Operation of VERITAS in the Epoch 2006-2009

该提案要求资金支持2006-2009年高能辐射成像望远镜阵列系统（VERITAS）的日常运行。VERITAS是一个由4个12米口径望远镜组成的阵列，用于极高能量（VHE）的伽玛射线天文学，范围为50 GeV至50 TeV。VERITAS合作由十个小组组成，七个在美国，加拿大、英国和爱尔兰各一个。VERITAS的开发和建设得到了美国国家科学基金会、美国能源部、史密森学会以及英国粒子物理与天文研究委员会、加拿大自然科学与工程研究委员会和爱尔兰企业的大力支持。VERITAS望远镜阵列将采用大气成像切伦科夫技术，该技术是在惠普尔天文台的10米望远镜上首创的。VERITAS将实现比上一代VHE伽玛射线望远镜更好的通量灵敏度，并将成为北半球最灵敏的VHE伽玛射线天文台。目前，所有四台望远镜都部署在惠普尔天文台大本营的一个临时地点；在2007-2008年的观测季节，这些望远镜将在工程阶段同时收集数据，然后转移到一个永久的地点。

This proposal requests funds to support the routine operation of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) for 2006-2009. VERITAS is an array of four 12 m aperture telescopes for gamma-ray astronomy in the very high energy (VHE), 50 GeV to 50 TeV, range. The VERITAS Collaboration is composed of ten groups, seven in the US, and one each in Canada, the UK and Ireland. The development and construction of VERITAS has been supported by the NSF, the DoE, the Smithsonian Institution and by substantial contributions from the UK's Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by Enterprise Ireland.The VERITAS telescope array will employ the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique which was pioneered at the Whipple Observatory's 10 m telescope. VERITAS will achieve an order of magnitude better flux sensitivity than the previous generation of VHE gamma-ray telescopes and will be the most sensitive VHE gamma-ray observatory in the Northern hemisphere. At this time, all four telescopes have been deployed at a temporary site at the Whipple Observatory Base Camp; these will be operated, in an engineering phase with all four telescopes simultaneously collecting data, through the 2007-2008 observing seasons, before moving to a permanent site.