Speaker
Description
The Terzina payload aboard the NUSES mission is being developed by GSSI, INFN, and the University of Geneva in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space–Italy. It is a compact Cherenkov Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope with a 925 m effective focal length and a 640-pixel SiPM focal plane composed of FBK 8 × 8 tiles, designed to observe Cherenkov light from extensive air showers produced by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and Earth-skimming neutrinos. A comprehensive simulation chain has been developed, combining CORSIKA and EASCherSim shower generation with a detailed Geant4 optical model of the telescope, together with realistic modelling of the trigger logic and SiPM response. This integrated simulation framework, supported by laboratory characterisation of the sensors and implemented through modular C++ modules and Python reconstruction tools, provides a realistic performance assessment of Terzina and is adaptable to future high-altitude or balloon-borne Cherenkov telescopes. We present the expected performance above a few hundred PeV and discuss the main challenges of operating SiPMs in space, including radiation-induced increases in dark count rate, luminous background contributions, and optimisation of the data acquisition strategy to maximise effective exposure.
