MAGIC-CTA

Cluster

Experimental Physics

Description

The research activity of the group lies within the scope of astroparticle physics, and in particular of high-energy gamma astrophysics.

The observation of high-energy gamma rays coming from space is a relatively recent and especially promising field, allowing access to energies that cannot be achieved through accelerators. Valuable information can be garnered as to the formation of the most ancient objects in the universe, the mechanisms of particle acceleration, the release of gravitational energy from the vicinity of compact astrophysical objects (neutron stars, black holes, ...), dark matter, and the space-time geometry of the Universe.

The group also collaborates with professors and researchers of the University of Trieste, of the National Institute of Astrophysics and of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, and it offers opportunities for the education of master and doctorate students both in Physics and related disciplines.

The group actively participates in international collaborative projects: the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov telescope, https://magic.mpp.mpg.de/), experiment, a two-telescope system relying on Cherenkov light sited in the astrophysical observatory on the Canary island of La Palma, and its natural continuation, the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), https://www.cta-observatory.org/).

Multiple activities are performed within this context, ranging from the participation in observation shifts at the experimental site, to data analysis, to the development of new detection techniques, to advanced topics in theoretical physics and gravitational physics. The observations are often carried out in synergy with other instruments, such as satellite telescopes, neutrino detectors, and gravitational interferometers, thus paving the way to a new "global" vision of the exploration of the Universe.