Using Muon Rings for the Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array: A Systematic Review of the Method and its Potential Accuracy

Abstract

The analysis of ring images produced by muons in an Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) provides a powerful and precise method to calibrate the IACT optical throughput and monitor its optical point-spread function (PSF). First proposed by the Whipple collaboration in the early 90's, this method has been refined by the so-called second generation of IACT experiments: H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS. We review here the progress made with these instruments and investigate the applicability of the method as the primary throughput calibration method for the different telescope types forming the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). We find several additional systematic effects not yet taken into account by previous authors and propose several new analytical methods to include these in the analysis. Slight modifications in hardware and analysis need to be made to ensure that such a calibration works as accurately as required for the CTA. We derive analytic estimates for the expected muon data rates for optical throughput calibration, camera pixel flat-fielding and monitoring of the optical PSF. The achievable statistical and systematic uncertainties of the method are also assessed.

References in corpus (13)

• Observations of the Crab Nebula with H.E.S.S
• The major upgrade of the MAGIC telescopes, Part I: The hardware improvements and the commissioning of the system
• Wide field aplanatic two-mirror telescopes for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy
• Calibration and performance of the photon sensor response of FACT -- The First G-APD Cherenkov telescope
• Monte Carlo Studies of Geomagnetic Field Effects on the Imaging Air Cherenkov Technique for the MAGIC Telescope Site
• Optimization of the Collection Efficiency of a Hexagonal Light Collector using Quadratic and Cubic Bézier Curves
• Tagging single muons and other long-flying relativistic charged particles by ultra-fast timing in air Cherenkov telescopes
• Photon Detection Efficiency Measurements of the VERITAS Cherenkov Telescope Photomultipliers after four Years of Operation
• On the prospects of cross-calibrating the Cherenkov Telescope Array with an airborne calibration platform
• Prototyping Hexagonal Light Concentrators Using High-Reflectance Specular Films for the Large-Sized Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• VERITAS Data Acquisition
• On the possiblity of using vertically pointing Central Laser Facilities to calibrate the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Roughness tolerances for Cherenkov telescope mirrors

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Constraints on axion-like particles with the Perseus Galaxy Cluster with MAGIC
• Correcting Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope data with atmospheric profiles obtained with an elastic light detecting and ranging system
• Towards a Polarisation Prediction for LISA via Intensity Interferometry
• Direct Comparison of SiPM and PMT Sensor Performances in a large-size imaging air Cherenkov telescope
• Inter-Calibration of Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes with UAV-based Airborne Calibration System
• VHE $\gamma$-ray observations of bright BL Lacs with the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) of the CTAO
• Analysis Methods for Gamma-ray Astronomy
• Using Muon Rings for the Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array: An Analytical Solution for the Dual-Mirror Telescope Using Vector Geometry
• Using Muon Rings for the Optical Throughput Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array