NRRP intervention area: Mission 4 – Education and Research
Component: 2 - From research to business
Investment: 3.1 - Fund for the creation of an integrated system of research and innovation infrastructures
Duration: the project will end on 30/06/2025
Total project funding: €71,477,541
Proposer: National Institute of Astrophysics
The largest Research Infrastructure dedicated to the study of the ultra-high energy sky
The objectives of CTA+ include:
- the study and construction of 2 large and 5 small telescopes to be positioned at the CTA-S site
- the optimisation of the electromagnetic follow-up of the sources followed by the Observatory, through the enhancement of Research Infrastructures led by the National Institute of Astrophysics
- the enhancement of research and development for future CTA detectors
- the creation of a prototype to measure interference between optical intensity waves
- the enhancement of training and scientific support for the CTA+ programme
- support for specific popularisation activities
- support for the CTAO headquarters in Bologna
Project structure and participation
Foundation Composition
- Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics
- Università degli Studi di Bari
- Università degli Studi di Palermo
- Università degli Studi di Siena
- Politecnico di Bari
Areas of action
The project structure is organised around 5 main nodes:
- Node 1200 - LST: construction of two Large Size Telescopes
- Node 1300 - SST: construction of five Small Size Telescopes
- Node 1400 - Optical/Radio Follows-Ups
- Node 1500 - R&D (CTA Technologies Enhancement)
- Node 1600 - Science
Project team
University of Bologna team
Scientific coordinator
Prof. Andrea Cimatti
Staff hired with project funds
Researchers
- Stefano Marchesi
Departments involved
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi" – DIFA
- University Museum Network
The activities carried out by the university research teams in this project concern:
- support for the completion of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory
- contribution to the creation of an Italian network of astrophysics PhD students specialising in gamma rays
- support to the team of scientists of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) project in the verification and validation of the two CTAO arrays during the early stages of observatory construction
- enhancement of scientific expertise in investigations in the Italian field of gamma-ray astrophysics
- popularisation and communication