The Stereoscopic Analog Trigger of the MAGIC Telescopes

The current generation of ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) operate in the very-high-energy (VHE) domain from ~100 GeV to ~100 TeV. They use electronic digital trigger systems to discern the Cherenkov light flashes emitted by extensive air showers (EASs), from the overwhelming light of the night sky (LoNS) background. Near the telescope energy threshold, the number of emitted Cherenkov photons by gamma-ray-induced EASs is comparable to the fluctuations of the LoNS and the photon distribution at the Cherenkov-imaging camera plane becomes patchy. This results in a severe loss of effectiveness of the digital triggers based on combinatorial logic of thresholded signals. A stereoscopic analog trigger system has been developed for improving the detection capabilities of the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes at the lowest energies. It is based on the analog sum of the photosensor electrical signals. In this article, the architectural design, technical performances, and configuration of this stereoscopic analog trigger, dubbed “Sum-Trigger-II,” are described.