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arXiv · 1602.08224

Gamma-Ray Astronomy from the Ground

D. Horns
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Abstract

The observation of cosmic gamma-rays from the ground is based upon the detection of gamma-ray initiated air showers. At energies between approximately $10^{11}$ eV and $10^{13}$ eV, the imaging air Cherenkov technique is a particularly successful approach to observe gamma-ray sources with energy fluxes as low as $\approx 10^{-13}$ erg\,cm$^{-2}\,$s$^{-1}$. The observations of gamma-rays in this energy band probe particle acceleration in astrophysical plasma conditions and are sensitive to high energy phenomena beyond the standard model of particle physics (e.g., self-annihilating or decaying dark matter, violation of Lorentz invariance, mixing of photons with light pseudo-scalars). The current standing of the field and its major instruments are summarised briefly by presenting selected highlights. A new generation of ground based gamma-ray instruments is currently under development. The perspectives and opportunities of these future facilities will be discussed.

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D. Horns. 2016-02-26. Gamma-Ray Astronomy from the Ground. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/718/2/022010

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