17 July, 2015 – The astronomical sites of La Palma (Canary Islands) and Paranal (Chile) have been chosen to host the world’s largest observatory for the detection of gamma rays. Yesterday, the committee responsible for the administration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) decided after months of careful scientific studies to begin negotiating with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Paranal for the installation of an observation site in the southern hemisphere. The CTA is also negotiating with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) in La Palma for the installation of a site in the northern hemisphere. The committee was composed of members from Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Namibia, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. For Italy, the representative of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) was Professor Antonio Masiero from the University of Padova. With the sites choice completed, now begins to Executive Phase of the CTA Project for the observation of very high energy gamma rays. “Gamma rays – explains Professor Alessandro De Angelis, National Responsible for the CTA Telescope within the National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Director of Research in the Padova section – are photons, such as those that make up visible light, but with a much higher energy charge. They can be observed from large telescopes on the ground – said De Angelis – who observe the so-called ‘Cherenkov light’, the glow emitted by the particles produced in the interaction of photons with the nuclei of the atmosphere. The INFN and Italian Universities including that of Padua are leaders in this technology thanks to the construction of the MAGIC telescope in La Palma, next to which in October will be placed the first of the large CTA telescopes.” (Red)
