CTA – An Advanced Facility for High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

Recently, high-energy gamma-ray astronomy has opened a new window to the Universe. The discovery of numerous galactic and extragalactic sources at photon energies above a few tens of GeV represents a spectacular scientific breakthrough. This progress in our understanding of the most violent processes in the Universe has been achieved by ground-based observatories like H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS. The advanced sensitivity of these arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes allowed to study the morphology and energy spectra of high-energy gamma-ray sources with unprecedented accuracy.

The next-generation gamma-ray observatory will consist of large arrays of 50–100 Cherenkov telescopes on both hemispheres providing an order of magnitude improved flux sensitivity and a wide energy range from 10 GeV to greater than 100 TeV. European astrophysicists initiated the construction of such an observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). CTA will provide the deepest ever insight into the non-thermal universe. It will allow to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions in physics and astrophysics. Important research areas are, among others, the origin of cosmic rays, the nature of dark-matter particles and the search for quantum gravity.

CTA will serve as an open observatory to the wide astronomy community. The facility will consist of arrays of Cherenkov telescopes, aiming to increase sensitivity by an order of magnitude for deep observations, boost the detection area and hence the detection rates, particularly important for transient phenomena and at the highest energies, increase the angular resolution and hence the ability to resolve the morphology of extended sources, provide wide and uniform energy coverage from 10 GeV to beyond 100 TeV in photon energy, and enhance the all sky survey capability, the monitoring capability and the flexibility of operation.

Since beginning of 2008, the CTA consortium is performing a Design Study for the optimization of the performance of the planned observatory and to study its possible implementation.

DESY at its location in Zeuthen participates in the CTA Design Study and R&D-phase within the following work packages:

DATA: Data handling, data processing, data management and data access
ELEC: Readout electronics and trigger
FPI: Focal Plane Instrumentation
MC: Optimization of array layout, performance studies and analysis algorithms
PHYS: Astrophysics and astroparticle physics
TEL: Telescope structure, drive and control system