MACE Telescope
The recent studies on active galactic nuclei by the IIA scientists are expected to help build capacity to interpret the data from the upcoming MACE telescope project.
About MACE Telescope
MACE or Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment telescope is an imaging telescope located at Hanle in Ladakh. It was built by Electronics Corporation of India and operationalised in 2016. It is the highest Cherenkov telescope in the world. It is also the 2nd largest gamma ray telescope in the world (largest is the HESS telescope in Namibia).
IACT
The MACE telescope is an example of IACT or Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope. They are used to detect very high energy gamma radiations. These rays get absorbed by the atmosphere before they reach the ground. However, when they interact with the atmosphere, they give rise to Cherenkov radiation which is then detected by the IACTs.
Cherenkov radiation
Cherenkov radiation is the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a charged particle passing through a dielectric medium at a speed more than the phase velocity of light in that medium. It is named after Pavel Cherenkov, a soviet physicist, who received the Nobel Prize in 1958 for its discovery.
