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About

U. Horisberger is a pioneering experimental astrophysicist whose work centers on very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy and the technological advancement of Cherenkov telescopes. His major contributions lie in the long-term monitoring of bright blazars—active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets—where his research revealed intensity variations on timescales from minutes to years, most commonly around one day. This work, published in 2008 and cited 15 times, provides critical insights into jet dynamics and internal emission processes. Horisberger is perhaps best known as a key figure behind the FACT (First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope), the world’s first telescope to employ silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) instead of traditional photomultiplier tubes. This innovation, detailed in his 2013 paper (8 citations), enabled more robust and efficient observations. His subsequent work (4 citations) demonstrated FACT’s fully robotic operation—a landmark achievement in autonomous astronomical instrumentation. By pioneering remote, crewless data-taking, Horisberger has significantly reduced operational costs and increased observational duty cycles, setting a new standard for next-generation gamma-ray observatories and solidifying his impact on both the science and engineering of high-energy astrophysics.