Ground-based Gamma-Ray Astronomy -

from VERITAS to AGIS

Vladimir Vassiliev

University of California, Los Angeles

In this talk I review recent progress made in ground-based gamma-ray astronomy and illustrate the capabilities of present day observatories, such as the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), for Indirect Dark Matter searches and detection of cosmological diffuse visible and infrared radiation. I use these examples to provide scientific motivations for the next generation instrument, the Advanced Gamma Ray Imaging System (AGIS), and explain some new technological approaches to the AGIS design, currently under development.