Performance of the Mechanical Structure of the SST-2M GCT Proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

TL;DR

This paper discusses the mechanical structure design and recent progress of the Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT), a prototype for the Small Size Telescopes in the Cherenkov Telescope Array, aimed at high-energy gamma-ray observation.

Contribution

It presents the latest mechanical design developments and assembly progress of the GCT prototype for CTA's SST sub-array.

Findings

Mechanical design aligns with CTA specifications

Successful assembly and installation of the GCT prototype

Progress supports future deployment of GCT telescopes

Abstract

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) consortium aims to create the next generation Very High Energy gamma-ray observatory. It will be devoted to the observation of gamma rays over a wide band of energy, from 20 GeV to 300 TeV. Three different classes, Large, Medium and Small Size Telescopes, are foreseen to cover the low, intermediate and high energy regions, respectively. The energy range of the Small Size Telescopes (SSTs) extends from 1 TeV to 300 TeV. Among them, the Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT), a telescope based on a Schwarzschild-Couder dual-mirror optical design, is one of the prototypes under construction proposed for the SST sub-array of CTA. This contribution focuses on the mechanical structure of GCT. It reports on last progress on the mechanical design and discusses this in the context of CTA specifications. Recent advances in the assembly and installation of the opto-mechanical prototype of GCT on the French site of the Paris Observatory are also described.