The ASTRI Mini-Array Science Case
Abstract
ASTRI is a Flagship Project financed by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, and led by INAF, the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics. Within this framework, INAF is currently developing an end-to-end prototype of a Small Size Telescope in a dual-mirror configuration (SST-2M) for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), scheduled to start data acquisition in 2014. Although the ASTRI SST-2M prototype is mainly a technological demonstrator, it will perform scientific observations of the Crab Nebula, Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 at E>1 TeV. A remarkable improvement in terms of performance could come from the operation, in 2016, of a SST-2M mini-array, composed of a few SST-2M telescopes to be placed at final CTA Southern Site. The SST mini-array will be able to study in great detail relatively bright sources (a few x 10E-12 erg/cm2/s at 10 TeV) with angular resolution of a few arcmin and energy resolution of about 10-15%. Thanks to the stereo approach, it will be possible to verify the wide field of view (FoV) performance through the detections of very high-energy showers with core located at a distance up to 500 m, to compare the mini-array performance with the Monte Carlo expectations by means of deep observations of selected targets, and to perform the first CTA science at the beginning of the mini-array operations. Prominent sources such as extreme blazars, nearby well-known BL Lac objects and radio-galaxies, galactic pulsar wind nebulae, supernovae remnants, micro-quasars, and the Galactic Center can be observed in a previously unexplored energy range, in order to investigate the electron acceleration and cooling, relativistic and non relativistic shocks, the search for cosmic-ray (CR) Pevatrons, the study of the CR propagation, and the impact of the extragalactic background light on the spectra of the sources.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1307.5671,
title = {The ASTRI Mini-Array Science Case},
author = {S. Vercellone and G. Agnetta and L. A. Antonelli and D. Bastieri and G. Bellassai and M. Belluso and C. Bigongiari and S. Billotta and B. Biondo and G. Bonanno and G. Bonnoli and P. Bruno and A. Bulgarelli and R. Canestrari and M. Capalbi and P. Caraveo and A. Carosi and E. Cascone and O. Catalano and M. Cereda and P. Conconi and V. Conforti and G. Cusumano and V. De Caprio and A. De Luca and A. Di Paola and F. Di Pierro and D. Fantinel and M. Fiorini and D. Fugazza and D. Gardiol and M. Ghigo and F. Gianotti and S. Giarrusso and E. Giro and A. Grillo and D. Impiombato and S. Incorvaia and A. La Barbera and N. La Palombara and V. La Parola and G. La Rosa and L. Lessio and G. Leto and S. Lombardi and F. Lucarelli and M. C. Maccarone and G. Malaguti and G. Malaspina and V. Mangano and D. Marano and E. Martinetti and R. Millul and T. Mineo and A. Misto' and C. Morello and G. Morlino and M. R. Panzera and G. Pareschi and G. Rodeghiero and P. Romano and F. Russo and B. Sacco and N. Sartore and J. Schwarz and A. Segreto and G. Sironi and G. Sottile and A. Stamerra and E. Strazzeri and L. Stringhetti and G. Tagliaferri and V. Testa and M. C. Timpanaro and G. Toso and G. Tosti and M. Trifoglio and P. Vallania and V. Zitelli and F. Tavecchio},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1307.5671},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All ASTRI contributions at arXiv:1307.4639