Linnaeus Physics Colloquium: Detecting the highest energy photons from the Universe with HiSCORE-TAIGA

Lecturer: Dr Martin Tluczykont, Universität Hamburg, Germany
Title: Detecting the highest energy photons from the Universe with HiSCORE-TAIGA

Place: Växjö: live in room Karlavagnen, building M (incl coffee and buns).
Kalmar: connected from room Ma348, building Magna, Universitetskajen.
Via Zoom: https://lnu-se.zoom.us/j/354984247.

Abstract

HiSCORE is a concept for the detection of gamma-ray photons in the energy range of several TeV (Tera-electronvolt) to PeV (Peta-electronvolt). HiSCORE is a part of the Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray and Gamma ray Astrophysics, TAIGA. The energy range accessed by this experiment is key to spectroscopically resolving the cutoff regime of the – yet to be identified – most energetic Galactic accelerators: the cosmic ray Pevatrons.

Sensitive gamma-ray observations in this energy range are essential for this task, and require a very large instrumented area (several square kilometers). TAIGA covers this energy range using a combination of different complementary detection techniques: Widely spaced large-angle imaging air Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs), a Cherenkov light shower front sampling timing array (HiSCORE), and muon particle detectors. This hybrid approach allows to maximize the effective area and to reach at the same time a good background reduction.

In this talk, the physics goals of TAIGA, and its detector components will be presented, with a focus on data and performance studies of HiSCORE.