Publication: Design concepts for the Cherenkov telescope array CTA: an advanced facility for ground-based high-energy gamma-ray astronomy
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2011-12
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Bernardino Santos, Teodoro
Hassan, Tarek
Mirabal Barrios, Néstor
Vegas Azcárate, Ignacio
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Springer
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Abstract
Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has had a major breakthrough with the impressive results obtained using systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has a huge potential in astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. CTA is an international initiative to build the next generation instrument, with a factor of 5-10 improvement in sensitivity in the 100 GeV-10 TeV range and the extension to energies well below 100 GeV and above 100 TeV. CTA will consist of two arrays (one in the north, one in the south) for full sky coverage and will be operated as open observatory. The design of CTA is based on currently available technology. This document reports on the status and presents the major design concepts of CTA.
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We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the following agencies and organisations: Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Productiva (MinCyT), Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET) Argentina; State Committee of Science of Armenia; Ministry for Research, CNRS-INSU, CNRS-IN2P3 and CEA, France; Max Planck Society, BMBF, DESY, Helmholtz Association, Germany; MIUR, Italy; Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA), Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the National Centre for Research and Development, Poland; MICINN support through the National R+D+I, CDTI funding plans and the CPAN and MultiDark Consolider-Ingenio 2010 programme, Spain. Swedish Research Council, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences financed, Sweden; Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Switzerland; Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, Science and Technologies Facilities Council, Durham University, UK; National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, University of California, University of Chicago, Iowa State University, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics (INPAC-MRPI program), Washington University McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, USA.
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