arXiv subjects

David Hanna

Publications and source records attributed to David Hanna.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

CF2 White Paper: Status and Prospects of The VERITAS Indirect Dark Matter Detection Program

In this white paper, submitted as a part of Snowmass 2013 (subgroup CF2), we examine the current status and future prospects of the VERITAS indirect dark matter detection program. The VERITAS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs), sensitive in the 0.1-50 TeV regime, is in the process of completing a multi-year program aimed at detecting signatures of neutralino dark matter. This program is spread out over a range of astrophysical targets which can potentially yield definitive signatures of neutralino self-annihilation such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and the center of the Milky Way galaxy. While the program is still in progress, initial results on dSphs have produced very competitive upper limits on the thermally averaged cross-section of neutralino self-annihilation as well as strongly constraining leptophillic dark matter models (such as those inferred from the PAMELA and AMS positron fraction results). As the program continues over the next 5 years, VERITAS observations will yield some of the strongest constraints available from IACTs, pushing down the limit on the thermally averaged cross-section of neutralino self-annihilation to the expected natural thermal relic scale.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Searching for Fast Optical Transients using VERITAS Cherenkov Telescopes

Astronomical transients are intrinsically interesting things to study. Fast optical transients (microsecond timescale) are a largely unexplored field of optical astronomy mainly due to the fact that large optical telescopes are oversubscribed. Furthermore, most optical observations use instruments with integration times on the order of seconds and are thus unable to resolve fast transients. Current-generation atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescopes, however, have huge collecting areas (e.g., VERITAS, which consists of four 12-m telescopes), larger than any existing optical telescopes, and time is typically available for such studies without interfering with gamma-ray observations. The following outlines the benefits of using a Cherenkov telescope to detect optical transients and the implementation of the VERITAS Transient Detector (TRenDy), a dedicated multi-channel photometer based on field-programmable gate arrays. Data are presented demonstrating the ability of TRenDy to detect transient events such as a star passing through its field of view and the optical light curve of a pulsar.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2007

Calibration Techniques for VERITAS

VERITAS is an array of four identical telescopes designed for detecting and measuring astrophysical gamma rays with energies in excess of 100 GeV. Each telescope uses a 12 m diameter reflector to collect Cherenkov light from air showers initiated by incident gamma rays and direct it onto a `camera' comprising 499 photomultiplier tubes read out by flash ADCs. We describe here calibration methods used for determining the values of the parameters which are necessary for converting the digitized PMT pulses to gamma-ray energies and directions. Use of laser pulses to determine and monitor PMT gains is discussed, as are measurements of the absolute throughput of the telescopes using muon rings.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

HeXLN: A 2-Dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal

We report on the fabrication of what we believe is the first example of a two dimensional nonlinear periodic crystal\cite{berger}, where the refractive index is constant but in which the 2nd order nonlinear susceptibility is spatially periodic. Such a crystal allows for efficient quasi-phase matched 2nd harmonic generation using multiple reciprocal lattice vectors of the crystal lattice. External 2nd harmonic conversion efficiencies > 60% were measured with picosecond pulses. The 2nd harmonic light can be simultaneously phase matched by multiple reciprocal lattice vectors, resulting in the generation of multiple coherent beams. The fabrication technique is extremely versatile and allows for the fabrication of a broad range of 2-D crystals including quasi-crystals.

physics.optics↗