Speaker
Description
The project Probing Extreme PeVatron Sources (PEPS) aims at measuring the most energetic $\gamma$-rays from our Galaxy in the energy range between $10^{15}$ eV and $5\times 10^{16}$ eV, opening a new energy window for multimessenger astroparticle physics. PEPS will consist of an array of 10 km$^2$ placed in the southern hemisphere, at the location of the Pierre Auger Observatory. It will be built in two phases. Already the first phase, with a surface of 2 km$^2$, will be the largest detector for $\gamma$-rays compared to the existing experiments. The location offers an excellent view of the Galactic Plane and the Galactic Center while taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The design is based on an array of water-Cherenkov particle detectors with a horizontal segmentation of the optical volume in two. We present the performances of two prototype detectors that are functioning in the field. The science case for PEPS will be detailed with an emphasis on the expected sensitivities to point sources, diffuse flux, and super-heavy dark matter.
| Collaboration(s) | PEPS supporters |
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