Particle Physics Seminar

Date: Wednesday 9^th March 2005

Title: The H.E.S.S. Cherenkov Telescope

Speaker: Dr Paula Chadwick (Durham)

Abstract

Very High Energy (VHE) gamma rays are generally considered to be those with energies above about 20 GeV, and are detected using ground-based telescopes employing the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique. The construction and operation of four major new VHE gamma ray observatories around the world in the last few years has led to a large expansion in the field, and to the opening of the VHE gamma ray window for astronomical investigation. The first of these observatories to be fully operational, the European/African H.E.S.S. telescopes, have been providing many new results over the past year, including the first-ever image of an astronomical object at these extreme energies. This talk will review the latest results from H.E.S.S. and look at the system's future development.