Developing instruments for highest-energy gamma-ray astronomy in the southern hemisphere
Gamma-ray astronomy will experience a significant step forward in the coming years. New observatories in the Southern Hemisphere will improve observations of the Galactic Center and shed light on unsolved questions in astronomy and cosmology, as well as particle physics. This thesis provides insight...
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| Format: | Book/Monograph Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Heidelberg
28 Jul. 2026
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| DOI: | 10.11588/heidok.00039111 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-391111 Resolving-System, kostenfrei: https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00039111 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/39111 Langzeitarchivierung Nationalbibliothek, kostenfrei: https://d-nb.info/1414756747/34 
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| Author Notes: | put forward by Frederik Lothar Jonathan Wohlleben ; referees: Prof. Dr. James A. Hinton [und ein weiterer Gutachter] |
| Summary: | Gamma-ray astronomy will experience a significant step forward in the coming years. New observatories in the Southern Hemisphere will improve observations of the Galactic Center and shed light on unsolved questions in astronomy and cosmology, as well as particle physics. This thesis provides insights into the instrumentation for these observatories, with a particular focus on the detection of Cherenkov light using photo multiplier tubes (PMTs) and the processing of photodetector signals. The first part outlines the scientific context, relevant technologies, and planned observatories, including their projected performance, and the resulting requirements for the instruments. Building on this, a comprehensive study of different candidate PMT models, for the Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) is presented, with particular emphasis on reclaimed PMTs from previous experiments. The focus then shifts to SSTCAM, the camera of the Small-Sized Telescopes within the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), covering its design, subsystems, and assem- bly. A method for time reconstruction is introduced and its performance is evaluated through a detailed analysis of the camera’s timing accuracy and resolution. In addition, results from a prototype measurement campaign conducted in Tenerife in 2025 are presented. Finally, the findings are summarized to derive recommendations for the selection of PMT models for SWGO, as well as for time reconstruction and calibration strategies for SSTCAM. |
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| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| DOI: | 10.11588/heidok.00039111 |