Equipment: MRI Consortium: Track 2: Development of an array of compact cameras for TeV gamma-ray astronomy with the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

Cosmic particle accelerators are studied through the detection of photons coming from very-high-energy gamma rays. Examples of such accelerators include black holes, neutron stars and supernova explosion remnants. This project will develop and procure 10 cameras. The cameras will be installed on the Small-Sized Telescopes (SST) at the CTAO Southern Array located in Paranal, Chile. The cameras will increase the sensitivity of the CTAO that will become the most sensitive observatory for very-high-energy gamma-rays in the world. The project will contribute to advancing the US scientific leadership in CTAO. It will also provide the opportunity for the US community to access the data collected by CTAO. This initiative will support the training of early-career scientists and students. The SST camera system will enable precise imaging of gamma-ray showers produced by cosmic particles interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. The SST camera will be equipped with fast silicon photo-multiplier sensors and state-of-the-art readout electronics. Increasing the number of SSTs from 5 to 15 will increase the sensitivity of CTAO by over 2.5 times at an energy level of 10 TeV. That will allow unprecedented studies of morphology and spectra of high-energy gamma-ray sources, black holes, and dark matter. This project goals align with the national and international priorities in multi-messenger astrophysics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.