The CTA Observatory

Abstract

In recent years, ground-based very-high-energy (VHE_s19 E>100 GeV) gamma-ray astronomy has experienced a major breakthrough with the impressive astrophysical results obtained mainly by the current generation experiments like H.E.S.S., MAGIC, MILAGRO and VERITAS. The ground-based Imaging Air Cherenkov Technique for detecting VHE gamma-rays has matured, and a fast assembly of inexpensive and robust telescopes is possible. The goal for the next generation of instruments is to increase their sensitivity by a factor >10 compared to current facilities, to extend the accessible gamma-ray energies from a few tens of GeV to a hundred TeV, and to improve on other parameters like the energy and angular resolution (improve the point-spread function by a factor 4-5 w.r.t. current instruments). The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project is an initiative to build the next generation ground-based gamma-ray instrument, will serve as an observatory to a wide astrophysics community. I discuss the key physics goals and resulting design considerations for CTA, the envisaged technical solutions chosen, and the organizational and operational requirements for operating such a large-scale facility as well as the specific needs of VHE gamma-ray astronomy.