Speaker
Description
VERITAS is a ground-based gamma-ray observatory consisting of an array of four atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes located in southern Arizona, USA. VERITAS carries out an extensive observation program of the gamma-ray sky at energies above 0.1 TeV (VHE). The majority of the sources detected by VERITAS are active galactic nuclei, with gamma-ray emission originating in their relativistic jets. TeV observations of active galaxies help us constrain models of leptonic and hadronic particle acceleration processes in the relativistic jets of blazars. Additionally, VHE observations of blazars can be used to constrain the spectral energy distribution of the extragalactic background light (EBL), and the strength and correlation length of the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF). Observations by VERITAS of the Galactic center and nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide constraints on particle dark matter with masses above a few hundred GeV. VERITAS also plays a key role in multi-messenger astrophysics, operating at an opportune moment for making new discoveries. As both gamma-rays and neutrinos are produced in hadronic interactions, a joint study has the potential for revealing powerful cosmic accelerators. VERITAS looks for connections between very-high-energy gamma-rays and astrophysical neutrinos by following up on highly-energetic neutrinos discovered by IceCube. In this talk I will present some recent highlights of particle-astrophysics studies carried out with VERITAS.
| Parallel Session | Dark Matter, Astroparticle Physics |
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