Raios γ são bilhões de vezes mais energéticos do que fótons visíveis. Através da observação do céu deste tipo de radiação, é possível estudar fenômenos como a emissão de pulsares, explosões de super-novas e buracos negros, assim como os gamma ray bursts, um dos maiores mistérios da astrofísica moderna. A principal técnica utilizada em observações astrofísicas de chuveiros de raios gama é a de Telescópios Cherenkov, que podem reconstruir a trajetória dos raios γ durante sua passagem pela atmosfera observando sua emissão de radiação Cherenkov. Existem diversos experimentos bem-sucedidos em funcionamento, tais como o VERITAS, MAGIC e HESS. Em 2006 um novo observatório foi proposto, com sensibilidade uma ordem de magnitude melhor do que qualquer outro experimento atual. O Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) está em fase de protótipo e consistirá de dezenas de telescópios Cherenkov com tamanhos diferentes, o que possibilitará observações em muitas regiões do espectro de raios-gama. O local onde o Observatório será construído ainda não foi decidido e dependerá de várias características geográficas para fazê-lo, sendo uma das mais importantes o tempo observável, que deve ser maior que 80% para ser considerado um possível sítio. Um dos locais propostos está localizado no norte da Argentina, próximo a cidade de San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC). Para demonstrar a funcionalidade deste sítio, desenvolvemos um espaço nele para testarmos propriedades ópticas e mecânicas de quatro protótipos de espelhos, além de suas condições de condensação. Três espelhos hexagonais de Vidro/Alumínio, com 1.5 metro de base a base, e um circular de Vidro/Dielétrico, com 0.5 metro de diâmetro, todos esféricos com posição focal entre 15 e 16 metros, foram expostos às condições ambientais de SAC entre Maio/2013 até Junho/2014. Para testar a variação de suas propriedades mecânicas e ópticas devido à exposição ao meio ambiente, dois testes foram feitos. Para verificar se a curvatura e a suavidade da superfície do espelho permaneceram constantes, desenvolvemos um equipamento no Instituto de Física de São Carlos que media a posição 2f do espelho, onde a imagem formada é a menor possível, e sua Função Ponto Espalhada (PSF), o tamanho da imagem feita pelo espelho de uma fonte pontual. A posição focal de todos os espelhos foi estável, enquanto a PSF mostrou pequena variação com o tempo de exposição. Para analisar a variação da cobertura de Alumínio (ou Dielétrico) dos espelhos, nós medimos a variação de sua refletividade através de um espectrômetro portátil fabricado pela OceanOptics, que mostrou que a cobertura dielétrica é mais estável do que as de alumínio, que tiveram pouca variação entre 300-400 nm na maioria dos espelhos. E, finalmente, para testar a qualidade de ambos espelho e sítio em relação ao tempo de observação, calculamos o tempo de condensação de dois espelhos durante o período de Dezembro/2013 até Abril/2014. Isso foi feito através de fotos automáticas de cada espelho tiradas remotamente durante a noite, fornecendo dados para observar mudanças diárias na qualidade da superfície dos espelhos assim como a condensação durante esse período. Um espelho de Vidro/Alumínio e um de Vidro/Dielétrico foram testados, ambos mostrando resultados similares de aproximadamente 20% de tempo condensado, estando no limite de 80% de tempo observacional mencionado anteriormente. Através destes testes, pretendemos criar uma técnica para o cálculo do tempo de condensação em qualquer sítio proposto. / γrays are billions of times more energetic than visible photons. Through the sky observation of this kind of radiation, it is possible to study phenomena like the emission from pulsars, supernova explosions and black holes, as well as gamma-ray bursts, one of the greatest mysteries in modern astrophysics. The main technique used in astrophysical observations in γrays showers is the Imaging Cherenkov Telescope, which can image the trajectory of gamma-rays during its passage through the atmosphere by observing its emission of Cherenkov radiation. There are several successful experiments currently functioning, such as VERITAS, MAGIC and HESS. In 2006, a new observatory was proposed, which will have a sensitivity one order of magnitude better than any of the existing experiments. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is in its prototype phase, and will consist of several tens of Cherenkov telescopes with different sizes, which will allow observation in many different regions of the γray spectrum. The site where the Observatory will be constructed is not yet decided and it depends on several geographic characteristics, being one of the most important the observable time, which must be above 80% to be considered as a possible site. One of the proposed sites is located in the north of Argentina, close to the city of San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC). In order to demonstrate the functionality of the site, we developed a facility on it to test the optical and mechanical properties of four prototype mirrors, as well as their condensation conditions. Three Glass/Aluminum hexagonal mirrors, 1.5 meters flat-to-flat diameter, and one Glass/Dielectric circular mirror, 0.5 meters diameter, all spherical with a focal position between 15 and 16 meters, were exposed to the environmental conditions of SAC from May/2013 until June/2014. To test their mechanical and optical properties variation because of the environment exposition, two different tests were made. In order to verify if the curvature and smoothness of the mirrors remained constant, we developed an equipment at the Instituto the Física de São Carlos that could measure the 2f position, where the image formed by the mirror is the smallest as possible, and its Point Spread Function (PSF), the size of the image made by the mirror by a punctual source. The focal position of all mirrors was proven to be stable, while the PSF size showed small differences according to the exposure time. To examine the variation of the Aluminum (or Dielectric) covering of the mirrors we measured its reflectivity variation through a portable spectrometer fabricated by OceanOptics, which showed that the dielectric covering is more stable than the Aluminum ones, even though all of them showed a constant reflectivity in the 300-400 nm range. And finally, to test both the mirror and the site quality in observation time, we calculated the condensed time of two mirrors during the period of December/2013 until April/2014. This was done through automatic pictures of each mirror taken remotely during the night, providing data to observe daily changes in the quality of the mirror surfaces as well as if there is condensation during that period. A Glass/Aluminum mirror and the Glass/Dielectric one were tested, both showing very similar results of around 20% condensed time, being in the limit of the 80% of observational time forementioned. Through these tests, we intend to provide a technique for the calculation of condensed time in any proposed site.

Raios γ são bilhões de vezes mais energéticos do que fótons visíveis. Através da observação do céu deste tipo de radiação, é possível estudar fenômenos como a emissão de pulsares, explosões de super-novas e buracos negros, assim como os gamma ray bursts, um dos maiores mistérios da astrofísica moderna. A principal técnica utilizada em observações astrofísicas de chuveiros de raios gama é a de Telescópios Cherenkov, que podem reconstruir a trajetória dos raios γ durante sua passagem pela atmosfera observando sua emissão de radiação Cherenkov. Existem diversos experimentos bem-sucedidos em funcionamento, tais como o VERITAS, MAGIC e HESS. Em 2006 um novo observatório foi proposto, com sensibilidade uma ordem de magnitude melhor do que qualquer outro experimento atual. O Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) está em fase de protótipo e consistirá de dezenas de telescópios Cherenkov com tamanhos diferentes, o que possibilitará observações em muitas regiões do espectro de raios-gama. O local onde o Observatório será construído ainda não foi decidido e dependerá de várias características geográficas para fazê-lo, sendo uma das mais importantes o tempo observável, que deve ser maior que 80% para ser considerado um possível sítio. Um dos locais propostos está localizado no norte da Argentina, próximo a cidade de San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC). Para demonstrar a funcionalidade deste sítio, desenvolvemos um espaço nele para testarmos propriedades ópticas e mecânicas de quatro protótipos de espelhos, além de suas condições de condensação. Três espelhos hexagonais de Vidro/Alumínio, com 1.5 metro de base a base, e um circular de Vidro/Dielétrico, com 0.5 metro de diâmetro, todos esféricos com posição focal entre 15 e 16 metros, foram expostos às condições ambientais de SAC entre Maio/2013 até Junho/2014. Para testar a variação de suas propriedades mecânicas e ópticas devido à exposição ao meio ambiente, dois testes foram feitos. Para verificar se a curvatura e a suavidade da superfície do espelho permaneceram constantes, desenvolvemos um equipamento no Instituto de Física de São Carlos que media a posição 2f do espelho, onde a imagem formada é a menor possível, e sua Função Ponto Espalhada (PSF), o tamanho da imagem feita pelo espelho de uma fonte pontual. A posição focal de todos os espelhos foi estável, enquanto a PSF mostrou pequena variação com o tempo de exposição. Para analisar a variação da cobertura de Alumínio (ou Dielétrico) dos espelhos, nós medimos a variação de sua refletividade através de um espectrômetro portátil fabricado pela OceanOptics, que mostrou que a cobertura dielétrica é mais estável do que as de alumínio, que tiveram pouca variação entre 300-400 nm na maioria dos espelhos. E, finalmente, para testar a qualidade de ambos espelho e sítio em relação ao tempo de observação, calculamos o tempo de condensação de dois espelhos durante o período de Dezembro/2013 até Abril/2014. Isso foi feito através de fotos automáticas de cada espelho tiradas remotamente durante a noite, fornecendo dados para observar mudanças diárias na qualidade da superfície dos espelhos assim como a condensação durante esse período. Um espelho de Vidro/Alumínio e um de Vidro/Dielétrico foram testados, ambos mostrando resultados similares de aproximadamente 20% de tempo condensado, estando no limite de 80% de tempo observacional mencionado anteriormente. Através destes testes, pretendemos criar uma técnica para o cálculo do tempo de condensação em qualquer sítio proposto. / γrays are billions of times more energetic than visible photons. Through the sky observation of this kind of radiation, it is possible to study phenomena like the emission from pulsars, supernova explosions and black holes, as well as gamma-ray bursts, one of the greatest mysteries in modern astrophysics. The main technique used in astrophysical observations in γrays showers is the Imaging Cherenkov Telescope, which can image the trajectory of gamma-rays during its passage through the atmosphere by observing its emission of Cherenkov radiation. There are several successful experiments currently functioning, such as VERITAS, MAGIC and HESS. In 2006, a new observatory was proposed, which will have a sensitivity one order of magnitude better than any of the existing experiments. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is in its prototype phase, and will consist of several tens of Cherenkov telescopes with different sizes, which will allow observation in many different regions of the γray spectrum. The site where the Observatory will be constructed is not yet decided and it depends on several geographic characteristics, being one of the most important the observable time, which must be above 80% to be considered as a possible site. One of the proposed sites is located in the north of Argentina, close to the city of San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC). In order to demonstrate the functionality of the site, we developed a facility on it to test the optical and mechanical properties of four prototype mirrors, as well as their condensation conditions. Three Glass/Aluminum hexagonal mirrors, 1.5 meters flat-to-flat diameter, and one Glass/Dielectric circular mirror, 0.5 meters diameter, all spherical with a focal position between 15 and 16 meters, were exposed to the environmental conditions of SAC from May/2013 until June/2014. To test their mechanical and optical properties variation because of the environment exposition, two different tests were made. In order to verify if the curvature and smoothness of the mirrors remained constant, we developed an equipment at the Instituto the Física de São Carlos that could measure the 2f position, where the image formed by the mirror is the smallest as possible, and its Point Spread Function (PSF), the size of the image made by the mirror by a punctual source. The focal position of all mirrors was proven to be stable, while the PSF size showed small differences according to the exposure time. To examine the variation of the Aluminum (or Dielectric) covering of the mirrors we measured its reflectivity variation through a portable spectrometer fabricated by OceanOptics, which showed that the dielectric covering is more stable than the Aluminum ones, even though all of them showed a constant reflectivity in the 300-400 nm range. And finally, to test both the mirror and the site quality in observation time, we calculated the condensed time of two mirrors during the period of December/2013 until April/2014. This was done through automatic pictures of each mirror taken remotely during the night, providing data to observe daily changes in the quality of the mirror surfaces as well as if there is condensation during that period. A Glass/Aluminum mirror and the Glass/Dielectric one were tested, both showing very similar results of around 20% condensed time, being in the limit of the 80% of observational time forementioned. Through these tests, we intend to provide a technique for the calculation of condensed time in any proposed site.

Dark matter (DM), whose nature and interaction mechanisms are still an open issue, constitutes about 25 % of the Universe energy density. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are considered as strong candidates for particle DM and their search is conveniently carried out through the detection of gamma rays. The newly discovered ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), located in the vicinity of the Galaxy, exhibit high values of the mass to luminosity ratio, and are therefore considered as strongly dominated by DM. These objects are within reach of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which is the future project for gamma-ray astronomy, with an better sensitivity (one order of magnitude) with respect to the current generation experiments. The main goal of the present work is the study of the sensitivity of CTA to WIMPs DM particles, by simulating the observation of the ultra-faint dwarf spherical galaxies Triangulum II, Reticulum II and Carina III, as well as of the classical dwarf galaxy Sculptor, for different annihilation channels, between 70 GeV and 100 TeV. The sensitivity curve in the WIMPs parameter space (velocity-averaged annihilation cross section < &sigma; &nu; > and DM mass mDM) was computed. We found that, within the sample of dwarf galaxies tested, Triangulum II is the most promising source, able to reach the thermal freeze-out values in the annihilation channel &tau;+&tau;- for only 50 hours of observation. Our result, the first estimation of the sensitivity for DM searches in ultra-faint dwarfs with CTA, is consistent with results from current generation experiments, showing better performance over an extended energy range. The limited sample of available stars in the targets induces uncertainties on the DM content. Future measurements, leading to a better understanding of the sources dynamic equilibrium, can improve this situation. Even so, the combination of the high DM content in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, together with the excellent expected performance of the future CTA, provides a promising result for indirect DM searches. / A matéria escura, cuja natureza e mecanismos de interação ainda estão em aberto, compõe 25% da densidade de energia do Universo. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) apresentam-se como forte candidatas e sua busca é convenientemente conduzida através de raios gama. As recém descobertas galáxias esferoidais anãs ultra-fracas, situadas nos arredores da Galáxia, apresentam altos valores da razão entre massa e luminosidade, sendo portanto consideradas objetos fortemente dominados por matéria escura. Esses objetos estão ao alcance do Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), que é o futuro projeto da astronomia gama, com sensibilidade de uma order de grandeza melhor do que os experimentos atuais. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o potencial de detecção indireta de WIMPs através de raios gama com o futuro observatório CTA, observando as galáxias esferoidais anãs ultra-fracas Triangulum II, Retículum II e Carina III e a galáxia anã clássica Sculptor, para diferentes canais de aniquilação, entre 70 GeV e 100 TeV. A curva de sensibilidade no espaço de parâmetros livres de WIMPs (massa da partícula mDM e médida da seção de choque de aniquilação ponderada pela velocidade < &sigma; &nu; >) foi calculada. Nós encontramos que dentro da amostra de galáxias anãs testadas, Triangulum II é a fonte mais promissora, capaz de testar os valores térmicos no canal de aniquilação &tau;+&tau;- considerando apenas 50 horas de observação pelo CTA. Nosso resultado, a primeira estimativa da sensibilidade para busca de matéria escura em galáxias esferoidais anãs ultra-fracas com CTA, é consistente com resultados de experimentos da geração atual, e mostra um melhor desempenho em uma faixa de energia estendida. Os resultados são afetados pelas incertezas devido à pequena amostra de estrelas dos alvos escolhidos, que se reflete no conhecimento do conteúdo de matéria escura. Novas medidas podem ajudar a esclarecer essa situação. Ainda assim, a combinação de galáxias anãs ultra-fracas, aliada às melhorias do futuro CTA, apresenta-se como um passo muito promissor para buscas indiretas de matéria escura.

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In this thesis, we present our two studies focused on the detection of cosmic γ-rays and the analysis of data from γ-ray observations. One study deals with the method of the Cherenkov transparency coefficient. This method is suitable for the detector calibration in experiments employing imaging atmo- spheric Cherenkov telescopes for the indirect detection of cosmic γ-rays. Us- ing rates of recorded air showers initiated by charged cosmic rays, the method aims at the monitoring of the atmospheric transparency to Cherenkov light and the calibration of the responses of Cherenkov telescopes. We present an extension of this method for the purposes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array observatory and demonstrate its feasibility using Monte Carlo simu- lations. Our other analysis utilizes more than 7 years of data from direct γ-ray observations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We describe in detail signal observed from the parts of the sky around the active galactic nuclei 1ES 0229+200 and Centaurus A. We report on the findings of new astro- physical sources of high energy photons and document spectral and temporal properties of their γ-ray fluxes. 1

In this thesis I describe the development of a compact camera for ground-based multi TeV gamma-ray astronomy, using the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) technique. The camera is based on multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPM) and is designed for use on the Gamma Cherenkov Telescope (GCT), which is proposed to be part of the Small Size Telescope (SST) array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). GCT achieves high performance with a compact and cost efficient design via a Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) dual-mirror optical system. The GCT optical design allows the use of a compact camera of diameter roughly 0.5 m. The curved focal plane is equipped with 32 tiles of 64-pixels MAPM for a total of 2048 pixels of ~0.2° angular size, resulting in a field of view of ~9°. The GCT camera is designed to record the flashes of Cherenkov light from electromagnetic cascades, which last only a few tens of nanoseconds. I give a detailed description of the design, the challenges encountered during testing in the lab, and the performance of the most critical components. I give details on the custom front-end electronics modules that provide the required fast electronics, facilitating sampling and digitization, as well as first level of triggering. The camera-level triggering system is a custom backplane, developed to reject spurious triggers on the night sky background, which typically is of the order of few tens of millions of photons per pixel per second. This is to be compared with the rate of the astrophysical signal, which is of the order of few hundreds of events per second at the relevant energies. Additionally I provide a detailed description of all the software needed for the data acquisition and control of the camera, from the very low level drivers to high level and user friendly processes. I follow the commissioning of the camera, from the individual core components to the integration of the system. I then describe the integration of the camera on the GCT prototype telescope structure, and the achievement of "first light", validating for the first time the full proof-of-concept of an IACT with SC optics. I also report a study I performed on expectations for an extragalactic survey for blazars with CTA. The cumulative source count distribution of blazars is presented, including implications from two different phenomena: axion-like particle (ALP) to gamma-ray oscillations in the intergalactic magnetic field, and secondary gamma rays from hadronic origins. I conclude that a shallow and wide survey will provide the best science return for CTA, that the impact of ALP is modest and that the secondary mechanism of gamma-ray production would allow detection of blazars up to redshift of 1 in the multi-TeV energy band.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Marcelo Augusto Leigui de Oliveira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Santo André, 2018. / O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a distorção do fluxo de raios gama de altas energias (250 GeV ¿ 25 TeV) devido a processos de atenuação desde a fonte até sua chegada na Via Lactea. Entre esses processos estão a produção de pares pela interação com a radiação cósmica de fundo, principalmente EBL, e a oscilação de fótons em bosons pseudoescalares leves, chamados de partículas tipo áxion (ALPs). Também é discutido como será o sinal do fluxo detectado pelo Cherenkov Telescope Array, explicitando suas especificações técnicas e principais melhorias em relação aos detectores atuais, o que nos levará a uma nova geração de telescópios de raios gama. / The purpose of this research is to discuss the distortion of VHE gamma-ray flux (250 GeV - 25 TeV) due to attenuation processes along its path from the source to our galaxy, namely: pair production as a result of the interaction with the background cosmic radiation, especially EBL, and gamma-ray mix with a light pseudoescalar fundamental boson called axion-like particle (ALP). It is also discussed how this signal should appear at Cherenkov Telescope Array, emphasizing its technical specifications and major improvements over current IACTs, which will lead us to a new generation of gamma-ray telescopes.

Das High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) ist ein System von fünf atmosphärischen Cherenkov-Teleskopen (IACT) in Namibia. Die H.E.S.S. Teleskope sind empfindlich für sehr energiereiche (VHE) Gammastrahlen zwischen ~30 TeV und 100 TeV. Mit einer Entfernung von 16,5 Mpc ist Messier 87 (M87) eine der nächsten Radiogalaxien und beherbergt eines der massereichsten supermassiven Schwarzen Löcher, das Materie in einen Plasmastrahl relativistischer Teilchen emittiert. Der Strahl wird im Bereich des gesamten elektromagnetischen Spektrums beobachtet und untersucht. M87 befindet sich im Zentrum des Virgo-Galaxienhaufens, eines kühlen Galaxienhaufens, der von Gas gefüllt ist, das in der Nähe des Zentrums kälter und in den Außenbereichen des Galaxienhaufens heißer ist. Gemäß der Cooling Flow (CF) Theorie kühlt das Plasma in Cool Core (CC) Haufen am Rand des Haufens ab und sinkt nach innen, wodurch die Sternentstehungsrate im Zentrum erhöht wird. Optische Messungen des Virgo Galaxienhaufens scheinen diesem Modell jedoch zu widersprechen. Als Heizmechanismus wird der aktive galaktische Kern Rückkopplungsmechanismus vorgeschlagen, der die Abkühlung des ICM ausgleicht und dessen CF vermeidet. Die kosmische Strahlung des Jets interagiert mit der ICM und erzeugt neutrale Pionen, die in Gammastrahlen zerfallen und ein nicht variables und ausgedehntes Gammastrahlensignal erzeugen. Allerdings konnten keine Gammastrahlen-Beobachtungen mit dem Pionenzerfall in dem Galaxienhaufen in Verbindung gebracht werden. In dieser Studie der H.E.S.S. Beobachtungen des niedrigen Strahl-Aktivitätszustands von M87 haben keine signifikante Ausdehnung der Emissionsregion gezeigt, woraus eine 3σ Obergrenze von 0.016° ≈ 4.6 kpc abgeleitet wurde. Das Verhältnis des Drucks in kosmischer Strahlung zur thermischen Strahlung ist auf <0.36 im Zentralregion beschränkt. Diese abgeleitete Obergrenze nimmt einen Gleichgewichtszustand zwischen den Erwärmungs und den Kühlprozessen an. Die neue Generation von IACTs, das Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), wird eine unvergleichbare Empfindlichkeit und Winkelauflösung bieten. Um die langfristige Verfügbarkeit der Teleskope sicherzustellen, wurde ein auf Schwingungsmessungen basierendes Strukturüberwachungssystem entwickelt und zwischen 2019 und 2020 in Berlin am Prototyp des mittelgrossen Teleskopes erfolgreich getestet. CTAO wird in der Lage sein die Gammastrahlung des Virgo Haufens zu untersuchen und sie laut Simulationen und dem Steady-State-Modell innerhalb von ~210 h zu detektieren. / The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is an array of five Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) located in Namibia. The H.E.S.S. telescopes are sensitive to Very-High-Energy (VHE) gamma rays between ~30 TeV and ~100 TeV. At a distance of 16.5 Mpc Messier 87 (M87) is one of the closest radio-galaxies, hosting one of the most massive Super-Massive Black Hole, which accretes matter and launches an inclined jet of relativistic particles. The jet is detected and studied by radiation emitted through the entire electromagnetic spectrum. M87 is located at the very center of the Virgo galaxy cluster, a Cool Core (CC) cluster, characterized by an Intra-cluster Medium (ICM) that is colder close to the center and hotter towards the outskirts of the galaxy cluster. According to the Cooling Flow (CF) theory, the plasma in CC clusters cools in the outskirts of the cluster and falls inwards, increasing the star formation ratio in the region. However, optical measurements of the Virgo Cluster seem to contradict this model. The Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanism is proposed as a heating mechanism, which counterbalances the cooling of the ICM and avoids its CF. The cosmic rays from the jet interact with the ICM producing neutral pions, which decay to gamma rays, forming a non-variable and extended gamma-ray signal. However, no gamma-ray observations could be associated with pion decay in galaxy clusters. In this work, deep H.E.S.S. observations of M87's low state are analyzed, and the results have shown no significant gamma-ray extension leading to a 3σ upper limit of 0.016° ≈ 4.6 kpc. The ratio of cosmic-ray pressure to thermal pressure XCR is constrained to < 0.36 at its maximum position, assuming a steady-state between the heating and the cooling processes. The new generation of IACTs, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will offer unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. To assure the long-term availability of the telescopes, a structure monitoring system based on vibration measurements was developed and successfully tested at the Medium-sized Telescope (MST) prototype between 2019 and 2020 in Berlin. CTAO should be able to probe the gamma-ray emission from the Virgo Cluster, and, according to simulations and to the steady-state model, significantly detect it after ≈ 210 h.

In this thesis, we present the Monte Carlo study of two prototypes of tele- scopes for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory, followed by the first data analysis partially using our reconstruction pipeline based on Random Forests. The Monte Carlo model of the SST-1M prototype is created and val- idated by comparison with data. Using the precise Monte Carlo models, we evaluate the performance of the SST-1M and LST-1 prototypes, working so-far in mono-regime as standalone telescopes, resulting in their energy and angular resolution, and the differential sensitivity. We also present an analysis of the data from the first two Crab Nebula observation campaigns conducted with the LST-1 telescope. In the last part of the thesis, we present a study of aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere above both future sites of the CTA observa- tory, retrieved from photometric measurements of Sun/Moon photometers. We focus on the photometer in-situ calibration for nocturnal measurements and introduce corrections to minimize systematic shifts between diurnal and noc- turnal measurements. Using the developed methods, we present the aerosol characterization of both CTA sites based on the photometric data. 1