CTA Observatory

We provide an updated assessment of the power of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to search for thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale, via the associated gamma-ray signal from pair-annihilating dark matter particles in the region around the Galactic centre. We find that CTA will open a new window of discovery potential, significantly extending the range of robustly testable models given a standard cuspy profile of the dark matter density distribution. Importantly, even for a cored profile, the projected sensitivity of CTA will be sufficient to probe various well-motivated models of thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale. This is due to CTA's unprecedented sensitivity, angular and energy resolutions, and the planned observational strategy. The survey of the inner Galaxy will cover a much larger region than corresponding previous observational campaigns with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. CTA will map with unprecedented precision the large-scale diffuse emission in high-energy gamma rays, constituting a background for dark matter searches for which we adopt state-of-the-art models based on current data. Throughout our analysis, we use up-to-date event reconstruction Monte Carlo tools developed by the CTA consortium, and pay special attention to quantifying the level of instrumental systematic uncertainties, as well as background template systematic errors, required to probe thermally produced dark matter at these energies.

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array for probing cosmology and fundamental physics with gamma-ray propagation, Abdalla, H., Abe, H., Acero, F., Acharyya, A., Adam, R., Agudo, I., Aguirre-Santaella, A., Alfaro, R., Alfaro, J., Alispach, C., Aloisio, R., Batista, R. Alves, Amati, L., Amato, E., Ambrosi, G., Angüner, E.O., Araudo, A., Armstrong, T., Arqueros, F., Arrabito, L., Asano, K., Ascasíbar, Y., Ashley, M., Backes, M., Balazs, C., Balbo, M., Balmaverde, B., Larriva, A. Baquero, Martins, V. Barbosa, Barkov, M., Baroncelli, L., de Almeida, U. Barres, Barrio, J.A., Batista, P.-I., González, J. Becerra, Becherini, Y., Beck, G., Tjus, J. Becker, Belmont, R., Benbow, W., Bernardini, E., Berti, A., Berton, M., Bertucci, B., Beshley, V., Bi, B., Biasuzzi, B., Biland, A., Bissaldi, E., Biteau, J., Blanch, O., Bocchino, F., Boisson, C., Bolmont, J., Bonanno, G., Arbeletche, L. Bonneau, Bonnoli, G., Bordas, P., Bottacini, E., Böttcher, M., Bozhilov, V., Bregeon, J., Brill, A., Brown, A.M., Bruno, P., Bruno, A., Bulgarelli, A., Burton, M., Buscemi, M., Caccianiga, A., Cameron, R., Capasso, M., Caprai, M., Caproni, A., Capuzzo-Dolcetta, R., Caraveo, P., Carosi, R., Carosi, A., Casanova, S., Cascone, E., Cauz, D., Cerny, K., Cerruti, M., Chadwick, P., Chaty, S., Chen, A., Chernyakova, M., Chiaro, G., Chiavassa, A., Chytka, L., Conforti, V., Conte, F., Contreras, J.L., Coronado-Blazquez, J., Cortina, J., Costa, A., Costantini, H., Covino, S., Cristofari, P., Cuevas, O., D'Ammando, F., Daniel, M.K., Davies, J., Dazzi, F., Angelis, A. De, de Lavergne, M. de Bony, Caprio, V. De, Anjos, R. de Cássia dos, Pino, E.M. de Gouveia Dal, Lotto, B. De, Martino, D. De, de Naurois, M., Wilhelmi, E. de Oña, Palma, F. De, de Souza, V., Delgado, C., Ceca, R. Della, Volpe, D. della, Depaoli, D., Girolamo, T. Di, Pierro, F. Di, Díaz, C., Díaz-Bahamondes, C., Diebold, S., Djannati-Ataï, A., Dmytriiev, A., Domínguez, A., Donini, A., Dorner, D., Doro, M., Dournaux, J., Dwarkadas, V.V., Ebr, J., Eckner, C., Einecke, S., Ekoume, T.R.N., Elsässer, D., Emery, G., Evoli, C., Fairbairn, M., Falceta-Goncalves, D., Fegan, S., Feng, Q., Ferrand, G., Fiandrini, E., Fiasson, A., Fioretti, V., Foffano, L., Fonseca, M.V., Font, L., Fontaine, G., Franco, F.J., Coromina, L. Freixas, Fukami, S., Fukazawa, Y., Fukui, Y., Gaggero, D., Galanti, G., Gammaldi, V., Garcia, E., Garczarczyk, M., Gascon, D., Gaug, M., Gent, A., Ghalumyan, A., Ghirlanda, G., Gianotti, F., Giarrusso, M., Giavitto, G., Giglietto, N., Giordano, F., Glicenstein, J., Goldoni, P., González, J.M., Gourgouliatos, K., Grabarczyk, T., Grandi, P., Granot, J., Grasso, D., Green, J., Grube, J., Gueta, O., Gunji, S., Halim, A., Harvey, M., Collado, T. Hassan, Hayashi, K., Heller, M., Cadena, S. Hernández, Hervet, O., Hinton, J., Hiroshima, N., Hnatyk, B., Hnatyk, R., Hoffmann, D., Hofmann, W., Holder, J., Horan, D., Hörandel, J., Horvath, P., Hovatta, T., Hrabovsky, M., Hrupec, D., Hughes, G., Hütten, M., Iarlori, M., Inada, T., Inoue, S., Insolia, A., Ionica, M., Iori, M., Jacquemont, M., Jamrozy, M., Janecek, P., Martínez, I. Jiménez, Jin, W., Jung-Richardt, I., Jurysek, J., Kaaret, P., Karas, V., Karkar, S., Kawanaka, N., Kerszberg, D., Khélifi, B., Kissmann, R., Knödlseder, J., Kobayashi, Y., Kohri, K., Komin, N., Kong, A., Kosack, K., Kubo, H., Palombara, N. La, Lamanna, G., Lang, R.G., Lapington, J., Laporte, P., Lefaucheur, J., Lemoine-Goumard, M., Lenain, J., Leone, F., Leto, G., Leuschner, F., Lindfors, E., Lloyd, S., Lohse, T., Lombardi, S., Longo, F., Lopez, A., López, M., López-Coto, R., Loporchio, S., Lucarelli, F., Luque-Escamilla, P.L., Lyard, E., Maggio, C., Majczyna, A., Makariev, M., Mallamaci, M., Mandat, D., Maneva, G., Manganaro, M., Manicò, G., Marcowith, A., Marculewicz, M., Markoff, S., Marquez, P., Martí, J., Martinez, O., Martínez, M., Martínez, G., Martínez-Huerta, H., Maurin, G., Mazin, D., Mbarubucyeye, J.D., Miranda, D. Medina, Meyer, M., Micanovic, S., Miener, T., Minev, M., Miranda, J.M., Mitchell, A., Mizuno, T., Mode, B., Moderski, R., Mohrmann, L., Molina, E., Montaruli, T., Moralejo, A., Merino, J. Morales, Morcuende-Parrilla, D., Morselli, A., Mukherjee, R., Mundell, C., Murach, T., Muraishi, H., Nagai, A., Nakamori, T., Nemmen, R., Niemiec, J., Nieto, D., Nievas, M., Nikolajuk, M., Nishijima, K., Noda, K., Nosek, D., Nozaki, S., O'Brien, P., Ohira, Y., Ohishi, M., Oka, T., Ong, R.A., Orienti, M., Orito, R., Orlandini, M., Orlando, E., Osborne, J.P., Ostrowski, M., Oya, I., Pagliaro, A., Palatka, M., Paneque, D., Pantaleo, F.R., Paredes, J.M., Parmiggiani, N., Patricelli, B., Pavletić, L., Pe'er, A., Pech, M., Pecimotika, M., Peresano, M., Persic, M., Petruk, O., Pfrang, K., Piatteli, P., Pietropaolo, E., Pillera, R., Pilszyk, B., Pimentel, D., Pintore, F., Pita, S., Pohl, M., Poireau, V., Polo, M., Prado, R.R., Prast, J., Principe, G., Produit, N., Prokoph, H., Prouza, M., Przybilski, H., Pueschel, E., Pühlhofer, G., Pumo, M.L., Punch, M., Queiroz, F., Quirrenbach, A., Rando, R., Razzaque, S., Rebert, E., Recchia, S., Reichherzer, P., Reimer, O., Reimer, A., Renier, Y., Reposeur, T., Rhode, W., Ribeiro, D., Ribó, M., Richtler, T., Rico, J., Rieger, F., Rizi, V., Rodriguez, J., Fernandez, G. Rodriguez, Ramirez, J.C. Rodriguez, Vázquez, J.J. Rodríguez, Romano, P., Romeo, G., Roncadelli, M., Rosado, J., de Leon, A. Rosales, Rowell, G., Rudak, B., Rujopakarn, W., Russo, F., Sadeh, I., Saha, L., Saito, T., Greus, F. Salesa, Sanchez, D., Sánchez-Conde, M., Sangiorgi, P., Sano, H., Santander, M., Santos, E.M., Sanuy, A., Sarkar, S., Saturni, F.G., Sawangwit, U., Scherer, A., Schleicher, B., Schovanek, P., Schussler, F., Schwanke, U., Sciacca, E., Scuderi, S., Arroyo, M. Seglar, Sergijenko, O., Servillat, M., Seweryn, K., Shalchi, A., Sharma, P., Shellard, R.C., Siejkowski, H., Sinha, A., Sliusar, V., Slowikowska, A., Sokolenko, A., Sol, H., Specovius, A., Spencer, S., Spiga, D., Stamerra, A., Stanič, S., Starling, R., Stolarczyk, T., Straumann, U., Strišković, J., Suda, Y., Świerk, P., Tagliaferri, G., Takahashi, H., Takahashi, M., Tavecchio, F., Taylor, L., Tejedor, L.A., Temnikov, P., Terrier, R., Terzic, T., Testa, V., Tian, W., Tibaldo, L., Tonev, D., Torres, D.F., Torresi, E., Tosti, L., Tothill, N., Tovmassian, G., Travnicek, P., Truzzi, S., Tuossenel, F., Umana, G., Vacula, M., Vagelli, V., Valentino, M., Vallage, B., Vallania, P., Eldik, C. van, Varner, G.S., Vassiliev, V., Acosta, M. Vázquez, Vecchi, M., Veh, J., Vercellone, S., Vergani, S., Verguilov, V., Vettolani, G.P., Viana, A., Vigorito, C.F., Vitale, V., Vorobiov, S., Vovk, I., Vuillaume, T., Wagner, S.J., Walter, R., Watson, J., White, M., White, R., Wiemann, R., Wierzcholska, A., Will, M., Williams, D.A., Wischnewski, R., Wolter, A., Yamazaki, R., Yanagita, S., Yang, L., Yoshikoshi, T., Zacharias, M., Zaharijas, G., Zaric, D., Zavrtanik, M., Zavrtanik, D., Zdziarski, A.A., Zech, A., Zechlin, H., Zhdanov, V.I., Živec, M.

Abstract We perform simulations for future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observations of RX J1713.7−3946, a young supernova remnant (SNR) and one of the brightest sources ever discovered in very high energy (VHE) gamma rays. Special attention is paid to exploring possible spatial (anti)correlations of gamma rays with emission at other wavelengths, in particular X-rays and CO/H i emission. We present a series of simulated images of RX J1713.7−3946 for CTA based on a set of observationally motivated models for the gamma-ray emission. In these models, VHE gamma rays produced by high-energy electrons are assumed to trace the nonthermal X-ray emission observed by XMM-Newton, whereas those originating from relativistic protons delineate the local gas distributions. The local atomic and molecular gas distributions are deduced by the NANTEN team from CO and H i observations. Our primary goal is to show how one can distinguish the emission mechanism(s) of the gamma rays (i.e., hadronic versus leptonic, or a mixture of the two) through information provided by their spatial distribution, spectra, and time variation. This work is the first attempt to quantitatively evaluate the capabilities of CTA to achieve various proposed scientific goals by observing this important cosmic particle accelerator.

The prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) is a candidate for a medium-sized telescope in the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The pSCT is based on a dual-mirror optics design that reduces the plate scale and allows for the use of silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors. The prototype pSCT camera currently has only the central sector instrumented with 25 camera modules (1600 pixels), providing a 2.68-deg field of view (FoV). The camera electronics are based on custom TARGET (TeV array readout with GSa/s sampling and event trigger) application-specific integrated circuits. Field programmable gate arrays sample incoming signals at a gigasample per second. A single backplane provides camera-wide triggers. An upgrade of the pSCT camera that will fully populate the focal plane is in progress. This will increase the number of pixels to 11,328, the number of backplanes to 9, and the FoV to 8.04 deg. Here, we give a detailed description of the pSCT camera, including the basic concept, mechanical design, detectors, electronics, current status, and first light.

ABSTRACT A deep survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud at ∼0.1–100 TeV photon energies with the Cherenkov Telescope Array is planned. We assess the detection prospects based on a model for the emission of the galaxy, comprising the four known TeV emitters, mock populations of sources, and interstellar emission on galactic scales. We also assess the detectability of 30 Doradus and SN 1987A, and the constraints that can be derived on the nature of dark matter. The survey will allow for fine spectral studies of N 157B, N 132D, LMC P3, and 30 Doradus C, and half a dozen other sources should be revealed, mainly pulsar-powered objects. The remnant from SN 1987A could be detected if it produces cosmic-ray nuclei with a flat power-law spectrum at high energies, or with a steeper index 2.3–2.4 pending a flux increase by a factor of >3–4 over ∼2015–2035. Large-scale interstellar emission remains mostly out of reach of the survey if its >10 GeV spectrum has a soft photon index ∼2.7, but degree-scale 0.1–10 TeV pion-decay emission could be detected if the cosmic-ray spectrum hardens above >100 GeV. The 30 Doradus star-forming region is detectable if acceleration efficiency is on the order of 1−10 per cent of the mechanical luminosity and diffusion is suppressed by two orders of magnitude within <100 pc. Finally, the survey could probe the canonical velocity-averaged cross-section for self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles for cuspy Navarro–Frenk–White profiles.

ABSTRACT A wide variety of Galactic sources show transient emission at soft and hard X-ray energies: low- and high-mass X-ray binaries containing compact objects, isolated neutron stars exhibiting extreme variability as magnetars as well as pulsar-wind nebulae. Although most of them can show emission up to MeV and/or GeV energies, many have not yet been detected in the TeV domain by Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of detecting new Galactic transients with the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) and the prospects for studying them with Target of Opportunity observations. We show that CTAO will likely detect new sources in the TeV regime, such as the massive microquasars in the Cygnus region, low-mass X-ray binaries with low-viewing angle, flaring emission from the Crab pulsar-wind nebula or other novae explosions, among others. Since some of these sources could also exhibit emission at larger time-scales, we additionally test their detectability at longer exposures. We finally discuss the multiwavelength synergies with other instruments and large astronomical facilities.

Purpose: The purpose of the ESCAPE Open-source Software and Service Repository (OSSR) is to provide a central location for the dissemination and use of trusted open-source software in the fields of astronomy, astroparticle physics, and particle physics. The repository allows users to easily access and download tools and services developed within the community, and to contribute their own tools and services. Methods: The ESCAPE project has set up a curated repository of software that provides tools and an environment to make it easy for users to find and download the software and services that they need. The repository is regularly updated and is maintained by a curation board, ensuring that the software and services are reliable and up-to-date. The curation and onboarding process makes the OSSR a trustworthy source of software that can be used for scientific analysis. The software included in the repository must include documentation and instructions and follow a set of modern best practices in software development. Training is provided to students and researchers to help them provide high-quality scientific software following modern software development practices. Outcome: The OSSR currently contains a wide range of software and services, including those for data management, data analysis, and machine learning. These tools and services are used by researchers and other users around the world. The OSSR has proven to be an effective means for disseminating and providing open-source software and services developed by the ESCAPE project partners and welcomes contributions from the entire community.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory, with dozens of telescopes located in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, will be the largest ground-based gamma-ray observatory and will provide broad energy coverage from 20 GeV to 300 TeV. The large effective area and field-of-view, coupled with the fast slewing capability and unprecedented sensitivity, make CTA a crucial instrument for the future of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. To maximise the scientific return, the array will send alerts on transients and variable phenomena (e.g. gamma-ray burst, active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray binaries, serendipitous sources). Rapid and effective communication to the community requires a reliable and automated system to detect and issue candidate science alerts. This automation will be accomplished by the Science Alert Generation (SAG) pipeline, a key system of the CTA Observatory. SAG is part of the Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) working group. The SAG working group develops the pipelines to perform data reconstruction, data quality monitoring, science monitoring and real-time alert issuing during observations to the Transients Handler functionality of ACADA. SAG is the system that performs the first real-time scientific analysis after the data acquisition. The system performs analysis on multiple time scales (from seconds to hours). SAG must issue candidate science alerts within 20 seconds from the data taking and with sensitivity at least half of the CTA nominal sensitivity. These challenging requirements must be fulfilled by managing trigger rates of tens of kHz from the arrays. Dedicated and highly optimised software and hardware architecture must thus be designed and tested. In this work, we present the general architecture of the ACADA-SAG system.

ABSTRACT The dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) orbiting the Milky Way are widely regarded as systems supported by velocity dispersion against self-gravity, and as prime targets for the search for indirect dark matter (DM) signatures in the GeV-to-TeV $\gamma$-ray range owing to their lack of astrophysical $\gamma$-ray background. We present forecasts of the sensitivity of the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) to annihilating or decaying DM signals in these targets. An original selection of candidates is performed from the current catalogue of known objects, including both classical and ultrafaint dSphs. For each, the expected DM content is derived using the most comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic data available, within a consistent framework of analysis. This approach enables the derivation of novel astrophysical factor profiles for indirect DM searches, which are compared with results from the literature. From an initial sample of 64 dSphs, eight promising targets are identified – Draco I, Coma Berenices, Ursa Major II, Ursa Minor, and Willman 1 in the North, Reticulum II, Sculptor, and Sagittarius II in the South – for which different DM density models yield consistent expectations, leading to robust predictions. CTAO is expected to provide the strongest limits above $\sim$10 TeV, reaching velocity-averaged annihilation cross sections of $\sim 5\times 10^{-25}$ cm$^3$ s$^{-1}$ and decay lifetimes up to $\sim 10^{26}$ s for combined limits. The dominant uncertainties arise from the imprecise determination of the DM content, particularly for ultrafaint dSphs. Observation strategies are proposed that optimize either deep exposures of the best candidates or diversified target selections.

Abstract The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), currently under construction, is the next-generation very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory, providing the coverage for photons in the energy range 20GeV to 300TeV. CTAO will increase detection sensitivity in the 100 GeV to 10TeV range by a factor of 5 — 10 with respect to present experiments. CTAO retrieves the properties of very-high-energy gamma-rays by measuring Cherenkov light emitted by atmospheric showers of secondary particles that incident gamma rays produce in upper layers of the atmosphere. The key for reaching the required energy measurement accuracy is a precise knowledge of the atmospheric transmittance for Cherenkov light, which can be obtained using a dedicated Raman LIDAR. The device should operate at 355nm (near the maximum of Cherenkov light spectrum) and have the capability of taking data at specific azimuth and zenith angles up to distances of 30 km, so that atmospheric transmission along all possible air-shower directions can be determined. The Barcelona Raman LIDAR (BRL) is the official CTAO Pathfinder prototype, developed for atmospheric characterization of the Northern CTAO Site at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) on the Canary island of La Palma. BRL was deployed at ORM for extensive on-field tests between February 2021 and May 2022. We report on the commissioning results, including the remote operation capabilities of the system and its contribution to the understanding of atmospheric phenomena during its deployment period. In particular, we report on the properties of the volcanic plume from the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on 22 September 2021.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the largest and most advanced ground-based facility for γ-ray astronomy. Several dozens of telescopes will be operated at both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. With the advent of multi-messenger astronomy, many new large science infrastructures will start science operations and target-of-opportunity observations will play an important role in the operation of the CTAO. The Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system deployed on each CTAO site will feature a dedicated sub-system to manage external and internal scientific alerts: the Transients Handler. It will receive, validate, and process science alerts in order to determine if target-of-opportunity observations can be triggered or need to be updated. Various tasks defined by proposal-based configurations are processed by the Transients Handler. These tasks include, among others, the evaluation of observability of targets and their correlation with known sources or objects. This contribution will discuss the concepts and design of the Transients Handler and its integration in the ACADA system.

Context. 1LHAASO J1740+0948u is a very-high-energy (VHE) source initially reported in the first catalogue by the LHAASO Collaboration, with no previous identifications and no counterpart at other wavelengths. It is detected by the KM2A instrument only, i.e. at energies above 25 TeV, with a 17.1σ significance, and also above 100 TeV at a 9.4σ level. It is located (σ RA,Dec ~ 0.02° at 95% confidence) at 0.22° from PSR J1740+1000, a faint radio and gamma-ray pulsar placed well above the Galactic plane ( b = 20.4°) that displays a long X-ray tail. Despite the offset, the two sources are likely associated with each other, since no other object has been found nearby at such a high Galactic latitude. Aims. We aim to study the diffuse X-ray emission around PSR J1740+1000 and its tail-like pulsar wind nebula (PWN) with XMM-Newton to investigate the origin of 1LHAASO J1740+0948u through a multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, testing different scenarios. Methods. We analysed ~500 ks of XMM-Newton observations of PSR J1740+1000. We studied, for the first time, the diffuse emission in two different regions: one centred on the pulsar and the other located inside the 1LHAASO J1740+0948u source region. We also studied the X-ray tail and how its emission evolves as a function of the distance from the pulsar. We then performed a fit of the SED, including the spectrum of 1LHAASO J1740+0948u and the X-ray data obtained from either the analysis of the PWN or the diffuse emission, to understand whether one of the two X-ray sources could be related to the VHE emission and attempt a source classification. Results. The X-ray analysis of the diffuse emission resulted in upper limits in the range of 0.5-10 keV. The tail-like PWN is best fitted with an absorbed power law with Γ = 1.76 ± 0.06 in the 0.5-8 keV range, with no significant detection of spectral variations with distance. The SED modelling, assuming the VHE emission to be only due to the X-ray tail, constrains its magnetic field to B = 6.8 ± 1.9 μG, which is in line with previous results. However, we do not find a good fit that could explain both the X-rays of the tail and the LHAASO spectrum with reasonable parameters, hinting that the VHE emission likely comes from an older X-ray-faint electron population. We then performed a SED fitting of the VHE spectrum combined with the upper limits on the diffuse X-ray emission, constraining the magnetic field to be as low as B ≤ 1.2 μG. We suggest that 1LHAASO J1740+0948u could represent either the relic PWN of PSR J1740+1000 or its pulsar halo. Based on our best-fit results, we estimated the energy density and obtained values ranging from 0.03 to 0.67 eV/cm 3 , depending on the spectral index of the electron distribution. These very low values suggest a halo-like nature for 1LHAASO J1740+0948u, but deeper multi-wavelength observations are required to confirm this hypothesis.

This paper presents the technical design of the pathfinder Barcelona Raman LIDAR (pBRL) for the northern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO-N) located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM). The pBRL is developed for continuous atmospheric characterization, essential for correcting high-energy gamma-ray observations captured by Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). The LIDAR consists of a steerable telescope with a 1.8 m parabolic mirror and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with frequency doubling and tripling. It emits at wavelengths of 355 nm and 532 nm to measure aerosol scattering and extinction through two elastic and Raman channels. Built upon a former Cherenkov Light Ultraviolet Experiment (CLUE) telescope, the pBRL’s design includes a Newtonian mirror configuration, a coaxial laser beam, a near-range system, a liquid light guide and a custom-made polychromator. During a one-year test at the ORM, the stability of the LIDAR and semi-remote-controlled operations were tested. This pathfinder leads the way to designing a final version of a CTAO Raman LIDAR which will provide real-time atmospheric monitoring and, as such, ensure the necessary accuracy of scientific data collected by the CTAO-N telescope array.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is the next-generation atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray project. CTAO will be deployed at two sites, one in the Northern and the other in the Southern Hemisphere, containing telescopes of three different sizes for covering different energy domains. The commissioning of the first CTAO Large-sized Telescope (LST-1) is being finalized at the CTAO Northern site. Additional calibration and environmental monitoring instruments such as laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR) instruments and weather stations will support the telescope operations. The Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system is the central element for onsite CTAO operations. ACADA controls, supervises, and handles the data generated by the telescopes and the auxiliary instruments. It will drive the efficient planning and execution of observations while handling the several Gb/s camera data generated by each CTAO telescope. The ACADA system contains the CTAO Science Alert Generation Pipeline – a real-time data processing and analysis pipeline, dedicated to the automatic generation of science alert candidates as data are being acquired. These science alerts, together with external alerts arriving from other scientific instruments, will be managed by the Transients Handler (TH) component. The TH informs the Short-term Scheduler of ACADA about interesting science alerts, enabling the modification of ongoing observations at sub-minute timescales. The capacity for such fast reactions – together with the fast movement of CTAO telescopes – makes CTAO an excellent instrument for studying high-impact astronomical transient phenomena. The ACADA software is based on the Alma Common Software (ACS) framework, and written in C++, Java, Python, and Javascript. The first release of the ACADA software, ACADA REL1, was finalized in July 2023, and integrated after a testing campaign with the LST-1 finalized in October 2023. This contribution describes the design and status of the ACADA software system.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) embodies the next phase of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy, engineered to function in the age of multimessenger astronomy. This observatory consists of two arrays, accommodating a collective count of more than 60 Cherenkov telescopes. These telescopes are strategically positioned in both the Northern hemisphere on La Palma Island, Spain, and the Southern hemisphere at Paranal, Chile. CTAO integrates a diverse array of telescope designs and scientific instruments, all collaboratively working to achieve unmatched sensitivity and energy coverage. This collective effort aims to advance the exploration of transient phenomena within the GeV-TeV range. This paper delineates the ongoing development of the monitoring, logging, and alarm subsystems within the Array Control and Data Acquisition System (ACADA) for the CTAO. The Monitoring System (MON) is tasked with overseeing and logging the overall conditions of the array. It has the capability to acquire the fundamental data required to enable predictive maintenance to minimize system downtime. The MON provides an unified tool for monitoring data items from telescopes and calibration instruments at CTAO sites, ensuring immediate availability for operators and facilitating quick-look quality checks. Meanwhile, the Array Alarm System (AAS) collects, filters, and exposes alarms originating from ACADA processes and array elements, thereby enhancing observational efficiency. This paper outlines the MON and AAS, including the technological implementation choices.

The gamma-ray binary HESS J0632+057 has been observed at very-high energies (E $>$ 100 GeV) for more than ten years by the major systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. We present a summary of results obtained with the H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS experiments based on roughly 440 h of observations in total. This includes a discussion of an unusually bright TeV outburst of HESS J0632+057 in January 2018. The updated gamma-ray light curve now covers all phases of the orbital period with significant detections in almost all orbital phases. Results are discussed in context with simultaneous observations with the X-ray Telescope onboard the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.

The Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system is the central software infrastructure enabling on-site operations of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), the world’s largest ground-based gamma ray facility. Designed to control over sixty telescopes of three classes, as well as a diverse suite of atmospheric monitoring and calibration instruments, ACADA integrates supervisory control, data acquisition, scheduling, alert handling, and real-time scientific analysis into a coherent, distributed architecture built on the Alma Common Software (ACS) framework.

We present the data processing and preservation system for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). The CTAO is the next-generation very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory currently under construction at Paranal (Chile) and Observatory Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma, Spain). The data processing system handles the transfer of the petabytes of data generated by the Observatory and processes them into science-ready data products. The system also performs data qualification of low-level data from the Observatory and generates and processes simulation data required to model the instrument response. The data are processed in parallel workflows across different CTAO data centers and are managed at large scale at distributed locations. We describe the infrastructure used for preservation of the data and for execution of the data processing workflows.

The Barcelona Raman LIDAR (BRL) project is developing a LIDAR for online aerosol characterization of the northern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO-N). Such telescopes observe Cherenkov light emitted throughout the lower stratosphere and the troposphere, the aerosol and cloud profiles of which must be continuously monitored. Requirements include the ability to take aerosol extinction profiles to distances of more than 30 km and time scales of less than a minute after pointing to any target in the sky down to 25° altitude. The BRL consists of a 1.8 m parabolic mirror and a pulsed Nd-YAG laser. A liquid light guide collects the light at the focal plane and transports it to an in-house built polychromator unit. A prototype of the device was brought to the site and tested, the experience of which has resulted in a few improvements to the system.

Most modern studies of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) rely on broadband spectral analyses to constrain the plethora of particle acceleration and emission processes. Traditional analysis methods are often hindered by the use of proprietary tools tailored for each participating instrument, making it challenging to integrate multi-wavelength data in a consistent, reproducible, and statistically correct way. In this work, we present a unified framework using the open-source tool gammapy to perform a forward-folding spectral analysis of AGN data from the optical to gamma-rays (over 11 decades in energy), enabling the full incorporation of instrument response functions and astrophysical backgrounds, while reducing biases associated with the traditional flux point analysis. It also offers a flexible and compact data format to store and distribute the data and telescope information. We demonstrate its capabilities with data from the quasars OP 313 and 4C +27.50, which underwent flaring activity during 2024. Our analysis includes optical data from the Liverpool Telescope, UV data from {\it Swift}-UVOT, X-ray data from {\it Swift}-XRT and NuSTAR, and gamma-ray data from {\it Fermi}-LAT. We validate the analysis against native tools for each instrument, and discuss the prospects for future multi-wavelength and time-domain astrophysical studies of AGN.