Long-term monitoring of bright blazars with a dedicated Cherenkov telescope

Abstract

Blazar observations in VHE Gamma‐rays show intensity variations on time scales of minutes to years, most frequently with variability times of about one day. They could be caused by the interaction of relativistic jets with the surroundings, but also carry the signature of internal processes of the central engine, possibly binary systems of supermassive black holes. Ultimately, long‐term monitoring with 24‐hour coverage is needed in addition to the shorter high sensitivity exposures provided by telescopes such as MAGIC, VERITAS and H.E.S.S., in order to study the physical origin of such flaring activity. This can be achieved with a global network of small robotic Cherenkov telescopes. As a first step, we plan to set up a fully dedicated small Cherenkov telescope and carry out joint observations with the Whipple 10 m monitor telescope. The new low cost, but high performance telescope will be the upgrade of one of the former HEGRA telescopes, still located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the Canarian Island of La Palma (Spain). The most important novelties will be its robotic operation and novel camera, greatly improving its sensitivity and lowering the energy threshold.