Journal article
Gamma-ray observations under bright moonlight with VERITAS
Astroparticle physics, v 91(C), pp 34-43
May 2017
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) are equipped with sensitive photomultiplier tube (PMT) cameras. Exposure to high levels of background illumination degrades the efficiency of and potentially destroys these photo-detectors over time, so IACTs cannot be operated in the same configuration in the presence of bright moonlight as under dark skies. Since September 2012, observations have been carried out with the VERITAS IACTs under bright moonlight (defined as about three times the night-sky-background (NSB) of a dark extragalactic field, typically occurring when Moon illumination > 35%) in two observing modes, firstly by reducing the voltage applied to the PMTs and, secondly, with the addition of ultra-violet (UV) bandpass filters to the cameras. This has allowed observations at up to about 30 times previous NSB levels (around 80% Moon illumination), resulting in 30% more observing time between the two modes over the course of a year. These additional observations have already allowed for the detection of a flare from the 1ES 1727 + 502 and for an observing program targeting a measurement of the cosmic-ray positron fraction. We provide details of these new observing modes and their performance relative to the standard VERITAS observations.
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Details
- Title
- Gamma-ray observations under bright moonlight with VERITAS
- Creators
- S. Archambault - McGill UniversityA. Archer - University of WashingtonW. Benbow - Harvard UniversityR. Bird - University of California, BerkeleyE. Bourbeau - McGill UniversityA. Bouvier - University of California, BerkeleyM. Buchovecky - University of California, BerkeleyV. Bugaev - University of WashingtonJ.V. Cardenzana - Iowa State UniversityM. Cerruti - Harvard UniversityL. Ciupik - Adler PlanetariumM.P. Connolly - National University of Ireland, GalwayW. Cui - Tsinghua UniversityM.K. Daniel - Harvard UniversityM. Errando - University of WashingtonA. Falcone - Pennsylvania State UniversityQ. Feng - McGill UniversityJ.P. Finley - Purdue University West LafayetteH. Fleischhack - DESY, Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, GermanyL. Fortson - University of MinnesotaA. Furniss - California State University SystemG.H. Gillanders - National University of Ireland, GalwayS. Griffin - McGill UniversityD. Hanna - McGill UniversityO. Hervet - University of California, BerkeleyJ. Holder - University of DelawareG. Hughes - Harvard UniversityT.B. Humensky - Columbia UniversityM. Hütten - DESY, Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, GermanyC.A. Johnson - University of California, BerkeleyP. Kaaret - University of IowaP. Kar - University of UtahM. Kertzman - DePauw UniversityD. Kieda - University of UtahM. Krause - DESY, Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, GermanyM.J. Lang - National University of Ireland, GalwayT.T.Y. Lin - McGill UniversityG. Maier - DESY, Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, GermanyS. McArthur - Purdue University West LafayetteP. Moriarty - National University of Ireland, GalwayR. Mukherjee - Columbia UniversityD. Nieto - Columbia UniversityS. O’Brien - School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, IrelandR.A. Ong - University of California, BerkeleyA.N. Otte - Georgia Institute of TechnologyN. Park - University of ChicagoM. Pohl - University of PotsdamA. Popkow - University of California, BerkeleyE. Pueschel - University College DublinJ. Quinn - University College DublinK. Ragan - McGill UniversityP.T. Reynolds - Cork Institute of TechnologyG.T. Richards - Georgia Institute of TechnologyE. Roache - Harvard UniversityC. Rulten - University of MinnesotaI. Sadeh - DESY, Platanenallee 6, 15738 Zeuthen, GermanyG.H. Sembroski - Purdue University West LafayetteK. Shahinyan - University of MinnesotaD. Staszak - University of ChicagoI. Telezhinsky - University of PotsdamS. Trepanier - McGill UniversityS.P. Wakely - University of ChicagoA. Weinstein - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USAP. Wilcox - University of IowaD.A. Williams - University of California, BerkeleyB. Zitzer - McGill University
- Publication Details
- Astroparticle physics, v 91(C), pp 34-43
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000401213600005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85015727475
- Other Identifier
- 991019201488804721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Physics, Particles & Fields