The SST-1M stereoscopic system

TL;DR

The SST-1M stereoscopic system is a compact, cost-effective gamma-ray telescope with high performance, capable of detecting galactic sources and AGN flares, demonstrated in a challenging environment.

Contribution

This paper introduces the SST-1M stereoscopic system, highlighting its innovative design, high performance, and deployment in a challenging environment for gamma-ray astronomy.

Findings

Successful detection of galactic sources and AGN flares

High optical PSF with a 4m mirror system

Effective calibration and simulation benchmarks

Abstract

The Single-Mirror Small-Size Telescope (SST-1M) is an Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope designed for detecting very high-energy gamma rays. With a compact design achieved through the adoption of silicon-photomultiplier pixels and a lightweight structure, SST-1M offers a large field of view of about 9{\deg} and features a mirror system of 4 m diameter with an optical PSF (at 80% of photon inclusion) of 0.08{\deg} on axis and 0.21{\deg} at 4{\deg} off-axis, and a fully digitizing readout almost deadtime free up to few kHz. The SST-1M achieved a high-performance and cost-effective solution for implementing an array of small-sized telescopes. The stereoscopic system of two SST-1Ms is temporarily installed at the Ond\v{r}ejov Observatory in the Czech Republic. From an altitude of only about 510 m and in harsh meteorological conditions, the system is detecting galactic sources and flares of AGNs. The accurate calibration of the detector and the simulation benchmark are ongoing. The results of its performance are shown. A future final location is being considered and a future performance outlook is discussed.