Our science interests on VERITAS have concentrated on topics close to fundamental physics, focussing especially on the dispersive effects of quantum gravity and on the annihilation of neutralinos. We have also studied shower selection techniques using neural net algorithms to better discriminate between gamma ray showers and cosmic ray showers. In the best of cases, we can achieve a factor of 2.5 reduction in background over the standard cut-based selection technique. We are also currently exploring the use of vertexing techniques in High Energy Particle Physics for 2D gamma ray source location.
The UMass group provides support for the experiment in several areas of software development and maintenance. In particular, UMass has taken responsibility for two critical software projects: a database system and software management system.
For more information about VERITAS at UMass, visit our site here.