Speaker
Lea Heckmann
(APC, CNRS/IN2P3 - Université de Paris Cité)
Description
Very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays provide a unique window on the most extreme astrophysical environments and are a key probe of potential multi‑messenger sources. To fully exploit this potential, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is being built as the next‑generation facility for VHE gamma‑ray astronomy, offering an order‑of‑magnitude improvement in sensitivity, a wide energy coverage from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, and rapid response to transient phenomena.
The Large-Sized Telescope prototype LST‑1 marks a major milestone toward the realization of CTAO. In this contribution, I will present the first results on Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) obtained with LST‑1 during its early science phase, highlighting its performance and scientific potential at the lowest energies accessible to imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Discoveries such as OP 313, the most distant VHE blazar detected to date, or minute‑scale variability from BL Lacertae demonstrate LST‑1’s ability to detect and characterize rapidly variable extragalactic sources.
These early AGN results show that LST‑1 is already delivering high‑quality scientific data and provide a preview of the transformative impact CTAO will have on extragalactic high‑energy astrophysics in the coming decade.
Author
Lea Heckmann
(APC, CNRS/IN2P3 - Université de Paris Cité)