Abstract
With very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy becoming a mature branch of observational astrophysics, and the multi-messenger sky being opened up by neutrino observatories and gravitational wave detectors, we here propose to set up a ring of imaging air Cherenkov telescopes – the Cherenkov Telescope Ring (CTR). The aim of this proposed project would be to facilitate continuous monitoring of sources on the VHE- and multi-messenger sky with minimal time delays and with high sensitivity. Development time and construction cost could be kept comparatively low by both including existing facilities into the monitoring effort, and by relying on substantial previous expertise gained in the community on the road towards the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). This way, the Ring could prove to be a highly efficient facility greatly enhancing the science prospects for future ground-based high-energy astrophysics.
Highlights
Over the preceding quarter of a century, Cherenkov astronomy evolved from a pioneering technology to a well-established method to unveil the existence and energy budget of high energy gamma-ray sources
The findings obtained with Cherenkov telescopes are essential to uncover the astrophysical properties of Galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray sources, important for the understanding of the cosmological past of our Universe and occasionally they even yield unique information for questions from the field of particle physics [1]
By performing measurements of single sources, up to now only a part of the sky was covered by Cherenkov observations at a limited sensitivity level
Summary
Over the preceding quarter of a century, Cherenkov astronomy evolved from a pioneering technology to a well-established method to unveil the existence and energy budget of high energy gamma-ray sources. The comparably small and with energy even rapidly decreasing high-energy gamma-ray flux, mandates long Cherenkov observation times per source. Complete time-surveys of objects in the high-energy gamma sky are, not straightforward. We propose to set up a ring of telescopes around the globe with an individual sensitivity of at least ten percent of the Crab flux in the energy range above a few hundred GeV. This ring might include existing telescopes, either in the form of a legacy use, or via dedication of observation time. It will have to be completed with new instruments designed for robotic operations
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