Start year
2003
Organizational Unit
Organizing institutions
Related grants:
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.
Members
Principal investigator
Mónica Luisa
Vázquez Acosta
Project staff
Ramón
García López
Josefa
Becerra González
Alicia
López Oramas
Mireia
Nievas Rosillo
Miguel
Molero González
Edgar
Molina Lumbreras
Luis
Barrios Jiménez
Tora Therese Hoeiland
Arnesen
Fernando
Frías García-Lago
Collaborators
José Antonio
Acosta Pulido
Javier
Herrera Llorente
Fabio Acero
Juan Cortina
Results
Highlights of the project in 2024:
- A Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray View of the Transient Sky
- A detailed study of the very high-energy Crab pulsar emission with the LST-1
- The Cosmological Optical Convergence: Extragalactic Background Light from TeV Gamma Rays
- Determination of the anisotropy of elementary particles with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station
- Multi-wavelength study of OT 081: broadband modelling of a transitional blazar
- Commissioning of the first ASTRI-1 telescope of the ASTRI mini-Array in the Teide Observatory has started
- The instalation of the mechanical structures of the LST2-LST4 telescopes of CTAO in the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is very advanced
Scientific activity
Related publications
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MAGIC Gamma-ray Telescope Observation of the Perseus Cluster of Galaxies: Implications for Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter, and NGC 1275The Perseus galaxy cluster was observed by the MAGIC Cherenkov telescope for a total effective time of 24.4 hr during 2008 November and December. The resulting upper limits on the γ-ray emission above 100 GeV are in the range of 4.6-7.5 × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 for spectral indices from -1.5 to -2.5, thereby constraining the emission produced by cosmicAleksić, J. et al.
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22010 -
Magic Constraints on γ-ray Emission from Cygnus X-3Cygnus X-3 is a microquasar consisting of an accreting compact object orbiting around a Wolf-Rayet star. It has been detected at radio frequencies and up to high-energy γ rays (above 100 MeV). However, many models also predict a very high energy (VHE) emission (above hundreds of GeV) when the source displays relativistic persistent jets orAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
92010 -
Discovery of very High Energy γ-Rays from the Blazar S5 0716+714The MAGIC Collaboration reports the detection of the blazar S5 0716+714 (z = 0.31 ± 0.08) in very high energy gamma rays. The observations were performed in 2007 November and in 2008 April, and were triggered by the Kungliga Vetenskapliga Akademi telescope due to the high optical state of the object. An overall significance of the signal accountsAnderhub, H. et al.
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102009 -
Discovery of a Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Signal from the 3C 66A/B RegionThe MAGIC telescope observed the region around the distant blazar 3C 66A for 54.2 hr in 2007 August-December. The observations resulted in the discovery of a γ-ray source centered at celestial coordinates R.A. = 2h23m12s and decl. = 43°0farcm7 (MAGIC J0223+430), coinciding with the nearby radio galaxy 3C 66B. A possible association of the excessAliu, E. et al.
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22009 -
Detection of Very High Energy γ-ray Emission from the Perseus Cluster Head-Tail Galaxy IC 310 by the MAGIC TelescopesWe report on the detection with the MAGIC telescopes of very high energy (VHE) γ-rays from IC 310, a head-tail radio galaxy in the Perseus galaxy cluster, observed during the interval 2008 November to 2010 February. The Fermi satellite has also detected this galaxy. The source is detected by MAGIC at a high statistical significance of 7.6σ in 20.6Aleksić, J. et al.
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112010 -
Correlated X-Ray and Very High Energy Emission in the Gamma-Ray Binary LS I +61 303The discovery of very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitting X-ray binaries has triggered an intense effort to better understand the particle acceleration, absorption, and emission mechanisms in compact binary systems, which provide variable conditions along eccentric orbits. Despite this, the nature of some of these systems, and of the acceleratedAnderhub, H. et al.
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112009 -
Performance of the MAGIC stereo system obtained with Crab Nebula dataMAGIC is a system of two Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes located in the Canary island of La Palma. Since autumn 2009 both telescopes have been working together in stereoscopic mode, providing a significant improvement with respect to the previous single-telescope observations. We use observations of the Crab Nebula taken at low zenithAleksić, J. et al.
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22012 -
Detection of the γ-Ray Binary LS I +61°303 in a Low-flux State at Very High Energy γ-Rays with the MAGIC Telescopes in 2009We present very high energy (E > 100 GeV) γ-ray observations of the γ-ray binary system LS I +61°303 obtained with the MAGIC stereo system between 2009 October and 2010 January. We detect a 6.3σ γ-ray signal above 400 GeV in the combined data set. The integral flux above an energy of 300 GeV is F(E > 300 GeV) = (1.4 ± 0.3stat ± 0.4syst) × 10-12 cmAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
22012 -
The 2010 Very High Energy γ-Ray Flare and 10 Years of Multi-wavelength Observations of M 87The giant radio galaxy M 87 with its proximity (16 Mpc), famous jet, and very massive black hole ((3 - 6) × 109 M &sun;) provides a unique opportunity to investigate the origin of very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-ray emission generated in relativistic outflows and the surroundings of supermassive black holes. M 87 has been established as a VHEAbramowski, A. et al.
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22012 -
Phase-resolved energy spectra of the Crab pulsar in the range of 50-400 GeV measured with the MAGIC telescopesWe use 73 h of stereoscopic data taken with the MAGIC telescopes to investigate the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission of the Crab pulsar. Our data show a highly significant pulsed signal in the energy range from 50 to 400 GeV in both the main pulse (P1) and the interpulse (P2) phase regions. We provide the widest spectra to date of the VHEAleksić, J. et al.
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42012 -
PG 1553+113: Five Years of Observations with MAGICWe present the results of five years (2005-2009) of MAGIC observations of the BL Lac object PG 1553+113 at very high energies (VHEs; E > 100 GeV). Power-law fits of the individual years are compatible with a steady mean photon index Γ = 4.27 ± 0.14. In the last three years of data, the flux level above 150 GeV shows a clear variability (probabilityAleksić, J. et al.
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32012 -
Mrk 421 active state in 2008: the MAGIC view, simultaneous multi-wavelength observations and SSC model constrainedContext. The blazar Markarian 421 is one of the brightest TeV gamma-ray sources of the northern sky. From December 2007 until June 2008 it was intensively observed in the very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) band by the single-dish Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov telescope (MAGIC-I). Aims: We aimed to measure the physical parameters ofAleksić, J. et al.
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62012 -
Morphological and spectral properties of the W51 region measured with the MAGIC telescopesContext. The W51 complex hosts the supernova remnant W51C which is known to interact with the molecular clouds in the star forming region W51B. In addition, a possible pulsar wind nebula CXO J192318.5+140305 was found likely associated with the supernova remnant. Gamma-ray emission from this region was discovered by Fermi/LAT (between 0.2 and 50Aleksić, J. et al.
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52012 -
MAGIC observations of the giant radio galaxy M 87 in a low-emission state between 2005 and 2007Context. We present the results of a long M 87 monitoring campaign in very high energy γ-rays with the MAGIC-I Cherenkov telescope. Aims: We aim to model the persistent non-thermal jet emission by monitoring and characterizing the very high energy γ-ray emission of M 87 during a low state. Methods: A total of 150 h of data were taken between 2005Aleksić, J. et al.
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82012 -
High zenith angle observations of PKS 2155-304 with the MAGIC-I telescopeContext. The high frequency peaked BL Lac PKS 2155-304 with a redshift of z = 0.116 was discovered in 1997 in the very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) γ-ray range by the University of Durham Mark VI γ-ray Cherenkov telescope in Australia with a flux corresponding to 20% of the Crab Nebula flux. It was later observed and detected with highAleksić, J. et al.
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82012 -
Discovery of VHE γ-rays from the blazar 1ES 1215+303 with the MAGIC telescopes and simultaneous multi-wavelength observationsContext. We present the discovery of very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the BL Lac object 1ES 1215+303 by the MAGIC telescopes and simultaneous multi-wavelength data in a broad energy range from radio to γ-rays. Aims: We study the VHE γ-ray emission from 1ES 1215+303 and its relation to the emissions in other wavelengthsAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
82012 -
Discovery of VHE γ-ray emission from the BL Lacertae object B3 2247+381 with the MAGIC telescopesAims: We study the non-thermal jet emission of the BL Lac object B3 2247+381 during a high optical state. Methods: The MAGIC telescopes observed the source during 13 nights between September 30th and October 30th 2010, collecting a total of 14.2 h of good quality very high energy (VHE) γ-ray data. Simultaneous multiwavelength data was obtained withAleksić, J. et al.
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32012 -
Detection of VHE γ-Rays from HESS J0632+057 during the 2011 February X-Ray Outburst with the MAGIC TelescopesThe very high energy (VHE) γ-ray source HESS J0632+057 has recently been confirmed to be a γ-ray binary. The optical counterpart is the Be star MWC 148, and a compact object of unknown nature orbits it every ~321 days with a high eccentricity of ~0.8. We monitored HESS J0632+057 with the stereoscopic MAGIC telescopes from 2010 October to 2011 MarchAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
72012 -
Detection of very-high energy γ-ray emission from NGC 1275 by the MAGIC telescopesWe report on the detection of very-high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from NGC 1275, the central radio galaxy of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. The source has been detected by the MAGIC telescopes with a statistical significance of 6.6σ above 100 GeV in 46 h of stereo observations carried out between August 2010 and February 2011. TheAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
32012 -
Constraining cosmic rays and magnetic fields in the Perseus galaxy cluster with TeV observations by the MAGIC telescopesGalaxy clusters are being assembled today in the most energetic phase of hierarchical structure formation which manifests itself in powerful shocks that contribute to a substantial energy density of cosmic rays (CRs). Hence, clusters are expected to be luminous gamma-ray emitters since they also act as energy reservoirs for additional CR sourcesAleksić, J. et al.
Advertised on:
52012
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Related projects
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
