Event details

Date
July 19, 2026  – July 24, 2026
Location
Haus Sexten - Via Dolomiti 45, 39030, Sexten

Scientific Rationale

Although celestial sources emitting in the few tens of GeV up to a few TeV are being thoroughly
investigated by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays such as H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and
VERITAS, at higher energies, up to a few PeV, more suitable instrumentation is required to detect
ultra-high-energy photons, such as extensive air shower arrays, as HAWC, LHAASO, Tibet ASγ.

The Italian National Institute for Astrophysics has recently become the leader of an international project,
the ASTRI Mini-Array, to install and operate an array of nine dual-mirror Cherenkov telescopes at the
Observatorio del Teide, in Spain, starting the early science operations already in 2025. The ASTRI
Mini-Array is expected to span a wide range of energies (1–200 TeV), with a large field of view
(approximately 10 degrees) and an angular and energy resolution of ∼3 arcmin and ∼10%,
respectively.

The first four years of operations will be dedicated to the exploitation of ASTRI Core
Science, with a limited selection of very deep pointings to address some of the fundamental
questions on the origin of cosmic rays, cosmology, and fundamental physics, the time-domain
astrophysics and non -ray studies (e.g., stellar intensity interferometry and direct measurements of
cosmic rays). Subsequently, four more years will be dedicated to ASTRI Observatory Science, open
to the scientific community through the submission of observational proposals selected on a
competitive basis. At the same time, up to 40 telescopes based on the same optical design of the
ASTRI Mini-Array ones will be installed at the southern site of the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope
Array Observatory, to constitute its array of Small Sized Telescopes, capable of exploring the very
high energy gamma-ray sky above several TeV with unprecedented sensitivity. This conference will
address both the technological and scientific aspects of small-sized telescopes for CTAO and ASTRI,
considering the synergies with current and upcoming observational facilities.

Organizers

SOC
Josefa Becerra Gonzalez
Giacomo Bonnoli (Chair)
Pierre Cristofari
Stefan Funk
Jim Hinton
Francesco Longo
Giovanni Pareschi
Gianpiero Tagliaferri
Stefano Vercellone
Roberta Zanin
Andreas Zech

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Payment details

Registration Fee
300€
Workshop code for bus and payment
N2426