CTA - Cherenkov Telescope Array,
an advanced facility for ground-based VHE gamma-ray astronomy

Introduction
Our Team
Publications
Links

Introduction

The Cherenkov Telescope Array CTA project is an initiative to build the next generation ground-based Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray instrument. Its objective is to explore in depth our Universe in VHE gamma-rays and investigate cosmic non-thermal processes, in close cooperation with observatories looking at other wavelength ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, and with those using other messengers such as cosmic rays and neutrinos.

The CTA Observatory will consist of three types of telescopes with different mirror sizes in order to cover the full energy range of interest; the design of the array foresees a factor of 10 improvement in sensitivity in the current VHE gamma-ray domain ranging from 100 GeV to some 10 TeV, and an extension of the accessible energy range from below 20 GeV to above 100 TeV.

The CTA Observatory is designed and developed by the International CTA Consortium which has been growing steadily, currently encompassing more than one hundred institutes from 25 countries worldwide.

The INAF/IASF-Palermo Institute strongly contributes to the CTA project through the ASTRI Program.

The CTA Team at IASF-Palermo

The IASF-Palermo CTA team was defined at the beginning of 2008 to take part to this adventure; with different committments and tasks, the following IASF-Palermo personnel is nowadays part of the CTA Consortium:

Scientific Staff

Osvaldo Catalano Milvia Capalbi Giancarlo Cusumano Salvo Giarrusso Domenico Impiombato Nino La Barbera Valentina La Parola Giovanni La Rosa

Maria Concetta Maccarone Teresa Mineo Patrizia Romano Bruno Sacco Alberto Segreto Giuseppe Sottile Elisabetta Strazzeri Stefano Vercellone

Technical Staff

Gaetano Agnetta Benedetto Biondo Giacomo Fazio

Angelo Mangano Francesco Russo

Contact persons:

• Osvaldo.Catalano at iasf-palermo.inaf.it
• Stefano.Vercellone at iasf-palermo.inaf.it

 

Publications

Several papers discuss both the CTA project and the broader scientific goals of gamma-ray astronomy. A selection of these can be found here together with the current CTA author list.

 

Links

CTA Observatory, The Official CTA web Site

ASTRI Program, The Official ASTRI Web Site

ASTRI at IASF-Palermo