The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a future very high energy gamma-ray observatory. CTA will be comprised of small-,medium- and large-size telescopes covering an energy range from tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV and will surpass existing telescope
s in sensitivity by an order of magnitude. The aim of our study is to find the optimal design for the medium-size telescopes (MSTs), which will determine the sensitivity in the key energy range between a few hundred GeV to about ten TeV. To study the effect of the telescope design parameters on the array performance, we simulated arrays of 61 MSTs with 120 m spacing and a variety of telescope configurations. We investigated the influence of the primary telescope characteristics including optical resolution, pixel size, and light collection area on the total array performance with a particular emphasis on telescope configurations with imaging performance similar to the proposed Davies-Cotton (DC) and Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) MST designs. We compare the performance of these telescope designs, especially the achieved gamma-ray angular resolution and differential point-source sensitivity. Finally we investigate the performance of different array sizes to demonstrate impacts of financial constraints on the number of telescopes.
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a future very high energy gamma-ray observatory. CTA will be comprised of small-, medium- and large-size telescopes covering an energy range from tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV and will surpass existing telescop
es in sensitivity by an order of magnitude. The aim of our study is to find the optimal design for the medium-size telescopes (MSTs), which will determine the sensitivity in the key energy range between a few hundred GeV to about ten TeV. To study the effect of the telescope design parameters on the array performance, we simulated arrays of 61 MSTs with 120 m spacing and a variety of telescope configurations. We investigated the influence of the primary telescope characteristics including optical resolution, pixel size, and light collection area on the total array performance with a particular emphasis on telescope configurations with imaging performance similar to the proposed Davis-Cotton (DC) and Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) MST designs. We compare the performance of these telescope designs, especially the achieved gamma-ray angular resolution and differential point-source sensitivity.
The very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray source HESS J0632+057 has recently been confirmed to be a gamma-ray binary. The optical counterpart is the Be star MWC 148, and a compact object of unknown nature orbits it every ~321 d with a high eccentricity of
~0.8. We monitored HESS J0632+057 with the stereoscopic MAGIC telescopes from 2010 October to 2011 March and detected significant VHE gamma-ray emission during 2011 February, when the system exhibited an X-ray outburst. We find no gamma-ray signal in the other observation periods when the system did not show increased X-ray flux. Thus HESS J0632+057 exhibits gamma-ray variability on timescales of the order of one to two months possibly linked to the X-ray outburst that takes place about 100 days after the periastron passage. Furthermore our measurements provide for the first time the gamma-ray spectrum down to about 140 GeV and indicate no turnover of the spectrum at low energies. We compare the properties of HESS J0632+057 with the similar gamma-ray binary LS I +61 303, and discuss on the possible origin of the multi-wavelength emission of the source
We present very high energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) {gamma}-ray observations of the {gamma}-ray binary system LS I+61 303 obtained with the MAGIC stereo system between 2009 October and 2010 January. We detect a 6.3{sigma} {gamma}-ray signal above 400 GeV
in the combined data set. The integral flux above an energy of 300 GeV is F(E>300 GeV)=(1.4 +- 0.3stat +- 0.4syst) * 10^{-12} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, which corresponds to about 1.3% of the Crab Nebula flux in the same energy range. The orbit-averaged flux of LS I +61 303 in the orbital phase interval 0.6--0.7, where a maximum of the TeV flux is expected, is lower by almost an order of magnitude compared to our previous measurements between 2005 September and 2008 January. This provides evidence for a new low emission state in LS I +61 303. We find that the change to the low flux state cannot be solely explained by an increase of photon-photon absorption around the compact star.
The variable gamma-ray source HESS J0632+057 is an excellent candidate for a gamma-ray binary. The putative binary system was discovered as a point-like VHE gamma-ray source by HESS. Later measurements by VERITAS yielding no detection, provided evide
nce for variable emission in the gamma-ray domain. A variable X-ray source as well as a Be star (MWC 148) are found at the location of the gamma-ray source. Recently a periodic X-ray outburst occurring about every 320 days was reported by Swift (ATel 3152). The putative binary system was observed by the MAGIC stereo system in 2010 and 2011. Our measurements demonstrate significant activity in the gamma-ray (E > 200 GeV) band in February 2011. Our detection of the system occurred during an X-ray outburst reported by Swift. Here we present the obtained light curve and spectrum during this outburst and put them into context with the X-ray measurements.
The gamma-ray binary system LS I +61 303 was studied in great detail in VHE gamma-rays in the last years by the MAGIC telescope. The VHE emission of the system exhibited a prominent periodic outburst in the orbital phases 0.6-0.7 between September 20
05 to January 2008. In Fall 2008 the Fermi collaboration reported as well periodic emission in the MeV to GeV energy range, but with a shifted outburst in the phases 0.35-0.45. MAGIC observed again LS I+61 303 in 2009 with the twice more sensitive stereo mode to allow for detailed correlation studies between the VHE gamma-ray and Fermi/LAT energy band. Here we present our new results, which show a significant reduction in the VHE gamma-ray flux in the phase of the periodic outburst by almost one order of magnitude compared to our previous measurements. Furthermore, the 0.1-phase averaged light curve shows no significant outburst, but a rather constant flux. Here we will discuss the implications of our results for future gamma-ray studies of LS I +61 303.
The discovery of emission of TeV gamma rays from X-ray binaries has triggered an intense effort to better understand the particle acceleration, absorption, and emission mechanisms in compact binary systems. Here we present the pioneering effort of th
e MAGIC collaboration to understand the very high energy emission of the prototype system LS I +61 303. We report on the variable nature of the emission from LS I +61 303 and show that this emission is indeed periodic. The system shows regular outburst at TeV energies in phase phi=0.6-0.7 and detect no signal at periastron (phi~ 0.275). Furthermore we find no indication of spectral variation along the orbit of the compact object and the spectral energy distribution is compatible with a simple power law with index Gamma=2.6+-0.2_(stat)+-0.2_(sys). To answer some of the open questions concerning the emission process of the TeV radiation we conducted a multiwavelength campaign with the MAGIC telescope, XMM-Newton, and Swift in September 2007. We detect a simultaneous outburst at X-ray and TeV energies, with the peak at phase 0.62 and a similar shape at both wavelengths. A linear fit to the strictly simultaneous X-ray/TeV flux pairs provides r=0.81 -0.21 +0.06. Here we present the observations and discuss the implications of the obtained results to the emission processes in the system.
Based on MAGIC observations from June and July 2007, we present upper limits to the E>140 GeV emission from the globular cluster M13. Those limits allow us to constrain the population of millisecond pulsars within M13 and to test models for accelerat
ion of leptons inside their magnetospheres and/or surrounding. We conclude that in M13 either millisecond pulsars are fewer than expected or they accelerate leptons less efficiently than predicted.
