Technical and scientific performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder telescope for CTA

C. B. Adams; G. Ambrosi; M. Ambrosio; C. Aramo; P. I. Batista; W. Benbow; B. Bertucci; E. Bissaldi; M. Bitossi; A. Boiano; C. Bonavolontà; R. Bose; A. Brill; A. M. Brown; J. H. Buckley; R. Canestrari; M. Capasso; M. Caprai; C. E. Covault; D. De Paoli; L. Di Venere; M. Errando; S. Fegan; Q. Feng; E. Fiandrini; A. Furniss; A. Gent; N. Giglietto; F. Giordano; E. Giro; R. Halliday; O. Hervet; J. Holder; T. B. Humensky; S. Incardona; M. Ionica; W. Jin; D. B. Kieda; F. Licciulli; S. Loporchio; G. Marsella; V. Masone; K. Meagher; T. Meures; B. A. W. Mode; S. A. I. Mognet; R. Mukherjee; D. Nieto; A. Okumura; N. Otte; F. R. Pantaleo; R. Paoletti; G. Pareschi; F. Di Pierro; E. Pueschel; D. Ribeiro; L. Riitano; E. Roache; D. Ross; J. Rousselle; A. Rugliancich; M. Santander; R. Shang; L. Stiaccini; H. Tajima; L. P. Taylor; L. Tosti; G. Tovmassian; G. Tripodo; V. Vagelli; M. Valentino; J. J. Vanderbrouke; V. V. Vassiliev; J. J. Watson; R. White; D. A. Williams; P. Yu; A. Zink

doi:10.1117/12.2594580

24 August 2021 Technical and scientific performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder telescope for CTA

C. B. Adams, G. Ambrosi, M. Ambrosio, C. Aramo, P. I. Batista, W. Benbow, B. Bertucci, E. Bissaldi, M. Bitossi, A. Boiano, C. Bonavolontà, R. Bose, A. Brill, A. M. Brown, J. H. Buckley, R. Canestrari, M. Capasso, M. Caprai, C. E. Covault, D. De Paoli, L. Di Venere, M. Errando, S. Fegan, Q. Feng, E. Fiandrini, A. Furniss, A. Gent, N. Giglietto, F. Giordano, E. Giro, R. Halliday, O. Hervet, J. Holder, T. B. Humensky, S. Incardona, M. Ionica, W. Jin, D. B. Kieda, F. Licciulli, S. Loporchio, G. Marsella, V. Masone, K. Meagher, T. Meures, B. A. W. Mode, S. A. I. Mognet, R. Mukherjee, D. Nieto, A. Okumura, N. Otte, F. R. Pantaleo, R. Paoletti, G. Pareschi, F. Di Pierro, E. Pueschel, D. Ribeiro, L. Riitano, E. Roache, D. Ross, J. Rousselle, A. Rugliancich, M. Santander, R. Shang, L. Stiaccini, H. Tajima, L. P. Taylor, L. Tosti, G. Tovmassian, G. Tripodo, V. Vagelli, M. Valentino, J. J. Vanderbrouke, V. V. Vassiliev, J. J. Watson, R. White, D. A. Williams, P. Yu, A. Zink

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11820, Astronomical Optics: Design, Manufacture, and Test of Space and Ground Systems III; 118200E (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594580
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2021, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based observatory for very-high-energy gamma rays. One candidate design for CTA's medium-sized telescopes consists of the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT), featuring innovative dual-mirror optics. The SCT project has built and is currently operating a 9.7-m prototype SCT (pSCT) at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO); such optical design enables the use of a compact camera with state-of-the art silicon photomultiplier detectors. A partially-equipped camera has recently successfully detected the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of 8.6 standard deviations. A funded upgrade of the pSCT focal plane sensors and electronics is currently ongoing, which will bring the total number of channels from 1600 to 11328 and the telescope field of view from about 2.7° to 8° . In this work, we will describe the technical and scientific performance of the pSCT.

Conference Presentation

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C. B. Adams, G. Ambrosi, M. Ambrosio, C. Aramo, P. I. Batista, W. Benbow, B. Bertucci, E. Bissaldi, M. Bitossi, A. Boiano, C. Bonavolontà, R. Bose, A. Brill, A. M. Brown, J. H. Buckley, R. Canestrari, M. Capasso, M. Caprai, C. E. Covault, D. De Paoli, L. Di Venere, M. Errando, S. Fegan, Q. Feng, E. Fiandrini, A. Furniss, A. Gent, N. Giglietto, F. Giordano, E. Giro, R. Halliday, O. Hervet, J. Holder, T. B. Humensky, S. Incardona, M. Ionica, W. Jin, D. B. Kieda, F. Licciulli, S. Loporchio, G. Marsella, V. Masone, K. Meagher, T. Meures, B. A. W. Mode, S. A. I. Mognet, R. Mukherjee, D. Nieto, A. Okumura, N. Otte, F. R. Pantaleo, R. Paoletti, G. Pareschi, F. Di Pierro, E. Pueschel, D. Ribeiro, L. Riitano, E. Roache, D. Ross, J. Rousselle, A. Rugliancich, M. Santander, R. Shang, L. Stiaccini, H. Tajima, L. P. Taylor, L. Tosti, G. Tovmassian, G. Tripodo, V. Vagelli, M. Valentino, J. J. Vanderbrouke, V. V. Vassiliev, J. J. Watson, R. White, D. A. Williams, P. Yu, and A. Zink "Technical and scientific performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder telescope for CTA", Proc. SPIE 11820, Astronomical Optics: Design, Manufacture, and Test of Space and Ground Systems III, 118200E (24 August 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594580

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