ترغب بنشر مسار تعليمي؟ اضغط هنا

ProtoEXIST: Advanced Prototype CZT Coded Aperture Telescopes for EXIST

118   0   0.0 ( 0 )
 نشر من قبل Branden Allen
 تاريخ النشر 2010
  مجال البحث فيزياء
والبحث باللغة English




اسأل ChatGPT حول البحث

{it ProtoEXIST1} is a pathfinder for the {it EXIST-HET}, a coded aperture hard X-ray telescope with a 4.5 m$^2$ CZT detector plane a 90$times$70 degree field of view to be flown as the primary instrument on the {it EXIST} mission and is intended to monitor the full sky every 3 h in an effort to locate GRBs and other high energy transients. {it ProtoEXIST1} consists of a 256 cm$^2$ tiled CZT detector plane containing 4096 pixels composed of an 8$times$8 array of individual 1.95 cm $times$ 1.95 cm $times$ 0.5 cm CZT detector modules each with a 8 $times$ 8 pixilated anode configured as a coded aperture telescope with a fully coded $10^circtimes10^circ$ field of view employing passive side shielding and an active CsI anti-coincidence rear shield, recently completed its maiden flight out of Ft. Sumner, NM on the 9th of October 2009. During the duration of its 6 hour flight on-board calibration of the detector plane was carried out utilizing a single tagged 198.8 nCi Am-241 source along with the simultaneous measurement of the background spectrum and an observation of Cygnus X-1. Here we recount the events of the flight and report on the detector performance in a near space environment. We also briefly discuss {it ProtoEXIST2}: the next stage of detector development which employs the {it NuSTAR} ASIC enabling finer (32$times$32) anode pixilation. When completed {it ProtoEXIST2} will consist of a 256 cm$^2$ tiled array and be flown simultaneously with the ProtoEXIST1 telescope.

قيم البحث

اقرأ أيضاً

The proposed black-hole finder mission EXIST will consist of multiple wide-field hard X-ray coded-aperture telescopes. The high science goals set for the mission require innovations in telescope design. In particular, wide energy band coverage and fi ne angular resolution require relatively thick coded masks and thick detectors compared to their pixel size, which may introduce mask self-collimation and depth-induced image blurring with conventional design approaches. Previously we proposed relatively simple solutions to these potential problems: radial hole for mask selfcollimation and cathode depth sensing detector for image blurring. We have now performed laboratory experiments to explore the potential of these two techniques. The experimental results show that the radial hole mask greatly alleviates mask self-collimation and a ~1 mm resolution depth-sensitive detector scheme can be relatively easily achieved for the large scale required for EXIST.
Wide-field (> 100 deg$^2$) hard X-ray coded-aperture telescopes with high angular resolution (< 2) will enable a wide range of time domain astrophysics. For instance, transient sources such as gamma-ray bursts can be precisely localized without assis tance of secondary focusing X-ray telescopes to enable rapid followup studies. On the other hand, high angular resolution in coded-aperture imaging introduces a new challenge in handling the systematic uncertainty: average photon count per pixel is often too small to establish a proper background pattern or model the systematic uncertainty in a time scale where the model remains invariant. We introduce two new techniques to improve detection sensitivity, which are designed for, but not limited to high resolution coded-aperture system: a self-background modeling scheme which utilizes continuous scan or dithering operations, and a Poisson-statistics based probabilistic approach to evaluate the significance of source detection without subtraction in handling the background. We illustrate these new imaging analysis techniques in high resolution coded-aperture telescope using the data acquired by the wide-field hard X-ray telescope ProtoEXIST2 during the high-altitude balloon flight in Fall, 2012. We review the imaging sensitivity of ProtoEXIST2 during the flight, and demonstrate the performance of the new techniques using our balloon flight data in comparison with simulated ideal Poisson background.
The Simons Observatory (SO) is an upcoming cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment located on Cerro Toco, Chile, that will map the microwave sky in temperature and polarization in six frequency bands spanning 27 to 285 GHz. SO will consist of on e 6-meter Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) fielding $sim$30,000 detectors and an array of three 0.42-meter Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) fielding an additional 30,000 detectors. This synergy will allow for the extremely sensitive characterization of the CMB over angular scales ranging from an arcmin to tens of degrees, enabling a wide range of scientific output. Here we focus on the SATs targeting degree angular scales with successive dichroic instruments observing at Mid-Frequency (MF: 93/145 GHz), Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF: 225/285 GHz), and Low-Frequency (LF: 27/39 GHz). The three SATs will be able to map $sim$10% of the sky to a noise level of 2 $mu$K-arcmin when combining 93 and 145 GHz. The multiple frequency bands will allow the CMB to be separated from galactic foregrounds (primarily synchrotron and dust), with the primary science goal of characterizing the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$, at a target level of $sigma left(rright) approx 0.003$.
In this white paper (WP), we highlight several examples of small and moderate aperture telescopes that are being used for education and/or research. We further discuss potential costs for establishing new, small observatories, as well as joining exis ting international consortia. The WP includes a brief overview of select observing sites, with a discussion on how small telescopes at exceptional observing locations can be competitive, under certain circumstances, with larger and more expensive facilities located at poorer sites. In addition to research, these facilities enable many different types of educational experiences for wide range of people, from high school students to undergraduates to graduate students to postdocs. Canada should remain committed to partnering with large, international observatories such as CFHT, Gemini, and TMT, but it should also negotiate international agreements and commit funding to expand the use of small and moderate research observatories at domestic and international sites through coordination with the NRC, the Tri-Council, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Both capital and operational costs (with site rental costs allowed) need to be included in support possibilities. CASCA should establish and maintain a small to moderate telescope expression of interest database that would help to facilitate Canadian institutions in organizing consortia, particularly for smaller institutions. The astronomical community should work with the NRC to make existing facilities more accessible to the astronomical community for research. This could involve, for example, automating the Plaskett and/or providing travel funds for supporting classical observing modes. Finally, a small to moderate aperture facility in the Arctic would be a world-class observatory and should be advanced over the next decade.
This paper is concerned with algorithms for calibration of direction dependent effects (DDE) in aperture synthesis radio telescopes (ASRT). After correction of Direction Independent Effects (DIE) using self-calibration, imaging performance can be lim ited by the imprecise knowledge of the forward gain of the elements in the array. In general, the forward gain pattern is directionally dependent and varies with time due to a number of reasons. Some factors, such as rotation of the primary beam with Parallactic Angle for Azimuth-Elevation mount antennas are known a priori. Some, such as antenna pointing errors and structural deformation/projection effects for aperture-array elements cannot be measured {em a priori}. Thus, in addition to algorithms to correct for DD effects known a priori, algorithms to solve for DD gains are required for high dynamic range imaging. Here, we discuss a mathematical framework for antenna-based DDE calibration algorithms and show that this framework leads to computationally efficient optimal algorithms which scale well in a parallel computing environment. As an example of an antenna-based DD calibration algorithm, we demonstrate the Pointing SelfCal algorithm to solve for the antenna pointing errors. Our analysis show that the sensitivity of modern ASRT is sufficient to solve for antenna pointing errors and other DD effects. We also discuss the use of the Pointing SelfCal algorithm in real-time calibration systems and extensions for antenna Shape SelfCal algorithm for real-time tracking and corrections for pointing offsets and changes in antenna shape.
التعليقات
جاري جلب التعليقات جاري جلب التعليقات
سجل دخول لتتمكن من متابعة معايير البحث التي قمت باختيارها
mircosoft-partner

هل ترغب بارسال اشعارات عن اخر التحديثات في شمرا-اكاديميا