Particle Astrophysics

    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.

    Principal investigator
    Co Principal investigator
    Collaborators

    Related publications

    Precision Measurement of the Helium Flux in Primary Cosmic Rays of Rigidities 1.9 GV to 3 TV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2015PhRvL.115u1101A
    Very high-energy γ-ray observations of novae and dwarf novae with the MAGIC telescopes 2015A&A...582A..67A
    First NuSTAR Observations of Mrk 501 within a Radio to TeV Multi-Instrument Campaign 2015ApJ...812...65F
    Measurement of the Crab Nebula spectrum over three decades in energy with the MAGIC telescopes 2015JHEAp...5...30A
    MAGIC detection of short-term variability of the high-peaked BL Lac object 1ES 0806+524 2015MNRAS.451..739A
    Probing the very high energy γ-ray spectral curvature in the blazar PG 1553+113 with the MAGIC telescopes 2015MNRAS.450.4399A
    Unprecedented study of the broadband emission of Mrk 421 during flaring activity in March 2010 2015A&A...578A..22A
    Precision Measurement of the Proton Flux in Primary Cosmic Rays from Rigidity 1 GV to 1.8 TV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2015PhRvL.114q1103A
    Application of climatological monitoring for the candidate CTA site at Izaña (Tenerife) 2015JPhCS.595a2008C
    The 2009 multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 421: Variability and correlation studies 2015A&A...576A.126A
    MAGIC observations of MWC 656, the only known Be/BH system 2015A&A...576A..36A
    High Statistics Measurement of the Positron Fraction in Primary Cosmic Rays of 0.5-500 GeV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2014PhRvL.113l1101A
    MAGIC observations and multifrequency properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 279 in 2011 2014A&A...567A..41A
    MAGIC long-term study of the distant TeV blazar PKS 1424+240 in a multiwavelength context 2014A&A...567A.135A
    First broadband characterization and redshift determination of the VHE blazar MAGIC J2001+439 2014A&A...572A.121A
    Multiwavelength observations of Mrk 501 in 2008 2015A&A...573A..50A
    Discovery of very high energy γ-ray emission from the blazar 1ES 0033+595 by the MAGIC telescopes 2015MNRAS.446..217A
    The Cherenkov Telescope Array potential for the study of young supernova remnants 2015APh....62..152A
    The upgraded MAGIC Cherenkov telescopes 2014NIMPA.766...65T
    Precision Measurement of the (e++e-) Flux in Primary Cosmic Rays from 0.5 GeV to 1 TeV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2014PhRvL.113v1102A
    Black hole lightning due to particle acceleration at subhorizon scales 2014Sci...346.1080A
    MAGIC reveals a complex morphology within the unidentified gamma-ray source HESS J1857+026 2014A&A...571A..96M
    Electron and Positron Fluxes in Primary Cosmic Rays Measured with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2014PhRvL.113l1102A
    MAGIC gamma-ray and multi-frequency observations of flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 1510-089 in early 2012 2014A&A...569A..46A
    MAGIC search for VHE γ-ray emission from AE Aquarii in a multiwavelength context 2014A&A...568A.109A
    Discovery of TeV γ-ray emission from the pulsar wind nebula 3C 58 by MAGIC 2014A&A...567L...8A
    Detection of bridge emission above 50 GeV from the Crab pulsar with the MAGIC telescopes 2014A&A...565L..12A
    Multifrequency Studies of the Peculiar Quasar 4C +21.35 during the 2010 Flaring Activity 2014ApJ...786..157A
    Search for very high energy gamma-rays from the z = 0.896 quasar 4C +55.17 with the MAGIC telescopes 2014MNRAS.440..530A
    Contemporaneous observations of the radio galaxy NGC 1275 from radio to very high energy γ-rays 2014A&A...564A...5A
    Discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission from the blazar 1ES 1727+502 with the MAGIC Telescopes 2014A&A...563A..90A
    Rapid and multiband variability of the TeV bright active nucleus of the galaxy IC 310 2014A&A...563A..91A
    Optimized dark matter searches in deep observations of Segue 1 with MAGIC 2014JCAP...02..008A
    MAGIC upper limits on the GRB 090102 afterglow 2014MNRAS.437.3103A
    First Result from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station: Precision Measurement of the Positron Fraction in Primary Cosmic Rays of 0.5–350 GeV 2013PhRvL.110n1102A
    Introducing the CTA concept 2013APh....43....3A
    Dark matter and fundamental physics with the Cherenkov Telescope Array 2013APh....43..189D
    Gamma-ray burst science in the era of the Cherenkov Telescope Array 2013APh....43..252I
    Observations of the magnetars 4U 0142+61 and 1E 2259+586 with the MAGIC telescopes 2013A&A...549A..23A
    Search for Very High Energy Gamma-ray Emission from Pulsar-Pulsar Wind Nebula Systems with the MAGIC Telescope 2010ApJ...710..828A
    Related projects
    CTAO 3D simulation. Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz (IAC)
    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