Veritas: Status c. 2009

TL;DR

VERITAS is a highly sensitive ground-based gamma-ray observatory operating since 2007, using Cherenkov telescopes to detect VHE gamma-ray sources, with recent updates on its status and new source detections.

Contribution

This paper provides an update on the operational status and recent discoveries of VERITAS as of 2009, highlighting its capabilities and new gamma-ray sources.

Findings

VERITAS has detected several new VHE gamma-ray sources.

The observatory has maintained high reliability and sensitivity since 2007.

VERITAS operates effectively in the 100 GeV to 50 TeV energy range.

Abstract

VERITAS is a ground-based gamma-ray observatory that uses the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique and operates in the very high-energy (VHE) region of the gamma- ray spectrum from 100 GeV to 50 TeV. The observatory consists of an array of four 12m-diameter imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes located in southern Arizona, USA. The four-telescope array has been fully operational since September 2007, and over the last two years, VERITAS has been operating with high reliability and sensitivity. It is currently one of the most sensitive VHE observatories. This paper summarizes the status of VERITAS as of October, 2009, and describes the detection of several new VHE gamma-ray sources.