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arXiv · 1912.06571

Large-area Si(Li) Detectors for X-ray Spectrometry and Particle Tracking for the GAPS Experiment

Field Rogers·Mengjiao Xiao·Kerstin Perez·Steven Boggs·Tyler Erjavec·Lorenzo Fabris·Hideyuki Fuke·Charles J. Hailey·Masayoshi Kozai·Alex Lowell·Norman Madden·Massimo Manghisoni·Steve McBride·Valerio Re·Elisa Riceputi·Nathan Saffold·Yuki Shimizu·Gianluigi Zampa
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Abstract

Large-area lithium-drifted silicon (Si(Li)) detectors, operable 150{\deg}C above liquid nitrogen temperature, have been developed for the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) balloon mission and will form the first such system to operate in space. These 10 cm-diameter, 2.5 mm-thick multi-strip detectors have been verified in the lab to provide <4 keV FWHM energy resolution for X-rays as well as tracking capability for charged particles, while operating in conditions (~-40{\deg}C and ~1 Pa) achievable on a long-duration balloon mission with a large detector payload. These characteristics enable the GAPS silicon tracker system to identify cosmic antinuclei via a novel technique based on exotic atom formation, de-excitation, and annihilation. Production and large-scale calibration of ~1000 detectors has begun for the first GAPS flight, scheduled for late 2021. The detectors developed for GAPS may also have other applications, for example in heavy nuclei identification.

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Field Rogers, Mengjiao Xiao, Kerstin Perez, Steven Boggs, Tyler Erjavec, Lorenzo Fabris, Hideyuki Fuke, Charles J. Hailey, Masayoshi Kozai, Alex Lowell, Norman Madden, Massimo Manghisoni, Steve McBride, Valerio Re, Elisa Riceputi, Nathan Saffold, Yuki Shimizu, Gianluigi Zampa. 2019-12-13. Large-area Si(Li) Detectors for X-ray Spectrometry and Particle Tracking for the GAPS Experiment. https://doi.org/10.1109/nss%2Fmic42101.2019.9060023

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