Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

The Universe is home to numerous exotic and beautiful phenomena, some of which can generate almost inconceivable amounts of energy. Supermassive black holes, merging neutron stars, streams of hot gas moving close to the speed of light ... these are but a few of the marvels that generate gamma-ray radiation, the most energetic form of radiation, hundreds of billions of times more energetic than the type of light visible to our eyes. What is happening to produce this much energy? What happens to the surrounding environment near these phenomena? How will studying these energetic objects add to our understanding of the very nature of the Universe and how it behaves?

Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) will open this high-energy world to exploration and help us to answer these questions. With VERITAS, astronomers will at long last have a superior tool to study how black holes, notorious for pulling matter in, can accelerate jets of gas outward at fantastic speeds. Physicists will be able to study subatomic particles at energies far greater than those seen in ground-based particle accelerators. And cosmologists will gain valuable information about the birth and early evolution of the Universe.

VERITAS will consist of an array of seven ground based Imaging Atmospheric Telescopes which will be deployed such that they will permit the maximum versatility and will give the highest sensitivity in the 50 GeV - 50 TeV band (with maximum sensitivity from 100 GeV to 10 TeV). The new telescope design will be based on the design of the existing 10m gamma-ray telescope of the Whipple Observatory.

The first telescope is expected to see first light in early 2003 with the full array of seven telescopes scheduled for completion in late 2005.

Thursday, May 23rd 2002, 12:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 305