Timing analysis techniques at large core distances for multi-TeV gamma ray astronomy

Abstract We present an analysis technique that uses the timing information of Cherenkov images from extensive air showers (EAS). Our emphasis is on distant, or large core distance γ -ray induced showers at multi-TeV energies. Specifically, combining pixel timing information with an improved direction reconstruction algorithm, leads to improvements in angular and core resolution as large as ∼40% and ∼30%, respectively, when compared with the same algorithm without the use of timing. Above 10 TeV, this results in an angular resolution approaching 0.05°, together with a core resolution better than ∼15 m. The off-axis post-cut γ -ray acceptance is energy dependent and its full width at half maximum ranges from 4° to 8°. For shower directions that are up to ∼6° off-axis, the angular resolution achieved by using timing information is comparable, around 100 TeV, to the on-axis angular resolution. The telescope specifications and layout we describe here are geared towards energies above 10 TeV. However, the methods can in principle be applied to other energies, given suitable telescope parameters. The 5-telescope cell investigated in this study could initially pave the way for a larger array of sparsely spaced telescopes in an effort to push the collection area to >10 km 2 . These results highlight the potential of a ‘sparse array’ approach in effectively opening up the energy range above 10 TeV.