FACT - The First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (first results)

In October 2011, the first air-Cherenkov telescope utilizing Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes commenced operations. The silicon-based devices display several advantages compared to classical photomultiplier tubes allowing for a more compact camera design of higher reliability, lower power consumption and bias voltage, and better prospects for improving the photon detection efficiency. Here, the first physics results are presented from a few months of data taking. Although still preliminary, the results already show a superb fidelity of the data, demonstrating the potential of avalanche photodiodes for ground-based gamma ray astronomy. The stability and high sensitivity are ideal for remote monitoring observations of variable gamma-ray sources.