arXiv subjects

G. Sembroski

Publications and source records attributed to G. Sembroski.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Surface Interactions in Photon Monte Carlo Simulations

We implement a comprehensive simulation of photon surface interactions using a Monte Carlo approach. This is effective in simulating the interaction of light with telescope mirrors and lenses. We use a full electromagnetic solution to simulate the wavelength and angular dependence at surfaces. This includes bare interfaces, monolayer interfaces, protected layer coatings, and multilayer coatings. We handle special cases when multilayer data is incomplete or when there is photo-conversion in the interface as with sensors. We implement interactions with surface micro-roughness and predict the corresponding angular distribution using a Monte Carlo implementation of the Harvey-Shack scatter theory for a microroughness power spectrum. Finally, we simulate surface interaction with contamination from dust or condensation using Mie scattering applied efficiently to individual contaminants. The combination of these implementations can efficiently simulate rough to polished surfaces of arbitrary materials that are fully cleaned or dusty. The observational consequences includes complex wavelength and spatial-dependent photometric errors, the dominant effect of the wings of point-spread-functions, dust rings, and wavelength and angle-dependent throughput losses. We find agreement with the point-spread-function wings of WIYN ODI observations of bright stars and properties of dust rings, and demonstrate the ability to disentangle mirror microroughness from the turbulence PSF patterns. The comprehensive numerical implementation of surface interactions has wide applicability in non-astronomical applications as well.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Weak Lensing analysis of Abell 2390 using short exposures

We present a weak lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster Abell 2390 at z = 0.23 using second moment shape measurements made in 411 short 60s exposures. The exposures are obtained in three broadband photometric filters (g, r, i) using WIYN-ODI. Shape measurement in individual exposures is done using a moment matching algorithm. Forced measurement is used when the moment matching algorithm fails to converge at low signal to noise ratio (SNR). The measurements made in individual images are combined using inverse error weight to obtain accurate shape of sources and hence recover shear. We use PhoSim simulations to validate shear measurements recovered by our pipeline. We find the mass of Abell 2390 is in agreement with previously published results. We also find the E-Mode maps show filamentary structures consistent with baryonic structures and recovers most clusters/groups of galaxies found using Optical and X-Ray data. Thus we demonstrate the feasibility of using Weak Lensing to map large scale structure of the universe. We also find the central portion of the cluster has a bimodal mass distribution and the relative orientation of the peaks are similar to X-Ray. We discuss earlier research on this galaxy cluster and show that a late stage merger accounts for all the observed data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Self-Consistent Atmosphere Representation and Interaction in Photon Monte Carlo Simulations

We present a self-consistent representation of the atmosphere and implement the interactions of light with the atmosphere using a photon Monte Carlo approach. We compile global climate distributions based on historical data, self-consistent vertical profiles of thermodynamic quantities, spatial models of cloud variation and cover, and global distributions of four kinds of aerosols. We then implement refraction, Rayleigh scattering, molecular interactions, Tyndall-Mie scattering to all photons emitted from astronomical sources and various background components using physics first principles. This results in emergent image properties that include: differential astrometry and elliptical point spread functions predicted completely to the horizon, arcminute-scale spatial-dependent photometry variations at 20 mmag for short exposures, excess background spatial variations at 0.2% due the atmosphere, and a point spread function wing due to water droplets. We reproduce the well-known correlations in image characteristics: correlations in altitude with absolute photometry (overall transmission) and relative photometry (spectrally-dependent transmission), anti-correlations of altitude with differential astrometry (non-ideal astrometric patterns) and background levels, and an anti-correlation in absolute photometry with cloud depth. However, we also find further subtle correlations including an anti-correlation of temperature with background and differential astrometry, a correlation of temperature with absolute and relative photometry, an anti-correlation of absolute photometry with humidity, a correlation of humidity with Lunar background, a significant correlation of PSF wing with cloud depth, an anti-correlation of background with cloud depth, and a correlation of lunar background with cloud depth.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Sensor Distortion Effects in Photon Monte Carlo Simulations

We present a detailed method to simulating sensor distortions using a photon and electron Monte Carlo method. We use three dimensional electrostatic simulations to parameterize the perturbed electric field profile for non-ideal sensor details. We follow the conversion of simulated photons, and the subsequent response of the converted electrons to the electric field pattern. These non-ideal sensor details can be implemented efficiently in a Monte Carlo approach. We demonstrate that the non-ideal sensor distortions have a variety of observable consequence including the modification of the astrometric pattern, the distortion of the electron diffusion size and shape, and the distortion of flats. We show analytic validation of the diffusion physics, reproduce two kinds of edge distortion, and show qualitative validation of field-free regions, lithography errors, and fringing. We also demonstrate that there are two related effects of doping variation having different observable consequences. We show that field distortions from accumulated electrons lead to intensity-dependent point-spread-functions and the sub-linear variance in flats. The method is implemented in the Photon Simulator (PhoSim) and the code is publically available.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Deformation of Optics for Photon Monte Carlo Simulations

We develop a comprehensive approach to simulate the deformation of mirrors and lenses due to thermal and mechanical stresses that couples efficiently to photon-based optics simulations. This expands upon previous work where we demonstrated a comprehensive ab initio approach to simulate astronomical images using a photon Monte Carlo method. We apply elasticity theory and estimate thermal effects by adapting a three-dimensional numerical method. We also consider the effect of active optics control systems and active cooling systems in further correcting distortions in the optics. We validate the approach by showing convergence to analytic estimates, and then apply the methodology to the WIYN 3.5m telescope primary mirror. We demonstrate that changes in the soak temperature result in second order point spread function (PSF) defocusing, the gravitational sag and positioning errors result in highly structured PSF distortions, and large-scale thermal gradients result in an elliptical PSF distortion patterns. All three aspects of the environment are larger than the intrinsic optical aberrations of the design, and further exploration with a variety of telescopes should lead to detailed PSF size and shape, astrometric distortion, and field variation predictions. The simulation capabilities developed in this work is publicly available with the Photon Simulation (PhoSim) package.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2006

Gamma-Hadron Separation Methods for the VERITAS Array of Four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

Ground-based arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes have emerged as the most sensitive gamma-ray detectors in the energy range of about 100 GeV and above. The strengths of these arrays are a very large effective collection area on the order of 100,000 square meter, combined with excellent single photon angular and energy resolutions. The sensitivity of such detectors is limited by statistical fluctuations in the number of Cosmic Ray initiated air showers that resemble gamma-ray air showers in many ways. In this paper, we study the performance of simple event reconstruction methods when applied to simulated data of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) experiment. We review methods for reconstructing the arrival direction and the energy of the primary photons, and examine means to improve on their performance. For a software threshold energy of 300 GeV (100 GeV), the methods achieve point source angular and energy resolutions of sigma[63%]= 0.1 degree (0.2 degree) and sigma[68%]= 15% (22%), respectively. The main emphasis of the paper is the discussion of gamma-hadron separation methods for the VERITAS experiment. We find that the information from several methods can be combined based on a likelihood ratio approach and the resulting algorithm achieves a gamma-hadron suppression with a quality factor that is substantially higher than that achieved with the standard methods used so far.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Control Software for the VERITAS Cherenkov Telescope System

The VERITAS collaboration is developing a system of initially 4 and eventually 7 Cherenkov Telescopes of the 12 m diameter class for high sensitivity gamma-ray astronomy in the >50 GeV energy range. In this contribution we describe the software that controls and monitors the various VERITAS sub-systems. The software uses an object-oriented approach to cope with the complexities that arise from using sub-groups of the 7 VERITAS telescopes to observe several sources at the same time. Inter-process communication is based on the CORBA Object Request Broker protocol and watch-dog processes monitor the sub-system performance.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Limits to Quantum Gravity Effects from Observations of TeV Flares in Active Galaxies

We have used data from the TeV gamma-ray flare associated with the active galaxy Markarian 421 observed on 15 May 1996 to place bounds on the possible energy-dependence of the speed of light in the context of an effective quantum gravitational energy scale. The possibility of an observable time dispersion in high energy radiation has recently received attention in the literature, with some suggestions that the relevant energy scale could be less than the Planck mass and perhaps as low as 10^16 GeV. The limits derived here indicate this energy scale to be in excess of 4x10^16 GeV at the 95% confidence level. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes the first convincing limit on such phenomena in this energy regime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

New Limits to the IR Background: Bounds on Radiative Neutrino Decay and on VMO Contributions to the Dark Matter Problem

From considering the effect of gamma-gamma interactions on recently observed TeV gamma-ray spectra, improved limits are set to the density of extragalactic infrared (IR) photons which are robust and essentially model-independent. The resulting limits are up to two orders of magnitude more restrictive than direct observations in the 0.025-0.3eV regime. These limits are used to improve constraints on radiative neutrino decay in the mass range above 0.05eV and on Very Massive Objects (VMOs) as providing the dark matter needed to explain galaxy rotation curves.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

VERITAS: Very LArge Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System

A next generation atmospheric Cherenkov observatory is described based on the Whipple Observatory $γ$-ray telescope. A total of nine such imaging telescopes will be deployed in an array that will permit the maximum versatility and give high sensitivity in the 50 GeV - 50 TeV band (with maximum sensitivity from 100 GeV to 10 TeV).

astro-ph↗

arXiv1997

A search for correlations of TeV gamma-rays with ultra-high energy cosmic rays

A search was conducted for TeV gamma-rays emitted from the direction of the ultra-high energy cosmic ray detected by the Fly's Eye Experiment with E ~ 3 x 10**20 eV. No enhancement was found at a level of 10**-10 gamma/cm**2-sec for E>350 GeV. This upper limit is consistent with theoretical estimates based on topological defects as sources of UHE cosmic rays. An upper limit was also set for the flux of TeV gamma rays from 3C147, the most prominent AGN in the error box.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1996

Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from the Blazar Markarian 421

Very high energy gamma-ray emission from the BL Lac object Markarian 421 has been detected over three observing seasons on 59 nights between April 1992 and June 1994 with the Whipple 10-meter imaging Cherenkov telescope. During its initial detection in 1992, its flux above 500 GeV was 1.6$\times$10$^{-11}$photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. Observations in 1993 confirmed this level of emission. For observations made between December 1993 and April 1994, its intensity was a factor of 2.2$\pm$0.5 lower. Observations on 14 and 15 May, 1994 showed an increase over this quiescent level by a factor of $\sim$10 (Kerrick et al. 1995). This strong outburst suggests that 4 episodes of increased flux measurements on similar time scales in 1992 and 1994 may be attributed to somewhat weaker outbursts. The variability of the TeV gamma-ray emission from Markarian 421 stands in contrast to EGRET observations (Lin et al. 1994) which show no evidence for variability.

astro-ph↗