The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a new observatory for very high-energy (VHE) gamma rays. CTA has ambitions science goals, for which it is necessary to achieve full-sky coverage, to improve the sensitivity by about an order of magnitude, to span about four decades of energy, from a few tens of GeV to above 100 TeV with enhanced angular and energy resolutions over existing VHE gamma-ray observatories. An international collaboration has formed with more than 1000 members from 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. In 2010 the CTA Consortium completed a Design Study and started a three-year Preparatory Phase which leads to production readiness of CTA in 2014. In this paper we introduce the science goals and the concept of CTA, and provide an overview of the project. ?? 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A deep survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud at ∼ 0.1−100 TeV photon energies with the Cherenkov Telescope Array is planned. We assess the detection prospects based on a model for the emission of the galaxy, comprising the four known TeV emitters, mock populations of sources, and interstellar emission on galactic scales. We also assess the detectability of 30 Doradus and SN 1987A, and the constraints that can be derived on the nature of dark matter. The survey will allow for fine spectral studies of N 157B, N 132D, LMC P3, and 30 Doradus C, and half a dozen other sources should be revealed, mainly pulsar-powered objects. The remnant from SN 1987A could be detected if it produces cosmic-ray nuclei with a flat power-law spectrum at high energies, or with a steeper index 2.3 − 2.4 pending a flux increase by a factor > 3 − 4 over ∼ 2015 − 2035. Large-scale interstellar emission remains mostly out of reach of the survey if its > 10 GeV spectrum has a soft photon index ∼ 2.7, but degree-scale 0.1 − 10 TeV pion-decay emission could be detected if the cosmic-ray spectrum hardens above >100 GeV. The 30 Doradus star-forming region is detectable if acceleration efficiency is on the order of 1 − 10% of the mechanical luminosity and diffusion is suppressed by two orders of magnitude within < 100 pc. Finally, the survey could probe the canonical velocity-averaged cross section for self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles for cuspy Navarro-Frenk-White profiles.

We investigate the method of an indirect detection of a MCP charge avalanche projected onto a resistive layer (G. Battistoni, et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth., 202 (1982) 459). If the sheet resistance is favourable one can detect the charge cloud by the capacitive coupling to an anode structure a few millimetres behind the layer. The anode structure can be, for example, a wedge-and-strip electrode pattern (M. Unverzagt, Diplomarbeit, Universit. at Frankfurt 1992, private communication) as it is used for directly collecting the electron avalanche from a MCP.Detection of the induced charge is beneficial in several respects. Firstly, image distortions produced by secondary electron mediated charge redistribution are eliminated. Secondly, the noise component due to quantized charge collection, commonly referred to as partition noise, is not present. In addition, the dielectric substrate can function both as an element of the vacuum enclosure and HV insulator, making the electrical connections easily accessible and the pattern operable at ground potential, independently of detector operating voltages. This technique can be used to simplify the electronic design requirements where varying high voltages are required at the detector input face such as plasma analysers, etc. It also has application in the manufacture of intensifier tubes (J. Barnstedt, M. Grewing, Nucl. Instr. and Meth., these proceedings) where the inclusion of a readout pattern inside the intensifier body with associated electrical feed-throughs can prove problematic.We will present data on the performance of such detection geometries using several types of charge division anode, and discuss the advantages compared with the ''traditional'' charge collecting method. r

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The Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) is one of the instruments which makes up the scientific payload &the SOLAR-A mission. The spectrometer employs four bent germanium crystals, views the whole Sun and observes the resonance line complexes of H-like FexxvI and He-like Fexxv, CaxIx, and S xv in four narrow wavelength ranges with a resolving power ()o/A,t) of between 3000 and 6000. The spectrometer has approaching ten times better sensitivity than that of previous instruments thus permitting a time resolution of better than 1 s to be achieved. The principal aim is the measurement of the properties of the 10 to 50 million K plasma created in solar flares with special emphasis on the heating and dynamics of the plasma during the impulsive phase, This paper summarizes the scientific objectives of the BCS and describes the design, characteristics, and performance of the spectrometers.