The CTA: status and perspectives

MEDINA, M. C.; M. ORELLANA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO E

Congreso; Reunion Anual de la Asociacion Argentina de Astronomia; 2011

The progress of the ground-based γ-ray Astronomy in the last 10 years (mainly due to instruments such as H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS) has inspired the scientific community to go for the next step in the evolution of the ground-based Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT). CTA has been conceived as an array of Cherenkov telescopes working as an open observatory, covering a wide energy range (? 30 GeV to 100 TeV), with an enhanced sensitivity and improved spatial, temporal and energy resolution. The design phase of CTA has been completed and the project is in the middle of its preparatory phase. The begin of the construction is foreseen for 2014. In this paper we describe the status of the project, the technical challenges and we give an insight on the involved physics.