Astrophysique à Haute Energie

Gamma-ray observations of flaring blazars

Super-massive black holes are known to dwell at the center of galaxies. When accreting matter they are observed from Earth as active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In a minority of AGNs the accretion of matter onto the black-hole is associated with the ejection of a relativistic jet of plasma along the polar axis. 
When the black-hole's jet points right in the direction of the Earth, relativistic effects boost the emission and make these objects among the brightest in the Universe. This peculiar AGNs are called blazars. 

Photodetection and instrumentation for UHECR & SQM detection from space

One of the main current efforts in high-energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics is the development of multi-messenger astronomy, aiming at studying the universe and exploring fundamental physics through four complementary channels: photons, neutrinos, gravitational waves and cosmic rays.

L’observatoire H.E.S.S. détecte les photons les plus énergétiques jamais observés en provenance d'un pulsar

Vue d’artiste du pulsar de Vela, au centre, et sa magnétosphère, dont la périphérie est marquée par le cercle brillant. Les traces bleues émergeant vers l’extérieur illustrent les trajectoires des particules accélérées. Celles-ci produisent le rayonnement gamma le long des bras d’une spirale tournante, par collisions avec des photons infrarouges émis dans la magnétosphère (en rouge). © Science Communication Lab for DESY

Flicker noise impact and design methodology in SiGe BiCMOS integrated front-end electronics for astronomical observations

Increasing the number of sensitive pixels in an instrument is a classical way to improve its observational capabilities. From cosmology, in the millimeter wave range, to high-energy astrophysics space instruments, the readout of thousands of cryogenic detectors requires dedicated electronic developments. Application-specific integrated circuits - ASICs offer major advantages in this context : specific design, small size and optimized performances.
Astrophysique à Haute Energie