arXiv subjects

R. Lunadei

Publications and source records attributed to R. Lunadei.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

The optical calibration system for the CTAO North Large Sized Telescope

In 2018, the first prototype of the optical calibration system was installed in the Large Sized Telescopes, LST-1 at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, ORM, in La Palma, Canary Islands. We have almost completed the construction of the three remaining ones that will be mounted by 2026 on LST-2-3-4. The main feature of this system is to ensure a stable and constant photon flux over time with the characteristics of a signal produced by Cherenkov light when a high-energy gamma ray crosses the atmosphere. Test results that show the performance of the optical calibration system have been recently published. In this article, we present in detail the system used to monitor the photon flux.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Test results of the optical calibration system for the Large Sized Telescope camera

In 2018 the Large Sized Telescope (LST-1) prototype, designed to be the lowest energy detector for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, was inaugurated at the Observatorio de Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma, Canary Island and today three more are under construction, LST2-4. The LST camera, with 1855 photomultipliers (PMTs), requires precise and regular calibration. The camera calibration system (hereafter CaliBox), installed at the center of the telescope mirror dish, is equipped with a Q-switching 355 nm UV laser corresponding to the wavelength at which the maximum camera PMT quantum efficiency is achieved, a set of filters to guarantee a large dynamic range of photons on each camera pixel, and a Ulbricht sphere to spread uniformly the laser light over the camera plane 28 m away. The system is managed by an ODROID-C1+ single board computer that communicates through an Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture (OPCUA) protocol to the camera. The CaliBox is designed to fulfill the requirements needed for the calibration of the camera including the monitor of the photon flux to guarantee the quality of the CaliBox system of laser stability, uniform illumination and intensity range. In this paper, we present in detail the optical system, the monitor of the photon flux, the relevant electronic to monitor the device. The performance of the device, the photon flux monitoring, the evaluation of the photon flux sent to the camera obtained during tests performed in Laboratory are shown.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Dependence of the energy resolution of a scintillating crystal on the readout integration time

The possibilty of performing high-rate calorimetry with a slow scintillator crystal is studied. In this experimental situation, to avoid pulse pile-up, it can be necessary to base the energy measurement on only a fraction of the emitted light, thus spoiling the energy resolution. This effect was experimentally studied with a BGO crystal and a photomultiplier followed by an integrator, by measuring the peak amplitude of the signals. The experimental data show that the energy resolution is exclusively due to the statistical fluctuations of the number of photoelectrons contributing to the peak amplitude. When such number is small its fluctuations are even smaller than those predicted by Poisson statistics. These results were confirmed by a Monte Carlo simulation which allows to estimate, in a general case, the energy resolution, given the total number of photoelectrons, the scintillation time and the integration time.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

High-speed data transfer with FPGAs and QSFP+ modules

We present test results and characterization of a data transmission system based on a last generation FPGA and a commercial QSFP+ (Quad Small Form Pluggable +) module. QSFP+ standard defines a hot-pluggable transceiver available in copper or optical cable assemblies for an aggregated bandwidth of up to 40 Gbps. We implemented a complete testbench based on a commercial development card mounting an Altera Stratix IV FPGA with 24 serial transceivers at 8.5 Gbps, together with a custom mezzanine hosting three QSFP+ modules. We present test results and signal integrity measurements up to an aggregated bandwidth of 12 Gbps.

physics.ins-det↗