Speaker
Description
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the next-generation ground-based facility for very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. In contrast to space-based instruments, ground-based gamma-ray observatories detect the brief flashes of Cherenkov light produced when high-energy gamma rays interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, generating particle cascades. This technique enables the study of the most energetic astrophysical sources at TeV and multi-TeV energies, extending toward the highest photon energies currently accessible from the ground.
Within CTAO, the Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) are designed to explore the highest-energy regime, where large collection areas and distributed arrays are required. The SST array will operate at the southern CTAO site in the Atacama Desert in Chile and will form a key component of the observatory’s sensitivity above 1 TeV.
This contribution presents the current status of the SST project, including recent system tests and integration activities, and outlines Dutch involvement in camera development, calibration, hardware integration, and control software. An overview of ground-based gamma-ray detection techniques will also be provided to place the SST within the broader context of high-energy astrophysics
| Talk category | Splinter 1: Large Infrastructure and instrumentation |
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