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Media Advisory 15-004

U.S., Mexico to inaugurate facility to detect gamma rays, probe universe's most energetic phenomena

Observatory to shed light on black holes, supernovae and the origins of our universe

View of the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

The U.S. and Mexico will inaugurate one of the world's most powerful gamma ray detectors this week.


March 16, 2015

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The universe's most energetic phenomena, such as black holes and supernovae, produce gamma rays that can be observed and studied to learn more about the universe. This week, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) will inaugurate a new gamma ray astrophysics facility known as the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The facility--high on the slopes of Pico de Orizaba and Sierra Negra, near Puebla, Mexico, at an altitude of 4,100 meters--will help scientists probe these phenomena.

Almost six years in the making, this facility has unique capabilities for detecting the highest-energy electromagnetic radiation, and complements other gamma ray observatories around the world.

Unlike optical or radio telescopes that observe light from astronomical phenomena directly, HAWC will study high-energy cosmic and gamma rays indirectly. As events like supernovae and gamma ray bursts occur, they release cosmic and gamma rays that smash into molecules in the air as they enter the earth's atmosphere. These collisions set off chain reactions that produce showers of particles. These showers hit the Earth's surface where the HAWC observatory will detect them with an array of 300 tanks, each filled with approximately 50,000 gallons of extra-pure water. When those same particles pass through the tanks, they are travelling faster than the speed of light in the water. As they travel through the water, the particles emit flashes called “Cherenkov” light, in much the same way that an airplane can produce a sonic boom if it is traveling fast enough. The tanks are equipped with detectors that will capture this Cherenkov light. With the highly sensitive HAWC observatory, astrophysicists will be able to use the Cherenkov light to reconstruct the timing, the energy, and the source direction of that initial gamma ray.

HAWC is expected to be 10-15 times more sensitive than its predecessor, the Milagro experiment in Los Alamos, and HAWC will continuously monitor over a wide field of view to observe two-thirds of the sky every 24 hours.

Reporters are invited to attend this event that celebrates the completion of the facility and the beginning of full scientific operations.

What: Inauguration of High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC)
With:

Dr. France A. Córdova , National Science Foundation

Dr. Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)

When: Friday, March 20, 11:30 a.m., CST (1:30 p.m., EDT)
Where: HAWC Observatory, Texmalaquilla, Mexico
Who: Media interested in science as it pertains to understanding our universe better
RSVP: To media contacts at CONACYT, U.S. Embassy or NSF (listed below)

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Eleane Harim Proo, CONACYT, email: eproom@conacyt.mx
U.S. Embassy, Mexico, U.S. Embassy in Mexico, email: emlistmx@state.gov
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, email: ikupec@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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