Perspectives With The GCT End-to-end Prototype Of The Small-Sized Telescope Proposed For The Cherenkov Telescope Array

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and testing of the GCT prototype for the CTA small-sized telescope, highlighting its innovative optical design, mechanical components, and expected performance based on simulations.

Contribution

It presents the design, mechanical and optical components, and performance estimates of the GCT prototype for the CTA small-sized telescope using Monte Carlo simulations.

Findings

Good angular resolution across the entire FoV

Compact and lightweight telescope structure

Feasibility of observing the Crab Nebula under high NSB

Abstract

In the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the GCT (Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope) team is building a dual-mirror telescope as one of the proposed prototypes for the CTA small size class of telescopes. The telescope is based on a Schwarzschild- Couder (SC) optical design, an innovative solution for ground-based Cherenkov astronomy, which allows a compact telescope structure, a lightweight large Field of View (FoV) camera and enables good angular resolution across the entire FoV. We review the different mechanical and optical components of the telescope. In order to characterise them, the Paris prototype will be operated during several weeks in 2016. In this framework, an estimate of the expected performance of this prototype has been made, based on Monte Carlo simulations. In particular the observability of the Crab Nebula in the context of high Night Sky Background (NSB) is presented.