Highlights from the VERITAS Blazar Program

TL;DR

VERITAS, an array of Cherenkov telescopes, has significantly advanced blazar research by detecting 25 blazars, including 10 new VHE sources, with recent upgrades improving sensitivity and discovery capabilities.

Contribution

This paper reports the recent discoveries and monitoring results from VERITAS blazar observations, highlighting the impact of recent camera upgrades on detection sensitivity.

Findings

25 blazar detections including 10 VHE discoveries

Upgrade of VERITAS cameras improved sensitivity and lowered energy threshold

Four new blazars detected after the upgrade

Abstract

VERITAS is an array of four 12-m imaging Cherenkov telescopes, sensitive to gamma rays in the energy range from 85 GeV to 30 TeV. VERITAS dedicates roughly 40% of its total observing time to blazars. We present recent highlights from the VERITAS blazar discovery and long-term monitoring programs. These observations have led to 25 blazar detections, including 10 VHE discoveries. The VERITAS cameras were recently upgraded, lowering the energy threshold and enhancing the sensitivity. This upgrade helped to establish four new blazar detections with data taken after the completion of the upgrade in summer 2012.