Status of the SiPM camera upgrade for the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope

Abstract

Very-high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics will experience a substantial enhancement in sensitivity through the capabilities of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), which will operate from two sites providing full-sky coverage. One candidate for the medium-sized telescope (MST) of CTAO southern site (CTAO-South) is the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT). The innovative design of SCT consists of dual-mirror optics and a high-resolution silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) camera. A prototype telescope (pSCT) was installed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona, U.S.A., and with a partially instrumented 2.7∘ camera, it successfully detected the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of 8.6 standard deviations in 2020. A major upgrade of the focal plane is currently underway to fully equip the camera with 11328 improved SiPMs, expanding the field of view from 2.7∘ to 8∘ and enabling exceptional performance in terms of angular resolution and background rejection. Additionally, upgraded low-noise front-end electronics will allow for a reduced trigger threshold and improved event reconstruction. This contribution presents an overview of the pSCT project, recent results, and the status and expected performance of the camera upgrade.