Volume 358 - 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2019) - GRI - Gamma Ray Indirect
Testing cosmology and fundamental physics with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
H. Martínez-Huerta,* J. Biteau, J. Lefaucheur, M. Meyer, S. Pita, I. Vovk
*corresponding author
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Pre-published on: 2019 July 22
Published on:
Abstract
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation ground-based observatory for $\gamma$-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 $\gamma$-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 $\gamma$-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.
Open Access