H.E.S.S.: The High Energy Stereoscopic System
The H.E.S.S. array is an Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) system for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy in the energy regime above 100 GeV. The experiment is located in the Khomas highland of Namibia known for its good optical quality and optimal observation conditions of the inner part of our Galaxy. The instrument allows to detect gamma-ray sources with an intensity at the level of 1/1000th of the flux of the Crab nebula, the standard candle in ground-based gamma-ray astronomy.
The H.E.S.S. experiment is operational since the end of 2003 and has opened a new window to the cosmos documented in the discovery of extended sources and a large variety of gamma-ray sources. See the H.E.S.S. source of the month archive for a selection of recent discoveries and follow H.E.S.S. on Twitter.
The Erlangen H.E.S.S. group
The Erlangen group is working on the study of Galactic gamma-ray sources with special emphasis on the search for the accelerators of cosmic rays. The group is responsible for the central data aquisition system and the central software framework of the H.E.S.S. experiment.