Speaker
Description
CTA+ is an Italian project of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR in Italian), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, to complement the largest research infrastructure dedicated to the study of the very-high-energy sky: the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), a ground-based gamma-ray observatory currently under construction. Specifically, CTA+ will build two Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) and five Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) to be located at the CTAO-South site.
CTA+ is coordinated by the INAF in collaboration with the INFN, the Universities of Bologna, Bari, Siena and Palermo and the Polytechnic University of Bari. The approved and fully funded program has formally started on January 1, 2023 and has a duration of 36 months.
The objectives of CTA+ include:
• the customization and construction of two LSTs (23 meters in diameter) and five SSTs (5 meters in diameter) to be placed at the CTAO-South site;
• the optimization of the electromagnetic follow-ups (optical/infrared/radio) of the sources observed by CTAO;
• strengthening the research and development of future detectors for the CTAO;
• enhancing training and scientific support for the CTA+ program;
• supporting specific outreach activities and the CTAO headquarters in Bologna.
This talk will present the current status and main objectives of CTA+, focusing on the most recent progresses.
