The throughput calibration of the VERITAS telescopes

Adams, C. B.; Benbow, W.; Brill, A.; Buckley, J. H.; Christiansen, J. L.; Falcone, A.; Feng, Q.; Finley, J. P.; Foote, G. M.; Fortson, L.; Furniss, A.; Giuri, C.; Hanna, D.; Hassan, T.; Hervet, O.; Holder, J.; Hona, B.; Humensky, T. B.; Jin, W.; Kaaret, P.; Kleiner, T. K.; Kumar, S.; Lang, M. J.; Lundy, M.; Maier, G.; Moriarty, P.; Mukherjee, R.; Nievas Rosillo, M.; O’Brien, S.; Park, N.; Patel, S.; Pfrang, K.; Pohl, M.; Prado, R. R.; Pueschel, E.; Quinn, J.; Ragan, K.; Reynolds, P. T.; Ribeiro, D.; Roache, E.; Ryan, J. L.; Santander, M.; Weinstein, A.; Williams, D. A.; Williamson, T. J.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142275

Title: The throughput calibration of the VERITAS telescopes

Journal Article · Fri Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 2022 · Astronomy and Astrophysics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142275· OSTI ID:1982312

^[1]; Benbow, W. ^[2]; Brill, A. ^[1]; Buckley, J. H. ^[3]; Christiansen, J. L. ^[4];

^[5]; Feng, Q. ^[1]; Finley, J. P. ^[6];

^[7]; Fortson, L. ^[8]; Furniss, A. ^[9]; Giuri, C. ^[10];

^[11]; Hassan, T. ^[12];

^[13]; Holder, J. ^[7]; Hona, B. ^[14]; Humensky, T. B. ^[1]; Jin, W. ^[15];

^[16] more »

Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States)
Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States)
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
California State Univ. (CalState), Hayward, CA (United States)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany)
McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain)
Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)
Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (United States)
Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States)
National University of Ireland Galway (Ireland)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna (Spain); Universidad de La Laguna (Spain)
Queen's University, Kingston, ON (Canada)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Univ. of Potsdam (Germany)
University College Dublin (Ireland)
Munster Technological University, Bishopstown (Ireland)
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

Context. The response of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to incident γ-ray-initiated showers in the atmosphere changes as the telescopes age due to exposure to light and weather. These aging processes affect the reconstructed energies of the events and γ-ray fluxes. Aims. This work discusses the implementation of signal calibration methods for the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) to account for changes in the optical throughput and detector performance over time. Methods. The total throughput of a Cherenkov telescope is the product of camera-dependent factors, such as the photomultiplier tube gains and their quantum efficiencies, and the mirror reflectivity and Winston cone response to incoming radiation. This document summarizes different methods to determine how the camera gains and mirror reflectivity have evolved over time and how we can calibrate this changing throughput in reconstruction pipelines for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The implementation is validated against seven years of observations with the VERITAS telescopes of the Crab Nebula, which is a reference object in very-high-energy astronomy. Results. Regular optical throughput monitoring and the corresponding signal calibrations are found to be critical for the reconstruction of extensive air shower images. The proposed implementation is applied as a correction to the signals of the photomultiplier tubes in the telescope simulation to produce fine-tuned instrument response functions. This method is shown to be effective for calibrating the acquired γ-ray data and for recovering the correct energy of the events and photon fluxes. At the same time, it keeps the computational effort of generating Monte Carlo simulations for instrument response functions affordably low.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1982312

Journal Information:: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 658; ISSN 0004-6361

Publisher:: EDP SciencesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (34)

An LED-based flasher system for VERITAS Hanna, D.; McCann, A.; McCutcheon, M. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 612, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2009.10.107	journal	January 2010
The cosmic ray background as a tool for relative calibration of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes LeBohec, S.; Holder, J. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 19, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0927-6505(02)00201-3	journal	May 2003
A method to measure the mirror reflectivity of a prime focus telescope Mirzoyan, R.; Garczarczyk, M.; Hose, J. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 27, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2007.02.005	journal	July 2007
Design of the quartermaster solar furnace Davies, John M.; Cotton, Eugene S. Solar Energy, Vol. 1, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-092X(57)90116-0	journal	April 1957
Teraelectronvolt emission from the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C Nature, Vol. 575, Issue 7783, p. 455-458 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1750-x	journal	November 2019
Using Muon Rings for the Calibration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array: A Systematic Review of the Method and Its Potential Accuracy Gaug, M.; Fegan, S.; Mitchell, A. M. W. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Vol. 243, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ab2123	journal	July 2019
Characteristics and brightness of Cerenkov shower images for gamma-ray astronomy near 1 TeV Hillas, A. M.; Patterson, J. R. Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-3899/16/8/022	journal	August 1990
Status report from VERITAS Krennrich, F.; Blaylock, G.; Bradbury, S. M. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 60 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/60/1/006	journal	March 2007
Ground-based detectors in very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy de Naurois, Mathieu; Mazin, Daniel Comptes Rendus Physique, Vol. 16, Issue 6-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crhy.2015.08.011	journal	August 2015
Calibration of the Whipple atmospheric ?erenkov telescope Rovero, A.; Buckle, J.; Fleury, P. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-6505(95)00054-2	journal	June 1996
Improved γ /hadron separation for the detection of faint γ -ray sources using boosted decision trees Krause, Maria; Pueschel, Elisa; Maier, Gernot Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 89 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2017.01.004	journal	March 2017
Cross calibration of telescope optical throughput efficiencies using reconstructed shower energies for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Mitchell, A. M. W.; Parsons, R. D.; Hofmann, W. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 75 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2015.10.008	journal	February 2016
Photon detection efficiency measurements of the VERITAS Cherenkov telescope photomultipliers after four years of operation Gazda, E.; Nguyen, T.; Otte, N. Journal of Instrumentation, Vol. 11, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/11/11/P11015	journal	November 2016
The Spectrum of the Night Sky over Mount Hopkins and Kitt Peak: Changes after a Decade1 Massey, Philip; Foltz, Craig B. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 112, Issue 770 https://doi.org/10.1086/316552	journal	April 2000
Intercalibration of Cherenkov telescopes in telescope arrays Hofmann, Werner Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 20, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0927-6505(03)00137-3	journal	October 2003
Analysis methods for results in gamma-ray astronomy Li, T. -P.; Ma, Y. -Q. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 272 https://doi.org/10.1086/161295	journal	September 1983
The atmospheric Cherenkov technique in Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy Weekes, TrevorC. Space Science Reviews, Vol. 75, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195020	journal	January 1996
3FHL: The Third Catalog of Hard Fermi -LAT Sources Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Vol. 232, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/aa8221	journal	September 2017
A new mirror alignment system for the VERITAS telescopes McCann, A.; Hanna, D.; Kildea, J. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 32, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2009.10.001	journal	January 2010
Mirrors for Space Telescopes: Degradation Issues Garoli, Denis; Rodriguez De Marcos, Luis V.; Larruquert, Juan I. Applied Sciences, Vol. 10, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217538	journal	October 2020
Sky Quality Meter measurements in a colour-changing world Sánchez de Miguel, A.; Aubé, M.; Zamorano, J. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 467, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx145	journal	March 2017
Calibration of cameras of the H.E.S.S. detector Aharonian, F.; Akhperjanian, A. G.; Aye, K. -M. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 22, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2004.06.006	journal	November 2004
Gamma–hadron separation methods for the VERITAS array of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes Krawczynski, H.; Carter-Lewis, D. A.; Duke, C. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 25, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2006.03.011	journal	July 2006
Eventdisplay: An Analysis and Reconstruction Package for Ground-based Gamma-ray Astronomy Maier, Gernot; Holder, Jamie Proceedings of 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference — PoS(ICRC2017) https://doi.org/10.22323/1.301.0747	conference	August 2018
VERITAS Observations of the γ‐Ray Binary LS I +61 303 Acciari, V. A.; Beilicke, M.; Blaylock, G. The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 679, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1086/587736	journal	June 2008
Response of photomultiplier tubes to xenon scintillation light López Paredes, B.; Araújo, H. M.; Froborg, F. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 102 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2018.04.006	journal	November 2018
Background modelling in very-high-energy γ -ray astronomy Berge, D.; Funk, S.; Hinton, J. Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 466, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20066674	journal	April 2007
In-situ measurements of whole-dish reflectivity for VERITAS Archambault, S.; Chernitsky, G.; Griffin, S. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 128 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2020.102556	journal	March 2021
Principles of solar concentrators of a novel design Winston, Roland Solar Energy, Vol. 16, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-092X(74)90004-8	journal	October 1974
Calibration of the Cherenkov telescope array using cosmic ray electrons Parsons, R. D.; Hinton, J. A.; Schoorlemmer, H. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 84 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2016.08.001	journal	November 2016
The first VERITAS telescope Holder, J.; Atkins, R. W.; Badran, H. M. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 25, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2006.04.002	journal	July 2006
Comparison of techniques to reconstruct VHE gamma-ray showers from multiple stereoscopic Cherenkov images Hofmann, W. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 12, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0927-6505(99)00084-5	journal	November 1999
UBVRI passbands Bessell, M. S. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 102 https://doi.org/10.1086/132749	journal	October 1990
Muon ring images with an atmospheric Čerenkov telescope Vacanti, G.; Fleury, P.; Jiang, Y. Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 2, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-6505(94)90012-4	journal	February 1994

Similar Records

Characterisation and testing of CHEC-M—A camera prototype for the small-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov telescope array

Journal Article · Wed Jul 04 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment · OSTI ID:1982312

Zorn, J.; White, R.; Watson, J. J.; +42 more

VERITAS detection of γ-ray flaring activity from the BL LAC object 1ES 1727+502 during bright moonlight observations

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal · OSTI ID:1982312

Archambault, S.; Archer, A.; Beilicke, M.; +17 more

The VERITAS Prototype and the Upcoming VERITAS Array

Journal Article · Mon Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2005 · AIP Conference Proceedings · OSTI ID:1982312

Falcone, Abe D; Badran, H M; Blaylock, G; +16 more

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
instrumentation
detectors
telescopes
image processing techniques
astroparticle physics

Title: The throughput calibration of the VERITAS telescopes

Citation Formats

References (34)

Similar Records

Related Subjects