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In this work we compute the contribution from clusters of galaxies to the diffuse neutrino background. Clusters of galaxies can potentially produce cosmic rays (CRs) up to very-high energies via large-scale shocks and turbulent acceleration. Due to their unique magnetic-field configuration, CRs with energy ≤ 10 17 eV can be trapped within these structures over cosmological time scales, and generate secondary particles, including neutrinos and gamma rays, through interactions with the background gas and photons. We employ three-dimensional cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations of structure formation to model the turbulent intergalactic medium. We use the distribution of clusters within this cosmological volume to extract the properties of this population. We propagate CRs in this environment using multi-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations across different redshifts (from ∼ 5 to = 0), considering all relevant photohadronic, photonuclear, and hadronuclear interactions. We also include the cosmological evolution of the CR sources. We find that, for CRs injected with a spectral index 1.5 − 2.7 and cutoff energy = 10 16 − 10 17 eV, clusters contribute to a substantial fraction to the diffuse flux observed by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, and most of the contribution comes from clusters with > 10 14 and redshift < 0.3.

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Fast magnetic reconnection events can play an important role in accretion disk systems. A potential model to explain the non-thermal very-high-energy (VHE) emission (from GeV to TeV) observed in black-hole binaries (BHBs) and Active Galatic Nuclei (AGNs) can be attributed to fast magnetic reconnection induced in the turbulent corona of accretion disks and/or jets. In this work, we will discuss the results of global general relativistic MHD (GRMHD) simulations of accretion disks around black holes, whose turbulence is naturally driven by MHD instabilities, such as the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We will also present studies of magnetic reconnection driven by kink instabilities inside jets employing special relativistic MHD (SRMHD) simulations. As we expect, our simulations reveal the development of a nearly steady-state turbulence driven by these instabilities. We have performed a detailed statistical analysis to identify the presence of current sheets in the turbulent regions of both the accretion flow and jet. We then determined the magnetic reconnection rates in these locations obtaining average reconnection velocities in Alfvén speed units of the order of 0.01 − 0.7, which are consistent with the predictions of the theory of turbulence-induced fast reconnection.

Very-High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray astroparticle physics is a relatively young field, and observations over the past decade have surprisingly revealed almost two hundred VHE emitters which appear to act as cosmic particle accelerators. These sources are an important component of the Universe, influencing the evolution of stars and galaxies. At the same time, they also act as a probe of physics in the most extreme environments known -such as in supernova explosions, and around or after the merging of black holes and neutron stars. However, the existing experiments have provided exciting glimpses, but often falling short of supplying the full answer. A deeper understanding of the TeV sky requires a significant improvement in sensitivity at TeV energies, a wider energy coverage from tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV and a much better angular and energy resolution with respect to the currently running facilities. The next generation gamma-ray observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), is the answer to this need. In this talk I will present this upcoming observatory from its design to the construction, and its potential science exploitation. CTAO will allow the entire astronomical community to explore a new discovery space that will likely lead to paradigm-changing breakthroughs. In particular, CTA has an unprecedented sensitivity to short (sub-minute) timescale phenomena, placing it as a key instrument in the future of multi-messenger and multi-wavelength time domain astronomy. I will conclude the talk presenting the first scientific results obtained by the LST-1, the prototype of one CTA telescope type -the Large Sized Telescope, that is currently under commission.