Introduction
Gamma rays and protons are subatomic particles that play an important role in astrophysics. Gamma rays are high-energy photons, while protons are positively charged particles found in the nucleus of atoms.
They are produced by very energetic cosmic sources such as supernovas, black holes and pulsars. They are detected by specialized telescopes due to their high energy.
Cherenkov telescopes are a way to detect them by observing the Cherenkov light produced when these particles interact with Earth's atmosphere. They capture this light to determine the type of particle, its origin and its energy. This information is then used to better understand the functioning of astrophysical sources as well as the phenomena of particle acceleration at very high energies.
To learn more about gamma rays and how CTAO works, you can watch this short video (in English) or refer to the section on Gamma Ray Science.