Speaker
Description
The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a dual-mirror medium-sized telescope proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), the next-generation very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observatory. A full-scale prototype SCT (pSCT) with a partially filled focal plane covering a field of view (FoV) of 2.7° began operations in January 2019 at the F. L. Whipple Observatory in Arizona, USA, and successfully detected the Crab Nebula in 2020.
The SCT camera FoV is being expanded to 8° using 11,328 High-Density Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) distributed on 177 removable focal plane modules (FPMs). To accommodate this upgrade, the camera mechanical system was redesigned to handle the weight and power dissipation of the fully populated SCT camera. The camera focal plane motion control and alignment systems have been upgraded to simplify alignment, optical calibration, and reliability. The camera cooling system was upgraded to accommodate the estimated 6 kW of power dissipation of the fully populated camera, which will keep the temperature gradient across the focal plane to less than 1.5o C. This poster describes the upgrades to the SCT camera mechanical and cooling systems. We describe the commissioning and verification tests performed to prepare for the acceptance of the first SiPM FPMs in late 2025.
| Collaboration(s) | CTAO SCT |
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