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Featured researches published by A. De Franco.


arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics | 2016

The first GCT camera for the cherenkov telescope array

A. De Franco; R. White; D. Allan; T. Armstrong; Terry Ashton; A. Balzer; D. Berge; R. Bose; Anthony M. Brown; J. H. Buckley; P. M. Chadwick; P. Cooke; G. Otter; M. K. Daniel; S. Funk; T. Greenshaw; J. A. Hinton; M. Kraus; J. Lapington; P. Molyneux; P. Moore; S. J. Nolan; A. Okumura; D. Ross; C. B. Rulten; Jürgen Schmoll; H. Schoorlemmer; M. Stephan; P. Sutcliffe; Hiroyasu Tajima

The Gamma Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is proposed to be part of the Small Size Telescope (SST) array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The GCT dual-mirror optical design allows the use of a compact camera of diameter roughly 0.4 m. The curved focal plane is equipped with 2048 pixels of ~0.2{\deg} angular size, resulting in a field of view of ~9{\deg}. The GCT camera is designed to record the flashes of Cherenkov light from electromagnetic cascades, which last only a few tens of nanoseconds. Modules based on custom ASICs provide the required fast electronics, facilitating sampling and digitisation as well as first level of triggering. The first GCT camera prototype is currently being commissioned in the UK. On-telescope tests are planned later this year. Here we give a detailed description of the camera prototype and present recent progress with testing and commissioning.


arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics | 2017

Inauguration and First Light of the GCT-M Prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

J.J. Watson; A. De Franco; A. Abchiche; D. Allan; J. P. Amans; T. Armstrong; A. Balzer; D. Berge; C. Boisson; J. J. Bousquet; A. M. Brown; M. Bryan; Gilles Buchholtz; P. M. Chadwick; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; M. K. Daniel; F. De Frondat; Jean-Laurent Dournaux; D. J. P. Dumas; J.-P. Ernenwein; G. Fasola; S. Funk; J. Gironnet; J. A. Graham; T. Greenshaw; O. Hervet; N. Hidaka; J. A. Hinton; Jean-Michel Huet

The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is a candidate for the Small Size Telescopes (SSTs) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). Its purpose is to extend the sensitivity of CTA to gamma-ray energies reaching 300 TeV. Its dual-mirror optical design and curved focal plane enables the use of a compact camera of 0.4 m diameter, while achieving a field of view of above 8 degrees. Through the use of the digitising TARGET ASICs, the Cherenkov flash is sampled once per nanosecond contin-uously and then digitised when triggering conditions are met within the analogue outputs of the photosensors. Entire waveforms (typically covering 96 ns) for all 2048 pixels are then stored for analysis, allowing for a broad spectrum of investigations to be performed on the data. Two prototypes of the GCT camera are under development, with differing photosensors: Multi-Anode Photomultipliers (MAPMs) and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). During November 2015, the GCT MAPM (GCT-M) prototype camera was integrated onto the GCT stru...


arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics | 2017

The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

L. Tibaldo; A. Abchiche; D. Allan; J. P. Amans; T. Armstrong; A. Balzer; D. Berge; C. Boisson; J. J. Bousquet; A. M. Brown; M. Bryan; Gilles Buchholtz; P. M. Chadwick; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; M. K. Daniel; A. De Franco; F. De Frondat; Jean-Laurent Dournaux; D. J. P. Dumas; J.-P. Ernenwein; G. Fasola; S. Funk; J. Gironnet; J. A. Graham; T. Greenshaw; O. Hervet; N. Hidaka; J. A. Hinton; Jean-Michel Huet

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a forthcoming ground-based observatory for very-high-energy gamma rays. CTA will consist of two arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and will combine telescopes of different types to achieve unprecedented performance and energy coverage. The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is one of the small-sized telescopes proposed for CTA to explore the energy range from a few TeV to hundreds of TeV with a field of view ≳ 8° and angular resolution of a few arcminutes. The GCT design features dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optics and a compact camera based on densely-pixelated photodetectors as well as custom electronics. In this contribution we provide an overview of the GCT project with focus on prototype development and testing that is currently ongoing. We present results obtained during the first on-telescope campaign in late 2015 at the Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, during which we recorded the first Cherenkov ima...


Proceedings of SPIE | 2016

The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope, an end-to end Schwarzschild-Couder telescope prototype proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

J. L. Dournaux; A. Abchiche; D. Allan; J. P. Amans; T. Armstrong; A. Balzer; D. Berge; C. Boisson; J. J. Bousquet; A. M. Brown; M. Bryan; G. Buchholtz; P. M. Chadwick; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; L. Dangeon; M. K. Daniel; A. De Franco; F. De Frondat; D. Dumas; J.-P. Ernenwein; G. Fasola; S. Funk; J. Gironnet; J. A. Graham; T. Greenshaw; B. Hameau; O. Hervet; N. Hidaka; J. A. Hinton

The GCT (Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope) is a dual-mirror prototype of Small-Sized-Telescopes proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) and made by an Australian-Dutch-French-German-Indian-Japanese-UK-US consortium. The integration of this end-to-end telescope was achieved in 2015. On-site tests and measurements of the first Cherenkov images on the night sky began on November 2015. This contribution describes the telescope and plans for the pre-production and a large scale production within CTA.


Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment | 2016

The GCT camera for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Anthony M. Brown; A. Abchiche; D. Allan; J. P. Amans; T. Armstrong; A. Balzer; D. Berge; C. Boisson; J. J. Bousquet; M. Bryan; G. Buchholtz; P. M. Chadwick; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; M. K. Daniel; A. De Franco; F. De Frondat; J. L. Dournaux; D. Dumas; G. Fasola; S. Funk; J. Gironnet; J. A. Graham; T. Greenshaw; O. Hervet; N. Hidaka; J. A. Hinton; J. M. Huet; I. Jegouzo; T. Jogler


Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment | 2017

Operating performance of the gamma-ray Cherenkov telescope: An end-to-end Schwarzschild–Couder telescope prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

J.-L. Dournaux; A. De Franco; P. Laporte; Richard White; T. Greenshaw; H. Sol; A. Abchiche; D. Allan; J. P. Amans; T. Armstrong; A. Balzer; D. Berge; C. Boisson; J. J. Bousquet; A. M. Brown; M. Bryan; G. Buchholtz; P. M. Chadwick; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; M. K. Daniel; F. De Frondat; D. Dumas; J.-P. Ernenwein; G. Fasola; S. Funk; J. Gaudemard; J. A. Graham; J. Gironnet; O. Hervet


Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment | 2018

Characterisation and testing of CHEC-M—A camera prototype for the small-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov telescope array.

J. Zorn; R. White; J.J. Watson; T.P. Armstrong; A. Balzer; M. Barcelo; D. Berge; R. Bose; A. M. Brown; M. Bryan; P. M. Chadwick; Paul J. Clark; H. Costantini; Garret Cotter; L. Dangeon; M. K. Daniel; A. De Franco; P. Deiml; G. Fasola; S. Funk; M. Gebyehu; J. Gironnet; J. A. Graham; T. Greenshaw; J. A. Hinton; M. Kraus; J. Lapington; P. Laporte; S. Leach; O. Le Blanc

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M. K. Daniel

University of Liverpool

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T. Greenshaw

University of Liverpool

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A. Balzer

University of Amsterdam

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