A new solution for mirror coating in γ-ray Cherenkov astronomy

Abstract

In the γ-ray Cherenkov Astronomy framework mirror coating plays a crucial role in defining the light response of the telescope. We carried out a study for new mirror coating solutions with both a numerical simulation software and a vacuum chamber for small sample production. In this article, we present a new mirror coating solution consisting of a 28-layer interferometric SiO2-TiO2-HfO2 design deposited on a glass substrate, whose average reflectance is above 90% for normally incident light in the wavelength range between 300 and 550 nm.