CTA-PP

The Preparatory Phase for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA-PP)

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The Cherenkov Telescope Array CTA will be the first open facility for gamma-ray astronomy in the very-high-energy domain, with a performance which is dramatically improved over existing instruments in terms of sensitivity, energy coverage, survey capability and flexibility. CTA will probe non-thermal phenomena in the Universe – known to have comparable energy content to other forms of energy such as thermal radiation – both in our own Galaxy and at cosmological distances, addressing questions in astrophysics, astroparticle physics, particle physics, plasma physics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. The CTA preparatory phase – CTA-PP – will address a number of crucial prerequisites for the approval, construction and operation of CTA: > the set-up of a Project Office offering means for electronic communication as well as data storage and handling for documents of the whole consortium > the legal framework, governance schemes, and financial regulations for the following phases of CTA (pre-construction, construction and operation) > assuring funding for the pre-construction phase after termination of CTA-PP > the preparation of funding agreements between potential funding agencies > the preparation of negotiations with potential host countries for the CTA instrument > the detailed technical design and costing of the CTA observatory > the selection of sites for deployment negotiations, and detailing and cost-estimation of the required site infrastructure > the schemes for procurement and industry involvement in the technical design and construction of CTA > the required linking with relevant science communities regarding the detailed definition of the science program, the corresponding final optimisation of the observatory layout, and the definition of user services and data access. For CTA-PP, support is sought primarily for work on the legal, governance and financial issues, for the installation of a project office coordinating and supporting management of CTA-PP as well as the design of CTA and the planning of the implementation, and for studies regarding the optimisation and production of CTA components by industry. The ultimate delivery of CTA-PP will be a detailed implementation plan for the CTA infrastructure.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will observe our Universe at the extreme high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. An EU-funded initiative has laid the groundwork for development and installation of this next-generation ground-based gamma ray observatory.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Gamma rays provide information on particle acceleration. Cosmic phenomena such as supernova (massive star) explosions and black hole formation accelerate electrically charged particles to incredibly high speeds. These extreme phenomena remain to date poorly understood.

With its unprecedented sensitivity, energy band coverage, and angular and temporal resolution, the CTA will allow study of the very high-energy radiation reaching Earth in enough detail to probe both galactic and extragalactic sources. Two arrays of Cherenkov telescopes are planned to be installed, one in each hemisphere.

Scientists from 28 countries initiated the project CTA-PP (The preparatory phase for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA-PP)) to lay the groundwork for making the CTA facilities a reality.EU funds helped to establish the central project office in Heidelberg and organise extensive reviews to determine telescope requirements.

Specifically, representatives of ministries and funding agencies involved in the CTA collaboration agreed on three major reviews towards its construction: the science performance and preliminary requirement review, the preliminary design review and the critical design review.

The CTA-PP consortium also explored the legal framework that will allow the collaboration members to jointly develop a new research infrastructure. CTA will differ from other collaborations operating instruments in the field of gamma ray astronomy.

For the first time, CTA will be open to a broad scientific community. Interested astronomers will be provided access and support through a proposal process. Data will also be made publicly available and will be accessible through virtual observatory tools.

Current Cherenkov telescopes use custom-designed data formats and analysis software. In contrast, CTA will adopt the astronomical standard for data formats, known as Flexible Image Transport System (FITS), as well as standard analysis tools.

In addition, CTA-PP project partners pursued close cooperation with industry in optimisation of the overall system design and the procurement of specialised components. For the next generation of TeV telescope, thousands of optical mirror panels that have to be manufactured, tested and mounted on each telescope.

The CTA-PP project has laid sufficient groundwork for the next phase of one of the largest instruments to be built in this decade. The CTA is set to make exciting new discoveries about the evolution of our Universe and to make participation in the discovery process open to all interested scientists.