Signed the agreement for the installation of CTA observatory in the Northern Hemisphere in La Palma [NOT TRANSLATED]

The CTA-North observatory will be at the Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma, the fifth largest island in the Canary Islands. At 2,200 m above sea level and situated on a plateau below the rim of an extinct volcanic crater. This location offers excellent conditions for astronomical observation.

telescopis_1

Artistic representation of four giant telescopes proposed by CTA. Credit: IFAE, CTA Consortium

The agreement allows the construction of the matrix north of CTA in the Roque de los Muchachos and ensuring access to infrastructure and common services necessary for the operation of the Centre, including the CTA digital network connection with the rest of the world.

Under this agreement, Spain will receive 10% of the observation time, to share between the network in the northern hemisphere and the South. Spain’s future contribution to the construction of telescopes will facilitate the access of Spanish groups additional observation time as part of the Observatory key scientific programs and time to be offered in open competition to all members of the same countries.

IEEC participation

This agreement will be a major step for researchers of the IEEC, which form part of the consortium. IEEC has a relevant presence within the consortium CTA and has several research groups that have been founding members of the project.

On the one hand, the group of the Institute of Space Sciences (IEEC-CSIC), led by ICREA research professor and director of the unit, Diego F. Torres and the Ramon y Cajal researcher Emma de Oña Wilhelmi, acted as scientific director and is responsible for developing one of the major software modules, which control the observatory.

On the other, the group of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences (IEEC-UB), led by the professor and scientific director of ICCUB, Josep Maria Paredes and the aggregate professor Marc Ribó, has participated in the scientific objectives definition and they are involved in the design and production microelectronics for CTA cameras.

Finally, the group of the Centre for Studies and Space Research (IEEC-UAB), led by Lluís Font, professor in the Department of Physics at UAB and Markus Gaug, postdoctoral researcher, coordinates the central calibration facilities, including calibration of the individual telescopes, the network of telescopes, the atmosphere, and of the precision in pointing to the sources; and participates together with the Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE) in the development of advanced instrumentation for the characterization of the atmosphere. [NOT TRANSLATED]