Particle Astrophysics

    General
    Description

    The members of the Particle Astrophysics Group of the IAC participate actively in three large international collaborations of high-energy astrophysics: AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer), the Cherenkov radiation telescopes MAGIC I and II and the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). We also participate in the ASTRI mini-array, the gamma-ray experiment Fermi-LAT and the gravitational wave follow-up optical telescopes GOTO.

    AMS-02 is a particle detector designed to operate in space, onboard the International Space Station. It was successfully installed on the station on May 2011, and will operate during its lifetime till at least 2030. It is aimed at carrying out a high precision and high statistics study of the spectrum and composition of primary cosmic rays within a wide range of energies, as well as to look for primordial antimatter and dark matter in an indirect way.

    The MAGIC Collaboration is integrated by 20 research institutes and university departments from Armenia, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and USA. The collaboration comprises two 17m diameter telescopes, located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), designed to measure the Cherenkov radiation associated with atmospheric showers from very high-energy gamma rays.

    In the context of gamma ray observations at very high energies, the IAC also participates in the international consortium of the array of Cherenkov telescopes CTAO, with the objective to build two large observatories in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma was selected to host the CTA North observatory. The first telescope of 23 metres in diameter of the type "Large Size Telescope" of CTAO, know as LST1, was inaugurated in October 2018. This telescope was constructed by the "LST Collaboration" of CTAO, which consists of 300 scientists from 12 countries, where the IAC has a very relevant role. Currently the commissioning of the LST1 telescope is coming to and end and the scientific exploitation of the data is already given rise to new discoveries. The IAC is currently in the phase of constructing 3 more LST telescopes (LST2-LST4) in the ORM.

    The ASTRI project is being currently built at the Teide Observatory. Its final design consist of 9 small size Cherenkov telescopes. The first telescope, ASTRI-1, is nowadays in commissioning phase.

    Principal investigator
    Co Principal investigator
    Collaborators

    Related publications

    VHE γ-ray observations of bright BL Lacs with the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) of the CTAO 2025MNRAS.544..669A
    Constraining the TeV gamma-ray emission of SN 2024bch, a possible type IIn-L from a red supergiant progenitor: Multiwavelength observations and analysis of the progenitor 2025A&A...702A.125A
    Very high energy observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 with MAGIC: Indication of another gamma-ray obscured candidate neutrino source 2025A&A...702A..38A
    A Systematic Search for MeV–GeV Pulsar Wind Nebulae without Gamma-Ray Detected Pulsars 2025ApJ...989..110F
    Testing the ubiquitous presence of very high energy emission in gamma-ray bursts with the MAGIC telescopes 2025A&A...700A..96A
    EP241021a: A Months-duration X-Ray Transient with Luminous Optical and Radio Emission 2025ApJ...990L..29S
    Puzzling Variation of Gamma Rays from the Sun over the Solar Cycle Revealed with Fermi-LAT 2025ApJ...989L..16A
    Exploring the most extreme gamma-ray blazars using broadband spectral energy distributions 2025A&A...700A.229L
    GRB 221009A: Observations with LST-1 of CTAO and Implications for Structured Jets in Long Gamma-Ray Bursts 2025ApJ...988L..42A
    Detection of the Geminga pulsar at energies down to 20 GeV with the LST-1 of CTAO 2025A&A...698A.283A
    Properties of Cosmic Lithium Isotopes Measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2025PhRvL.134t1001A
    Galactic transient sources with the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory 2025MNRAS.540..205A
    Very high-energy gamma-ray detection and long-term multiwavelength view of the flaring blazar B2 1811+31 2025A&A...697A.172A
    Multiwavelength study of OT 081: broadband modelling of a transitional blazar 2025MNRAS.540..364A
    A 1.8 m Class Pathfinder Raman LIDAR for the Northern Site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory—Technical Design 2025RemS...17.1074B
    Detection of RS Oph with LST-1 and modelling of its HE/VHE gamma-ray emission 2025A&A...695A.152A
    Combined search in dwarf spheroidal galaxies for branon dark matter annihilation signatures with the MAGIC telescopes 2025JCAP...03..020A
    GRB 221009A: The B.O.A.T. Burst that Shines in Gamma Rays 2025ApJS..277...24A
    Multiwavelength Observations of a Jet Launch in Real Time from the Post-changing-look Active Galaxy 1ES 1927+654 2025ApJ...981..125L
    Time-dependent modelling of short-term variability in the TeV-blazar VER J0521+211 during the major flare in 2020 2025A&A...694A.308M
    Characterization of Markarian 421 during its most violent year: Multiwavelength variability and correlations 2025A&A...694A.195A
    Antiprotons and Elementary Particles over a Solar Cycle: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2025PhRvL.134e1002A
    Solar Modulation of Cosmic Nuclei over a Solar Cycle: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2025PhRvL.134e1001A
    Development and quality control of PMT modules for the large-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory 2025NIMPA107370229S
    Unified multiwavelength data analysis workflow with gammapy: Constraining the broadband emission of the flat-spectrum radio quasar OP 313 2025A&A...693A.287N
    Cosmic-ray acceleration and escape from supernova remnant W44 as probed by Fermi-LAT and MAGIC 2025A&A...693A.255A
    Properties of Cosmic Deuterons Measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2024PhRvL.13261001A
    Broadband multi-wavelength properties of M87 during the 2018 EHT campaign including a very high energy flaring episode 2024A&A...692A.140A
    A new method of reconstructing images of gamma-ray telescopes applied to the LST-1 of CTAO 2024A&A...691A.328A
    Distance estimation of gamma-ray-emitting BL Lac objects from imaging observations 2024A&A...691A.154N
    Constraints on VHE gamma-ray emission of flat spectrum radio quasars with the MAGIC telescopes 2024MNRAS.535.1484A
    Determination of the anisotropy of elementary particles with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station 2024AdSpR..74.4346V
    The Cosmological Optical Convergence: Extragalactic Background Light from TeV Gamma Rays 2024ApJ...975L..18G
    Prospects for a survey of the galactic plane with the Cherenkov Telescope Array 2024JCAP...10..081A
    Standardised formats and open-source analysis tools for the MAGIC telescopes data 2024JHEAp..44..266A
    A detailed study of the very high-energy Crab pulsar emission with the LST-1 2024A&A...690A.167A
    Prospects for γ-ray observations of the Perseus galaxy cluster with the Cherenkov Telescope Array 2024JCAP...10..004A
    Dark matter line searches with the Cherenkov Telescope Array 2024JCAP...07..047A
    Constraints on Lorentz invariance violation from the extraordinary Mrk 421 flare of 2014 using a novel analysis method 2024JCAP...07..044A
    Insights into the broadband emission of the TeV blazar Mrk 501 during the first X-ray polarization measurements 2024A&A...685A.117M
    Related projects
    CTAO 3D simulation. Credit: Gabriel Pérez Díaz (IAC)
    IACTEC Large Telescopes: Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory - CTAO
    The CTAO is an initiative which is planning the construction of a new generation of Cherenkov Telescopes to study the universe in very high energy gamma-rays. Gamma-rays carry information about the most violent and extreme events in the universe.
    Ramón
    García López