Exploring Extreme Cosmic Environments
The Gamma Lab at the University of the Free State is a high-energy astrophysics research group in the Department of Physics. We are expanding the understanding of the universe through curiosity-driven science.
Advancing High-Energy Astrophysics in Africa
Understanding very high-energy astrophysical sources is one of the foremost frontiers in modern astronomy, with the potential to reveal fundamental aspects of physics and the universe. Only astrophysical environments can probe physical processes at these energies, far beyond what can be achieved in laboratories on Earth.
Led by astrophysicist Prof Brian van Soelen, the Gamma Lab combines multi-wavelength observations and theoretical modelling to investigate high-energy gamma-ray sources, examining where and how nature accelerates particles to the highest known energies. The lab explores the mechanisms at play in these extreme environments, and supports the next generation of African researchers in high-energy astrophysics.
Our Approach
Our vision is a world where curiosity-driven science expands our understanding of the universe.
Our mission is to advance frontier astrophysics research on high-energy sources, while building skills and knowledge for African astronomy and scientific discovery.
To achieve this, we focus on three interconnected objectives:
Observations and Modelling
Investigating very high-energy gamma-ray sources through multi-wavelength observations and simulations.
Training and Mentorship
Supporting students, fellows, and emerging researchers in high-energy astrophysics.
Collaboration and Networks
Working with national and international partners to strengthen Africa’s contribution to global high-energy astronomy.
Our Research
Our research focuses on understanding very high-energy gamma-ray sources and the extreme environments that produce them, through two interconnected strands:
Observational high-energy astronomy
Using coordinated, multi-wavelength observations of very high-energy sources (such as gamma-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei) to trace how particles are accelerated and how their emission changes across different environments. This work builds an integrated picture of how these sources behave and evolve.
Theoretical and computational frameworks
Developing and applying models and simulations of very high-energy sources, and constraining them with observational data, to uncover the underlying physics driving particle outflows and high-energy emission. This deepens our understanding of the mechanisms at work in these extreme astrophysical environments.
Intense Skies and Cosmic Particle Accelerators
Some of the most powerful particle accelerators in existence aren’t built on Earth – they exist in the universe, in extreme systems like gamma-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei. These are the sources the Gamma Lab studies to understand how nature accelerates particles to the highest energies we know of, far beyond what any human-made accelerator can reach.
Prof Brian van Soelen has been a permanent staff member at the University of the Free State since 2011, building South Africa’s strengths in high-energy astrophysics. His work brings together optical observations, particularly with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), and very high-energy gamma-ray studies through the H.E.S.S. and CTA collaborations, creating multi-wavelength views of some of the most energetic objects in the sky.
Brian has also helped shape South Africa’s broader astrophysics landscape through leadership roles in national committees and collaborations, while supervising Masters and PhD students who are now part of the growing community of African high-energy astrophysicists.
Through this work, the Gamma Lab is helping position South Africa and Africa as integral partners in one of the most exciting frontiers of modern astronomy – turning “intense skies” into insights about how the universe works at its most extreme.
