A compact and light-weight refractive telescope for the observation of extensive air showers

Abstract

A general purpose instrument for imaging of Cherenkov light or fluorescence light emitted by extensive air showers is presented. Its refractive optics allows for a compact and light-weight design with a wide field-of-view of 12°. The optical system features a 0.5 m diameter Fresnel lens and a camera with 61 pixels composed of Winston cones and large-sized 6x6 mm photo sensors. As photo sensors, semi conductor light sensors (SiPMs) are utilized. The camera provides a high photon detection efficiency together with robust operation. The enclosed optics permit operation in regions of harsh environmental conditions. The low price of the telescope allows the production of a large number of telescopes and the application of the instrument in various projects, such as FAMOUS for the Pierre Auger Observatory, HAWC's Eye for HAWC or IceAct for IceCube. In this paper the novel design of this telescope and first measurements are presented.

arXiv commentSubmitted to JINST, second (minor) revision

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• An integrated general purpose SiPM based optical module with a high dynamic range
• Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes as a Potential Veto Array for Neutrino Astronomy
• Design and Performance of the first IceAct Demonstrator at the South Pole
• Calibration of 122 SensL MicroFJ-60035 SiPMs and the reduction of optical crosstalk due to coupled light guides
• Three-year performance of the IceAct telescopes at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory