Start year
2003
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Related grants:
General
Description
The members of the Particle Astrophysics Group of the IAC participate actively in three large international collaborations of high-energy astrophysics: AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer), the Cherenkov radiation telescopes MAGIC I and II and the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). We also participate in the ASTRI mini-array, the gamma-ray experiment Fermi-LAT and the gravitational wave follow-up optical telescopes GOTO.
AMS-02 is a particle detector designed to operate in space, onboard the International Space Station. It was successfully installed on the station on May 2011, and will operate during its lifetime till at least 2030. It is aimed at carrying out a high precision and high statistics study of the spectrum and composition of primary cosmic rays within a wide range of energies, as well as to look for primordial antimatter and dark matter in an indirect way.
The MAGIC Collaboration is integrated by 20 research institutes and university departments from Armenia, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and USA. The collaboration comprises two 17m diameter telescopes, located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), designed to measure the Cherenkov radiation associated with atmospheric showers from very high-energy gamma rays.
In the context of gamma ray observations at very high energies, the IAC also participates in the international consortium of the array of Cherenkov telescopes CTAO, with the objective to build two large observatories in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma was selected to host the CTA North observatory. The first telescope of 23 metres in diameter of the type "Large Size Telescope" of CTAO, know as LST1, was inaugurated in October 2018. This telescope was constructed by the "LST Collaboration" of CTAO, which consists of 300 scientists from 12 countries, where the IAC has a very relevant role. Currently the commissioning of the LST1 telescope is coming to and end and the scientific exploitation of the data is already given rise to new discoveries. The IAC is currently in the phase of constructing 3 more LST telescopes (LST2-LST4) in the ORM.
The ASTRI project is being currently built at the Teide Observatory. Its final design consist of 9 small size Cherenkov telescopes. The first telescope, ASTRI-1, is nowadays in commissioning phase.
Members
Principal investigator
Mónica Luisa
Vázquez Acosta
Project staff
Ramón
García López
Josefa
Becerra González
Alicia
López Oramas
Mireia
Nievas Rosillo
Miguel
Molero González
Edgar
Molina Lumbreras
Luis
Barrios Jiménez
Tora Therese Hoeiland
Arnesen
Fernando
Frías García-Lago
Collaborators
José Antonio
Acosta Pulido
Javier
Herrera Llorente
Fabio Acero
Juan Cortina
Results
Highlights of the project in 2024:
- A Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray View of the Transient Sky
- A detailed study of the very high-energy Crab pulsar emission with the LST-1
- The Cosmological Optical Convergence: Extragalactic Background Light from TeV Gamma Rays
- Determination of the anisotropy of elementary particles with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station
- Multi-wavelength study of OT 081: broadband modelling of a transitional blazar
- Commissioning of the first ASTRI-1 telescope of the ASTRI mini-Array in the Teide Observatory has started
- The instalation of the mechanical structures of the LST2-LST4 telescopes of CTAO in the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is very advanced
Scientific activity
Related publications
-
A new method of reconstructing images of gamma-ray telescopes applied to the LST-1 of CTAOContext. Imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) are used to observe very high-energy photons from the ground. Gamma rays are indirectly detected through the Cherenkov light emitted by the air showers they induce. The new generation of experiments, in particular the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), sets ambitious goals forAbe, K. et al.
Advertised on:
112024 -
Distance estimation of gamma-ray-emitting BL Lac objects from imaging observationsAims. The direct redshift determination of BL Lac objects is highly challenging as the emission in the optical and near-infrared bands is largely dominated by the non-thermal emission from the relativistic jet, which points very close to our line of sight. Therefore, the optical spectra of BL Lac objects often show no spectral lines from the hostNilsson, K. et al.
Advertised on:
112024 -
Constraints on VHE gamma-ray emission of flat spectrum radio quasars with the MAGIC telescopesFlat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) constitute a class of jetted active galaxies characterized by a very luminous accretion disc, prominent and rapidly moving line-emitting cloud structures (broad-line region, BLR), and a surrounding dense dust structure known as dusty torus. The intense radiation field of the accretion disc strongly determines theAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
122024 -
Determination of the anisotropy of elementary particles with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space StationA measurement of the cosmic ray anisotropy on the arrival directions of elementary particles (electrons, positrons and protons) has been performed in galactic coordinates by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer onboard the International Space Station. The analysis is based on the sample of events collected in the first 10 years of data taking. TheVelasco, Miguel Ángel et al.
Advertised on:
112024 -
The Cosmological Optical Convergence: Extragalactic Background Light from TeV Gamma RaysThe intensity of the extragalactic background (EBL), the accumulated optical and infrared emissions since the first stars, is the subject of a decades-long tension in the optical band. These photons form a target field that attenuates the γ-ray flux from extragalactic sources. This Letter reports the first γ-ray measurement of the EBL spectrum at zGréaux, Lucas et al.
Advertised on:
112024 -
Prospects for a survey of the galactic plane with the Cherenkov Telescope ArrayApproximately one hundred sources of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays are known in the Milky Way, detected with a combination of targeted observations and surveys. A survey of the entire Galactic Plane in the energy range from a few tens of GeV to a few hundred TeV has been proposed as a Key Science Project for the upcoming Cherenkov TelescopeAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
102024 -
Standardised formats and open-source analysis tools for the MAGIC telescopes dataInstruments for gamma-ray astronomy at Very High Energies ( E > 100 GeV) have traditionally derived their scientific results through proprietary data and software. Data standardisation has become a prominent issue in this field both as a requirement for the dissemination of data from the next generation of gamma-ray observatories and as anKluge, G. W. et al.
Advertised on:
112024 -
A detailed study of the very high-energy Crab pulsar emission with the LST-1Context. To date, three pulsars have been firmly detected by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). Two of them reached the TeV energy range, challenging models of very high-energy (VHE) emission in pulsars. More precise observations are needed to better characterize pulsar emission at these energies. The LST-1 is the prototype of theAbe, K. et al.
Advertised on:
102024 -
Prospects for γ-ray observations of the Perseus galaxy cluster with the Cherenkov Telescope ArrayGalaxy clusters are expected to be both dark matter (DM) reservoirs and storage rooms for the cosmic-ray protons (CRp) that accumulate along the cluster's formation history. Accordingly, they are excellent targets to search for signals of DM annihilation and decay at γ-ray energies and are predicted to be sources of large-scale γ-ray emission dueAbe, K. et al.
Advertised on:
102024 -
Dark matter line searches with the Cherenkov Telescope ArrayMonochromatic gamma-ray signals constitute a potential smoking gun signature for annihilating or decaying dark matter particles that could relatively easily be distinguished from astrophysical or instrumental backgrounds. We provide an updated assessment of the sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to such signals, based onAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
72024 -
Constraints on Lorentz invariance violation from the extraordinary Mrk 421 flare of 2014 using a novel analysis methodThe Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV), a proposed consequence of certain quantum gravity (QG) scenarios, could instigate an energy-dependent group velocity for ultra-relativistic particles. This energy dependence, although suppressed by the massive QG energy scale E_QG, expected to be on the level of the Planck energy 1.22 × 10 19 GeV, isAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
72024 -
Insights into the broadband emission of the TeV blazar Mrk 501 during the first X-ray polarization measurementsAims: We present the first multiwavelength study of Mrk 501 that contains simultaneous very-high-energy (VHE) γ-ray observations and X-ray polarization measurements from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). Methods: We used radio-to-VHE data from a multiwavelength campaign carried out between March 1, 2022, and July 19, 2022 (MJD 59639 toMAGIC Collaboration et al.
Advertised on:
52024 -
TeV pion bumps in the gamma-ray spectra of flaring blazarsContext. Very high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) observations of the blazar Mrk 501 with MAGIC in 2014 provided evidence for an unusual narrow spectral feature at about 3 TeV during an extreme X-ray flaring activity. The one-zone synchrotron-self Compton scenario, widely used in blazar broadband spectral modeling, fails to explain the narrow TeVPetropoulou, M. et al.
Advertised on:
52024 -
The variability patterns of the TeV blazar PG 1553 + 113 from a decade of MAGIC and multiband observationsPG 1553 + 113 is one of the few blazars with a convincing quasi-periodic emission in the gamma-ray band. The source is also a very high energy (VHE; >100 GeV) gamma-ray emitter. To better understand its properties and identify the underlying physical processes driving its variability, the MAGIC Collaboration initiated a multiyear, multiwavelengthMAGIC Collaboration et al.
Advertised on:
42024 -
A Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray View of the Transient SkyThe development of the latest generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) over recent decades has led to the discovery of new extreme astrophysical phenomena in the very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray regime. Time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy are inevitably connected to the physics of transient VHE emittersCarosi, Alessandro et al.
Advertised on:
32024 -
First characterization of the emission behavior of Mrk 421 from radio to very high-energy gamma rays with simultaneous X-ray polarization measurementsAims: We have performed the first broadband study of Mrk 421 from radio to TeV gamma rays with simultaneous measurements of the X-ray polarization from IXPE. Methods: The data were collected as part of an extensive multiwavelength campaign carried out between May and June 2022 using MAGIC, Fermi-LAT, NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, Swift, and several opticalAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
42024 -
Performance and first measurements of the MAGIC stellar intensity interferometerIn recent years, a new generation of optical intensity interferometers has emerged, leveraging the existing infrastructure of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The MAGIC telescopes host the MAGIC-SII system (Stellar Intensity Interferometer), implemented to investigate the feasibility and potential of this technique on IACTs. AfterAbe, S. et al.
Advertised on:
42024 -
Optical spectroscopy of blazars for the Cherenkov Telescope Array - IIIContext. Blazars, which include BL Lacs and flat-spectrum radio quasars, represent the brightest persistent extragalactic sources in the high-energy (HE; 10 MeV-100 GeV) and very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-ray sky. Due to their almost featureless optical/UV spectra, it is challenging to measure the redshifts of BL Lacs. As a result, about 50%D'Ammando, F. et al.
Advertised on:
32024 -
Multiwavelength variability analysis of Fermi-LAT blazarsBlazars present highly variable gamma-ray emission. This variability, which can range from a few minutes to several years, is also observed at other wavelengths across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. We make use of the first 12 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, complemented with multiwavelength (MWL) archival data from differentPeñil, P. et al.
Advertised on:
42024 -
Multi-year characterisation of the broad-band emission from the intermittent extreme BL Lac 1ES 2344+514Aims: The BL Lac 1ES 2344+514 is known for temporary extreme properties characterised by a shift of the synchrotron spectral energy distribution (SED) peak energy ν synch, p above 1 keV. While those extreme states have only been observed during high flux levels thus far, additional multi-year observing campaigns are required to achieve a coherentMAGIC Collaboration et al.
Advertised on:
22024
Related talks
No related talks were found.Related conferences
No related conferences were found.News
-
LST-1 telescope on La Palma detects the most distant quasar at very high energiesAdvertised on -
ASTRI telescopes at the Teide Observatory: an example of environmental integrationAdvertised on -
MAGIC Telescope System detects energetic nuclear blast from vampire starAdvertised on
Related projects
IACTEC Large Telescopes: Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory - CTAO
The CTAO is an initiative which is planning the construction of a new generation of Cherenkov Telescopes to study the universe in very high energy gamma-rays. Gamma-rays carry information about the most violent and extreme events in the universe.
Ramón
García López
