The LHAASO project: first results and prospects

Recent results of the LHAASO (Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory) experiment are reviewed. Due to their outstanding characteristics, the facilities incorporated in the project started providing in 2021 the first results in ultra-high energy gamma-astronomy. During a year of operations of only some of the detectors, PeVatrons have been discovered in the Galaxy, many new astrophysical sources of gamma-quanta have been found, and the energy spectra of emitted gamma-quanta have been measured. The most important achievement is that the directions from which the gamma-quanta arrive have been measured with an accuracy as high as 0.05 degrees, implying that their sources can be localized with the same precision. These data enable making certain conclusions regarding the nature of PeVatrons and possible mechanisms of cosmic ray acceleration. Prospects for the further development of the LHAASO experiment are discussed.