"Unraveling the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Background Using Anisotropy"

Speaker: 
Jennifer Siegal-Gaskins
Institution: 
Cal Tech
Date: 
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Time: 
4:00 pm
Location: 
NS2 1201

ABSTRACT:

The detailed origin of the diffuse gamma-ray background is still unknown. However, the contribution of unresolved sources is expected to induce small-scale anisotropies in this emission, which may provide a means of identifying its contributors. Recent studies have predicted the anisotropy signatures of various astrophysical gamma-ray source populations, including blazars, star-forming galaxies, and millisecond pulsars, as well as those of possible exotic sources, such as extragalactic and Galactic dark matter annihilation and decay. I will present the results of an angular power spectrum analysis of the high-latitude diffuse emission measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, and discuss the implications of the measured anisotropy for gamma-ray source populations that may provide a contribution to the diffuse background.

 


 

Host: 
James Bullock