The TAIGA hybrid gamma-ray observatory is currently being developed in the Tunka Valley, 50 km from Lake Baikal, to study gamma radiation and charged cosmic ray fluxes in the 10
13
–10
18
eV range. ...The first results are presented for detecting gamma rays from the Crab Nebula in 44 h of observation, and from the blazar Markarian 421 in 62 h of observation with a significance of around 5–6 σ by one of the TAIGA IACT telescopes.
One of the most informative methods of cosmic ray studies is the detection of Cherenkov light from extensive air showers (EAS). The primary energy reconstruction is possible by using the Earth’s ...atmosphere as a huge calorimeter. The EAS Cherenkov light array Tunka-133, with ∼3 km2 geometrical area, is taking data since 2009. Tunka-133 is located in the Tunka Astrophysical Center at ∼50 km west of Lake Baikal. This array allows us to perform a detailed study of the energy spectrum and the mass composition in the energy range from 6⋅1015eV to 1018eV. Most of the ongoing efforts are focused on the construction of the first stage of the detector TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy). The latter is designed for the study of gamma rays and charged cosmic rays in the energy range of 1013eV–1018eV. The TAIGA prototype will consist of ∼100 wide angle timing Cherenkov stations (TAIGA-HiSCORE) and three IACTs deployed over an area of ∼1 km2. The installation of the array is planned to be finished in 2019 while the data-taking can start already during the commissioning phase. The joint reconstruction of energy, direction, and core position of the imaging and non-imaging detectors will allow us to increase the distance between the IACTs up to 800 m, therefore providing a low-cost, highly sensitive detector. The relatively low cost together with the high sensitivity for energies ≥30–50 TeV make this pioneering technique very attractive for exploring galactic PeVatrons and cosmic rays. In addition to the Cherenkov light detectors we intend to deploy surface and underground muon detectors over an area of 1 km2 with a total area of about 1000 m2. The results of the first season of coincident operation of the first ∼4 m diameter IACT with an aperture of ∼10°with 30 stations of TAIGA-HiSCORE will be presented.
The Tunka-133 Cherenkov complex for recording extensive air showers (EAS) collected data over seven winters from 2009 to 2017. The differential energy spectra of all particles was acquired in the 6 × ...10
15
–3 × 10
18
eV range of energies over 2175 h. The TAIGA-HiSCORE complex is continually being expanded and upgraded. Data acquired by 30 first-line stations over 35 days during the period 2017–2018 is analyzed in this work. As at the Tunka-133 setup, the primary particle energies above 10
15
eV are measured using the density of the Cherenkov light flux at a distance of 200 m from a shower’s axis. Data on lower energies are collected by determining the energy of the light flux near a shower’s axis. This results in a spectrum of 2 × 10
14
–10
17
eV. The combined spectrum for the two systems covers a range of 2 × 10
14
–2 × 10
18
eV.
A study is made of the astroclimatic conditions for performing nighttime astrophysical observations on the territory of the Greater Altai region. Nighttime data from both the VIIRS radiometer of the ...Suomi NPP satellite platform and the AIRS hyperspectrometer of the Aqua satellite are used. Topographic and astroclimatic criteria show that the Chuya steppe region (Altai Republic, Russia) and the plateau of Lake Khubsugul (Aimak Khuvsgel, Mongolia) are best suited for the deployment a full-scale gamma astronomy experiment. Infrastructure considerations make the territory in the western part of the Chuya steppe preferable.
Scintillation detectors for the TAIGA experiment Astapov, I.; Bezyazeekov, P.; Borodin, A. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
08/2019, Letnik:
936
Journal Article
Recenzirano
It is planned that new TAIGA-Muon detectors will complement the existing Tunka-GRANDE facility of scintillation detectors of the TAIGA gamma-observatory in the Tunka valley, Russia. The new design of ...scintillation detector with wavelength shifting bars and PMTs is developed. The first prototype of the counter was installed and tested using infrastructure of the Tunka-GRANDE installation in 2017. The mass production of counters has begun in 2018 at the Novosibirsk State University.
The Tunka-Grande experiment Monkhoev, R.D.; Budnev, N.M.; Chiavassa, A. ...
Journal of instrumentation,
06/2017, Letnik:
12, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The investigation of energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays in the energy range 1016–1018 eV and the search for diffuse cosmic gamma rays are of the great interest for ...understanding mechanisms and nature of high-energy particle sources, the problem of great importance in modern astrophysics. Tunka-Grande scintillator array is a part of the experimental complex TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for Cosmic Ray and Gamma Astronomy) which is located in the Tunka Valley, about 50 km from Lake Baikal. The purpose of this array is the study of diffuse gamma rays and cosmic rays of ultra-high energies by detecting extensive air showers. We describe the design, specifications of the read-out, data acquisition (DAQ) and control systems of the array.
The prototype of a small wide-angle telescope was installed within the astrophysical complex TAIGA in the Tunka Valley in September 2019. Data were collected on the prototype’s performance during the ...last eight observation sessions. Operating regimes of the telescope’s systems, the trigger system, and the system for synchronizing with the TAIGA complex were tested. The first results from analyzing data on the prototype telescope’s performance are presented.
The relevance and benefits of the new TAIGA gamma observatory complex in the Tunka Valley (50 km from Lake Baikal) are discussed. The main aim of the TAIGA installation is to study high-energy gamma ...radiation and search for cosmic pevatrons. The first series of gamma stations was commissioned in 2019 and covers an area of 1 km
2
. Its expected integral gamma radiation sensitivity at an energy of 100 TeV over 300 h of source monitoring is (2–5) × 10
−13
TeV cm
−2
s
−1
. It is planned to expand the effective area of TAIGA gamma observation to 10 km
2
in the future.
Monte Carlo Simulation of the TAIGA Experiment Postnikov, E. B.; Astapov, I. I.; Bezyazeekov, P. A. ...
Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Physics,
08/2019, Letnik:
83, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
—
The TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma-ray Astronomy) experiment aims at observing gamma-rays in the energy range from 1 TeV to several 100 TeV. The operation of the ...observatory is based on a new hybrid approach that combines imaging air Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) and wide-angle Cherenkov detectors (TAIGA-HiSCORE) for measuring times of extensive air shower (EAS) light front arrival. Monte Carlo simulations are compared to real data to determine the performance of the detector setup. Dedicated software and algorithms are described, model parameters are given, and an overview of the current status of model-based performance studies is presented.
The Tunka-Grande array is part of an experimental complex located in the Tunka Valley (Republic of Buryatia, Russia) about 50 km from Lake Baikal. This complex also contains the Tunka-133 and ...Tunka-Rex arrays. The aim of this complex is to study the primary cosmic ray energy spectrum and mass composition in the energy range of 10
16
–10
18
eV, and to search for diffuse gamma rays in the energy range of 5 × 10
16
–5 × 10
17
eV. The design of the Tunka-Grande array and the procedure for reconstructing the parameters of extensive air showers (EASes) are described, and preliminary results are presented from the search for diffuse gamma rays with energies of more than 5 × 10
16
eV.
