English

Raster Scanning the Crab Nebula to Produce an Extended VHE Calibration Source

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2019-08-13 v1 High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Abstract

The Crab Nebula has long been the standard reference point source for very-high-energy (VHE, E >>100 GeV) gamma-ray observatories such as VERITAS. It has enabled testing and improvement of analysis methods, validation of techniques, and has served as a calibration source. No comparable extended source is known with a high, constant flux and well understood morphology. In order to artificially generate such a source, VERITAS has performed raster scans across the Crab Nebula. By displacing the source within the field-of-view in a known pattern, it is possible to generate an extended calibration source for verification of extended source analysis techniques. The method as well as early results of this novel technique are presented.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1508.07198,
  title  = {Raster Scanning the Crab Nebula to Produce an Extended VHE Calibration Source},
  author = {Ralph Bird},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1508.07198},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

Presented at The 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference