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A compact instrument for gamma-ray burst detection on a CubeSat platform I: Design drivers and expected performance.
- Source :
-
Experimental Astronomy . Oct2021, Vol. 52 Issue 1/2, p59-84. 26p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 (EIRSAT-1) is a 2U CubeSat being developed under ESA's Fly Your Satellite! programme. The project has many aspects, which are primarily educational, but also include space qualification of new detector technologies for gamma-ray astronomy and the detection of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The Gamma-ray Module (GMOD), the main mission payload, is a small gamma-ray spectrometer comprising a 25 mm × 25 mm × 40 mm cerium bromide scintillator coupled to an array of 16 silicon photomultipliers. The readout is provided by IDE3380 (SIPHRA), a low-power and radiation tolerant readout ASIC. GMOD will detect gamma-rays and measure their energies in a range from tens of keV to a few MeV. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the Medium Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy Library to evaluate GMOD's capability for the detection of GRBs in low Earth orbit. The simulations used a detailed mass model of the full spacecraft derived from a very high-fidelity 3D CAD model. The sky-average effective area of GMOD on board EIRSAT-1 was found to be 10 cm2 at 120 keV. The instrument is expected to detect between 11 and 14 GRBs, at a significance greater than 10σ (and up to 32 at 5σ), during a nominal one-year mission. The shape of the scintillator in GMOD results in omni-directional sensitivity which allows for a nearly all-sky field of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09226435
- Volume :
- 52
- Issue :
- 1/2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Experimental Astronomy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 153318695
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09779-9