MUCH: A compact imaging Čerenkov telescope for volcano muography

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in the last years in the field of volcanic muography. This technique takes advantage of the large penetrating power of atmospheric muons and allows us to infer information about the internal structure of volcanoes observing the differential absorption of muons passing through the target. This, in conjunction with other monitoring techniques, can help to determine the state of activity of a volcano and to reduce the risk related to paroxysmal events. The main challenge in the application of this technique is given by the background noise, that affects detectors. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio it is necessary to use several detection layers and shielding plates that make the detector expensive and difficult to transport. In order to overcome these issues, the use of Imaging Atmospheric Čerenkov Telescopes (IACTs) devoted to muography has been recently proposed.Here we present the MUography CHerenkov (MUCH) telescope, a compact IACT specifically designed for volcano muography. The telescope design is characterized by a Schmidt-like optical system and a Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) camera working at wavelengths between 280nm and 900nm, equipped with a fast read-out electronics capable to operate SiPMs contemporarily in charge integration and photon counting mode.