  The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based
observatory for very-high energy gamma-ray astronomy. CTA will have
unparalleled sensitivity and angular resolution and will detect gamma-ray
sources nearly 100 times faster than current arrays, enabling valuable
multiwavelength and multimessenger observations. The Schwarzschild-Couder
Telescope (SCT) is a candidate for the Medium-Sized telescope in CTA. A
prototype SCT (pSCT) has been constructed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple
Observatory in Arizona USA. Its camera is currently partially instrumented with
1600 pixels (2.7 degree FOV). The small plate scale of the optical system
allows densely packed silicon photomultipliers to be used, which combined with
high-density trigger and waveform readout electronics enable the
high-resolution camera. The camera's electronics are capable of imaging air
shower development with waveform readout with nanosecond resolution. The pSCT
was inaugurated in January 2019, with commissioning continuing throughout that
year. The first campaign of observations with the pSCT was conducted in January
and February of 2020. Gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula was detected with
a significance of 8.6 sigma. An upgrade to the pSCT camera is currently
underway. The upgrade will fully populate the focal plane, increasing the field
of view to 8 degrees diameter, and lower the front-end electronics noise,
enabling a lower trigger threshold and improved reconstruction and background
rejection.
