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The ALPACA experiment: The project of the first sub-PeV gamma-ray observation in the southern sky

by Teruyoshi Kawashima, The ALPACA Collaboration

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Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Teruyoshi Kawashima
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202208_00093v1  (pdf)
Date accepted: 2022-09-08
Date submitted: 2022-08-31 13:36
Submitted by: Kawashima, Teruyoshi
Submitted to: SciPost Physics Proceedings
Proceedings issue: 21st International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions (ISVHECRI2022)
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Gravitation, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Approach: Experimental

Abstract

The ALPACA experiment is a project aiming to observe sub-PeV gamma rays for the first time in the southern hemisphere. The main goal of ALPACA is to identify PeVatrons, the accelerators of Galactic PeV cosmic rays, by observing sub-PeV pion-decay gamma rays generated in interactions between PeV cosmic rays and the interstellar medium. This new air shower experiment is located at an altitude of 4,740 m above sea level in the middle of Mt. Chakartaya in Bolivia. The air shower array consists of 401 scintillation counters covering an 83,000 m^2 surface area. In addition, a water-Cherenkov-type muon detector array with an area of 3,700 m^2 is installed to discriminate gamma rays from background cosmic rays. The prototype array ALPAQUITA will start data taking in 2022 and will extend to ALPACA in 2024. We report on a general introduction to ALPACA, the progress of the project, and the sensitivity to sub-PeV gamma rays.

Published as SciPost Phys. Proc. 13, 008 (2023)


Reports on this Submission

Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2022-9-5 (Invited Report)

Report

The manuscript discusses the future Sub-PeV gamma-ray observatory in the Southern- sky to monitor the Galactic plane. It gives the detectability of the detector ALPACA and its prototype ALPAQUITA. The manuscript can be accepted for publishing as a proceeding.

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