The Mercedes water Cherenkov detector
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Springer
Date
2022-10-11Referencia bibliográfica
Assis, P... [et al.]. The Mercedes water Cherenkov detector. Eur. Phys. J. C 82, 899 (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10857-1]
Sponsorship
Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology PTDC/FISPAR/4300/2020 DL57/2016/cP1330/cT0002; MEYS of the Czech Republic LTT 20002; Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio De Janeiro (FAPERJ) 211.342/2021; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology; European Commission PRT/BD/151553/2021Abstract
The concept of a small, single-layer water
Cherenkov detector,with three photomultiplier tubes (PMTs),
placed at its bottom in a 120◦ star configuration (Mercedes
Water Cherenkov Detector) is presented. The PMTs are
placed near the lateral walls of the stations with an adjustable
inclination and may be installed inside or outside the water
volume. To illustrate the technical viability of this concept
and obtain a first-order estimation of its cost, an engineering
designwas elaborated. The sensitivity of these stations to low
energy Extensive Air Shower (EAS) electrons, photons and
muons is discussed, both in compact and sparse array configurations.
It is shown that the analysis of the intensity and time
patterns of the PMT signals, using machine learning techniques,
enables the tagging of muons, achieving an excellent
gamma/hadron discrimination for TeV showers. This concept
minimises the station production and maintenance costs,
allowing for a highly flexible and fast installation. Mercedes
Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs) are thus well-suited for
use in high-altitude large gamma-ray observatories covering
an extended energy range from the low energies, closing the
gap between satellite and ground-based measurements, to
very high energy regions, beyond the PeV scale.