Award Abstract #0079793
Development and Acquisition of Electronic Instrumentation for the VERITAS Consortium Array of High Energy Gamma-Ray Telescopes

NSF Org:	PHY Division of Physics
Initial Amendment Date:	July 25, 2000
Latest Amendment Date:	April 19, 2001
Award Number:	0079793
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Richard N. Boyd PHY Division of Physics MPS Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Start Date:	August 1, 2000
Expires:	July 31, 2005 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$541941
Investigator(s):	Simon Swordy s-swordy@uchicago.edu (Principal Investigator) Rene Ong (Former Principal Investigator) Dietrich Muller (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Chicago 5801 South Ellis Avenue Chicago, IL 60637 773/702-8602
NSF Program(s):	MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 1223, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	1189

ABSTRACT

The primary objective of the VERITAS collaboration's research effort is to find celestial point sources of ultra high energy gamma rays. Over the past decade the collaboration has pioneered the development of the Atmospheric Cherenkov Imaging Technique. Currently the collaboration operates a 10m imaging telescope situated on Mount Hopkins in South East Arizona. The collaboration has successfully detected ultra high energy gamma rays from the Crab Nebula and the active galactic nuclei Markarian 421, Markarian 501 and 1ES_2344. The observational program is aimed at looking for gamma rays from a variety of celestial objects such as supernova remnants, pulsars, binary x-ray sources, black holes and active galactic nuclei. A rich education/outreach component of this project is under development in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

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