Dresden 2013 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 83: Gammaastronomie 3

T 83.4: Vortrag

Dienstag, 5. März 2013, 17:35–17:50, HSZ-E05

Discriminating between Electron and Gamma Air Showers using Direct Cherenkov Light — •Tanya Edwards — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, Heidelberg, Germany

Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) detect VHE gamma rays from galactic and extragalactic sources in order to probe the acceleration mechanisms involved in the most energetic and exotic sources. The reconstruction techniques currently used can distinguish most of the background of hadrons entering the atmosphere as they produce very different air showers. Showers initiated by electrons on the other hand are much harder to separate, as they also produce electromagnetic cascades. A new technique making use of direct Cherenkov (DC) light could provide a way to finally distinguish between the two. Cherenkov light emitted directly from the primary particle before it interacts results in a signal at the start of the extensive air shower image in the IACT camera. Probing the characteristics of DC light could allow direct identification of electrons and other charged primaries. This would lead to the increased sensitivity of H.E.S.S. and CTA, confirmation of the electron background contamination level and could also provide a measurement of the diffuse extragalactic background light.