Using SKA-Low to detect PeV gamma-rays from Galactic Sources

Schlüter F, Laub P, Nelles A, Bouma S, Bray J, Buitink S, Corstanje A, De Henau V, Desmet M, Dickinson E, van Dongen L, Hare B, He H, Hörandel JR, Huege T, James CW, Jetti M, Mathes HJ, Mulrey K, Scholten O, Sterpka C, ter Veen S, Terveer K, Turekova P, Trinh TN, Saha S, Sharma S, Spencer R, Veberic D, Watanabe K, Waterson M, Zhang C, Zhang P, Zhang Y (2025)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Publisher: Sissa Medialab Srl

Book Volume: 501

Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings of Science

Event location: Geneva, CHE

DOI: 10.22323/1.501.0835

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a next-generation radio telescope, and upon construction in 2030 the world’s most sensitive one. SKA will comprise a low frequency component with almost 60 000 radio antennas on an extremely densely instrumented area of about 1 km² located in Australia. Sensitive to the radio emission in the 50 MHz to 350 MHz band, these astonishing dimensions offer intriguing capabilities for the detection of extensive air showers. While SKA will play a leading role in high-precision cosmic ray measurements, it may also play a role in gamma-ray astronomy. The particle cascade initiated by a gamma ray impacting on the Earth’s atmosphere will emit radio waves, comparable to the emission observed from hadronically induced air showers. The energy threshold of current radio-air-shower experiments of tens to hundreds of PeV has limited those experiments to cosmic-ray science so far. With the interferometric measurement of air showers combining the coherent air-shower signals from thousands of individual antennas, we aim at lowering the energy threshold for the radio detection of air showers to PeV energies. The superior angular resolution of SKA may provide a way to both trigger on gamma-rays and separate them from hadronic cosmic rays. SKA’s field of view of the Galactic Center provides a unique opportunity of obtaining a first detection at PeV energies. This contribution will sketch the challenges of as well as the necessary steps needed for gamma-ray detection with SKA and will highlight the scientific impact.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Germany (DE) SKA Observatory United Kingdom (GB) Nanjing University China (CN) Xidian University China (CN) Purple Mountain Observatory / 紫金山天文台 China (CN) University of Groningen / Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Netherlands (NL) Astron Netherlands (NL) Can Tho University / Trường Đại học Cần Thơ Viet Nam (VN) University of Manchester United Kingdom (GB) Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) / Free University of Brussels Belgium (BE) Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Belgium (BE) International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research Australia (AU) Radboud University Nijmegen Netherlands (NL) Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik / Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Schlüter, F., Laub, P., Nelles, A., Bouma, S., Bray, J., Buitink, S.,... Zhang, Y. (2025). Using SKA-Low to detect PeV gamma-rays from Galactic Sources. In Proceedings of Science. Geneva, CHE: Sissa Medialab Srl.

MLA:

Schlüter, F., et al. "Using SKA-Low to detect PeV gamma-rays from Galactic Sources." Proceedings of the 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2025, Geneva, CHE Sissa Medialab Srl, 2025.

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