{"id":257,"date":"2018-03-12T20:31:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T19:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/obserwatorium-cta.pl\/?page_id=257"},"modified":"2018-06-20T17:40:03","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T15:40:03","slug":"small-cherenkov-telescope-sst-1m","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/obserwatorium-cta.pl\/?page_id=257&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Small Cherenkov Telescope – SST-1M"},"content":{"rendered":"

The prototype of the Small-Sized Cherenkov Telescope (SST-1M) is created in its entirety in Poland and Switzerland with significant input from the Czech Republic and lesser input from Ukraine and Ireland.<\/span><\/span> A network of such telescopes is planned as one of the main elements of the southern CTA observatory and will consist of 70 small telescopes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The current advanced prototype of the SST-1M telescope is, in the opinion of many scientists, the best design for a small telescope in the CTA, with its standout simple mechanical design on one side, and on the other, the most modern solution for the camera with ultrafast digital electronic DigiCam and the use of new research in semiconductor photomultipliers (built especially for this project by Hamamatsu).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Small telescopes (SST, Small-Sized Telescope) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will have single mirrors with a diameter of 4 meters.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The proposed solution is universal (resistant to changes in external conditions) for planned measurements and highly reliable, as confirmed by tests in September 2017.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Method of Operation<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

The SST-1M telescope prototype built in Poland is equipped with Davies-Cotton’s optics, which consists of a spherical canopy with mosaic mirrors (composed of 18 elements).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The mirrors focus the light of a shower of particles directly on the telescope’s camera, which is why it is also called a one-mirror telescope.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Davies-Cotton design offers a simple and inexpensive way to eliminate optical aberrations that adversely affect the obtained bunched-up rays (the size of the diffraction spot of the telescope) and is therefore a widely accepted solution in currently operating terrestrial observatories of gamma astronomy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

SST-1M uses an innovative camera based on silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). In contrast to standard photomultipliers, SiPM can also work during moonlit nights. The SiPM reading is based on a fully digital and programmable DigiCam<\/a> approach, similar to FlashCam, but matching the smaller camera body.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The team („network”) of small telescopes will be optimized to collect gamma-ray photons with the highest energies, up to around 300 TeV.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Additional Information<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Polish team of engineers from the H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow is responsible for:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n