1. Cherenkov Photon Background for Low-Noise Silicon Detectors in Space
- Author
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Gaido, Manuel E., Tiffenberg, Javier, Drlica-Wagner, Alex, Fernandez-Moroni, Guillermo, Rauscher, Bernard J., Chierche, Fernando, Rodrigues, Darío, Giardino, Lucas, and Estrada, Juan
- Subjects
Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,High Energy Physics - Experiment - Abstract
Future space observatories dedicated to direct imaging and spectroscopy of extra-solar planets will require ultra-low-noise detectors that are sensitive over a broad range of wavelengths. Silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs), such as EMCCDs, Skipper CCDs, and Multi-Amplifier Sensing CCDs, have demonstrated the ability to detect and measure single photons from ultra-violet to near-infrared wavelengths, making them candidate technologies for this application. In this context, we study a relatively unexplored source of low-energy background coming from Cherenkov radiation produced by energetic charged particles traversing a silicon detector. In the intense radiation environment of space, energetic cosmic rays produce high-energy tracks and more extended halos of low-energy Cherenkov photons, which are detectable with ultra-low-noise detectors. We present a model of this effect that is calibrated to laboratory data, and we use this model to characterize the residual background rate for ultra-low noise silicon detectors in space. We find that the rate of cosmic-ray-induced Cherenkov photon production is comparable to other detector and astrophysical backgrounds that have previously been considered., Comment: SPIE Proceeding; 9 pages, 6 figures
- Published
- 2024
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