Small-size Cherenkov telescope with an sipm-based camera: full-particle modeling of the cosmic $\gamma$-ray source detection threshold

Full-particle modeling of gamma-ray and proton induced extensive air showers (EASs) in the Earth's atmosphere as well as Monte Carlo modeling of photon transport in a small size Cherenkov telescope and signal registration with its camera based on the OnSemi MicroFJ SiPM detectors have been performed. Calculations have been carried out for primaries within the 0.3 – 30 TeV range and a telescope with a 10 m$^2$ mirror similar to the unit employed at the TAIGA observatory. It has been shown that even with strict selection criteria aimed at high quality EAS images, the threshold detection energy of the SiPM-based camera would not exceed 0.8 TeV – about twice as low as the current threshold of the TAIGA-IACT camera based on vacuum photomultipliers.