Detection of Atmospheric Cherenkov Radiation Using Solar Heliostat Mirrors

Rene A. Ong; the STACEE Collaboration

doi:10.1016/0927-6505(96)00036-9

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arXiv · astro-ph/9605022

Detection of Atmospheric Cherenkov Radiation Using Solar Heliostat Mirrors

Rene A. Ong·the STACEE Collaboration

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Abstract

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 thresholds. This paper discusses the development of a Cherenkov detector using the heliostat mirrors of a solar power plant as the primary collector. As part of this development, we built a prototype detector consisting of four heliostat mirrors and used it to record atmospheric Cherenkov radiation produced in extensive air showers created by cosmic ray particles.

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Rene A. Ong, the STACEE Collaboration. 1996-05-06. Detection of Atmospheric Cherenkov Radiation Using Solar Heliostat Mirrors. https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-6505(96)00036-9

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