Monte-Carlo simulation of stellar intensity interferometry

TL;DR

This paper presents a Monte-Carlo simulation framework to evaluate the realistic performance of stellar intensity interferometry using ACTs, accounting for practical limitations like mirror size, detector response, and noise.

Contribution

It introduces a semi-classical quantum optics Monte-Carlo simulation that models experimental effects impacting stellar intensity interferometry with ACTs.

Findings

Simulation results match theoretical sensitivity models.

Mirror extension and noise degrade signal quality.

Night sky contamination affects measurement accuracy.

Abstract

Stellar intensity interferometers will achieve stellar imaging with a tenth of a milli- arcsecond resolution in the optical band by taking advantage of the large light collect- ing area and broad range of inter-telescope distances offered by future gamma-ray Air Cherenkov Telescope (ACT) arrays. Up to now, studies characterizing the capabilities of intensity interferometers using ACTs have not accounted for realistic effects such as telescope mirror extension, detailed photodetector time response, excess noise, and night sky contamination. In this paper, we present the semi-classical quantum optics Monte-Carlo simulation we developed in order to investigate these experimental limi- tations. In order to validate the simulation algorithm, we compare our first results to models for sensitivity and signal degradation resulting from mirror extension, pulse shape, detector excess noise, and night sky contamination.