Monte Carlo Performance Studies for the Site Selection of the Cherenkov Telescope Array
Résumé
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) represents the next generation of ground-based instruments for very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy, aimed at improving on the sensitivity of current-generation experiments by an order of magnitude and providing coverage over four decades of energy. The current CTA design consists of two arrays of tens of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, comprising Small, Medium and Large-Sized Telescopes, with one array located in each of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. To study the effect of the site choice on the overall CTA performance and support the site evaluation process, detailed Monte Carlo simulations have been performed. These results show the impact of different site-related attributes such as altitude, night-sky background and local geomagnetic field on CTA performance for the observation of VHE gamma rays.
Mots clés
Monte Carlo simulations
Cherenkov Telescopes
IACT technique
Gamma rays
Cosmic rays
gamma ray: VHE
numerical calculations: Monte Carlo
Cherenkov counter: design
Cherenkov Telescope Array
performance
site
background
magnetic field: effect
photon: spatial distribution
sensitivity
angular resolution: energy dependence