18 research outputs found
Using muon rings for the optical throughput calibration of the SST-1M prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) are ground-based instruments
devoted to the study of very high energy gamma-rays coming from space. The
detection technique consists of observing images created by the Cherenkov light
emitted when gamma rays, or more generally cosmic rays, propagate through the
atmosphere. While in the case of protons or gamma-rays the images present a
filled and more or less elongated shape, energetic muons penetrating the
atmosphere are visualised as characteristic circular rings or arcs. A
relatively simple analysis of the ring images allows the reconstruction of all
the relevant parameters of the detected muons, such as the energy, the impact
parameter, and the incoming direction, with the final aim to use them to
calibrate the total optical throughput of the given IACT telescope. We present
the results of preliminary studies on the use of images created by muons as
optical throughput calibrators of the single mirror small size telescope
prototype SST-1M proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
DigiCam - Fully Digital Compact Read-out and Trigger Electronics for the SST-1M Telescope proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
The SST-1M is one of three prototype small-sized telescope designs proposed
for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, and is built by a consortium of Polish and
Swiss institutions. The SST-1M will operate with DigiCam - an innovative,
compact camera with fully digital read-out and trigger electronics. A high
level of integration will be achieved by massively deploying state-of-the-art
multi-gigabit transmission channels, beginning from the ADC flash converters,
through the internal data and trigger signals transmission over backplanes and
cables, to the camera's server link. Such an approach makes it possible to
design the camera to fit the size and weight requirements of the SST-1M
exactly, and provide low power consumption, high reliability and long lifetime.
The structure of the digital electronics will be presented, along with main
physical building blocks and the internal architecture of FPGA functional
subsystems.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
Prototype of the SST-1M Telescope Structure for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
A single-mirror small-size (SST-1M) Davies-Cotton telescope with a dish
diameter of 4 m has been built by a consortium of Polish and Swiss institutions
as a prototype for one of the proposed small-size telescopes for the southern
observatory of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The design represents a
very simple, reliable, and cheap solution. The mechanical structure prototype
with its drive system is now being tested at the Institute of Nuclear Physics
PAS in Krakow. Here we present the design of the prototype and results of the
performance tests of the structure and the drive and control system.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
Environmental damage and public health threat caused by cemeteries: a proposal of ideal cemeteries for the growing urban sprawl
Determination of pharmaceuticals in groundwater collected in five cemeteries' areas (Portugal)
DigiCam : fully digital compact camera for SST-1M telescope
The single mirror Small Size Telescopes (SST-1M), being built by a sub-consortium of Polish and Swiss Institutions of the CTA Consortium, will be equipped with a fully digital camera with a compact photodetector plane based on silicon photomultipliers. The internal trigger signal transmission overhead will be kept at low level by introducing a high level of integration. It will be achieved by massively deploying state-of-the-art multi-gigabit transceivers, beginning from the ADC flash converters, through the internal data and trigger signals transmission over backplanes and cables, to the camera's server 10Gb/s Ethernet links. Such approach will allow fitting the size and weight of the camera exactly to the SST-1M needs, still retaining the flexibility of a fully digital design. Such solution has low power consumption, high reliability and long lifetime. The concept of the camera will be described, along with some construction details and performance results
Performance of the small size telescope sub-array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array observatory
The southern part of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will consist of at least three types of telescopes: large size, medium size and small size telescopes. Massive Monte Carlo simulations have been performed using the European Grid Infrastructure to analyze the performance of this array. We present the results of these simulations for a sub-array of small size telescopes of the Davies-Cotton type. Such a telescope, called SST-1M, is currently being proposed for the CTA observatory by a group of Polish and Swiss institutions. SST-1M will have a mirror of 4m diameter and it will be equipped with a fully digital camera based on silicon photodetectors. We present the analysis of the sub-array sensitivity, angular resolution, and energy resolution to demonstrate the fulfillment of the requirements of the CTA Consortium. To verify the results obtained in numerical simulations a construction of a mini array of five SST-1M telescopes is planned. We also present the performance of such a mini array and discuss the prospects of its scientific program
Camera calibration strategy of the SST-1M prototype of the Cherenokov Telescope Array
The SST-1M telescope is one of the prototypes under construction proposed to
be part of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array. It uses a standard
Davis-Cotton design for the optics and telescope structure, with a dish
diameter of 4 meters and a large field-of-view of 9 degrees.
The innovative camera design is composed of a photo-detection plane with 1296
pixels including entrance window, light concentrators, Silicon Photomultipliers
(SiPMs), and pre-amplifier stages together with a fully digital readout and
trigger electronics, DigiCam.
In this contribution we give a general description of the analysis chain
designed for the SST-1M prototype. In particular we focus on the calibration
strategy used to convert the SiPM signals registered by DigiCam to the
quantities needed for Cherenkov image analysis. The calibration is based on an
online feedback system to stabilize the gain of the SiPMs, as well as dedicated
events (dark count, pedestal, and light flasher events) to be taken during the
normal operation of the prototype.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
The front-end electronics and slow control of large area SiPM for the SST-1M camera developed for the CTA experiment
Front-end and slow control electronics for large area SiPMs used for the single mirror Small Size Telescope (SST-1M) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)
The single mirror Small Size Telescope (SST-1M) project proposes a design among others for the smallest type of telescopes (SST), that will compose the south observatory of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The SST camera collecting the Cherenkov light resulting from very high energy gamma-ray interactions in the atmosphere proposes to use Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPM). The SST-1M design has led to the use of unique pixel shape and size that required a dedicated development by the University of Geneva and Hamamatsu. An active surface of 3c94 mm2 and a resulting total capacitance of 3c3.4 nF combined with the stringent requirements of the CTA project on timing and charge resolution have led the University of Geneva to develop a custom preamplifier stage and slow-control system. The design and performance of the tailor made preamplifier stage and of the slow control electronics will be briefly described. The bias circuit of the sensor contains a resistor meant to prevent the sensor from drawing high current. However this resistor also introduces a voltage drop at the sensor input impacting the stability of its operation. A model has been developed in order to derive the parameters needed to account for it at the data analysis level. A solution based on the SST-1M front-end and digital readout is proposed to compensate for the voltage drop at the sensor cathode