41 research outputs found
Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic rays and Gamma Astronomy
The paper is a script of a lecture given at the ISAPP-Baikal summer school in
2018. The lecture gives an overview of the Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic
rays and Gamma Astronomy (TAIGA) facility including historical introduction,
description of existing and future setups, and outreach and open data
activities.Comment: Lectures given at the ISAPP-Baikal Summer School 2018: Exploring the
Universe through multiple messengers, 12-21 July 2018, Bol'shie Koty, Russi
The precision of the IACT mechanical mounts of the TAIGA observatory
The TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy) observatory is located in the Tunka valley (~50 km west from the southern shore of Lake Baikal) at an altitude of 675m a.s.l. The TAIGA observatory aims to address gamma-ray astronomy at energies from a few TeV to several PeV and CR physics from 100 TeV to several EeV. Its main feature is the complementary, hybrid approach to distinguish CR events from those of gamma rays. Currently TAIGA consists of ~80 wide-angle air Cherenkov detectors (HiSCORE stations), three ~4m diameter IACTs and several hundred surface and underground muon detectors, grouped in three jointly operating arrays. The exceptional feature of the TAIGA IACT array is it’s topology that allows one to aim for the optimal cost/performance by scanning the optimal inter-telescope distances from 300m up to 600m. The IACTs have alt-azimuth type mounts and 576-pixel imaging cameras in the foci, covering 9.6° aperture in the sky. The segmented reflectors of ~10m² area follow the Davis-Cotton design. The largest diameter of the hexagonal shape reflector is 4.3m and the focal length is 4.75m. The rigid telescope mount provides a maximum displacement of EAS image below 2mm (i.e. ≤ 0.024°) in the photodetector plane. The main parameters of IACTs are of a crucial importance for their efficient operation and is presented
Search for directional associations between Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector neutrino-induced cascades and high-energy astrophysical sources
Baikal-GVD has recently published its first measurement of the diffuse
astrophysical neutrino flux, performed using high-energy cascade-like events.
We further explore the Baikal-GVD cascade dataset collected in 2018-2022, with
the aim to identify possible associations between the Baikal-GVD neutrinos and
known astrophysical sources. We leverage the relatively high angular resolution
of the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope (2-3 deg.), made possible by the use of
liquid water as the detection medium, enabling the study of astrophysical point
sources even with cascade events. We estimate the telescope's sensitivity in
the cascade channel for high-energy astrophysical sources and refine our
analysis prescriptions using Monte-Carlo simulations. We primarily focus on
cascades with energies exceeding 100 TeV, which we employ to search for
correlation with radio-bright blazars. Although the currently limited neutrino
sample size provides no statistically significant effects, our analysis
suggests a number of possible associations with both extragalactic and Galactic
sources. Specifically, we present an analysis of an observed triplet of
neutrino candidate events in the Galactic plane, focusing on its potential
connection with certain Galactic sources, and discuss the coincidence of
cascades with several bright and flaring blazars.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Method of Separation Between Light and Heavy Groups of Primary CR Nuclei by LDF of Cherenkov Light in the Range 300–3000 TeV
The problem of chemical composition below the knee in the cosmic-ray energy spectrum has not yet been solved due to low statistics collected from direct experiments. In the HiSCORE experiment the lateral distribution functions (LDF) of Cherenkov light of EASs with energy greater than hundreds of TeV can be measured in detail for millions of individual events. A full steepness of LDF is sensitive to the depth of shower maximum and as a result to primary particle type. In this paper, we developed a parametric method of separation between heavy and light groups of nuclei using the ’knee-like’ approximation of LDF and taking into account measurement uncertainty
Primary Cosmic Rays Energy Spectrum and Mean Mass Composition by the Data of the TAIGA Astrophysical Complex
The corrected dependence of the mean depth of the EAS maximum on
the energy was obtained from the data of the Tunka-133 array for 7 years and
the TAIGA-HiSCORE array for 2 year. The parameter ,
characterizing the mean mass compositon was derived from these results. The
differential energy spectrum of primary cosmic rays in the energy range of
- \,eV was reconstructed using the new
parameter the Cherenkov light flux at the core distance 100 m.}Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to SciPost Phys.Pro
Monitoring of optical properties of deep waters of Lake Baikal in 2021-2022
We present the results of the two-year (2021-2022) monitoring of absorption
and scattering lengths of light with wavelength 400-620 nm within the effective
volume of the deep underwater neutrino telescope Baikal-GVD, which were
measured by a device Baikal-5D No.2. The Baikal-5D No.2. was installed during
the 2021 winter expedition at a depth of 1180 m. The absorption and scattering
lengths were measured every week in 9 spectral points. The device Baikal-5D
No.2 also has the ability to measure detailed scattering and absorption
spectra. The data obtained make it possible to estimate the range of changes in
the absorption and scattering lengths over a sufficiently long period of time
and to investigate the relationship between the processes of changes in
absorption and scattering. An analysis was made of changes in absorption and
scattering spectra for the period 2021-2022
Studies of the ambient light of deep Baikal waters with Baikal-GVD
The Baikal-GVD neutrino detector is a deep-underwater neutrino telescope
under construction and recently after the winter 2023 deployment it consists of
3456 optical modules attached on 96 vertical strings. This 3-dimensional array
of photo-sensors allows to observe ambient light in the vicinity of the
Baikal-GVD telescope that is associated mostly with water luminescence. Results
on time and space variations of the luminescent activity are reviewed based on
data collected in 2018-2022
Large neutrino telescope Baikal-GVD: recent status
The Baikal-GVD is a deep-underwater neutrino telescope being constructed in
Lake Baikal. After the winter 2023 deployment campaign the detector consists of
3456 optical modules installed on 96 vertical strings. The status of the
detector and progress in data analysis are discussed in present report. The
Baikal-GVD data collected in 2018-2022 indicate the presence of cosmic neutrino
flux in high-energy cascade events consistent with observations by the IceCube
neutrino telescope. Analysis of track-like events results in identification of
first high-energy muon neutrino candidates. These and other results from
2018-2022 data samples are reviewed in this report
TAIGA -- an advanced hybrid detector complex for astroparticle physics and high energy gamma-ray astronomy
The physical motivations, present status, main results in study of cosmic
rays and in the field of gamma-ray astronomy as well future plans of the
TAIGA-1 (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy)
project are presented. The TAIGA observatory addresses ground-based gamma-ray
astronomy and astroparticle physics at energies from a few TeV to several PeV,
as well as cosmic ray physics from 100 TeV to several EeV. The pilot TAIGA-1
complex is located in the Tunka valley, ~50 km west from the southern tip of
the lake Baikal.Comment: Submission to SciPost Phys. Proc., 10 pages, 2 figure