Related papers: Performance Limits for Cherenkov Instruments
Cherenkov radiation provides a valuable way to identify high energy particles in a wide momentum range, through the relation between the particle velocity and the Cherenkov angle. However, since the Cherenkov angle depends only on…
The effective observation time of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) plays an important role in the detection of gamma-ray sources, especially when the expected flux is low. This time is strongly limited by the atmospheric conditions.…
The Atmospheric Cherenkov Imaging Technique has opened up the gamma-ray spectrum from 100 GeV to 50 TeV to astrophysical exploration. The development of the technique (with emphasis on the early days) is described as are the basic…
Future experiments based on the observation of Earth's atmosphere from sub-orbital and orbital altitudes plan to include optical Cherenkov cameras to observe extensive air showers produced by high-energy cosmic radiation via its interaction…
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays in the range 10^15 eV to 6*10^19 eV has been studied using the air Cherenkov light detectors of the Yakutsk array. The total flux of photons produced by relativistic electrons (including positrons as well,…
The proposed SCORE detector consists of a large array of light collecting modules designed to sample the Cherenkov light front of extensive air showers in order to detect high energy gamma-rays. A large spacing of the detector stations…
We present a new design for the water Cherenkov detectors that are in use in various cosmic ray observatories. This novel design can provide a significant improvement in the independent measurement of the muonic and electromagnetic…
The aim of the Yakutsk array enhancement project is to create an instrument to study the highest-energy galactic cosmic rays (CRs) -- their sources, energy spectrum, and mass composition. Additionally, there will be unique capabilities for…
The dominant background for observations of gamma-rays in the energy region above 50 GeV with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are cosmic-ray events. The images of most of the cosmic ray showers look significantly different from…
Several projects planned or proposed can significantly expand our knowledge of the high-energy Universe in gamma rays. Construction of the Cherenkov telescope array CTA is started, and other detectors are planned which will use the…
The origin and nature of the highest energy cosmic ray events is currently the subject of intense investigation by giant air shower arrays and fluorescent detectors. These particles reach energies well beyond what can be achieved in…
Radio detection of cosmic-ray-induced air showers has come to a flight the last decade. Along with the experimental efforts, several theoretical models were developed. The main radio-emission mechanisms are established to be the geomagnetic…
The Yakutsk array group is developing a wide field-of-view Cherenkov telescope to be operated in coincidence with the surface detectors of the extensive air shower array. Currently, the engineering prototype of the reflecting telescope with…
The gamma-ray energy region between 20 and 250 GeV is largely unexplored. Ground-based atmospheric Cherenkov detectors offer a possible way to explore this region, but large Cherenkov photon collection areas are needed to achieve low energy…
In Monte-Carlo simulations of gamma-ray or cosmic-ray detector arrays on the ground (here mainly arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes), the atmosphere enters in several ways: in the development of the particle showers, in the…
During the last decade ground-based very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy achieved a remarkable advancement in the development of the observational technique for the registration and study of gamma-ray emission above 100 GeV. It is widely…
Atmospheric density profiles as well as several light absorption and scattering processes depend on geographic position and are generally time-variable. Their impact on the atmospheric Cherenkov technique in general (imaging or non-imaging)…
For air showers observed simultaneously by more than two imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, the shower geometry is overconstrained by the images and image information should be combined taking into account the quality of the images.…
In recent years, ground-based very-high-energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma-ray astronomy has experienced a major breakthrough with the impressive astrophysical results obtained mainly by the current generation experiments like H.E.S.S., MAGIC,…
The search for high energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin is being conducted today with two water/ice Cherenkov experiments. New instruments of higher performance are now in construction and more are in the R&D phase. No sources have…