Tev Gamma Ray Astrophysics

The `International Heidelberg Workshop on TeV Gamma-Ray Astrophysics' brought together astrophysicists from the various fields which play a role in the formation of high energy gamma-ray emission. In particular, theoretical and observational aspects of the physics and astrophysics of pulsars and quasars, the acceleration of particles at Supernova Remnants and other strong astrophysical shock fronts, and cascade processes in universal background photon fields were comprehensively discussed in more than thirty reviews by leading experts. In their entirety these reviews describe the birth of a new field of astronomy. This field concerns cosmic gamma-rays of very high energy which are observed with ground-based optical telescopes due to the Cherenkov emission of the secondary particles created by the interaction of these gamma-rays with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere. Beyond that, the workshop encompassed the latest developments and trends in theory and observation of cosmic gamma-ray sources of all energies, from nuclear gamma-ray lines in the MeV-region, through the Bremsstrahlung, Inverse Compton, and pion decay continuum emission, to gamma-rays due the decay of exotic relics from the early Universe. Audience: Specialists as well as students in physics and astrophysics and young research workers.

An Advanced Research Workshop on Very High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy and Related Topics was held at Durham, England during August 11-15 1986. The meeting was sponsored by the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO and the University of Durham. It is four years since the first Workshop dedicated to High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy was held at Ootacamund, India. At that meeting the developments in Very High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy over a period of more than 20 years were reported and the methodology, limitations, improvements and prospects for further progess were discussed. The possible requirement for a follow-up meeting was clear if the optimistic future foreseen for the field at the Ooty meeting was correct. The Durham meeting was suggested to fill this role. Although the arrangements for the Durham meeting were discussed as long ago as 1983 with possible dates in 1984 or 1986, the eventual date in 1986 has proved admirable and has coincided with a time when further advances have been reported. An important feature of the proposal for the Durham meeting was the emphasis on a series of Workshop sessions, the conclusions of each to be summarized by a Rapporteur. The purpose of these sessions was to provide a consensus view of many of the important areas in the field at a time of increasing interest by the rest of the astrophysics community.

This book documents how TeV gamma-ray astronomy painstakingly emerged from 20th century traditional cosmic-ray physics to become a keystone feature of contemporary high-energy astrophysics, fundamental to our understanding of high-energy cosmic processes and interactions. Contemporary TeV observations are based on the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique and in excess of two hundred individual galactic and extra-galactic gamma-ray sources have now been discovered and studied in detail.The book tells the story from the perspective of the Whipple Observatory collaboration, pioneers of the imaging technique. At the same time, parallel developments by the broader community are constantly referenced, discussed and evaluated, mainly in the TeV energy regime but also where relevant at PeV energies. The narrative traces the contributions of many important participants active in the field since the mid-1950s and critically evaluates and provides commentary on the progress of research until the first sources were established beyond doubt, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The final chapter presents a short summary of the contemporary status of TeV gamma-ray astronomy.Written predominantly from a historical perspective, the author guides readers through many decades of instrumental development and evolution, using only minimal mathematical background. This book will appeal to astrophysicists, particle physicists, traditional optical and radio astronomers, as well as others working across a variety of related cognate disciplines. It should be of interest and value to graduate students involved with contemporary fourth-generation TeV research programs such as CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array).

Gamma-ray, cosmic ray and high-energy physicists, research libraries and universities, research laboratories and government agencies.

After describing cosmic gamma-ray production and absorption, the instrumentation used in gamma-ray astronomy is explained. The main part of the book deals with astronomical results, including the somewhat surprising result that the gamma-ray sky is continuously changing.

Gamma ray astronomy, the branch of high energy astrophysics that studies the sky in energetic ?-ray photons, is destined to play a crucial role in the exploration of nonthermal phenomena in the Universe in their most extreme and violent forms. The great potential of this discipline offers impressive coverage of many OC hot topicsOCO of modern astrophysics and cosmology, such as the origin of galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, particle acceleration and radiation processes under extreme astrophysical conditions, and the search for dark matter."

High energy gamma-ray photons are the prime probes of the relativistic or high-energy universe, populated by black holes, neutron stars, supernovae, quasars, and matter-antimatter annihilations. Through studying the gamma-ray sky, astrophysicists are able to better understand the formation and behavior of these exotic and energetic bodies. V