Cherenkov Telescope Ring - An Idea for World Wide Monitoring of the VHE Sky

TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

^* e-mail: tim.ruhe@tu-dortmund.de
^** e-mail: dominik.elsaesser@tu-dortmund.de

Published online: 10 May 2019

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.