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.

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Cited by in corpus (16)

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• The throughput calibration of the VERITAS telescopes
• Constraints on axion-like particles with the Perseus Galaxy Cluster with MAGIC
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• Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era -- A review
• 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
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• Analysis Methods for Gamma-ray Astronomy
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• Using Muon Rings for the Optical Throughput Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Using Muon Rings for the Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array: An Analytical Solution for the Dual-Mirror Telescope Using Vector Geometry