Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes Research Articles

Detection of Two TeV Shell-type Remnants at GeV Energies with FERMI LAT: HESS J1731-347 and SN 1006

Abstract We report the first high-significance GeV γ-ray detections of supernova remnants HESS J1731−347 and SN 1006, both of which have been previously detected by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes above 1 TeV. Using 8 years of Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data at energies between 1 GeV and 2 TeV, we detect emission at the position of HESS J1731−347 with a significance of and a spectral index of . The hardness of the index and the good connection with the TeV spectrum of HESS J1731−347 support an association between the two sources. We also confirm the detection of SN 1006 at with a spectral index of . The northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) limbs of SN 1006 were also fit separately, resulting in the detection of the NE region ( ) and the non-detection of the SW region. The significance of different spectral components for the two limbs is , providing first indications of an asymmetry in the GeV γ-ray emission.

Development of three silicon photomultiplier detector modules for the MAGIC telescopes for a performance comparison to PMTs

The two MAGIC imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) are located on the Canary island of La Palma. Their cameras are currently equipped with more than 1000 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). We developed a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based detector module to evaluate the feasibility of a camera upgrade using only solid state detectors. We combined SiPMs to a composite matrix in order to achieve the same active area as the 1inch PMTs currently in use. This first prototype was installed in 2015 and is operated alongside the PMTs. Utilizing the collected data, we developed two more SiPM based detector modules. They are equipped with SiPMs from two different suppliers. These three different SiPM based detector modules will enable us to compare three different manufacturers of SiPMs under real observational conditions. Most important is the comparison to the neighbouring PMT modules.

Probing the Diffuse Optical-IR Background with TeV Blazars Detected with the MAGIC Telescopes

Blazars are radio loud quasars whose jet points toward the observer. The observed emission is mostly non-thermal, dominated by the jet emission, and in some cases extends up to the very high energy gamma rays (VHE; E > 100 GeV). To date, more than 60 blazars have been detected at VHE mainly with ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) such as MAGIC, H.E.S.S., and VERITAS. Energetic photons from a blazar may interact with the diffuse optical and IR background (the extragalactic background light, EBL) leaving an imprint on the blazar energy spectrum. This effect can be used to constrain the EBL, with basic assumptions on the intrinsic energy spectrum. Current generation of IACTs is providing valuable measurements of the EBL density and energy spectrumfromoptical to infrared frequencies. In this contribution, we present the latest results obtained with the data taken with the MAGIC telescopes: using 32 spectra from 12 blazars, the scale factor of the optical density predicted by the EBL model from Dominguez et al. (2011) is constrained to be 0.95 (+0.11, -0.12)_(stat) (+0.16, -0.07)_(sys), where a value of 1 means the perfect match with the model.

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to the detection of a dark matter signal in comparison to direct detection and collider experiments

Imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) that are sensitive to potential $\gamma$-ray signals from dark matter (DM) annihilation above $\sim50$ GeV will soon be superseded by the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). CTA will have a point source sensitivity an order of magnitude better than currently operating IACTs and will cover a broad energy range between 20 GeV and 300 TeV. Using effective field theory and simplified models to calculate $\gamma$-ray spectra resulting from DM annihilation, we compare the prospects to constrain such models with CTA observations of the Galactic center with current and near-future measurements at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and direct detection experiments. For DM annihilations via vector or pseudoscalar couplings, CTA observations will be able to probe DM models out of reach of the LHC, and, if DM is coupled to standard fermions by a pseudoscalar particle, beyond the limits of current direct detection experiments.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array production system for Monte Carlo simulations and analysis

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), an array of many tens of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes deployed on an unprecedented scale, is the next-generation instrument in the field of very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. An average data stream of about 0.9 GB/s for about 1300 hours of observation per year is expected, therefore resulting in 4 PB of raw data per year and a total of 27 PB/year, including archive and data processing. The start of CTA operation is foreseen in 2018 and it will last about 30 years. The installation of the first telescopes in the two selected locations (Paranal, Chile and La Palma, Spain) will start in 2017. In order to select the best site candidate to host CTA telescopes (in the Northern and in the Southern hemispheres), massive Monte Carlo simulations have been performed since 2012. Once the two sites have been selected, we have started new Monte Carlo simulations to determine the optimal array layout with respect to the obtained sensitivity. Taking into account that CTA may be finally composed of 7 different telescope types coming in 3 different sizes, many different combinations of telescope position and multiplicity as a function of the telescope type have been proposed. This last Monte Carlo campaign represented a huge computational effort, since several hundreds of telescope positions have been simulated, while for future instrument response function simulations, only the operating telescopes will be considered. In particular, during the last 18 months, about 2 PB of Monte Carlo data have been produced and processed with different analysis chains, with a corresponding overall CPU consumption of about 125 M HS06 hours. In these proceedings, we describe the employed computing model, based on the use of grid resources, as well as the production system setup, which relies on the DIRAC interware. Finally, we present the envisaged evolutions of the CTA production system for the off-line data processing during CTA operations and the instrument response function simulations.

A new technique for probing the internal structure of volcanoes using cosmic-ray muons

Among the considerable number of studies that can be carried out using muons, we pay specific attention to the radiography of volcanoes based on the same principle of the X-ray radiography of human body. Thanks to their high penetration capability, cosmic-ray muons can be used to reconstruct the density distribution of the interior of huge structures by measuring the attenuation induced by the material on the muon flux. In particular, the quantitative understanding of the inner structure of volcanoes is a key-point to forecast the dangerous stages of activity and mitigate volcanic hazards. The instrumental approach is currently based on the detection of muons crossing hodoscopes made up of scintillator planes. Unfortunately, these detectors are affected by a strong background comprised by accidental coincidence of vertical shower particles, horizontal high-energy electrons and upward going particles. We propose an alternative technique based on the detection of the Cherenkov light produced by muons. This can be achieved with an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope composed of a high reflectivity optical system that focus the Cherenkov light onto a multi-pixel focal camera with fast read-out electronics. The Cherenkov light emitted by a muon is imaged on the camera as an annular pattern which contains information to reconstruct the direction of the incident muon. We have estimated that using the Cherenkov imaging technique for muon radiography of volcanoes gives the advantage of a negligible background and improved spatial resolution, compared to the majority of the particle detectors. We present results of simulations based on a telescope with a positioning resolution of 13.5 m which corresponds to an acceptance of 9 cm2 sr. The telescope is located 1500 m far from a toy-model volcano, namely, a cone with a base diameter of 500 m and a height of 240 m. We test the feasibility of the proposed method by estimating the minimum number of observation nights needed to resolve inner empty conduits of different diameter.

Lepton Acceleration in the Vicinity of the Event Horizon: Very High Energy Emissions from Supermassive Black Holes

Abstract Around a rapidly rotating black hole (BH), when the plasma accretion rate is much less than the Eddington rate, the radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) cannot supply enough MeV photons that are capable of materializing as pairs. In such a charge-starved BH magnetosphere, the force-free condition breaks down in the polar funnels. Applying the pulsar outer-magnetospheric lepton accelerator theory to supermassive BHs, we demonstrate that a strong electric field arises along the magnetic field lines in the direct vicinity of the event horizon in the funnels, that the electrons and positrons are accelerated up to 100 TeV in this vacuum gap, and that these leptons emit copious photons via inverse-Compton (IC) processes between 0.1 and 30 TeV for a distant observer. It is found that these IC fluxes will be detectable with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, provided that a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus is located within 1 Mpc for a million-solar-mass central BH or within 30 Mpc for a billion-solar-mass central BH. These very high energy fluxes are beamed in a relatively small solid angle around the rotation axis because of the inhomogeneous and anisotropic distribution of the RIAF photon field and show an anticorrelation with the RIAF submillimeter fluxes. The gap luminosity depends little on the 3D magnetic field configuration, because the Goldreich–Julian charge density, and hence the exerted electric field, is essentially governed by the frame-dragging effect, not by the magnetic field configuration.

Performance of the MAGIC telescopes under moonlight

MAGIC, a system of two imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, achieves its best performance under dark conditions, i.e. in absence of moonlight or twilight. Since operating the telescopes only during dark time would severely limit the duty cycle, observations are also performed when the Moon is present in the sky. Here we develop a dedicated Moon-adapted analysis to characterize the performance of MAGIC under moonlight. We evaluate energy threshold, angular resolution and sensitivity of MAGIC under different background light levels, based on Crab Nebula observations and tuned Monte Carlo simulations. This study includes observations taken under non-standard hardware configurations, such as reducing the camera photomultiplier tubes gain by a factor ∼ 1.7 (reduced HV settings) with respect to standard settings (nominal HV) or using UV-pass filters to strongly reduce the amount of moonlight reaching the cameras of the telescopes. The Crab Nebula spectrum is correctly reconstructed in all the studied illumination levels, that reach up to 30 times brighter than under dark conditions. The main effect of moonlight is an increase in the analysis energy threshold and in the systematic uncertainties on the flux normalization. The sensitivity degradation is constrained to be below 10%, within 15–30% and between 60 and 80% for nominal HV, reduced HV and UV-pass filter observations, respectively. No worsening of the angular resolution was found. Thanks to observations during moonlight, the maximal duty cycle of MAGIC can be increased from ∼ 18%, under dark nights only, to up to ∼ 40% in total with only moderate performance degradation.

TAIGA experiment: present status and perspectives

The TAIGA observatory addresses ground-based gamma-ray astronomy at energies from a few TeV to several PeV, as well as cosmic ray physics from 100 TeV to several EeV . TAIGA will be located in the Tunka valley, ∼ 50 km West from Lake Baikal. The different detectors of the TAIGA will be grouped in 6 arrays to measure Cherenkov and radio emission as well as electron and muon components of atmospheric showers. The combination of the wide angle Cherenkov detectors of the TAIGA-HiSCORE array and the 4-m Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes of the TAIGA-IACT array with their FoV of 10×10 degrees and underground muon detectors offers a very cost effective way to construct a 5 km2 array for gamma-ray astronomy.

The HAWC Real-time Flare Monitor for Rapid Detection of Transient Events

Abstract We present the development of a real-time flare monitor for the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The flare monitor has been fully operational since 2017 January and is designed to detect very high energy (VHE; E ≳ 100 GeV) transient events from blazars on timescales lasting from 2 minutes to 10 hr in order to facilitate multiwavelength and multimessenger studies. These flares provide information for investigations into the mechanisms that power the blazars’ relativistic jets and accelerate particles within them, and they may also serve as probes of the populations of particles and fields in intergalactic space. To date, the detection of blazar flares in the VHE range has relied primarily on pointed observations by imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The recently completed HAWC observatory offers the opportunity to study VHE flares in survey mode, scanning two-thirds of the entire sky every day with a field of view of ∼1.8 steradians. In this work, we report on the sensitivity of the HAWC real-time flare monitor and demonstrate its capabilities via the detection of three high-confidence VHE events in the blazars Markarian 421 and Markarian 501.

Prospects for the detection of high-energy (E > 25 GeV) Fermi pulsars with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Around 160 gamma-ray pulsars were discovered by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) since 2008. The most energetic of them, 12 objects with emission above 25 GeV, are suitable candidates for the detection with the current and future Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes above few tens of GeV. We perform an analysis of the Fermi-LAT data of these high-energy pulsars in order to determine if such objects can be detected with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). Our goal is to forecast the significance of their point source detection with CTA. We analyze 5 years of the Fermi-LAT data fitting the spectra of each pulsar at energies E>10 GeV with a power-law function. Assuming no spectral cut-off, we extrapolate the resulting spectra to the very high energy range (VHE, E>0.1 TeV) and simulate CTA observations of all 12 pulsars with the ctools software package. Using different analysis tools, individual CTA sensitivity curves are independently calculated for each pulsar and cross-checked with the ctools results. Our simulations result in significant CTA detections of up to 8 pulsars in 50 h. Observations of the most energetic Fermi pulsars with CTA will shed light on the nature of the high-energy emission of pulsars, clarifying whether the VHE emission detected in the Crab pulsar spectrum is present also in other gamma-ray pulsars.

Search for GeV Counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts with Fermi

Abstract The non-repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) could arise from catastrophic stellar explosions or magnetar giant flares, so relativistic blast waves might be produced in these events. Motivated by this, we search here for GeV counterparts to all non-repeating FRBs with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), including FRB 131104 that is claimed to be possibly associated with a γ-ray transient candidate detected by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. FRB 131104 enters the field of view of LAT after the burst time, so we are only able to search for the GeV afterglow emission during this period, but no significant GeV emission is detected. we also perform a search for GeV emissions from other FRBs, but no significant GeV emissions are detected either. Upper limit fluences in the range of are obtained, and then the upper limits of the isotropic blast-wave kinetic energy of about are inferred under certain assumptions. Although the current limits on the isotropic blast-wave energy are not sufficiently stringent to rule out the connection between FRBs and GRB-like transients, future more sensitive observations with Fermi or Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes might be able to constrain the connection.

Very-high-energy gamma-ray observations of the Type Ia Supernova SN 2014J with the MAGIC telescopes

In this work we present data from observations with the MAGIC telescopes of SN 2014J detected in January 21 2014, the closest Type Ia supernova since Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes started to operate. We probe the possibility of very-high-energy (VHE; $E\geq100$ GeV) gamma rays produced in the early stages of Type Ia supernova explosions. We performed follow-up observations after this supernova explosion for 5 days, between January 27 and February 2 in 2014. We search for gamma-ray signal in the energy range between 100 GeV and several TeV from the location of SN 2014J using data from a total of $\sim5.5$ hours of observations. Prospects for observing gamma-rays of hadronic origin from SN 2014J in the near future are also being addressed. No significant excess was detected from the direction of SN 2014J. Upper limits at 95$\%$ confidence level on the integral flux, assuming a power-law spectrum, d$F/$d$E\propto E^{-\Gamma}$, with a spectral index of $\Gamma=2.6$, for energies higher than 300 GeV and 700 GeV, are established at $1.3\times10^{-12}$ and $4.1\times10^{-13}$ photons~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, respectively. For the first time, upper limits on the VHE emission of a Type Ia supernova are established. The energy fraction isotropically emitted into TeV gamma rays during the first $\sim10$ days after the supernova explosion for energies greater than 300 GeV is limited to $10^{-6}$ of the total available energy budget ($\sim 10^{51}$ erg). Within the assumed theoretical scenario, the MAGIC upper limits on the VHE emission suggest that SN 2014J will not be detectable in the future by any current or planned generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes.

TARGET 5: A new multi-channel digitizer with triggering capabilities for gamma-ray atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes

TARGET 5 is a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) of the TARGET family, designed for the readout of signals from photosensors in the cameras of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. TARGET 5 combines sampling and digitization on 16 signal channels with the formation of trigger signals based on the analog sum of groups of four channels. We describe the ASIC architecture and performance. TARGET 5 improves over the performance of the first-generation TARGET ASIC, achieving: tunable sampling frequency from <0.4 GSa/s to >1 GSa/s; a dynamic range on the data path of 1.2 V with effective dynamic range of 11 bits and DC noise of ∼0.6 mV; 3-dB bandwidth of 500 MHz; crosstalk between adjacent channels <1.3%; charge resolution improving from 40% to <4% between 3 photoelectrons (p.e.) and >100 p.e. (assuming 4 mV per p.e.); and minimum stable trigger threshold of 20 mV (5 p.e.) with trigger noise of 5 mV (1.2 p.e.), which is mostly limited by interference between trigger and sampling operations. TARGET 5 is the first ASIC of the TARGET family used in an IACT prototype, providing one development path for readout electronics in the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).

Monte Carlo performance studies for the site selection of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) represents the next generation of ground-based instruments for very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy, aimed at improving on the sensitivity of current-generation experiments by an order of magnitude and providing coverage over four decades of energy. The current CTA design consists of two arrays of tens of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, comprising Small, Medium and Large-Sized Telescopes, with one array located in each of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. To study the effect of the site choice on the overall CTA performance and support the site evaluation process, detailed Monte Carlo simulations have been performed. These results show the impact of different site-related attributes such as altitude, night-sky background and local geomagnetic field on CTA performance for the observation of VHE gamma rays.

Observations of Sagittarius A* during the pericenter passage of the G2 object with MAGIC

Context. We present the results of a multi-year monitoring campaign of the Galactic Center (GC) with the MAGIC telescopes. These observations were primarily motivated by reports that a putative gas cloud (G2) would be passing in close proximity to the super-massive black hole (SMBH), associated with Sagittarius A*, located at the center of our galaxy. This event was expected to give astronomers a unique chance to study the effect of in-falling matter on the broad-band emission of a SMBH. Aims. We search for potential flaring emission of very-high-energy (VHE; $\geq$100 GeV) gamma rays from the direction of the SMBH at the GC due to the passage of the G2 object. Using these data we also study the morphology of this complex region. Methods. We observed the GC region with the MAGIC Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes during the period 2012-2015, collecting 67 hours of good-quality data. In addition to a search for variability in the flux and spectral shape of the GC gamma-ray source, we use a point-source subtraction technique to remove the known gamma-ray emitters located around the GC in order to reveal the TeV morphology of the extended emission inside that region. Results. No effect of the G2 object on the VHE gamma-ray emission from the GC was detected during the 4 year observation campaign. We confirm previous measurements of the VHE spectrum of Sagittarius A*, and do not detect any significant variability of the emission from the source. Furthermore, the known VHE gamma-ray emitter at the location of the supernova remnant G0.9+0.1 was detected, as well as the recently discovered VHE source close to the GG radio Arc.

Mirror position determination for the alignment of Cherenkov Telescopes

Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) need imaging optics with large apertures to map the faint Cherenkov light emitted in extensive air showers onto their image sensors. Segmented reflectors fulfill these needs using mass produced and light weight mirror facets. However, as the overall image is the sum of the individual mirror facet images, alignment is important. Here we present a method to determine the mirror facet positions on a segmented reflector in a very direct way. Our method reconstructs the mirror facet positions from photographs and a laser distance meter measurement which goes from the center of the image sensor plane to the center of each mirror facet. We use our method to both align the mirror facet positions and to feed the measured positions into our IACT simulation. We demonstrate our implementation on the 4m First Geiger-mode Avalanche Cherenkov Telescope (FACT).

Dark matter constraints from a joint analysis of dwarf Spheroidal galaxy observations with VERITAS

We present constraints on the annihilation cross section of WIMP dark matter based on the joint statistical analysis of four dwarf galaxies with VERITAS. These results are derived from an optimized photon weighting statistical technique that improves on standard imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope (IACT) analyses by utilizing the spectral and spatial properties of individual photon events. We report on the results of $\sim$230 hours of observations of five dwarf galaxies and the joint statistical analysis of four of the dwarf galaxies. We find no evidence of gamma-ray emission from any individual dwarf nor in the joint analysis. The derived upper limit on the dark matter annihilation cross section from the joint analysis is $1.35\times 10^{-23} {\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the bottom quark ($b\bar{b}$) final state, $2.85\times 10^{-24}{\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the tau lepton ($\tau^{+}\tau^{-}$) final state and $1.32\times 10^{-25}{\mathrm{ cm^3s^{-1}}}$ at 1 TeV for the gauge boson ($\gamma\gamma$) final state.

Primary gamma ray selection technique in the joint operation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) and wide-angle Cherenkov timing detectors

A combined approach to distinguishing extensive atmospheric showers (EASes) from gamma rays, based on analyzing Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) images and shower parameters reconstructed using data from a nonimaging (timing) array, is investigated. The study is conducted with simulated data on the registration of Cherenkov radiation from an EAS. The optimum set of combined parameters, the efficiency of the multivariate approach, and the dependence of the background suppression factor on energy and distance are determined. The findings are compared to those from the operation of an isolated IACT. It is shown that in the >50 TeV range of energies, the background can be suppressed by a factor of 100 even at distances of up to 450 m from an IACT telescope.

178 - An Adolescent Patient with Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Acquired Immunodeficiency: A Case Report and Literature Review

TARGET 5 is a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) of the TARGET family, designed for the readout of signals from photosensors in the cameras of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. TARGET 5 combines sampling and digitization on 16 signal channels with the formation of trigger signals based on the analog sum of groups of four channels. We describe the ASIC architecture and performance. TARGET 5 improves over the performance of the first-generation TARGET ASIC, achieving: tunable sampling frequency from <0.4 GSa/s to >1 GSa/s; a dynamic range on the data path of 1.2 V with effective dynamic range of 11 bits and DC noise of ∼0.6 mV; 3-dB bandwidth of 500 MHz; crosstalk between adjacent channels <1.3%; charge resolution improving from 40% to <4% between 3 photoelectrons (p.e.) and >100 p.e. (assuming 4 mV per p.e.); and minimum stable trigger threshold of 20 mV (5 p.e.) with trigger noise of 5 mV (1.2 p.e.), which is mostly limited by interference between trigger and sampling operations. TARGET 5 is the first ASIC of the TARGET family used in an IACT prototype, providing one development path for readout electronics in the forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).