Status of HAGAR, the high altitude gamma ray observatory at Hanle

Abstract

A 7 telescope array is planned to be constructed at Hanle in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 4200m above mean sea level for detecting celestial gamma-rays. The atmospheric Cerenkov light pool created by the primary gamma-rays is sampled through wave-front sampling technique to infer the direction and energy of the incident gamma-rays. Monte Carlo simulation calculations were performed to understand the energy threshold and event trigger rates. One telescope is fabricated and shifted to Hanle after extensive tests at CREST, Hosakote. The current schedule for the fabrication of remaining telescopes, experiment and the energy threshold will be discussed.