The H.E.S.S. Collaboration gathers more than 170 scientists from 32 institutes of 12 countries. Four 12 m-telescopes, installed since 2002 in Namibia, are in operation to observe Cherenkov light produced by interaction of high-energy gamma rays with the upper atmosphere. Since 2012, a fifth telescope of 28 m-diameter completes the network (H.E.S.S.-2). H.E.S.S. observations have allowed the discovery of more than a hundred gamma ray sources. The CTA project, which will encompass about a hundred telescopes of various sizes (6, 12 and 24 m in diameter) in the southern hemisphere, and about thirty in the northern hemisphere, is being put in place.
The SPP group has contributed to the H.E.S.S.-2 level-2 trigger development, and concentrates on the indirect search for dark matter or exotic particles in the spectra of observed objects, in particular the Galactic center. In CTA, the group participates and supervises the development of a camera (Nectarcam) for middle-size telescopes, and contributes to the design and production of mirrors.
The ANTARES Collaboration gathers about 150 physicists and engineers of 29 institutes in 8 countries. The ANTARES detector is a network of tridimensional Cherenkov-light detectors installed deep in the Mediterranean off the French city of Toulon, that covers 30,000 square-meters in surface and 450 m in depth. ANTARES detects up-going muons produced by the interaction of high-energy cosmic neutrinos in the rock beneath or in the water within the detactor. Data taking started in 2007 and the full deployment happened in June of 2008.
The SPP group participates to the understanding, calibration and upgrade of the detector, as well as to the event reconstruction and data analysis.
The dismantling of ANTARES will take place in 2017.
The H.E.S.S./CTA group at SPP gathers five physicists and three PhD students. The group leader is Jean-François Glicenstein.
- Group Leader :
- Physicists :
- Pierre Brun
- Emmanuel Moulin
- Bernard Peyaud
- Fabian Schussler (also in Antares)
- PhD Students :
The Antares group at SPP gathers three physicists, who are sharing time with other projects. The group leader is Bertrand Vallage.
- Group Leader :
- Bertrand Vallage (also in Gbar)
- Physicists :
- Sotiris Loucatos (at APC)
- Fabian Schussler (also in H.E.S.S.)
The Edelweiss group at SPP gathers two physicists and one PhD student. The group leader is Eric Armangaud.
- Physiciens :
- Eric Armengaud (group leader, also in BAO)
- Claudia Nones (also in Lumineu)
- Etudiante :
- Anastasiia Zolotarova (also in Lumineu)
