Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics

Experimental Particle Astrophysics. Neutrino astronomy with IceCube. TeV Gamma ray astronomy with HAWC.

Via unknown mechanisms, some astrophysical sources can accelerate particles up to ten million times more than human-made accelerators. These subatomic particles (electrons, protons, nuclei) are called cosmic rays and have energies as high as that of a tennis ball served by a professional player! Because cosmic rays, being charged particles, are deflected in galactic and extra-galactic magnetic fields, we still do not know where they come from. Using secondary radiation produced by the cosmic accelerators, such as neutrinos or gamma ray rays we will discover the sources of high energy cosmic rays. I am a member of two large international collaborations that use neutrinos and gamma-rays as an astrophysical messengers. IceCube is a cubic kilometer neutrino all-sky telescope being built at the south pole. HAWC is a panoptic gamma-ray telescope proposed for construction in Mexico. Both IceCube and HAWC will study the northern hemisphere for TeV or higher sources of neutrinos and gamma-rays. Objects of interest include supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, active galactive nuclei, micro-quasars and more.