arXiv subjects

Jakub Juryšek

Publications and source records attributed to Jakub Juryšek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

SST-1M: Recent results and prospects for observation of the Galactic Center region

The Galactic Center is a crowded region containing powerful particle accelerators and objects producing non-thermal radiation, including the diffuse very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray component known as the `Ridge', whose hard spectrum suggests particle acceleration up to PeV energies. The relevant processes can be tested, and the source parameters can be constrained via Cherenkov telescope observations. Two Single-Mirror Small-Size Cherenkov Telescopes (SST-1M) are currently operated in stereoscopic mode at the Ondřejov Observatory. Their future relocation is being considered, including a site with excellent visibility of the Galactic Center. We present recent observations demonstrating SST-1M capabilities for detecting extended emission and discuss prospects for probing the Galactic Center region, including searches for a spectral cut-off above 10 TeV. We show that the large field-of-view and good VHE sensitivity make SST-1M an ideal instrument for the search for PeVatrons.

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arXiv2025

Calibration and Performance Validation of the SST-1M Telescopes Using Crab Nebula Observations

SST-1M is a prototype single mirror Small Sized Cherenkov Telescope designed for very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy. With a 4 meter primary mirror and a 5.6 meter focal length, it provides a wide 9 degree optical field of view, optimized for detecting VHE gamma-rays from 1 TeV to several hundred TeV. Its focal plane is equipped with DigiCam, a fully digital trigger and readout camera made of 1296 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) pixels. The use of SiPM sensors enables observation under high night sky background (NSB) conditions, significantly enhancing the instrument's duty cycle and allowing observations under moonlight. Currently, two SST-1M telescopes are deployed at the Ond\v rejov Observatory in the Czech Republic, operating in stereo, at 510 m altitude, to observe astrophysical sources. This contribution presents the SiPM calibration procedure and performance validation of the instrument, based on updated results from Crab Nebula observations.

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arXiv2025

SST-1M Observations of Markarian 421

Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) is the closest and one of the brightest high-frequency peaked blazars, located at a redshift of z = 0.031. It is a strong source of gamma rays, and its broadband emission has been extensively studied over the years through multi-wavelength observations from various telescopes. Mrk 421 has been a target of observational campaigns conducted by the SST-1M telescopes - two single-mirror small-size Cherenkov telescopes at Ondrejov Observatory, Prague, Czech Republic. These telescopes operate in mono and stereoscopic modes, utilizing the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT) to detect Very High Energy (VHE) gamma rays in the 1-300 TeV energy range. We present recent SST-1M observations, data analysis, and the results of preliminary physical modeling of Mrk 421's emission mechanisms.

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arXiv2025

Observation of Astrophysical Sources with SST-1M Telescopes -- First Results

The Single-Mirror Small Size Cherenkov Telescope (SST-1M) was developed by a consortium of institutes in Switzerland, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The SST-1M design is based on the Davies-Cotton concept, featuring a 4-meter mirror and an innovative SiPM-based camera. It is most sensitive to gamma rays in the TeV and multi-TeV energy bands. Since 2022, two SST-1M prototypes have been commissioned at the Ondrejov Observatory in the Czech Republic, where their performance in both mono and stereo observation modes is being tested. During the commissioning phase, several galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray sources have been observed, resulting in multiple detections. In this contribution, we present preliminary results from this observation campaign.

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arXiv2025

Hybrid concept of detection for a wide-field gamma-ray observatory using Cherenkov telescopes

The hybrid detection approach in astroparticle physics has been successfully employed in cosmic-ray experiments and is currently being explored by gamma-ray observatories like LHAASO. We present a study on the hybrid detection concept for the future Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), integrating multiple Cherenkov telescopes represented in the analysis by Single-Mirror Small-Size imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (SST-1M) located next to the surface array of water Cherenkov detectors (WCDs). We discuss the mutual benefits of this hybrid approach and present simulation-based results on key performances. Our findings points to the fact that the combination of wide field-of-view and continuous operation of WCDs with the high angular and energy resolution of Cherenkov telescopes could significantly improve the overall detection capabilities of the SWGO experiment.

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arXiv2025

Observation of VER J2019+368 with the SST-1M stereoscopic system

The Single-Mirror Small Size Telescope (SST-1M) is a small Cherenkov telescope designed to detect gamma rays with energies more than about 1 TeV. The optical design of the SST-1M follows the Davies-Cotton concept to ensure good off-axis performance. In 2022, two SST-1M telescope prototypes were installed in Ondrejov, Czech Republic, and stereoscopic observations of astrophysical gamma-ray sources have been performed since then. VER J2019+368 is an unidentified very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray source, surrounded by several gamma-ray point-like and diffuse sources, together with their multi-wavelength counterparts. VHE emission was discovered by MILAGRO in 2012, followed by VERITAS observation, which revealed the complex morphology of the source. Recently, the LHAASO observatory detected photons with multi-TeV energies, opening up the possibility of particle acceleration up to PeV energies. In this contribution, we present preliminary results of the first observing campaign of the VER J2019+368 region, performed with SST-1M from April to November 2024. We present the data analysis, focusing on the morphological and spectroscopic study of the region. We also present the off-axis performance of SST-1M in the context of the prospects for detecting extended galactic gamma-ray sources. As one of the brightest and hardest sources in the LHAASO catalog, VER J2019+368 is an ideal candidate for testing the capabilities of the SST-1M, with its large field of view, to detect extended gamma-ray sources.

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arXiv2025

Stereo performance of SST-1M at different altitudes

The SST-1M telescopes are a pair of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) that have been operating at the Ondřejov Observatory (510 m a.s.l.) in the Czech Republic since 2022. Optimized for detecting gamma rays in the energy range 1-300 TeV, they are capable of performing both mono and stereo observations. Despite challenging atmospheric conditions, SST-1M has successfully detected several galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray sources with energies reaching up to 200 TeV during its ongoing commissioning. In this study, we analyze the performance of the SST-1M telescopes at different locations to assess the impact of altitude and relative telescope spacing on their physics performance. The low-altitude site at 510 m a.s.l. has already been investigated using both Monte Carlo simulations and real data. For comparison, we selected an intermediate-altitude site at 1420 m a.s.l. corresponding to Pampa Amarilla in Argentina and a high-altitude site at 4270 m a.s.l. corresponding to Hanle in India - both of which offer favorable astronomical conditions.

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arXiv2022

Observation of the galactic PeVatron candidate LHAASO J2108+5157 with the Large-Sized Telescope for Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory will be the next-generation ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory, sensitive from 20 GeV up to 300 TeV. The Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1), currently in the commissioning phase, was inaugurated in October 2018 on La Palma (Spain). It is the first of four LST telescopes for CTA, to be built in La Palma. In 2021, LST-1 performed observations of one of the Galactic PeVatron candidates, LHAASO J2108+5157, recently discovered by the LHAASO collaboration. We present results of our analysis of the LST-1 data, putting strong constraints on the emission of the source in the multi-TeV band. We also present results of multi-wavelength modeling using 12-years Fermi-LAT data and Target of Opportunity observations with XMM-Newton. We test different scenarios for the parent particles producing the high energy emission and put constraints on their spectra.

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arXiv2021

Full LST-1 data reconstruction with the use of convolutional neural networks

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the world's largest and most sensitive ground-based gamma-ray observatory in the energy range from a few tens of GeV to tens of TeV. The LST-1 prototype, currently in its commissioning phase, is the first of the four largest CTA telescopes, that will be built in the northern site of CTA in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. In this contribution, we present a full-image reconstruction method using a modified InceptionV3 deep convolutional neural network applied on non-parametrized shower images. We evaluate the performance of optimized networks on Monte Carlo simulations of LST-1 shower images, and compare the results with the performance of the standard reconstruction method. We also show how both methods work on real-data reconstruction.

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arXiv2021

Exceptionally bright optical emission from a rare and distant $γ-$ray burst

Long $\rm γ$-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced by the dissipation of ultra-relativistic jets launched by newly-born black holes after the collapse of massive stars. Right after the luminous and highly variable $γ$-ray emission, the multi-wavelength afterglow is released by the external dissipation of the jet in circumburst medium. We report the discovery of a very bright ($\rm \sim 10$ mag) optical emission $\rm \sim 28$ s after the explosion of the extremely luminous and energetic GRB 210619B located at redshift 1.937. Early multi-filter observations allowed us to witness the end of the shock wave propagation into the GRB ejecta. We observed the spectral transition from a bright reverse to the forward shock emission, demonstrating that the early and late GRB multi-wavelength emission is originated from a very narrow jet propagating into an unusually rarefied interstellar medium. We also find evidence of an additional component of radiation, coming from the jet wings which is able explain the uncorrelated optical/X-ray emission.

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arXiv2021

Observational constraints on the blazar jet wobbling timescales

Blazars are a subclass of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), where the jet is aligned close to the line of sight. Blazars emission is dominated by non-thermal processes, where Doppler boosted radiation originates from a relativistic population of charged particles within the jet. From radio to TeV energies, blazars are highly variable on timescales from minutes to several months. There are several mechanisms proposed to explain variability, including changes in the viewing angle of the jet, propagating along the rotation axis of the accretion disc. The misalignment of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) spin and the angular momentum of the accretion disc yields to Lense-Thirring precession of such tilted disc, which leads to the variation of Doppler beaming. Such scenario is supported by radio observations of jet precession observed in some AGNs. The radio-emitting regions, however, are located far from the central engine, and thus the observed time scales in this band can be affected by e.g. a variation of the bulk Lorentz factor along the jet. In this contribution, we derive expected time scales of the jet wobbling using SMBH masses and compare them with the time intervals between flares in long-term (over 15 years) X-ray light curves of bright blazars observed by Swift-XRT. We found that for Mrk 421, Mrk 501 and 3C 273, the derived time scales are consistent with the observational constraints, while for 1ES 1959+650 we are mostly limited by uncertainty in the Doppler beaming factor.

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arXiv2021

A New Method for Aerosol Measurement using Wide-field Photometry

We present a new method to measure the vertical aerosol optical depth (VAOD) during clear nights using a wide-field imager - a CCD camera with a photographic lens on an equatorial mount. A series of 30-second exposures taken at different altitudes above the horizon can be used to measure the VAOD with a precision better than 0.008 optical depths within a few minutes. Such a measurement does not produce any light and is thus suitable for use at sites where other astronomical instruments are located. The precision of the VAOD measurement depends on laboratory calibration of spectral properties of the system and of the response of the camera electronics to varying illumination levels, as well as careful considerations of details of stellar photometry and modelling of the dependence of measured stellar fluxes star color and position within the field of view. The results obtained with robotic setups at the future sites of the Cherenkov Telescope Array show good internal consistency and agreement with the simultaneous measurements from a Sun/Moon Photometer located at the same site.

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arXiv2019

Prototype operations of atmospheric calibration devices for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The atmospheric monitoring devices for the planned calibration system of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) are undergoing intensive development, prototyping and testing. The All-Sky Cameras, the Sun/Moon Photometers and the FRAM telescopes have been gradually deployed at the future CTA sites with the primary goal of site characterization, simultaneously allowing the assessment of their operational reliability in realistic environmental conditions. All three devices have shown the ability to work smoothly in both the extreme dryness and the large temperature variations of the southern site as well as in the occasional adverse weather during winter months at the northern site. The target availability of 95\% of time has not yet been reached mostly due to minor hardware failures that have proven difficult to fix due to the remoteness of the installation in the absence of the future CTA infrastructure. The experience gathered during the prototype operations will contribute to the improved reliability of the final instruments. The Raman LIDARs, described in separate proceedings of this conference, and the infrared Ceilometer, ready for testing in Prague, will complement the set of atmospheric calibration devices in near future. The final operational procedures for the atmospheric calibration of the CTA during its operation are being finalized foreseeing the use of the All-sky Cameras and the Ceilometer for the monitoring of clouds over the whole sky and the LIDARs and FRAMs for precision measurements of the atmospheric transmission as a function of altitude and position within the field-of-view of the CTA array.

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arXiv2019

Characterization of atmospheric properties at the future sites of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Advanced knowledge of the detailed atmospheric properties of both the future sites of the Cherenkov Telescope Array is essential in preparation of the arrival of the first scientific data. Meteorological variables are studied using a dedicated characterization station installed at the southern site in Chile and a wealth of data from existing observatories around the northern site on the La Palma island. Campaigns using radiosondes launched on balloons are foreseen to complement these data in the near future. Cloudiness during the night has been continuously monitored at both sites for several years using All-sky Cameras which assess the presence of clouds based on detection of stars. The integrated aerosol optical depth over the southern site has been measured using a Sun/Moon Photometer since 2016 and the small robotic FRAM telescope since 2017; identical instruments have been deployed at the northern site in autumn 2018. Also in October 2018, the ARCADE Raman lidar (RL) has started to take measurements on routine basis at the northern site, providing data on the vertical profile of the aerosol optical properties (i.e., extinction and scattering) and of the water vapour mixing ratio. We present the data currently available from these instruments from both sites with emphasis on characteristics important for the (future) operation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes.

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arXiv2019

Calibration and operation of SiPM-based cameras for gamma-ray astronomy in presence of high night-sky light

The next generation of Cherenkov telescope cameras feature Silicon Photo Multipliers (SiPM), which can guarantee excellent performance and allow for observation also under moonlight, increasing duty-cycle and therefore the physics reach. A 4 m-diameter Davies-Cotton prototype telescope with a 9-degree optical FoV and a 1296-pixel SiPM camera, has been designed to meet the requirements of the next generation of ground-based gamma-ray observatories at the highest energies. The large-scale production of the telescopes for array deployment has required the development of a fully automated calibration strategy which relies on a dedicated hardware, the Camera Test Setup (CTS). For each camera pixel, the CTS is equipped with two LEDs, one operated in pulsed mode to reproduce signal and one in continuous mode to reproduce night-sky background. In this contribution we will present the camera calibration strategy, from the laboratory measurement to the on-site monitoring with emphasis on the results obtained with the first camera prototype. In addition, key performances such as charge resolution, time resolution and trigger efficiencies and their degradation with increasing night-sky background level will be presented.

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arXiv2018

FRAM telescopes and their measurements of aerosol content at the Pierre Auger Observatory and at future sites of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

A FRAM (F/(Ph)otometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor) telescope is a system of a robotic mount, a large-format CCD camera and a fast telephoto lens that can be used for atmospheric monitoring at any site when information about the atmospheric transparency is required with high spatial or temporal resolution and where continuous use of laser-based methods for this purpose would interfere with other observations. The original FRAM has been operated at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina for more than a decade, while three more FRAMs are foreseen to be used by the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The CTA FRAMs are being deployed ahead of time to characterize the properties of the sites prior to the operation of the CTA telescopes; one FRAM has been running on the planned future CTA site in Chile for a year while two others are expected to become operational before the end of 2018. We report on the hardware and current status of operation and/or deployment of all the FRAM instruments in question as well as on some of the preliminary results of integral aerosol measurements by the FRAMs in Argentina and Chile

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arXiv2018

New developments in aerosol measurements using stellar photometry

The idea of using stellar photometry for atmospheric monitoring for optical experiments in high-energy astrophysics is seemingly straightforward, but reaching high precision of the order of 0.01 in the determination of the vertical aerosol optical depth (VAOD) has proven difficult. Wide-field photometry over a large span of altitudes allows a fast determination of VAOD independently of the absolute calibration of the system, while providing this calibration as a useful by-product. Using several years of data taken by the FRAM (F/(Ph)otometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor) telescope at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina and about a year of data taken by a similar instrument deployed at the planned future Southern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array in Chile, we have developed methods to improve the precision of this measurement technique towards and possibly beyond the 0.01 mark. Detailed laboratory measurements of the response of the whole system to both the spectrum and intensity of incoming light have proven indispensable in this analysis as the usual assumption of linearity of the CCD detectors is not valid anymore for the conditions of the observations.

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arXiv2017

CzeV - The Czech Variable Star Catalogue

We present the first release of the Czech Variable star catalogue that currently contains 1228 stars whose variability was discovered by 60 Czech observers. The catalogue contains confirmed variable stars of various types, but also candidates. We give precise coordinates, cross identification with other catalogues, information about constellation, variability type, brightness, light elements, name of the discoverer and year of discovery. In eighty-eight percent of stars the variability type is estimated, for more than 60 % of the stars the light ephemerides are given.

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