Testing cosmology and fundamental physics with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

H. Martínez-Huerta (Author), Christopher Eckner (Author), Gašper Kukec Mezek (Author), Samo Stanič (Author), Serguei Vorobiov (Author), Lili Yang (Author), Gabrijela Zaharijas (Author), Danilo Zavrtanik (Author), Marko Zavrtanik (Author), Lukas Zehrer (Author)

Abstract

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation ground-based observatory for γ-ray astronomy at energies above 30 GeV. Thanks to its unique capabilities, CTA observations will address a plethora of open questions in astrophysics, ranging from the origin of cosmic messengers to the exploration of the frontiers of physics. In this note, we present a comprehensive sensitivity study to assess the potential of CTA to measure the γ-ray absorption on the extragalactic background light (EBL), to constrain or detect intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMFs), and probe physics beyond the standard model such as axion-like particles (ALPs) and Lorentz invariance violation (LIV), which could modify the γ-ray spectra features expected from EBL absorption. Our results suggest that CTA will have unprecedented sensitivity to detect IGMF signatures and will probe so-far unexplored regions of the LIV and ALP parameter space. Furthermore, an indirect measurement of the EBL and of its evolution will be performed with unrivaled precision.

Keywords

very-high-energy gamma rays;the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory;extragalactic background light (EBL);intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMFs);axion-like particles (ALPs);Lorentz invariance violation (LIV);

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2019
Typology:	1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
Organization:	UNG - University of Nova Gorica
UDC:	539.1
COBISS:	214115075
ISSN:	1824-8039
Views:	214
Downloads:	4
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Pages:	8 str.
Chronology:	2019
DOI:	10.22323/1.358.0739
ID:	25383316