The Astrophysical Journal, 678:594–605, 2008 May 10

arXiv:0801.1708

We present observations of the dwarf galaxies Draco and Ursa Minor, the Local Group galaxies M32 and M33, and the globular cluster M15 conducted with the Whipple 10 m gamma-ray telescope to search for the gamma-ray signature of self-annihilating weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which may constitute astrophysical dark matter (DM). We review the motivations for selecting these sources based on their unique astrophysical environments and report the results of the data analysis that produced upper limits on the excess rate of gamma rays for each source. We consider models for the DM distribution in each source based on the available observational constraints and discuss possible scenarios for the enhancement of the gamma-ray luminosity. Limits on the thermally averaged product of the total self-annihilation cross section and velocity of the WIMP, , are derived using conservative estimates for the magnitude of the astrophysical contribution to the gamma-ray flux. Although these limits do not constrain predictions from the currently favored theoretical models of supersymmetry (SUSY), future observations with VERITAS will probe a larger region of the WIMP parameter phase space, , and WIMP particle mass ( ).

Bulletin of the AAS (BAAS), volume 40, number 1, 2008 (38.05)

IC 443 is a shell-type supernova remnant interacting with a molecular cloud and containing a pulsar wind nebula. TeV gamma-ray emission, likely associated either with cosmic rays (leptonic or hadronic) accelerated in the shell or with the pulsar wind nebula, has been observed by both the MAGIC and VERITAS telescopes. VERITAS is an array of four 12-m telescopes dedicated to gamma-ray astronomy in the energy band above 100 GeV. Located on Mt. Hopkins in southern Arizona, VERITAS observed IC 443 during spring 2007 with three telescopes, resulting in a strong detection of VHE gamma-ray emission. Additional observations were made during fall 2007 with the full four-telescope array. In this talk, results from these observations will be discussed in the context of existing multiwavelength data on IC 443.

Bulletin of the AAS (BAAS), volume 40, number 1, 2008 (38.02)

VERITAS results of observations of galactic objects carried out during first two years of operation will be presented. Among them are observations of a number of PWNe and SNR, as well as a few other galactic objects of the different source types. Two objects, PWN IC443 and SNR Cas A, have been recently detected with VERITAS at TeV energies. I will summarize the VERITAS data and briefly discuss the physics implications of the latest results.

Bulletin of the AAS (BAAS), volume 40, number 1, 2008 (26.24)

The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is an array of four 12m diameter imaging Cherenkov telescopes located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in southern Arizona. Gamma-ray observations of blazars in the GeV-TeV energy range can be used to probe the structure and composition of their jets, constrain the intensity and spectrum of the extragalactic background light (EBL), and contribute to our understanding of how supermassive black holes accrete matter. Here we report on recent gamma-ray observations of several blazars with VERITAS.