Murphy David, Mangan Joseph, Ulyanov Alexei, Walsh Sarah, Dunwoody Rachel, Hanlon Lorraine, Shortt Brian, McBreen Sheila
School of Physics and Centre for Space Research, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
European Space Agency, ESTEC, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Exp Astron (Dordr). 2021;52(1-2):1-34. doi: 10.1007/s10686-021-09767-z. Epub 2021 Jun 25.
Recent advances in silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) technology and new scintillator materials allow for the creation of compact high-performance gamma-ray detectors which can be deployed on small low-cost satellites. A small number of such satellites can provide full sky coverage and complement, or in some cases replace the existing gamma-ray missions in detection of transient gamma-ray events. The aim of this study is to test gamma-ray detection using a novel commercially available CeBr scintillator combined with SiPM readout in a near-space environment and inform further technology development for a future space mission. A prototype gamma-ray detector was built using a CeBr scintillator and an array of 16 J-Series SiPMs by ON Semiconductor. SiPM readout was performed using SIPHRA, a radiation-tolerant low-power integrated circuit developed by IDEAS. The detector was flown as a piggyback payload on the Advanced Scintillator Compton Telescope balloon flight from Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility. The payload included the detector, a Raspberry Pi on-board computer, a custom power supply board, temperature and pressure sensors, a Global Navigation Satellite System receiver and a satellite modem. The balloon delivered the detector to 37 km altitude where its detection capabilities and readout were tested in the radiation-intense near-space environment. The detector demonstrated continuous operation during the 8-hour flight and after the landing. It performed spectral measurements in an energy range of 100 keV to 8 MeV and observed the 511 keV gamma-ray line arising from positron annihilation in the atmosphere with full width half maximum of 6.8%. During ascent and descent, the detector count rate peaked at an altitude of 16 km corresponding to the point of maximum radiation intensity in the atmosphere. Despite several engineering issues discovered after the flight test, the results of this study confirm the feasibility of using CeBr scintillator, SiPMs, and SIPHRA in future space missions.
硅光电倍增管（SiPM）技术和新型闪烁体材料的最新进展使得能够制造出紧凑的高性能伽马射线探测器，这些探测器可部署在小型低成本卫星上。少量此类卫星能够实现全天覆盖，并在探测瞬态伽马射线事件方面补充现有伽马射线任务，甚至在某些情况下取而代之。本研究的目的是在近太空环境中测试使用新型商用溴化铈（CeBr）闪烁体与SiPM读出相结合的伽马射线探测，并为未来的太空任务提供进一步的技术发展参考。一个伽马射线探测器原型是使用溴化铈闪烁体和安森美半导体公司的16个J系列SiPM阵列构建的。SiPM读出是通过使用由IDEAS开发的耐辐射低功耗集成电路SIPHRA来进行的。该探测器作为搭载有效载荷搭乘哥伦比亚科学气球设施的高级闪烁体康普顿望远镜气球飞行。有效载荷包括探测器、一个树莓派机载计算机、一个定制电源板、温度和压力传感器、一个全球导航卫星系统接收器以及一个卫星调制解调器。气球将探测器送至37千米的高度，在那里其探测能力和读出功能在辐射强烈的近太空环境中得到测试。探测器在8小时飞行期间及着陆后都展示了连续运行能力。它在100千电子伏特至8兆电子伏特的能量范围内进行了能谱测量，并观测到了大气中正电子湮灭产生的511千电子伏特伽马射线谱线，其半高宽为6.8%。在上升和下降过程中，探测器计数率在16千米的高度达到峰值，该高度对应于大气中辐射强度最大的点。尽管在飞行测试后发现了几个工程问题，但本研究结果证实了在未来太空任务中使用溴化铈闪烁体、SiPM和SIPHRA的可行性。
