Light sensors selection for the Cherenkov Telescope Array: PMT and SiPM

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is planned as the next generation ground-based instrument (after VERITAS, H.E.S.S. and MAGIC) for astrophysics by means of very high energy γ-rays. The CTA collaboration includes the MAGIC, the H.E.S.S. and the VERITAS collaborations. Also, a large number of astrophysicists from European institutions, from Japan and USA have joined the CTA. The CTA array will comprise about 100 imaging telescopes of three sizes that shall provide one order of magnitude higher sensitivity than the current generation of telescopes. Every telescope will use an imaging camera based on ∼2000PMTs. We have set up a PMT development program with Hamamatsu (Japan) and Electron Tube Enterprises (England) aiming to produce 1.5 in. PMTs of optimized parameters for the CTA project. The entire scientific community, including the medicine and biology, as well as many industrial applications, where a low light level sensors are necessary, may profit from it. Together with PMTs also SiPMs are interesting sensor candidates for the CTA telescopes. One expects about two times higher photon detection efficiency for SiPM compared to PMT. A set of parameters like the photon detection efficiency, cross-talk, afterpulsing, dark rate together with other important factors were evaluated. Here we report on the progress of these developments, based on detailed measurements.