A new analysis method for very high definition Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes as applied to the CAT telescope

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Vol. 416; no. 2; pp. 425 - 437
• Main Authors: Le Bohec, S., Degrange, B., Punch, M., Barrau, A., Bazer-Bachi, R., Cabot, H., Chounet, L.M., Debiais, G., Dezalay, J.P., Djannati-Ataı̈, A., Dumora, D., Espigat, P., Fabre, B., Fleury, P., Fontaine, G., George, R., Ghesquière, C., Goret, P., Gouiffes, C., Grenier, I.A., Iacoucci, L., Malet, I., Meynadier, C., Munz, F., Palfrey, T.A., Paré, E., Pons, Y., Québert, J., Ragan, K., Renault, C., Rivoal, M., Rob, L., Schovanek, P., Smith, D., Tavernet, J.P., Vrana, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-11-1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Astrophysics; Atmospheric Cherenkov detector; Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics; Gamma-Ray Astronomy; Physics; Atmospheric Cherenkov detector; Gamma-Ray Astronomy
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-9002(98)00750-5

A new method of shower-image analysis is presented which appears very powerful as applied to those Cherenkov Imaging Telescopes with very high definition imaging capability. It provides hadron rejection on the basis of a single cut on the image shape, and simultaneously determines the energy of the electromagnetic shower and the position of the shower axis with respect to the detector. The source location is also reconstructed for each individual γ-ray shower, even with one single telescope, so for a point source the hadron rejection can be further improved. As an example, this new method is applied to data from the CAT (Cherenkov Array at Thémis) imaging telescope, which has been operational since Autumn, 1996.