Development of an advanced SiPM camera for the Large Size Telescope of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development of a new SiPM camera for the Large Size Telescope of CTA, highlighting design, simulation, and performance strategies to overcome current challenges and improve operation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel SiPM camera design with advanced features and strategies to enhance performance for CTA's large size telescopes.

Findings

Simulations indicate improved sensitivity and performance.

Design strategies effectively address high data rate challenges.

The camera offers low power consumption and high robustness.

Abstract

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have become the baseline choice for cameras of the small-sized telescopes (SSTs) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). On the other hand, SiPMs are relatively new to the field and covering large surfaces and operating at high data rates still are challenges to outperform photomultipliers (PMTs). The higher sensitivity in the near infra-red and longer signals compared to PMTs result in higher night sky background rate for SiPMs. However, the robustness of the SiPMs represents a unique opportunity to ensure long-term operation with low maintenance and better duty cycle than PMTs. The proposed camera for large size telescopes will feature $0.05 degree pixels, low power and fast front-end electronics and a fully digital readout. In this work, we present the status of dedicated simulations and data analysis for the performance estimation. The design features and the different strategies identified, so far, to tackle the demanding requirements and the improved performance are described.