Status of the CTA medium size telescope prototype

TL;DR

This paper reports on the development and testing status of the Cherenkov Telescope Array's medium size prototype, focusing on structural, mechanical, and safety system evaluations without full instrumentation.

Contribution

It provides an update on the construction, testing, and operational readiness of the CTA medium size telescope prototype, highlighting structural and safety system assessments.

Findings

Structural and drive system tests completed

Safety systems evaluated and validated

Prototype setup scheduled for autumn 2012

Abstract

We present here the status of the medium size prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The main reasons to build the prototype are the test of the steel structure, the training of various mounting operations, the test of the drive system and the test of the safety system. The essential difference between the medium size telescope prototype and a fully instrumented are that the camera is not instrumented and only a part of the mounted mirrors are optical mirrors. Insofar no high energy gamma rays can be detected by the prototype telescope. The prototype will be setup in autumn 2012 in Berlin.