Speaker
Description
As a result of being exposed to the night sky, Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), designed to observe astrophysical gamma-rays, are sensitive to background optical-wavelength illumination. This Night Sky Background (NSB) limits the operational time of most IACTs, introduces systematic uncertainty, and is a source of data/Monte-Carlo mismatch during event reconstruction. Building on software previously developed for use with H.E.S.S, we present the nsb2 open source tool. This tool makes semi-analytic predictions for NSB rates in IACTs, considering sources such as starlight, moonlight and atmospheric glow. It is constructed in a modular manner, allowing users to easily implement and swap instrument, atmosphere and source models. nsb2 is currently being validated using H.E.S.S. data, but could be used with other IACT arrays in the future. The pixel-wise prediction of NSB rates opens new avenues in the use of IACTs for optical astronomy.
