New high-resolution gamma-ray burst detector: all-sky x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy monitor (AXGAM)

Details New high-resolution gamma-ray burst detector: all-sky x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy monitor (AXGAM) New high-resolution gamma-ray burst detector: all-sky x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy monitor (AXGAM)

Oct 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997spie.3114..438t&link_type=abstract

Proc. SPIE Vol. 3114, p. 438-449, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII, Oswald H. Siegmund; Mark A. Gumm

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

A wide field-of-view, arcsecond imaging, high energy resolution x-ray and low energy gamma ray detector is proposed for a future space mission. It is specifically designed to monitor and study gamma ray bursts (GRBs) with high energy and angular resolution and also find counterparts at other wavelengths. Detection of GRBs requires wide field-of-view ((pi) to 2 (pi) field-of-view) and high sensitivity. This is achieved by using high quantum efficiency CdZnTe pixel detectors with a low energy threshold (few keV) to observe the larger flux levels at lower energies, and large effective area (625 to 1,000 cm(superscript 2)) per coded aperture imaging module. Counterpart searches can only be done with ultra high angular resolution detectors (10 to 30 arcsecond FWHM) which gives 1 to 5 arcsecond position determination especially for strong GRBs. A few arcsecond size error box is expected to contain at most one object observed at another wavelength. This will be achieved by using ultra high spatial resolution pixel detectors (100 by 100 microns) and a similar resolution coded aperture to achieve the required angular resolution. AXGAM also has two other important advantages over similar detectors: (1) excellent low energy response (greater than 1 keV) and (2) high energy resolution (less than 6% at 5.9 keV, less than 3% at 14 keV, less than 4% at 122 keV). The low energy range may provide important new information on GRBs and the high energy resolution is expected to help in the observation and identification of emission and absorption lines in the GRB spectrum. The effective energy range is planned to be 2 to 200 keV which is exceptionally wide for such a detector. AXGAM will be built in the form of a 'bucky ball' using a coded aperture mask in a semi-geodesic dome arrangement placed over a two-dimensional, high resolution CdZnTe pixel detector array using newly developed p-i-n detector technology. The p-i-n structure decreases the electron and hole trapping effect and increases energy resolution significantly. The major scientific goals of the proposed mission in addition to continuously monitoring gamma- ray bursts, is to observe AGNs, transient phenomena, isolated and binary pulsars, and solar flares. A space deployed AXGAM detector is expected to observe several hundred gamma ray bursts per year.

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