding agencies around the world. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is the lead institution responsible for maintaining and operating the detector. Funding Agencies in each collaborating country support their scientific research efforts.

Feb 1, 2025

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) is an astrophysics project located in Mexico. HAWC is a facility designed to observe gamma rays and cosmic rays between 100 GeV and 100 TeV. TeV gamma rays are the highest energy photons ever observed — 1 TeV is 1 trillion electron volts (eV), about 1 trillion times more energetic than visible light! These photons are born in the most extreme environments in the known universe: supernova explosions, active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray bursts. Cosmic rays are charged particles that achieve energies far beyond what we can create in man-made particle accelerators. (The highest energy cosmic ray ever observed was 300 million TeV.) The origin of such particles has been a mystery for over 100 years. Gamma rays are thought to be correlated with the acceleration sites of charged cosmic rays, so we observe them to help answer this and other cosmic questions. HAWC is located on the flanks of the Sierra Negra volcano near Puebla, Mexico, at an altitude of 4100 meters (13,500 feet). The detector has an instantaneous field of view covering 15% of the sky, and during each 24 hours, HAWC observes two-thirds of the sky. Using the HAWC Observatory, we are performing a high-sensitivity synoptic survey of the gamma rays from the Northern Hemisphere.

Feb 1, 2025