Speaker
Andrea De Franco
(University of Oxford)
Description
The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is proposed to be part of the Small Size Telescope (SST) array of CTA (the Cherenkov Telescope Array).
Its dual mirror optical design allows the use of a compact camera of diameter roughly 0.4m, the curved focal plane of which is equipped
with 2048 pixels of ~0.2° angular size, resulting in a field of view of ~9°.
The GCT camera is designed to record the flashes of Cherenkov light from gamma-ray initiated electromagnetic cascades, which last only a
few tens of nanoseconds. Modules based on “TARGET” ASICs provide the required fast electronics, allowing sampling at 1 GSample/s and
digitization, as well as first level of triggering using the analogue outputs of the photosensors.
The GCT camera is the first fully assembled prototype for a dual mirror Cherenkov telescope ever built and is currently being commissioned
in the UK. On-telescope testing of its performance is expected to take place in France in September 2015. In this paper we give a detailed
description of the mechanics and electronics of the camera and discuss recent progress with testing and commissioning.
| Registration number following "ICRC2015-I/" | 781 |
|---|---|
| Collaboration | CTA |
Primary author
Andrea De Franco
(University of Oxford)
Co-authors
Akira Okumura
(University of Leicester, University of Nagoya)
Anthony Brown
(University of Durham)
Dr
Arnim Balzer
(University of Amsterdam)
Cameron Rulten
(Observatoire de Paris)
David Allan
(University of Durham)
David Berge
(GRAPPA, University of Amsterdam)
Duncan Ross
(University of Leicester)
Garret Cotter
(University of Oxford)
Gary Varner
(University of Hawaii)
Hiroyasu TAJIMA
(University of Nagoya)
Jason Watson
(University of Oxford)
Jim Hinton
(University of Leicester)
Jon Lapington
(University of Leicester)
Jurgen Schmoll
(University of Durham)
Luigi Tibaldo
(SLAC)
Michael Daniel
(University of Liverpool)
Paula Chadwick
(University of Durham)
Peter Cooke
(University of Liverpool)
Peter Sutcliffe
(University of Liverpool)
Richard White
(University of Leicester)
Stefan Funk
(Stanford University and SLAC)
Thomas Armstrong
(University of Durham)
Prof.
Timothy John Greenshaw
(University of Liverpool)
