Application of a generalized likelihood ratio test statistic to MAGIC data
Abstract
The commonly used detection test statistic for Cherenkov telescope data is Li & Ma (1983), Eq. 17. It evaluates the compatibility of event counts in an on-source region with those in a representative off-region. It does not exploit the typically known gamma-ray point spread function (PSF) of a system, and in practice its application requires either assumptions on the symmetry of the acceptance across the field of view, orMonte Carlo simulations.MAGIC has an azimuth-dependent, asymmetric acceptance which required a careful review of detection statistics. Besides an adapted Li & Ma based technique, the recently presented generalized LRT statistic of [1] is now in use. It is more flexible, more sensitive and less systematics-affected, because it is highly customized for multi-pointing Cherenkov telescope data with a known PSF. We present the application of this new method to archival MAGIC data and compare it to the other, Li&Ma-based method.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1212.4362,
title = {Application of a generalized likelihood ratio test statistic to MAGIC data},
author = {S. Klepser and J. Krause and J. Sitarek},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1212.4362},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
4 pages, 2 figures. Published in Proc. of the 5th International Meeting of High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy