383 research outputs found
Fabrication of low-cost, large-area prototype Si(Li) detectors for the GAPS experiment
A Si(Li) detector fabrication procedure has been developed with the aim of
satisfying the unique requirements of the GAPS (General Antiparticle
Spectrometer) experiment. Si(Li) detectors are particularly well-suited to the
GAPS detection scheme, in which several planes of detectors act as the target
to slow and capture an incoming antiparticle into an exotic atom, as well as
the spectrometer and tracker to measure the resulting decay X-rays and
annihilation products. These detectors must provide the absorption depth,
energy resolution, tracking efficiency, and active area necessary for this
technique, all within the significant temperature, power, and cost constraints
of an Antarctic long-duration balloon flight. We report here on the fabrication
and performance of prototype 2"-diameter, 1-1.25 mm-thick, single-strip Si(Li)
detectors that provide the necessary X-ray energy resolution of 4 keV for
a cost per unit area that is far below that of previously-acquired commercial
detectors. This fabrication procedure is currently being optimized for the
4"-diameter, 2.5 mm-thick, multi-strip geometry that will be used for the GAPS
flight detectors.Comment: Accepted for publication at Nuclear Instrumentation and Methods A, 12
pages, 11 figure
Cyclone Hard X-Ray Observatory
In response to the recent NASA-SMEX Announcement of Opportunity, our collaboration proposed Cyclone, the Cyclotron/Nuclear Explorer. Cyclone is a broadband pointed astrophysical observatory, combining the highest spectral resolutions (E/(Delta) E approximately 30 - 300) and angular resolutions (15') achieved in the optimized hard X-ray range (10 - 200 keV). The instrument consists of 19 co-aligned rotation modulation collimator (RMC) telescopes, each with a high spectral resolution, 6-cm diameter germanium detector (GeD) covering energies from 3 keV to 600 keV. Both the optics and detectors are actively shielded with 15-mm BGO to gain low background an high sensitivity to astrophysical sources. A 550-km altitude, circular equatorial orbit also minimizes background. Building strongly upon instrumental heritage from the High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) program, Cyclone would be ready for launch by September 2003. The instrument design and expected performance are discussed, as well as a brief overview of scientific goals
Large-area Si(Li) Detectors for X-ray Spectrometry and Particle Tracking for the GAPS Experiment
Large-area lithium-drifted silicon (Si(Li)) detectors, operable 150{\deg}C
above liquid nitrogen temperature, have been developed for the General
Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) balloon mission and will form the first such
system to operate in space. These 10 cm-diameter, 2.5 mm-thick multi-strip
detectors have been verified in the lab to provide <4 keV FWHM energy
resolution for X-rays as well as tracking capability for charged particles,
while operating in conditions (~-40{\deg}C and ~1 Pa) achievable on a
long-duration balloon mission with a large detector payload. These
characteristics enable the GAPS silicon tracker system to identify cosmic
antinuclei via a novel technique based on exotic atom formation, de-excitation,
and annihilation. Production and large-scale calibration of ~1000 detectors has
begun for the first GAPS flight, scheduled for late 2021. The detectors
developed for GAPS may also have other applications, for example in heavy
nuclei identification
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