Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2512.12529

Design and Performance of the Upgraded Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope Camera Module

Giovanni Ambrosi·Carla Aramo·Mattia Barbanera·Chiara Bartolini·Wystan Benbow·Bruna Bertucci·Elisabetta Bissaldi·Massimiliano Bitossi·James H. Buckley·Massimo Capasso·Mirco Caprai·Davide Cerasole·Zachary Curtis-Ginsberg·Gaia De Palma·Leonardo Di Venere·Miguel Escobar Godoy·Qi Feng·Emanuele Fiandrini·Lucy Fortson·Stefan Funk·Amy Furniss·Alasdair Gent·Stefano Germani·Nicola Giglietto·Francesco Giordano·William Hanlon·Sam Heiman·Olivier Hervet·Maria Ionica·Weidong Jin·David Kieda·Francesco Licciulli·Pierpaolo Loizzo·Serena Loporchio·Giovanni Marsella·Reshmi Mukherjee·Nepomuk Otte·Francesca Romana Pantaleo·Riccardo Paoletti·Deivid Ribeiro·Luca Riitano·Emmet Roache·Duncan Ross·Lab Saha·Heiko Salzmann·Benjamin Schwab·Ruo-Yu Shang·Gianluigi Silvestre·Leonardo Stiaccini·Hiroyasu Tajima·Svanik Tandon·Giovanni Tripodo·Justin Vandenbroucke·Vladimir V. Vassiliev·Richard White·David A. Williams·Adrian Zink
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is a ground-based observatory that will improve upon the sensitivities of the current generation of very-high-energy gamma-ray instruments. The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a dual-mirror candidate design for a CTAO Medium-Sized Telescope (MST). The prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) was inaugurated in 2019 at Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona and observed significant gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula with a partially populated camera. The pSCT camera is currently being upgraded to fully instrument the focal plane with 11,328 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) pixels split between 177 camera modules. Additionally, the modules will feature upgraded electronics designed to reduce electronics crosstalk and noise. A module calibration procedure has been developed using a preproduction test module. Following this calibration procedure, performance testing shows that the upgrade module has low noise, minimal electronics crosstalk, and excellent charge resolution. After calibration and optimization, the 177 production modules will be installed in the pSCT camera for commissioning. This will be followed by observations of known VHE gamma-ray sources for camera performance validation.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.IMhep-ex

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Giovanni Ambrosi, Carla Aramo, Mattia Barbanera, Chiara Bartolini, Wystan Benbow, Bruna Bertucci, Elisabetta Bissaldi, Massimiliano Bitossi, James H. Buckley, Massimo Capasso, Mirco Caprai, Davide Cerasole, Zachary Curtis-Ginsberg, Gaia De Palma, Leonardo Di Venere, Miguel Escobar Godoy, Qi Feng, Emanuele Fiandrini, Lucy Fortson, Stefan Funk, Amy Furniss, Alasdair Gent, Stefano Germani, Nicola Giglietto, Francesco Giordano, William Hanlon, Sam Heiman, Olivier Hervet, Maria Ionica, Weidong Jin, David Kieda, Francesco Licciulli, Pierpaolo Loizzo, Serena Loporchio, Giovanni Marsella, Reshmi Mukherjee, Nepomuk Otte, Francesca Romana Pantaleo, Riccardo Paoletti, Deivid Ribeiro, Luca Riitano, Emmet Roache, Duncan Ross, Lab Saha, Heiko Salzmann, Benjamin Schwab, Ruo-Yu Shang, Gianluigi Silvestre, Leonardo Stiaccini, Hiroyasu Tajima, Svanik Tandon, Giovanni Tripodo, Justin Vandenbroucke, Vladimir V. Vassiliev, Richard White, David A. Williams, Adrian Zink. 2026-09-04. Design and Performance of the Upgraded Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope Camera Module. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jatis.12.3.034001

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Performance characterization of a new Structural and Thermal Architecture for a future spaceborne Closed-Cycle Dilution Refrigerator

A Structural and Thermal Model (STM) has been developed to support the new spaceborne Closed-Cycle Dilution Refrigerator (CCDR), which aims to provide continuous cooling at 100~mK for long-duration astrophysical missions. The STM is based on a hexapod architecture that ensures both thermal decoupling and mechanical robustness during launch. In this paper, we present the characterization of its thermal and mechanical performances. A dedicated experimental setup was used to investigate the thermal behavior of the STM across a broad temperature range. The study reveals limitations of the collar design, with incomplete power interception from thermal boundary resistances and vibration test failure traced to defective strut gluing. These results guide the next STM iteration with optimized collar and strut assembly for reliable CCDR operation in space.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2026

The Simons Observatory: Development of a Pipeline to Detect Rapid Transients in Time-Ordered Data

We introduce a method for detecting astrophysical transients evolving on timescales of milliseconds to minutes using cosmic microwave background (CMB) survey telescopes. While previous transient searches in CMB data operate in map space, our pipeline directly processes the raw time-ordered data, enabling sensitivity to fast, dynamic signals. We integrate our detection approach into the Simons Observatory time-domain pipeline and assess the performance by injecting symmetric, stellar flare-like light curves into simulated observations. For events flaring with a timescale of 0.5 s, the pipeline detects $\gtrsim90$ % of events at flux densities of 800, 1150, 1650, and 4250\,mJy when measured in the 93, 145, 225, and 280 GHz bands respectively. At a fixed peak flux density, the pipeline more readily detects longer flares. The limiting flux density for 90 % completeness is four times lower for a $\ge5$ s flare than for a 0.5 s flare, while the flux density limits for $\gtrsim50$ % detection efficiency are comparable to the rms noise of the time-ordered data. We are able to determine the position of detected events in each observing band, with a positional uncertainty at the detection threshold comparable to the telescope resolution at that band. These results demonstrate the readiness of this pipeline for incorporation into upcoming Simons Observatory data analyses.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2026

Thermal conductivity of various CFRPs from 100 mK to 20 K

Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are some of the most useful materials for building spacecraft and aerospace tools. They are especially valuable for systems that work at extremely cold (cryogenic) temperatures because they are strong, lightweight, and don't transfer heat easily. In this study, researchers measured how well heat moves through several different types of carbon fiber samples, specifically T300, T700, HS40, M55J, and IMA, at different fiber layouts and densities. These measurements were taken at ultra-cold temperatures ranging from 100 mK to 20 K. The team used a newly developed analysis method to calculate the thermal conductivity for each sample. Finally, they shared how each material behaved at different temperatures and compared their findings to previous research.

astro-ph.IM↗