Observations of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar with the Large-sized Telescope Prototype of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

DOI: 
10.3847/1538-4357/ace89d
Publication date: 
11/10/2023
Main author: 
Abe, H.
IAA authors: 
Agudo, I.;Bernardos, M. I.;Escudero, J.;López-Coto, R.;Morcuende, D.;Ruiz, J. E.
Authors: 
Abe, H.;Abe, K.;Abe, S.;Aguasca-Cabot, A.;Agudo, I.;Alvarez Crespo, N.;Antonelli, L. A.;Aramo, C.;Arbet-Engels, A.;Arcaro, C.;Artero, M.;Asano, K.;Aubert, P.;Baktash, A.;Bamba, A.;Baquero Larriva, A.;Baroncelli, L.;Barres de Almeida, U.;Barrio, J. A.;Batkovic, I.;Baxter, J.;Becerra González, J.;Bernardini, E.;Bernardos, M. I.;Bernete Medrano, J.;Berti, A.;Bhattacharjee, P.;Biederbeck, N.;Bigongiari, C.;Bissaldi, E.;Blanch, O.;Bonnoli, G.;Bordas, P.;Borghese, A.;Bulgarelli, A.;Burelli, I.;Buscemi, M.;Cardillo, M.;Caroff, S.;Carosi, A.;Cassol, F.;Cauz, D.;Ceribella, G.;Chai, Y.;Cheng, K.;Chiavassa, A.;Chikawa, M.;Chytka, L.;Cifuentes, A.;Contreras, J. L.;Cortina, J.;Costantini, H.;D'Amico, G.;Dalchenko, M.;De Angelis, A.;de Bony de Lavergne, M.;De Lotto, B.;de Menezes, R.;Deleglise, G.;Delgado, C.;Delgado Mengual, J.;della Volpe, D.;Dellaiera, M.;Depaoli, D.;Di Piano, A.;Di Pierro, F.;Di Tria, R.;Di Venere, L.;Díaz, C.;Dominik, R. M.;Dominis Prester, D.;Donini, A.;Dorner, D.;Doro, M.;Elsässer, D.;Emery, G.;Escudero, J.;Fallah Ramazani, V.;Ferrara, G.;Ferrarotto, F.;Fiasson, A.;Freixas Coromina, L.;Fröse, S.;Fukami, S.;Fukazawa, Y.;Garcia, E.;Garcia López, R.;Gasbarra, C.;Gasparrini, D.;Geyer, F.;Giesbrecht Paiva, J.;Giglietto, N.;Giordano, F.;Giro, E.;Gliwny, P.;Godinovic, N.;Grau, R.;Green, D.;Green, J.;Gunji, S.;Hackfeld, J.;Hadasch, D.;Hahn, A.;Hashiyama, K.;Hassan, T.;Hayashi, K.;Heckmann, L.;Heller, M.;Herrera Llorente, J.;Hirotani, K.;Hoffmann, D.;Horns, D.;Houles, J.;Hrabovsky, M.;Hrupec, D.;Hui, D.;Hütten, M.;Iarlori, M.;Imazawa, R.;Inada, T.;Inome, Y.;Ioka, K.;Iori, M.;Ishio, K.;Iwamura, Y.;Jacquemont, M.;Jimenez Martinez, I.;Jurysek, J.;Kagaya, M.;Karas, V.;Katagiri, H.;Kataoka, J.;Kerszberg, D.;Kobayashi, Y.;Kong, A.;Kubo, H.;Kushida, J.;Lainez, M.;Lamanna, G.;Lamastra, A.;Le Flour, T.;Linhoff, M.;Longo, F.;López-Coto, R.;López-Moya, M.;López-Oramas, A.;Loporchio, S.;Lorini, A.;Luque-Escamilla, P. L.;Majumdar, P.;Makariev, M.;Mandat, D.;Manganaro, M.;Manicò, G.;Mannheim, K.;Mariotti, M.;Marquez, P.;Marsella, G.;Martí, J.;Martinez, O.;Martínez, G.;Martínez, M.;Marusevec, P.;Mas-Aguilar, A.;Maurin, G.;Mazin, D.;Mestre Guillen, E.;Micanovic, S.;Miceli, D.;Miener, T.;Miranda, J. M.;Mirzoyan, R.;Mizuno, T.;Molero Gonzalez, M.;Molina, E.;Montaruli, T.;Monteiro, I.;Moralejo, A.;Morcuende, D.;Morselli, A.;Mrakovcic, K.;Murase, K.;Nagai, A.;Nagataki, S.;Nakamori, T.;Nickel, L.;Nievas, M.;Nishijima, K.;Noda, K.;Nosek, D.;Nozaki, S.;Ohishi, M.;Ohtani, Y.;Oka, T.;Okazaki, N.;Okumura, A.;Orito, R.;Otero-Santos, J.;Palatiello, M.;Paneque, D.;Pantaleo, F. R.;Paoletti, R.;Paredes, J. M.;Pech, M.;Pecimotika, M.;Peresano, M.;Pérez, A.;Pietropaolo, E.;Pirola, G.;Plard, C.;Podobnik, F.;Poireau, V.;Polo, M.;Pons, E.;Prandini, E.;Prast, J.;Principe, G.;Priyadarshi, C.;Prouza, M.;Rando, R.;Rhode, W.;Ribó, M.;Rizi, V.;Rodriguez Fernandez, G.;Ruiz, J. E.;Saito, T.;Sakurai, S.;Sanchez, D. A.;Šarić, T.;Sato, Y.;Saturni, F. G.;Schleicher, B.;Schmuckermaier, F.;Schubert, J. L.;Schussler, F.;Schweizer, T.;Seglar Arroyo, M.;Silvia, R.;Sitarek, J.;Sliusar, V.;Spolon, A.;Strišković, J.;Strzys, M.;Suda, Y.;Sunada, Y.;Tajima, H.;Takahashi, H.;Takahashi, M.;Takata, J.;Takeishi, R.;Tam, P. H. T.;Tanaka, S. J.;Tateishi, D.;Tejedor, L. A.;Temnikov, P.;Terada, Y.;Terauchi, K.;Terzic, T.;Teshima, M.;Tluczykont, M.;Tokanai, F.;Torres, D. F.;Travnicek, P.;Truzzi, S.;Tutone, A.;Uhlrich, G.;Vacula, M.;Vallania, P.;van Scherpenberg, J.;Vázquez Acosta, M.;Verguilov, V.;Viale, I.;Vigliano, A.;Vigorito, C. F.;Vitale, V.;Voutsinas, G.;Vovk, I.;Vuillaume, T.;Walter, R.;Will, M.;Yamamoto, T.;Yamazaki, R.;Yoshida, T.;Yoshikoshi, T.;Zywucka, N.;Bernlöhr, K.;Gueta, O.;Kosack, K.;Maier, G.;Watson, J.
Journal: 
The Astrophysical Journal
Publication type: 
Article
Volume: 
956
Pages: 
80
Abstract: 
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a next-generation ground-based observatory for gamma-ray astronomy at very high energies. The Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) is located at the CTA-North site, on the Canary Island of La Palma. LSTs are designed to provide optimal performance in the lowest part of the energy range covered by CTA, down to ≃20 GeV. LST-1 started performing astronomical observations in 2019 November, during its commissioning phase, and it has been taking data ever since. We present the first LST-1 observations of the Crab Nebula, the standard candle of very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, and use them, together with simulations, to assess the performance of the telescope. LST-1 has reached the expected performance during its commissioning period-only a minor adjustment of the preexisting simulations was needed to match the telescope's behavior. The energy threshold at trigger level is around 20 GeV, rising to ≃30 GeV after data analysis. Performance parameters depend strongly on energy, and on the strength of the gamma-ray selection cuts in the analysis: angular resolution ranges from 0.°12-0.°40, and energy resolution from 15%-50%. Flux sensitivity is around 1.1% of the Crab Nebula flux above 250 GeV for a 50 hr observation (12% for 30 minutes). The spectral energy distribution (in the 0.03-30 TeV range) and the light curve obtained for the Crab Nebula agree with previous measurements, considering statistical and systematic uncertainties. A clear periodic signal is also detected from the pulsar at the center of the Nebula.
Database: 
ADS
URL: 
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/#abs/2023ApJ...956...80A/abstract
ADS Bibcode: 
2023ApJ...956...80A
Keywords: 
Gamma-ray astronomy;Gamma-ray sources;Astronomy data analysis;Pulsar wind nebulae;Pulsars;628;633;1858;2215;1306;Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics