Werner Hofmann
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany
Werner Hofmann (left) with Ulrich Straumann
Date
5 October 2011
Host
Ulrich Straumann
Title
Astronomy with Cherenkov Telescopes: Probing Cosmic Particle Accelerators
Abstract
Very high energy gamma ray astronomy has made rapid strides in the last decade, driven mainly by the atmospheric Cherenkov technique, where gamma-ray induced particle cascades in the atmosphere are imaged with huge telescopes. A key theme and a century-old question is to identify and understand the cosmic particle accelerators which supply cosmic rays in our Galaxy and beyond. The talk will address the history, the highlights, and the future challenges of this work.