Speaker
Description
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation high-energy gamma-ray observatory. It will improve the sensitivity of current instruments up to an order of magnitude while providing energy coverage for photons from 20 GeV to at least 300 TeV to reach high redshifts and extreme accelerators and will give access to the shortest timescale phenomena. CTA is thus a uniquely powerful instrument for the exploration of the violent and variable universe. The ability to probe short timescales at the highest energies will allow CTA to explore the connection between accretion and ejection phenomena surrounding compact objects, investigate the processes occurring in relativistic outflows and open up significant phase space for serendipitous discoveries. Aiming at playing a central role in the era of multi-messenger astrophysics, the CTA Transient program includes follow-up observations of a broad range of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alerts, ranging from Galactic compact object binary systems to searches for VHE counterparts to gravitational waves, high-energy neutrinos and to novel phenomena like Fast Radio Bursts. This contribution will summarize the state-of-the-art multi-messenger studies with current VHE gamma-ray facilities. We will focus mainly on searches for VHE counterparts to GWs and FRBs. We will present recent results and discuss the lessons learned and their influence on the preparation of the CTA transient program.
