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A Visit to Ghost Ranch Jim Linnemann Michigan State University & Los Alamos National Laboratory June 18, 2003
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The Milagro All-Sky TeV Gamma-Ray Telescope Look for high energy photons “particles” of light Photons point back see where they came from Recent Results Crab nebula All-sky survey Galactic Plane GRB searches Look for high energy photons “particles” of light Photons point back see where they came from Recent Results Crab nebula All-sky survey Galactic Plane GRB searches
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What are Cosmic Rays? Fast moving particles from— the cosmos: of no earthly origin `But then, the same is true of starlight –Most are electrically charged How do you see them? (Experimental Physics) –Finding a way to detect things –“extrasensory” perception Real phenomena, right under our noses The lure of secret knowledge still attracts…
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Milagro Detector
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Moon Shadow: Energy Scale Calibration Proton Response E = 640±70 GeV (MC 690 GeV) = 0.9 o
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The moon’s shadow is sharp: blurred only by earth’s magnetic field and detector’s resolution
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The Sun Produces some Cosmic Rays: A Solar Prominence
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Material Ejected from the Sun by Magnetic Fields
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The sun’s magnetic field deflects cosmic rays and blurs its image Can use to study the sun
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The Milky Way—seen in light 100 million times more energetic than light from the sun A satellite
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A Source of Gamma Rays: The Crab Nebula Supernova seen in 1054 AD Still shining: light particles with 1 trillion times more energy than sunlight photons A spinning neutron star with a strong magnetic field (pulsar) Accelerates electrons, which transfer much of their energy to photons
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The Crab Nebula Raw Data On: 16,987,703 Off: 16,981,520 Significance: 1.4 Raw Data On: 16,987,703 Off: 16,981,520 Significance: 1.4 Cut Data On: 1,952,917 Off: 1,945,109 Excess: 7,808 (~10/day) Significance: 5.4 Cut Data On: 1,952,917 Off: 1,945,109 Excess: 7,808 (~10/day) Significance: 5.4
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An Active Galactic Nucleus
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Gravity, Magnetic Fields, and Relativity combine to send energetic light particles across the universe…
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Colliding neutron stars making black holes: one model for distant gamma ray bursts
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Sources change with energy: Leave traces in spectrum
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