Large Size Telescope Report

TL;DR

This paper describes the design, construction, and deployment plans of the Large Size Telescopes for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, focusing on their technical specifications, prototyping results, and installation process.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the LSTs' design, innovative lightweight structure, and the ongoing deployment for gamma-ray astronomy in the 20-200 GeV range.

Findings

Successful design completion and prototyping of LST components

First LST installation began in July 2016 at La Palma

Technical solutions meet the CTA science requirements

Abstract

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will be deployed over two sites in the two hemispheres. Both sites will be equipped with four Large Size Telescopes (LSTs), which are crucial to achieve the science goals of CTA in the 20-200 GeV energy range. Each LST is equipped with a primary tessellated mirror dish of 23 m diameter, supported by a structure made mainly of carbon fibre reinforced plastic tubes and aluminum joints. This solution guarantees light weight (around 100 tons), essential for fast repositioning to any position in the sky in <20 seconds. The camera is composed of 1855 photomultiplier tubes and embeds the control, readout and trigger electronics. The detailed design is now complete and production of the first LST, which will serve as a prototype for the remaining seven, is ongoing. The installation of the first LST at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Canary island of La Palma (Spain) started in July 2016. In this paper we will outline the technical solutions adopted to fulfill the design requirements, present results of element prototyping and describe the installation and operation plans.