All-sky Compton imager

Peter von Ballmoos; Steven E. Boggs; Pierre Jean; Andreas Zoglauer

doi:10.1117/12.2057535

24 July 2014 All-sky Compton imager

Peter von Ballmoos, Steven E. Boggs, Pierre Jean, Andreas Zoglauer

Proceedings Volume 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 91440H (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057535
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

The All-Sky Compton Imager (ASCI) is a mission concept for MeV Gamma-Ray astronomy. It consists of a compact array of cross-strip germanium detectors, shielded only by a plastic anticoicidence, and weighting less than 100 kg. Situated on a deployable structure at a distance of 10 m from the spacecraft orbiting at L2 or in a HEO, the ASCI not only avoids albedo- and spacecraft-induced background, but it benefits from a continuous all-sky exposure. The modest effective area is more than compensated by the 4 π field-of-view. Despite its small size, ASCI's γ-ray line sensitivity after its nominal lifetime of 3 years is ~ 10^-6 ph cm^-2 s^-1 at 1 MeV for every γ-ray source in the sky. With its high spectral and 3-D spatial resolution, the ASCI will perform sensitive γray spectroscopy and polarimetry in the energy band 100 keV-10 MeV. The All-Sky Compton Imager is particularly well suited to the task of measuring the Cosmic Gamma-Ray Background – and simultaneously covering the wide range of science topics in gamma-ray astronomy.

Citation Download Citation

Peter von Ballmoos, Steven E. Boggs, Pierre Jean, and Andreas Zoglauer "All-sky Compton imager", Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91440H (24 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057535

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