Prototype tests for the CELESTE solar array gamma-ray telescope

Abstract The CELESTE experiment will be an atmospheric Cherenkov detector designed to bridge the gap in energy sensitivity between current satellite and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, 20–300 GeV. We present test results made at the former solar power plant, Themis, in the French Pyrenees. The tests confirm the viability of using a central tower heliostat array for Cherenkov wavefront sampling.