NectarCAM, a camera for the medium sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

TL;DR

NectarCAM is a modular, high-speed camera designed for medium-sized telescopes in the Cherenkov Telescope Array, featuring advanced electronics and validated prototypes for gamma-ray astronomy.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design, components, and preliminary testing results of NectarCAM, a novel camera for CTA's medium-sized telescopes, highlighting its modular architecture and performance validation.

Findings

Prototype mini-camera validated design concepts

Expected performance parameters discussed

Future plans for full-scale camera testing

Abstract

NectarCAM is a camera proposed for the medium-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) which covers the core energy range of ~100 GeV to ~30 TeV. It has a modular design and is based on the NECTAr chip, at the heart of which is a GHz sampling Switched Capacitor Array and 12-bit Analog to Digital converter. The camera will be equipped with 265 7-photomultiplier modules, covering a field of view of 8 degrees. Each module includes photomultiplier bases, high voltage supply, pre-amplifier, trigger, readout and Ethernet transceiver. The recorded events last between a few nanoseconds and tens of nanoseconds. The expected performance of the camera are discussed. Prototypes of NectarCAM components have been built to validate the design. Preliminary results of a 19-module mini-camera are presented, as well as future plans for building and testing a full size camera.