Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Annual Meeting of the Four Corners Section of the APS
Volume 55, Number 9
Friday–Saturday, October 15–16, 2010; Ogden, Utah
Session C1: Astrophysics, High Energy I |
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Chair: Stephan LeBohec, University of Utah Room: Ballroom C |
Friday, October 15, 2010 2:00PM - 2:12PM |
C1.00001: Description and Status of the VERITAS gamma-ray Telescope Upgrade David Kieda The VERITAS gamma-ray observatory, located in Southern Arizona, employs an array of four 12m diameter Imaging Air Cherenkov telescopes to observe sources of Very High Energy (10$^{11}$-10$^{13}$ eV) gamma rays. Fully operational since 2007, the observatory has provided a new observational window into high energy astronomical phenomena. The sensitivity of VERITAS will improve over the next several years as several key telescope subsystems are upgraded. In this talk, I will describe the VERITAS upgrade, including the individual components of the upgrade, the expected gains in sensitivity, and the timetable and current status of the upgrade. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 15, 2010 2:12PM - 2:24PM |
C1.00002: The 2010 VERITAS Data Network Upgrade Matthew Shaw In April 2010 the VERITAS gamma-ray observatory was funded to substantially improve it's sensitivity and reliability. Part of this upgrade involved increasing the speed of data communication between telescopes, and adding redundancy, allowing data taking to continue even when a single fiber optic communication has failed. In this talk, I will describe this network upgrade, which took place at VERITAS during summer 2010. I will describe the need for this upgrade, the use of link aggregate control protocol (LACP) to increase speed and add redundancy, the physical construction, and results from tests that were performed to commission the upgraded VERITAS communications network. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 15, 2010 2:24PM - 2:36PM |
C1.00003: Further VERITAS Observations of the Crab Gamma-ray Source Nathan Odendahl The Crab Nebula is a well known supernova remnant. Contained within the nebula is an optical and x-ray/soft gamma-ray pulsar. The Crab Pulsar Wind Nebula is a steady source of TeV gamma-rays, first detected by Whipple 10m telescope in 1989. Since the Crab Pulsar is a steady source of TeV gamma-rays, the VERITAS telescope array has regularly observed the Crab Nebula since 2007 in order to track changes in sensitivity of the VERITAS Observatory. In this talk, I will describe recent improvements in VERITAS telescope sensitivity as determined by ongoing measurements of the TeV gamma-ray flux from the Cab Nebula. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 15, 2010 2:36PM - 2:48PM |
C1.00004: Geometry Study of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Showers Using Hybrid Analysis from Telescope Array Monica Allen The Telescope Array experiment studies ultra high energy cosmic rays at energies $>$$10^{18}$ eV using a hybrid detector. Fluorescence telescopes measure the longitudinal development of the extensive air shower generated by a primary cosmic ray particle. Meanwhile, scintillator surface detectors measure the lateral distribution of secondary particles that hit the ground, the ``footprint'' of the shower. Combining the information from both detectors, a more precise measurement of the shower geometry can be obtained, and hence, a more accurate understanding of the energy and composition of the primary particle. The Middle Drum (MD) fluorescence observatory is located at the northwest corner of the Telescope Array and consists of 14 telescopes. It is one of three fluorescence observatories which observe the sky above the 507 scintillator surface detectors of the Telescope Array. I will discuss the MD hybrid data and resolution. I will show that in comparison with using MD information alone, the hybrid method improves the geometrical resolution of the shower by a factor of five in shower-detector plane angle, and by an order of magnitude in the shower core distance. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 15, 2010 2:48PM - 3:00PM |
C1.00005: Development of Hybrid and Composition Analysis at Telescope Array Elliott Barcikowski The chemical composition of cosmic rays is critically important in understanding cosmic ray sources as well as a cosmic ray's propagation through the galaxy or universe. Composition changes can provide important clues to understanding features in the cosmic ray energy spectrum. In addition, the success of cosmic ray anisotropy studies may depend on the composition of cosmic rays, as nuclei with large atomic number, Z, would be more susceptible to deflection by galactic and extra-galactic magnetic fields. We present a composition study using hybrid analysis in development at Telescope Array, a cosmic ray observatory in Delta, Utah. A hybrid analysis incorporates both nitrogen fluorescence and surface array data, giving good geometrical resolution as well as measuring the longitudinal development of the air shower produced by the cosmic ray as it interacts in the atmosphere. In this talk, we will present hybrid reconstruction methods in use at Telescope Array and discuss the development of Monte Carlo techniques. We will show that in hybrid mode the resolution of reconstructed pointing directions is less than $0.6^{\circ}$ and that the resolution in the depth of shower maximum is less than 30 g/cm$^{2}$. [Preview Abstract] |
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