02-2-1125-2015/2023
 
Priority: 1
   
Status: Extended


Astrophysical Researches with the TAIGA Experiment
  

Leader:     A.N. Borodin
Deputies:     L.G. Tkachev

Participating countries and international organizations:
Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia.

Issues addressed and main goals of research:
  • Search for local galactic sources of gamma rays with energies above 20-30 TeV.

  • Study of gamma rays fluxes from known sources in the same energy region.

  • Search for diffuse gamma rays from the galactic disk.

  • Study of the energy spectrum and the mass composition of cosmic rays in the energy range of  10 15 to 10 17 eV in order to detect spots of Lorentz invariance violation.

  • Search for galactic PeVatrons.

  • The TAIGA observatory also plans to introduce a "hybrid method" of observation - the combined use of IACT  and HiScore wide angle Cherenkov detectors. This method will not only significantly improve the quality of high-energy gamma-rays emission signals selection from background hadron events, but will also help to match available for today parts of the cosmic ray spectrum (CR) obtained by fundumentally different methods - ground-based (in the range above 1015 eV) and orbital (below 1014 eV).

  • In the framework of the NUCLEON space experiment the spectra and elemental composition of CR were measured in the energy range 1011-1015 eV, i.e. in the "knee" region in the CR spectrum and in front of it. Further progress in applying this technique in the planned OLVE-HERO experiment. The unique size design of the detector (more than 10 m3) within 5 years of direct extra-atmospheric measurements will provide data, large statistics which allow to identify changes to the composition of cosmic rays in the energy interval and to measure the angular anisotropy of the CR.
Expected results in the current year:
  • The production of mirrors for the fourth IACT telescope.

  • Design, manufacture and testing for the fourth IACT telescope at the JINR.

  • Modernization of event simulation programs in the TIGA experiment. Upgrade of software for data collection and processing for IACT telescope, as well as for their hybrid mode of operation in conjunction with HiScore detectors.

  • MC-simulation of the joint operation of the IACT telescope and the TAIGA observatory's wide-angle Cherenkov detectors and optimization of the selection of events from gamma rays from the background.

  • Monitoring of the brightest gamma-ray sources at the TAIGA observatory in hybrid made (joint observation of HiScore and IACT). Upgrade of software for IACT data analysis.

  • Completion of data processing for the TUS and NUCLEON  space experiments.

  • Study of the crab nebula gamma radiation in the energy range of 2-10 TeV (when the telescope is operating independently) and check the correctness of the telescope operation and data processing procedure. Observation of the brightest extragalactic sources of gamma radiation Mrk-421, Mrk-501. 

 

List of projects:
  Project Leader Priority
(period of realisation)
1. TAIGA A.N. Borodin 1   (2015-2023)

List of Activities
  Activity or Experiment Leaders
Status
      Laboratory or other
    Division of JINR
Responsible person
Main researchers
1. Experiment TAIGA A.N. Borodin
Implementation
  DLNP A.V. Blinov, V.M. Grebenyuk, F.F. Grinyuk, M.V. Lavrova, A. Pan, S.Yu. Porokhovoy, M. Slunechka, V. Slunechkova, L.G. Tkachev
  VBLHEP N.V. Gorbunov, A.V. Skrypnik
  LIT I. Satyshev
2. Experiment TUS, NUCLEON L.G. Tkachev
Completion
  DLNP A.V. Blinov, V.M. Grebenyuk, F.F. Grinyuk, A.I. Kalinin, M.V. Lavrova, M. Slunechka, V. Slunechkova, A.V. Tkachenko 
  VBLHEP N.V. Gorbunov
  LIT S.K. Slepnev
3. Experiment OLVE-HERO L.G. Tkachev
Preparation
  DLNP V.M. Grebenyuk, N.I. Kalinin, M.V. Lavrova,  T. Orazgali, A. Pan, S.Yu. Porokhovoy, B.M. Sabirov, A.B. Sadovsky, A.V. Tkachenko
  VBLHEP N.V. Gorbunov, A.V. Skrypnik
  LIT I. Satyshev
  FLNP A.D. Rogov

 
Collaboration
 

Country or International Organization

City Institute or laboratory
Germany Hamburg Univ.
  Munich MPI-P
  Tubingen Univ.
  Zeuthen DESY
Italy Turin UniTo
Japan Wako RIKEN
Mexico Puebla BUAP
Poland Warsaw UW
Republic of Korea Seoul EWU
Romania Magurele ISS
Russia Irkutsk RIAP ISU
  Moscow NNRU "MEPhI"
    SINP MSU
  Moscow, Troitsk INR RAS