The Design and Construction of the University of Adelaide Bicentennial Gamma-Ray Telescope

Clay, R. W.; Giles, D. H.; Gregory, A. G.; Patterson, Joseph; Prescott, J. R. V.; Protheroe, R. J.; Smith, N.; Taaffe, L.; Wild, N.

doi:10.1017/s1323358000022876

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The event trigger for the University of Adelaide's 3-mirror telescope, BIGRAT [14,15], is a triple coincidence between three focal-plane detectors. The pulse shapes were measured by one 75 mm diameter 10-stage photomultiplier (EMI9822B) fitted with a 10 times preamplifier (LeCroy VV100) with two outputs.…”

Section: Measurement and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulse shape selection in very high energy gamma-ray astronomy

Roberts¹,

Edwards²,

Patterson³

et al. 1998

J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys.

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Very high energy gamma-ray astronomers using the atmospheric Čerenkov technique must contend with a large background of light pulses due to cosmic ray-initiated cascades. Significant advances have been made in developing techniques to reduce this background: the imaging technique can have a figure of merit, q, in excess of 6 near the zenith. However, q decreases as the zenith angle increases. In this paper we describe a new technique based on the temporal Čerenkov pulse shape and show that the use of rise time and FWHM cuts are effective discriminators at all zenith angles. For flat-spectrum sources at large zenith angles q ∼ 2.5. Measured parameter distributions are compared with simulations and the methods of making the cuts are discussed. A sensitivity to cosmic-ray composition is also suggested.

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Section: Measurement and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulse shape selection in very high energy gamma-ray astronomy

Roberts¹,

Edwards²,

Patterson³

et al. 1998

J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys.

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“…The construction of the telescope frame and mirrors, the detectors and electronics modules are described in detail in an earlier publication (Clay et al 1989) Briefly, the Bicentennial Gamma-ray Telescope (BIGRAT) consists of three composite mirrors, each with a 2.7m focal length, on a common alt-azimuth mount. A detector 'pod' containing three 51-mm diameter RCA 8575 photomultipliers is presently located in the focal plane of each of the three mirrors.…”

Section: The Bicentennial Gamma-ray Telescopementioning

confidence: 99%

The CANGAROO Project: Very High Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy at Woomera

Edwards

Gregory

Patterson

et al. 1992

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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In this paper the Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy program at the University of Adelaide is described. VHE gamma rays with energies above ~5 × 1011eV are observed using the atmospheric Cerenkov technique. Results from the first three years observations at Woomera and the current upgrading of the telecope are described. The CANGAROO project, a collaboration between the University of Adelaide and a number of Japanese institutions, is also introduced.

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“…Even with the upcoming CTA-South in Chile and CTA-North in the Canary Islands, this does not provide continuous full-sky coverage (see Figure 1). An IACT array in Australia would help fill in the gap and allow for follow-up observations of the southern sky at any time (see Figure 2) continuing in the legacy of previous Australia-sited IACTs such as BIGRAT (Clay et al, 1989), The University of Durham telescopes (Armstrong et al, 1999), and CANGAROO (Enomoto et al, 2002). With the aim of expanding the science capabilities of CTA, such an array could provide triggers for further observation, and continue observing transient events triggered by CTA over the following day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of a small array of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes sited in Australia

Lee

Einecke

Rowell

et al. 2022

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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As TeV gamma-ray astronomy progresses into the era of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), there is a desire for the capacity to instantaneously follow up on transient phenomena and continuously monitor gamma-ray flux at energies above $10^{12}\,\mathrm{eV}$ . To this end, a worldwide network of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) is required to provide triggers for CTA observations and complementary continuous monitoring. An IACT array sited in Australia would contribute significant coverage of the Southern Hemisphere sky. Here, we investigate the suitability of a small IACT array and how different design factors influence its performance. Monte Carlo simulations were produced based on the Small-Sized Telescope (SST) and Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) designs from CTA. Angular resolution improved with larger baseline distances up to 277 m between telescopes, and energy thresholds were lower at 1 000 m altitude than at 0 m. The ${\sim} 300\,\mathrm{GeV}$ energy threshold of MSTs proved more suitable for observing transients than the ${\sim}1.2\,\mathrm{TeV}$ threshold of SSTs. An array of four MSTs at 1 000 m was estimated to give a 5.7 $\sigma$ detection of an RS Ophiuchi-like nova eruption from a 4-h observation. We conclude that an array of four MST-class IACTs at an Australian site would ideally complement the capabilities of CTA.

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The Design and Construction of the University of Adelaide Bicentennial Gamma-Ray Telescope

Cited by 7 publications

References 16 publications

Pulse shape selection in very high energy gamma-ray astronomy

Pulse shape selection in very high energy gamma-ray astronomy

The CANGAROO Project: Very High Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy at Woomera

Performance of a small array of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes sited in Australia

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