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arXiv · 1608.03420

The GCT camera for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Anthony M. Brown·A. Abchiche·D. Allan·J. P. Amans·T. P. Armstrong·A. Balzer·D. Berge·C. Boisson·J. -J. Bousquet·M. Bryan·G. Buchholtz·P. M. Chadwick·H. Costantini·G. Cotter·M. K. Daniel·A. De Franco·F. De Frondat·J. -L. Dournaux·D. Dumas·G. Fasola·S. Funk·J. Gironnet·J. A. Graham·T. Greenshaw·O. Hervet·N. Hidaka·J. A. Hinton·J. -M. Huet·I. Jegouzo·T. Jogler·M. Kraus·J. S. Lapington·P. Laporte·J. Lefaucheur·S. Markoff·T. Melse·L. Mohrmann·P. Molyneux·S. J. Nolan·A. Okumura·J. P. Osborne·R. D. Parsons·S. Rosen·D. Ross·G. Rowell·Y. Sato·F. Sayede·J. Schmoll·H. Schoorlemmer·M. Servillat·H. Sol·V. Stamatescu·M. Stephan·R. Stuik·J. Sykes·H. Tajima·J. Thornhill·L. Tibaldo·C. Trichard·J. Vink·J. J. Watson·R. White·N. Yamane·A. Zech·A. Zink·J. Zorn
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Abstract

The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is proposed for the Small-Sized Telescope component of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). GCT's dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) optical system allows the use of a compact camera with small form-factor photosensors. The GCT camera is ~0.4 m in diameter and has 2048 pixels; each pixel has a ~0.2 degree angular size, resulting in a wide field-of-view. The design of the GCT camera is high performance at low cost, with the camera housing 32 front-end electronics modules providing full waveform information for all of the camera's 2048 pixels. The first GCT camera prototype, CHEC-M, was commissioned during 2015, culminating in the first Cherenkov images recorded by a SC telescope and the first light of a CTA prototype. In this contribution we give a detailed description of the GCT camera and present preliminary results from CHEC-M's commissioning.

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Anthony M. Brown, A. Abchiche, D. Allan, J. P. Amans, T. P. Armstrong, A. Balzer, D. Berge, C. Boisson, J. -J. Bousquet, M. Bryan, G. Buchholtz, P. M. Chadwick, H. Costantini, G. Cotter, M. K. Daniel, A. De Franco, F. De Frondat, J. -L. Dournaux, D. Dumas, G. Fasola, S. Funk, J. Gironnet, J. A. Graham, T. Greenshaw, O. Hervet, N. Hidaka, J. A. Hinton, J. -M. Huet, I. Jegouzo, T. Jogler, M. Kraus, J. S. Lapington, P. Laporte, J. Lefaucheur, S. Markoff, T. Melse, L. Mohrmann, P. Molyneux, S. J. Nolan, A. Okumura, J. P. Osborne, R. D. Parsons, S. Rosen, D. Ross, G. Rowell, Y. Sato, F. Sayede, J. Schmoll, H. Schoorlemmer, M. Servillat, H. Sol, V. Stamatescu, M. Stephan, R. Stuik, J. Sykes, H. Tajima, J. Thornhill, L. Tibaldo, C. Trichard, J. Vink, J. J. Watson, R. White, N. Yamane, A. Zech, A. Zink, J. Zorn. 2016-08-11. The GCT camera for the Cherenkov Telescope Array. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231685

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