Pi of the Sky – all-sky, real-time search for fast optical transients

An apparatus to search for optical flashes in the sky is described. It has been optimized for optical counterparts of gamma ray bursts (GRB). It consists of 2×16 cameras covering all the sky. The sky is monitored continuously and the data are analyzed on-line. The apparatus has self-triggering capability and can react to external triggers with negative delay. The prototype with two cameras has been installed at Las Campanas (Chile) and is operational from July 2004. The paper presents the general idea of the experiment and describes the apparatus in detail. The performance of the prototype is briefly reviewed and perspectives for the future are outlined.