Performance evaluation of trigger algorithm for the MACE telescope
Abstract
The MACE (Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment) telescope with a light collector diameter of 21 m, is being set up at Hanle (32.80 N, 78.90 E, 4200m asl) India, to explore the gamma-ray sky in the tens of GeV energy range. The imaging camera of the telescope comprises 1088 pixels covering a total field-of-view of 4.30 × 4.00 with trigger field-of-view of 2.60 × 3.00 and an uniform pixel resolution of 0.120. In order to achieve low energy trigger threshold of less than 30 GeV, a two level trigger scheme is being designed for the telescope. The first level trigger is generated within 16 pixels of the Camera Integrated Module (CIM) based on 4 nearest neighbour (4NN) close cluster configuration within a coincidence gate window of 5 ns while the second level trigger is generated by combining the first level triggers from neighbouring CIMs. Each pixel of the telescope is expected to operate at a single pixel threshold between 8-10 photo-electrons where the single channel rate dominated by the after- pulsing is expected to be ∼500 kHz. The hardware implementation of the trigger logic is based on complex programmable logic devices (CPLD). The basic design concept, hardware implementation and performance evaluation of the trigger system in terms of threshold energy and trigger rate estimates based on Monte Carlo data for the MACE telescope will be presented in this meeting.
- Publication:
-
Astronomical Society of India Conference Series
- Pub Date:
- 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013ASInC...9..100Y