A high performance likelihood reconstruction of gamma-rays for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

Mathieu de Naurois , Loïc Rolland

We present a sophisticated gamma-ray likelihood reconstruction technique for Imaging Atmospheric Cerenkov Telescopes. The technique is based on the comparison of the raw Cherenkov camera pixel images of a photon induced atmospheric particle shower with the predictions from a semi-analytical model. The approach was initiated by the CAT experiment in the 1990's, and has been further developed by a new fit algorithm based on a log-likelihood minimisation using all pixels in the camera, a precise treatment of night sky background noise, the use of stereoscopy and the introduction of first interaction depth as parameter of the model.

Mots clés: Cherenkov; IACT; analysis techniques; VHE Gamma-ray Astronomy

Mathieu de Naurois, Loïc Rolland. A high performance likelihood reconstruction of gamma-rays for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. Astroparticle Physics, 2009, 32 (5), pp.231. ⟨10.1016/j.astropartphys.2009.09.001⟩. ⟨hal-00498977⟩