The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)

Responsible Professor

A. Biland

Status

Preparatory phase

Description

In the past decade, a surprisingly large amount of astrophysical objects have been identified to radiate very-high energy gamma-rays.To significantly enhance the sensitivity, two dedicated observatories are planned in the northern and suthern hemisphere, respectively. These observatories shall consist of more than 100 Cherenkov telescopes of three different sizes to also enlarge the energy range. As a comparison, the currently operating three major observatories comprise from only 11 telescopes in total. To keep the construction cost under control, the prize per telescope has to be significantly reduced.

Our institute concentrates on the possibility to use novel solid state photo sensors, pioneered by first such camera built for FACT.