33RD INTERNATIONAL COSMIC RAY CONFERENCE, RIO DE JANEIRO 2013 THE ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS CONFERENCE Highlights from the VERITAS Blazar Program

Abstract: VERITAS is an array of four 12-m imaging Cherenkov telescopes, sensitive to gamma rays in the energy range from 85 GeV to 30 TeV. VERITAS dedicates roughly 40 % of its total observing time to blazars. We present recent highlights from the VERITAS blazar discovery and long-term monitoring programs. These observations have led to 25 blazar detections, including 10 VHE discoveries. The VERITAS cameras were recently upgraded, lowering the energy threshold and enhancing the sensitivity. This upgrade helped to establish four new blazar detections with data taken after the completion of the upgrade in summer 2012