​The first edition of the “gamma connections in LATAM” conference will be held in Santiago de Chile from 9 to 12 December 2026.

The meeting is organized by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) with the support of ESO (European Southern Observatory), the CLAF (Latin-American Center for Physics) and SOCHIAS (Astronomical Society of Chile). 

This conference takes place at a particularly timely moment for the field. Major facilities such as CTAO are approaching the start of operations of the first intermediate array configuration, opening new opportunities for early science, while projects like SWGO (The Southern Wide-Field Gamma-Ray Observatory) are gaining momentum. At the same time, the rapid development of multi-messenger and multi-wavelength astronomy is reshaping the scientific landscape, and the growing engagement of the Latin American community is playing an increasingly important role in these efforts.

The conference will therefore focus on key topics in gamma-ray and astroparticle physics, with particular emphasis on developments in Latin America and on the evolving multi-messenger framework. The scientific programme will cover the current status of gamma-ray astronomy, future scientific capabilities, updates on the CTAO project and its early science opportunities, as well as the status of SWGO and community involvement.
 

The meeting will run over 2.5 days, starting at noon on 9 December. The programme will include invited and contributed talks.

The final day (12 December) will be fully dedicated to hands-on training sessions on very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray data analysis, including tutorials and tool demonstrations.
 

As in similar meetings, the conference is addressed to scientists in the field as well as to PhD and graduate students, with the aim of fostering lively discussions and strengthening collaboration within the community.

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