Last Update: October 2000

MAGIC

Collaboration: Padova, Siena

1. GOAL OF THE EXPERIMENT

The MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cerenkov telescope) is one of the new generation imaging Cerenkov telescopes which will be operative at low energy threshold in the next future.

The other next generation experiments are Hess, Veritas, Cangaroo, but, according to time schedules, Magic will be the first to be operative.

The aim is to lower the energy threshold by at least one order of magnitude with respect to the present ground-based telescopes. This together with the increased upper energy threshold of satellites (Agile, Glast) will close the observative gap between 1-10 GeV and 300 GeV existing at present.

This energy interval, completely unexplored up to now, must play a fundamental role in the understanding of many physical and astrophysical phenomena like:

1. the nature of the unidentified EGRET sources which are a substantial part of the EGRET Catalogue;
2. the nature and origin of the diffuse Galactic and extra-Galactic gamma background (this is important not only in relation to the previous point and in general for the physics of point sources, but also will help to understand the origin of cosmic rays);
3. the determination of the cut-off energy in pulsars and the relative model of magnetosphere;
4. the exploration of distant (high red-shift) AGN due to the transparency of the universe to low energy gamma photons;
5. the existence of a dark matter annihilation line from the Galaxy;
6. the nature of a vast class of galactic objects like Black Hole Candidates, X-Ray binaries , microquasars, O-B associations, cataclismic variables, all characterised by high-energy and rapidly varying phenomena whose properties at VHE energies are still unknown.

Moreover the MAGIC telescope was designed to point a source in a very short (20-30 sec.) time and an alarm facility for signals from GRB will be operative giving the possibility of catching a GRB in the VHE energy range in favourable conditions.

2. PHYSICS ACHIEVEMENTS

The apparatus is under construction. Some achievements were obtained in technological fields like the production of metallic mirrors, the GRB alarm system and the 1st and 2nd level trigger.

3. INFN CONTRIBUTION TO THE EXPERIMENT IN TERMS OF MANPOWER AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT

- Manpower: 6 researches (4.2 FTE), 1 engineer (0.2 FTE) and technical support by mechanic and electronic workshop of Sezione di Padova and LNL.

- Financial support: 762 MLit.

4. NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS IN REFEREED JOURNALS: 2

5. NUMBER OF TALKS TO CONFERENCES: 8

6. NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATED AND DOCTORAL THESIS ON THE EXPERIMENT: 1 Laurea Diploma

7. LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE EXPERIMENT

Responsibility of the construction of the reflecting surface.

Responsibility of the 1st and 2nd level trigger.

Responsibility of the GRB alarm system.

8. INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

Innovative production of the raw blanks for the individual all metal mirrors which form the parabolic 17 m surface.

Fast n-fold (n=3,4,5) next-neighbour logic trigger (1st level).

Topological 2nd level trigger (200 ns pattern recognition).

GRB alarm system (agreement with NASA).

9. COMPETING EXPERIMENTS

HESS . To be installed in southern hemisphere. Smaller mirrors but with stereoscopic system.

VERITAS. To be installed in USA . Similar technique with higher threshold and sensitivity.

CANGAROO III. To be installed in Australia. Smaller mirrors but with stereoscopic system.