Performance of Silicon Photomultipliers for the Dual-Mirror Medium-Sized Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the performance of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) from various manufacturers for use in medium-sized Cherenkov telescopes, aiming to optimize gamma-ray detection in the Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of the latest SiPMs from multiple companies and assesses their suitability for use in Schwarzschild-Couder telescopes within the CTA.

Findings

Latest SiPMs show promising performance for Cherenkov detection

Comparison highlights differences in sensitivity and noise characteristics

Results inform optimal sensor selection for CTA telescopes

Abstract

Gamma-ray observations in the very-high-energy domain (E > 30 GeV) can exploit the imaging of few-nanosecond Cherenkov flashes from atmospheric particle showers. Photomultipliers have been used as the primary photosensors to detect gamma-ray induced Cherenkov light for the past 25 years, but they are increasingly challenged by the swift progress of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). We are working to identify the optimal photosensors for medium-sized Schwarzschild-Couder telescopes (SCT), which are proposed to contribute a significant fraction of the sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array in its core energy range. We present the capabilities of the latest SiPMs from the Hamamatsu, SensL, and Excelitas companies that we have characterized in our laboratory, and compare them to the SiPMs equipping the prototype SCT camera that is under construction.