Gamma rays: propagation and detection

Abstract

Gamma rays constitute a privileged point of view for the study of the extreme Universe. Unlike charged cosmic rays, which are thought to have a common origin, gamma rays are not deflected by galactic and intergalactic magnetic fields. This offers the opportunity to unveil the most powerful particle accelerators, still largely unknown, once modifications in the gamma-ray flux, arrival time, and angular distribution due to propagation effects are considered. Gamma ray telescopes include a large variety of instruments, both satellite-born and ground-based, which cover a broad energy range. These lecture notes provide an overview of the detection techniques for gamma-ray astronomy. A detailed description of the gamma-ray propagation effects in the galactic and extragalactic scenarios is also provided.

arXiv commentLecture notes from the Corfu Summer Institute 2021 "School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity'', 29 August - 9 October 2021, Corfu, Greece. Published version

References in corpus (16)

• The Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Mission
• The Cosmic Infrared Background: Measurements and Implications
• Variable VHE gamma-ray emission from Markarian 501
• Science with e-ASTROGAM (A space mission for MeV-GeV gamma-ray astrophysics)
• IRTS observation of the near-infrared extragalactic background light
• Attenuation of VHE gamma rays by the Milky Way interstellar radiation field
• A $\gamma$-ray determination of the Universe's star-formation history
• Absorption of Very High Energy Gamma Rays in the Milky Way
• Measurement of the Extragalactic Background Light using MAGIC and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations of blazars up to z = 1
• Transparency of the Universe to gamma rays
• Detection of very high energy gamma-ray emission from the gravitationally-lensed blazar QSO B0218+357 with the MAGIC telescopes
• Measurement of the EBL spectral energy distribution using the VHE gamma-ray spectra of H.E.S.S. blazars
• On the detectability of Lorentz invariance violation through anomalous multi-TeV $\gamma$-ray spectra of blazars
• Revisiting the analysis of axion-like particles with the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observation of NGC1275
• Probing Quantum Gravity with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• Atmospheric Cherenkov Gamma-ray Telescopes