A Mini-Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope

TL;DR

This paper presents a cost-effective mini-imaging Cherenkov telescope designed for cosmic ray and gamma-ray detection, demonstrating its capability to observe high-energy particles and serving as an educational and outreach tool.

Contribution

The paper introduces a mini-telescope using SiPMs and ASICs, showing its effectiveness for high-energy cosmic ray observation and educational purposes.

Findings

Detects cosmic rays above 100 TeV energy.

Demonstrates feasibility of mini-telescope for gamma-ray observation.

Serves as an outreach and training instrument.

Abstract

In this paper we describe the different software and hardware elements of a mini-telescope for the detection of cosmic rays and gamma-rays using the Cherenkov light emitted by their induced particle showers in the atmosphere. We estimate the physics reach of the standalone mini-telescope and present some results of the measurements done at the Sauverny Observatory of the University of Geneva and at the Saint-Luc Observatory, which demonstrate the ability of the telescope to observe cosmic rays with energy above about 100 TeV. Such a mini-telescope can constitute a cost-effective out-trigger array that can surround other gamma-ray telescopes or extended air showers detector arrays. Its development was born out of the desire to illustrate to students and amateurs the cosmic ray and gamma-ray detection from ground, as an example of what is done in experiments using larger telescopes. As a matter of fact, a mini-telescope can be used in outreach night events. While outreach is becoming more and more important in the scientific community to raise interest in the general public, the realisation of the mini-telescope is also a powerful way to train students on instrumentation such as photosensors, their associated electronics, acquisition software and data taking. In particular, this mini-telescope uses silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) and the dedicated ASIC, CITIROC.