Study of the response of oscillometers on the MAGIC telescopes structure
School
Università degli studi di Padova
Abstract:
The MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cerenkov) telescopes are two of the biggest Cerenkov telescopes built nowadays. They detect γ rays through the Cerenkov light emitted by charged particles which fly through the atmosphere. The purpose of this work is to analyse the measurements pursued through nine accelerometers located on the telescopes structure. The goal is to study the acceleration measurements through the Fourier transform and to find the structure eigenfrequencies. In this way it is possible to monitor structure stress or breaking points, as well as to calculate the consequences of the os- cillations on PSF (point spread function) and on the telescope pointing. The first chapter concerns the physical phenomena detected by MAGIC telescopes. The proper- ties of cosmic and γ rays, their generation processes and sources are described. Also the effects of their interactions with the Earth atmosphere are explained. In the second chapter the general principles of the Cerenkov telescopes are illustrated. MAGIC telescopes are also analysed, with particular attention to the accelerometers with which the os- cillation measurements are acquired. The acquisition, the analysis and the results obtained from the acceleration measurements are discussed in the third chapter. Almost the whole work was realized at the Max–Planck–Institute for Physics in Munich (Ger- many) between July and October 2014.