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Beam Test Performance of AstroPix sensor with 120 GeV protons
Authors:
Bobae Kim,
Regina Caputo,
Manoj Jadhav,
Sylvester Joosten,
Carolyn Kierans,
Henry Klest,
Adrien Laviron,
Richard Leys,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Jared Richards,
Nicolas Striebig,
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Daniel Violette,
Maria Zurek
Abstract:
AstroPix is a high-voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) monolithic active pixel sensor (MAPS) developed for precision gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy in the medium energy regime, as well as for precise shower imaging and tracking in the Barrel Imaging Calorimeter (BIC) of the Electron Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) detector at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). We present beam test results of the AstroPix v…
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AstroPix is a high-voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) monolithic active pixel sensor (MAPS) developed for precision gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy in the medium energy regime, as well as for precise shower imaging and tracking in the Barrel Imaging Calorimeter (BIC) of the Electron Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) detector at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). We present beam test results of the AstroPix v3 sensor using a 120 GeV proton beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility (FTBF), performed as part of the broader experimental campaign for the BIC prototype calorimeter. The sensor's 500 um pixel pitch enabled precise measurement of the beam profile, providing important information for calorimeter performance studies. Using the measured 120 GeV proton data, we measure the energy deposit of minimum ionizing particles and use them to extract the corresponding effective depletion depth.
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Submitted 4 February, 2026;
originally announced February 2026.
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Performance of the AstroPix Prototype Module for the Barrel Imaging Calorimeter at the ePIC Detector and in Space-Based Payloads
Authors:
Bobae Kim,
Regina Caputo,
Manoj Jadhav,
Sylvester Joosten,
Adrien Laviron,
Richard Leys,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Nicolas Striebig,
Daniel Violette,
Maria Żurek
Abstract:
AstroPix is a high-voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) monolithic active pixel sensor originally developed to enable precision gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy in the medium-energy regime (approximately 100 keV-100 MeV) based on the groundwork laid by ATLASpix and MuPix. It features a 500 um pixel pitch, in-pixel amplification and digitization, and low power consumption (around 3-4 mW/cm^2), making it scalab…
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AstroPix is a high-voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) monolithic active pixel sensor originally developed to enable precision gamma-ray imaging and spectroscopy in the medium-energy regime (approximately 100 keV-100 MeV) based on the groundwork laid by ATLASpix and MuPix. It features a 500 um pixel pitch, in-pixel amplification and digitization, and low power consumption (around 3-4 mW/cm^2), making it scalable for large-area, multilayer telescope detector planes. The detectors have a designed dynamic range of 25 keV to 700 keV.
With these features, AstroPix meets the requirements of future space-based high-energy telescopes and the imaging layers of the Barrel Imaging Calorimeter (BIC) in the Electron-Proton/Ion Collider (ePIC) detector at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). For the space-based payload, AstroPix is being integrated into sounding rocket and balloon payloads to demonstrate the technical readiness of the devices. For BIC, AstroPix-based imaging layers interleaved within the lead/scintillating-fiber (Pb/SciFi) sampling calorimeter provide granular shower imaging, enabling key performance features such as electron/pion or gamma/neutral-pion separation.
As part of the ongoing detector R&D efforts, we have been testing various AstroPix v3 configurations: the single chip, a quad-chip assembly, a three-layer stack of quad chips, and a nine-chip module that represents the smallest prototype unit of the BIC imaging layer. This presentation will highlight recent performance test results from these AstroPix detector configurations.
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Submitted 7 November, 2025;
originally announced November 2025.
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Evaluation of gamma-ray response of the AstroPix4 HV-CMOS active pixel sensor
Authors:
Yusuke Suda,
Regina Caputo,
Daniel Violette,
Grant Sommer,
Nicolas Striebig,
Manoj Jadhav,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Carolyn Kierans,
Richard Leys,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Norito Nakano,
Ivan Perić,
Jeremy S. Perkins,
Hiroyasu Tajima
Abstract:
AstroPix is a novel high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor being developed for a next generation gamma-ray space telescope, AMEGO-X. To meet AMEGO-X instrument requirements, AstroPix must achieve full depletion of its $500~\rm{μm}$ thick, $500~\rm{μm}$-pitch pixels. It must be sensitive to gamma rays in the range of $25-700$ keV, with the energy resolution at 122 keV of $<10$%. Furthermore, given t…
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AstroPix is a novel high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor being developed for a next generation gamma-ray space telescope, AMEGO-X. To meet AMEGO-X instrument requirements, AstroPix must achieve full depletion of its $500~\rm{μm}$ thick, $500~\rm{μm}$-pitch pixels. It must be sensitive to gamma rays in the range of $25-700$ keV, with the energy resolution at 122 keV of $<10$%. Furthermore, given the space-based nature of AMEGO-X, the power consumption of AstroPix needs to be lower than $1.5~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$. We report the gamma-ray response of the latest version of AstroPix, AstroPix4. The chip contains $16\times 13$ array of $500~\rm{μm}$-pitch pixels. The power consumption is estimated to be about $2~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$, which is approximately half the power of the previous AstroPix version. The input capacitance is reduced, allowing for the detection of the 14 keV photopeak from $\rm{^{57}Co}$ and a moderate energy resolution of 14% at 122 keV. The dynamic range is estimated to be in the range from 14 keV to $\sim250$ keV. We found that the sensor depletion layer expands as expected and the measured depletion depth is approximately $90~\rm{μm}$ when biased at $-240$ V.
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Submitted 29 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
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AstroPix: A Pixelated HVCMOS Sensor for Space-Based Gamma-Ray Measurement
Authors:
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Regina Caputo,
Daniel P. Violette,
Anthony Affolder,
Autumn Bauman,
Carolyn Chinatti,
Aware Deshmukh,
Vitaliy Fadayev,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Manoj Jadhav,
Carolyn Kierans,
Bobae Kim,
Jihee Kim,
Henry Klest,
Olivia Kroger,
Kavic Kumar,
Shin Kushima,
Jean-Marie Lauenstein,
Richard Leys,
Forest Martinez-Mckinney,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Zachary Metzler,
John W. Mitchell,
Norito Nakano,
Jennifer Ott
, et al. (11 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
A next-generation medium-energy gamma-ray telescope targeting the MeV range would address open questions in astrophysics regarding how extreme conditions accelerate cosmic-ray particles, produce relativistic jet outflows, and more. One concept, AMEGO-X, relies upon the mission-enabling CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor silicon chip AstroPix. AstroPix is designed for space-based use, featuring lo…
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A next-generation medium-energy gamma-ray telescope targeting the MeV range would address open questions in astrophysics regarding how extreme conditions accelerate cosmic-ray particles, produce relativistic jet outflows, and more. One concept, AMEGO-X, relies upon the mission-enabling CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor silicon chip AstroPix. AstroPix is designed for space-based use, featuring low noise, low power consumption, and high scalability. Desired performance of the device include an energy resolution of 5 keV (or 10% FWHM) at 122 keV and a dynamic range per-pixel of 25-700 keV, enabled by the addition of a high-voltage bias to each pixel which supports a depletion depth of 500 um. This work reports on the status of the AstroPix development process with emphasis on the current version under test, version three (v3), and highlights of version two (v2). Version 3 achieves energy resolution of 10.4 +/- 3.2% at 59.5 keV and 94 +/- 6 um depletion in a low-resistivity test silicon substrate.
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Submitted 28 October, 2025; v1 submitted 20 January, 2025;
originally announced January 2025.
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ComPair-2: A Next Generation Medium Energy Gamma-ray Telescope Prototype
Authors:
Regina Caputo,
Carolyn Kierans,
Nicholas Cannady,
Abe Falcone,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Manoj Jadhav,
Matthew Kerr,
Nicholas Kirschner,
Kavic Kumar,
Adrien Laviron,
Richard Leys,
Iker Liceaga-Indart,
Julie McEnery,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Zachary Metzler,
Nathan Miller,
John Mitchell,
Lucas Parker,
Ivan Peric,
Jeremy Perkins,
Bernard Phlips,
Judith Racusin,
Makoto Sasaki,
Kenneth N. Segal,
Daniel Shy
, et al. (8 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
Many questions posed in the Astro2020 Decadal survey in both the New Messengers and New Physics and the Cosmic Ecosystems science themes require a gamma-ray mission with capabilities exceeding those of existing (e.g. Fermi, Swift) and planned (e.g. COSI) observatories. ComPair, the Compton Pair telescope, is a prototype of such a next-generation gamma-ray mission. It had its inaugural balloon flig…
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Many questions posed in the Astro2020 Decadal survey in both the New Messengers and New Physics and the Cosmic Ecosystems science themes require a gamma-ray mission with capabilities exceeding those of existing (e.g. Fermi, Swift) and planned (e.g. COSI) observatories. ComPair, the Compton Pair telescope, is a prototype of such a next-generation gamma-ray mission. It had its inaugural balloon flight from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico in August 2023. To continue the goals of the ComPair project to develop technologies that will enable a future gamma-ray mission, the next generation of ComPair (ComPair-2) will be upgraded to increase the sensitivity and low-energy transient capabilities of the instrument. These advancements are enabled by AstroPix, a silicon monolithic active pixel sensor, in the tracker and custom dual-gain silicon photomultipliers and front-end electronics in the calorimeter. This effort builds on design work for the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X) concept that was submitted the 2021 MIDEX Announcement of Opportunity. Here we describe the ComPair-2 prototype design and integration and testing plans to advance the readiness level of these novel technologies.
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Submitted 16 December, 2024; v1 submitted 3 December, 2024;
originally announced December 2024.
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A-STEP: The AstroPix Sounding Rocket Technology Demonstration Payload
Authors:
Daniel P. Violette,
Amanda Steinhebel,
Abhradeep Roy,
Ryan Boggs,
Regina Caputo,
David Durachka,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Masaki Hashizume,
Scott Hesh,
Manoj Jadhav,
Carolyn Kierans,
Kavic Kumar,
Shin Kushima,
Richard Leys,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Zachary Metzler,
Norito Nakano,
Ivan Peric,
Jeremy Perkins,
Lindsey Seo,
K. W. Taylor Shin,
Nicolas Striebig,
Yusuke Suda,
Hiroyasu Tajima
Abstract:
A next-generation medium-energy (100 keV to 100 MeV) gamma-ray observatory will greatly enhance the identification and characterization of multimessenger sources in the coming decade. Coupling gamma-ray spectroscopy, imaging, and polarization to neutrino and gravitational wave detections will develop our understanding of various astrophysical phenomena including compact object mergers, supernovae…
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A next-generation medium-energy (100 keV to 100 MeV) gamma-ray observatory will greatly enhance the identification and characterization of multimessenger sources in the coming decade. Coupling gamma-ray spectroscopy, imaging, and polarization to neutrino and gravitational wave detections will develop our understanding of various astrophysical phenomena including compact object mergers, supernovae remnants, active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. An observatory operating in the MeV energy regime requires technologies that are capable of measuring Compton scattered photons and photons interacting via pair production. AstroPix is a monolithic high voltage CMOS active pixel sensor which enables future gamma-ray telescopes in this energy range. AstroPix's design is iterating towards low-power (~1.5 mW/cm$^{2}$), high spatial (500 microns pixel pitch) and spectral (<5 keV at 122 keV) tracking of photon and charged particle interactions. Stacking planar arrays of AstroPix sensors in three dimensions creates an instrument capable of reconstructing the trajectories and energies of incident gamma rays over large fields of view. A prototype multi-layered AstroPix instrument, called the AstroPix Sounding rocket Technology dEmonstration Payload (A-STEP), will test three layers of AstroPix quad chips in a suborbital rocket flight. These quad chips (2x2 joined AstroPix sensors) form the 4x4 cm$^{2}$ building block of future large area AstroPix instruments, such as ComPair-2 and AMEGO-X. This payload will be the first demonstration of AstroPix detectors operated in a space environment and will demonstrate the technology's readiness for future astrophysical and nuclear physics applications. In this work, we overview the design and state of development of the ASTEP payload.
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Submitted 5 November, 2024;
originally announced November 2024.
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Performance evaluation of the high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor AstroPix for gamma-ray space telescopes
Authors:
Yusuke Suda,
Regina Caputo,
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Nicolas Striebig,
Manoj Jadhav,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Masaki Hashizume,
Carolyn Kierans,
Richard Leys,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Michela Negro,
Ivan Perić,
Jeremy S. Perkins,
Taylor Shin,
Hiroyasu Tajima,
Daniel Violette,
Norito Nakano
Abstract:
AstroPix is a novel monolithic high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor proposed for next generation medium-energy gamma-ray observatories like the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X). For AMEGO-X AstroPix must maintain a power consumption of less than $1.5~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$ while having a pixel pitch of up to $500~\rm{μm}$. We developed the second and third versions of Astro…
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AstroPix is a novel monolithic high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor proposed for next generation medium-energy gamma-ray observatories like the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X). For AMEGO-X AstroPix must maintain a power consumption of less than $1.5~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$ while having a pixel pitch of up to $500~\rm{μm}$. We developed the second and third versions of AstroPix, namely AstroPix2 and AstroPix3. AstroPix2 and AstroPix3 exhibit power consumptions of $3.4~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$ and $4.1~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$, respectively. While AstroPix2 has a pixel pitch of $250~\rm{μm}$, AstroPix3 achieves the desired size for AMEGO-X with a pixel pitch of $500~\rm{μm}$. Performance evaluation of a single pixel in an AstroPix2 chip revealed a dynamic range from 13.9 keV to 59.5 keV, with the energy resolution meeting the AMEGO-X target value ($<10\%$ (FWHM) at 60 keV). We performed energy calibration on most of the pixels in an AstroPix3 chip, yielding a mean energy resolution of 6.2 keV (FWHM) at 59.5 keV, with 44.4% of the pixels satisfying the target value. The dynamic range of AstroPix3 was assessed to span from 22.2 keV to 122.1 keV. The expansion of the depletion layer aligns with expectations in both AstroPix2 and AstroPix3. Furthermore, radiation tolerance testing was conducted on AstroPix. An AstroPix2 chip was subjected to an equivalent exposure of approximately 10 Gy from a high-intensity $\rm{^{60}Co}$ source. The chip was fully operational after irradiation although a decrease in gain by approximately 4% was observed.
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Submitted 23 August, 2024;
originally announced August 2024.
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The path toward 500 $μ$m depletion of AstroPix, a pixelated silicon HVCMOS sensor for space and EIC
Authors:
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Jennifer Ott,
Olivia Kroger,
Regina Caputo,
Vitaliy Fadeyev,
Anthony Affolder,
Kirsten Affolder,
Aware Deshmukh,
Nicolas Striebig,
Manoj Jadhav,
Yusuke Suda,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Richard Leys,
Ivan Peric,
Taylor,
Shin,
Daniel Violette
Abstract:
The precise reconstruction of Compton-scatter events is paramount for an imaging medium-energy gamma-ray telescope. The proposed AMEGO-X is enabled by a silicon tracker utilizing AstroPix chips - a pixelated silicon HVCMOS sensor novel for space use. To achieve science goals, each 500 x 500 $μ$m$^2$ pixel must be sensitive for energy deposits ranging from 25 - 700 keV with an energy resolution of…
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The precise reconstruction of Compton-scatter events is paramount for an imaging medium-energy gamma-ray telescope. The proposed AMEGO-X is enabled by a silicon tracker utilizing AstroPix chips - a pixelated silicon HVCMOS sensor novel for space use. To achieve science goals, each 500 x 500 $μ$m$^2$ pixel must be sensitive for energy deposits ranging from 25 - 700 keV with an energy resolution of 5 keV at 122 keV (< 10%). This is achieved through depletion of the 500 $μ$m thick sensor, although complete depletion poses an engineering and design challenge. This work will summarize the current status of depletion measurements highlighting direct measurement with TCT laser scanning and the agreement with simulation. Future plans for further testing will also be identified.
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Submitted 8 July, 2024;
originally announced July 2024.
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Quantification and Modeling of Broken Links Prevalence in Hyper Traffic Websites Homepages
Authors:
Ronan Mouchoux,
Laurent Moulin,
Nicolas Striebig
Abstract:
Broken links in websites external resources pose a serious threat to cybersecurity and the credibility of websites. They can be hijacked to eavesdrop user traffic or to inject malicious software. In this paper, we present the first result of an ongoing research. We focus on the prevalence of broken links in external resources on home pages of the most visited websites in the world. The analysis wa…
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Broken links in websites external resources pose a serious threat to cybersecurity and the credibility of websites. They can be hijacked to eavesdrop user traffic or to inject malicious software. In this paper, we present the first result of an ongoing research. We focus on the prevalence of broken links in external resources on home pages of the most visited websites in the world. The analysis was conducted on the top 88 000 homepages extracted from the Majestic Million rankings. 35,2% of them have at least one broken link. We also identify the common causes of these broken links and highlight improper implementation of testing phases to prevent such errors. We provide a formal model for the distribution of external links. At the next research step, we are exploring the potential impact on privacy of broken links by analyzing inherited traffic of purchasable expired domains.
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Submitted 28 February, 2024;
originally announced February 2024.
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AstroPix: CMOS pixels in space
Authors:
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Regina Caputo,
Henrike Fleischhack,
Nicolas Striebig,
Manoj Jadhav,
Yusuke Suda,
Ricardo Luz,
Daniel Violette,
Carolyn Kierans,
Hiroyasu Tajima,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
Richard Leys,
Ivan Peric,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Michela Negro,
Jeremy S. Perkins
Abstract:
Space-based gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope have used single sided silicon strip detectors to measure the position of charged particles produced by incident gamma rays with high resolution. At energies in the Compton regime and below, two dimensional position information within a single detector is required. Double sided silicon strip detectors are one option; however,…
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Space-based gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope have used single sided silicon strip detectors to measure the position of charged particles produced by incident gamma rays with high resolution. At energies in the Compton regime and below, two dimensional position information within a single detector is required. Double sided silicon strip detectors are one option; however, this technology is difficult to fabricate and large arrays are susceptible to noise. This work outlines the development and implementation of monolithic CMOS active pixel silicon sensors, AstroPix, for use in future gamma-ray telescopes. Based upon detectors designed using the HVCMOS process at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, AstroPix has the potential to maintain the high energy and angular resolution required of a medium-energy gamma-ray telescope while reducing noise with the dual detection-and-readout capabilities of a CMOS chip. The status of AstroPix development and testing as well as outlook for application in future telescopes is presented.
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Submitted 31 January, 2023;
originally announced February 2023.
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AstroPix: Novel monolithic active pixel silicon sensors for future gamma-ray telescopes
Authors:
Amanda L. Steinhebel,
Henrike Fleischhack,
Nicolas Striebig,
Manoj Jadhav,
Yusuke Suda,
Ricardo Luz,
Carolyn Kierans,
Regina Caputo,
Hiroyasu Tajima,
Richard Leys,
Ivan Peric,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Jeremy S. Perkins
Abstract:
Space-based gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope have used single sided silicon strip detectors to track secondary charged particles produced by primary gamma-rays with high resolution. At the lower energies targeted by keV-MeV telescopes, two dimensional position information within a single detector is required for event reconstruction - especially in the Compton regime. Th…
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Space-based gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope have used single sided silicon strip detectors to track secondary charged particles produced by primary gamma-rays with high resolution. At the lower energies targeted by keV-MeV telescopes, two dimensional position information within a single detector is required for event reconstruction - especially in the Compton regime. This work describes the development of monolithic CMOS active pixel silicon sensors - AstroPix - as a novel technology for use in future gamma-ray telescopes. Based upon sensors (ATLASPix) designed for use in the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, AstroPix has the potential to maintain high performance while reducing noise with low power consumption. This is achieved with the dual detection and readout capabilities in each CMOS pixel. The status of AstroPix development and testing, as well as outlook for future testing and application, will be presented.
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Submitted 6 September, 2022;
originally announced September 2022.
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The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X) Mission Concept
Authors:
Regina Caputo,
Marco Ajello,
Carolyn Kierans,
Jeremy Perkins,
Judith Racusin,
Luca Baldini,
Matthew Barring,
Elisabetta Bissaldi,
Eric Burns,
Nicolas Cannady,
Eric Charles,
Rui Curado da Silva,
Ke Fang,
Henrike Fleischhack,
Chris Fryer,
Yasushi Fukazawa,
J. Eric Grove,
Dieter Hartmann,
Eric Howell,
Manoj Jadhav,
Christopher Karwin,
Daniel Kocevski,
Naoko Kurahashi,
Luca Latronico,
Tiffany Lewis
, et al. (30 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X) is designed to identify and characterize gamma rays from extreme explosions and accelerators. The main science themes include: supermassive black holes and their connections to neutrinos and cosmic rays; binary neutron star mergers and the relativistic jets they produce; cosmic ray particle acceleration sources including Galactic s…
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The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X) is designed to identify and characterize gamma rays from extreme explosions and accelerators. The main science themes include: supermassive black holes and their connections to neutrinos and cosmic rays; binary neutron star mergers and the relativistic jets they produce; cosmic ray particle acceleration sources including Galactic supernovae; and continuous monitoring of other astrophysical events and sources over the full sky in this important energy range. AMEGO-X will probe the medium energy gamma-ray band using a single instrument with sensitivity up to an order of magnitude greater than previous telescopes in the energy range 100 keV to 1 GeV that can be only realized in space. During its three-year baseline mission, AMEGO-X will observe nearly the entire sky every two orbits, building up a sensitive all-sky map of gamma-ray sources and emission. AMEGO-X was submitted in the recent 2021 NASA MIDEX Announcement of Opportunity.
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Submitted 4 November, 2022; v1 submitted 9 August, 2022;
originally announced August 2022.
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Developing the Future of Gamma-ray Astrophysics with Monolithic Silicon Pixels
Authors:
Isabella Brewer,
Michela Negro,
Nicolas Striebig,
Carolyn Kierans,
Regina Caputo,
Richard Leys,
Ivan Peric,
Henrike Fleischhack,
Jessica Metcalfe,
Jeremy Perkins
Abstract:
This paper explores the potential of AstroPix, a project to develop Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) pixels for the next generation of space-based high-energy astrophysics experiments. Multimessenger astrophysics is a rapidly developing field whose upcoming missions need support from new detector technology such as AstroPix. ATLASPix, a monolithic silicon detector optimized for the A…
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This paper explores the potential of AstroPix, a project to develop Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) pixels for the next generation of space-based high-energy astrophysics experiments. Multimessenger astrophysics is a rapidly developing field whose upcoming missions need support from new detector technology such as AstroPix. ATLASPix, a monolithic silicon detector optimized for the ATLAS particle detector at CERN, is the beginning of the larger AstroPix project. Energy resolution is a driving parameter in the reconstruction of gamma-ray events, and therefore the characterization of ATLASPix energy resolution is the focus of this paper. The intrinsic energy resolution of the detector exceeded our baseline requirements of <10% at 60 keV. The digital output of ATLASPix results in energy resolutions insufficient to advance gamma-ray astronomy. However, the results from the intrinsic energy resolution indicate the digital capability of the detector can be redesigned, and the next generation of pixels for the larger AstroPix project have already been constructed. Iterations of AstroPix-type pixels are an exciting technology candidate to support new space-based missions.
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Submitted 27 September, 2021;
originally announced September 2021.
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SPIRou: nIR velocimetry & spectropolarimetry at the CFHT
Authors:
J. -F. Donati,
D. Kouach,
C. Moutou,
R. Doyon,
X. Delfosse,
E. Artigau,
S. Baratchart,
M. Lacombe,
G. Barrick,
G. Hebrard,
F. Bouchy,
L. Saddlemyer,
L. Pares,
P. Rabou,
Y. Micheau,
F. Dolon,
V. Reshetov,
Z. Challita,
A. Carmona,
N. Striebig,
S. Thibault,
E. Martioli,
N. Cook,
P. Fouque,
T. Vermeulen
, et al. (41 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
This paper presents an overview of SPIRou, the new-generation near-infrared spectropolarimeter / precision velocimeter recently installed on the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Starting from the two main science goals, namely the quest for planetary systems around nearby M dwarfs and the study of magnetized star / planet formation, we outline the instrument concept that was designed t…
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This paper presents an overview of SPIRou, the new-generation near-infrared spectropolarimeter / precision velocimeter recently installed on the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Starting from the two main science goals, namely the quest for planetary systems around nearby M dwarfs and the study of magnetized star / planet formation, we outline the instrument concept that was designed to efficiently address these forefront topics, and detail the in-lab and on-sky instrument performances measured throughout the intensive testing phase that SPIRou was submitted to before passing the final acceptance review in early 2019 and initiating science observations. With a central position among the newly started programmes, the SPIRou Legacy Survey (SLS) Large Programme was allocated 300 CFHT nights until at least mid 2022. We also briefly describe a few of the first results obtained in the various science topics that SPIRou started investigating, focusing in particular on planetary systems of nearby M dwarfs, transiting exoplanets and their atmospheres, magnetic fields of young stars, but also on alternate science goals like the atmospheres of M dwarfs and the Earth's atmosphere. We finally conclude on the essential role that SPIRou and the CFHT can play in coordination with forthcoming major facilities like the JWST, the ELTs, PLATO and ARIEL over the decade.
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Submitted 20 August, 2020;
originally announced August 2020.
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SPIRou: a nIR spectropolarimeter / high-precision velocimeter for the CFHT
Authors:
JF Donati,
D Kouach,
M Lacombe,
S Baratchart,
R Doyon,
X Delfosse,
E Artigau,
C Moutou,
G Hebrard,
F Bouchy,
J Bouvier,
S Alencar,
L Saddlemyer,
L Pares,
P Rabou,
Y Micheau,
F Dolon,
G Barrick,
O Hernandez,
SY Wang,
V Reshetov,
N Striebig,
Z Challita,
A Carmona,
S Tibault
, et al. (4 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
SPIRou is a near-infrared (nIR) spectropolarimeter / velocimeter for the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), that will focus on two forefront science topics, (i) the quest for habitable Earth-like planets around nearby M stars, and (ii) the study of low-mass star/planet formation in the presence of magnetic fields. SPIRou will also efficiently tackle many key programmes beyond these two main go…
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SPIRou is a near-infrared (nIR) spectropolarimeter / velocimeter for the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), that will focus on two forefront science topics, (i) the quest for habitable Earth-like planets around nearby M stars, and (ii) the study of low-mass star/planet formation in the presence of magnetic fields. SPIRou will also efficiently tackle many key programmes beyond these two main goals, from weather patterns on brown dwarfs to Solar-System planet and exoplanet atmospheres. SPIRou will cover a wide spectral domain in a single exposure (0.98-2.44um at a resolving power of 70K, yielding unpolarized and polarized spectra of low-mass stars with a 15% average throughput at a radial velocity (RV) precision of 1 m/s. It consists of a Cassegrain unit mounted at the Cassegrain focus of CFHT and featuring an achromatic polarimeter, coupled to a cryogenic spectrograph cooled down at 80K through a fluoride fiber link. SPIRou is currently integrated at IRAP/OMP and will be mounted at CFHT in 2017 Q4 for a first light scheduled in late 2017. Science operation is predicted to begin in 2018 S2, allowing many fruitful synergies with major ground and space instruments such as the JWST, TESS, ALMA and later-on PLATO and the ELT.
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Submitted 23 March, 2018;
originally announced March 2018.
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SPIRou: the near-infrared spectropolarimeter/high-precision velocimeter for the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope
Authors:
Étienne Artigau,
Driss Kouach,
Jean-François Donati,
René Doyon,
Xavier Delfosse,
Sébastien Baratchart,
Marielle Lacombe,
Claire Moutou,
Patrick Rabou,
Laurent P. Parès,
Yoan Micheau,
Simon Thibault,
Vladimir A. Reshetov,
Bruno Dubois,
Olivier Hernandez,
Philippe Vallée,
Shiang-Yu Wang,
François Dolon,
Francesco A. Pepe,
François Bouchy,
Nicolas Striebig,
François Hénault,
David Loop,
Leslie Saddlemyer,
Gregory Barrick
, et al. (8 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
SPIRou is a near-IR échelle spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter under construction as a next-generation instrument for the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope. It is designed to cover a very wide simultaneous near-IR spectral range (0.98-2.35 μm) at a resolving power of 73.5K, providing unpolarized and polarized spectra of low-mass stars at a radial velocity (RV) precision of 1m/s. The ma…
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SPIRou is a near-IR échelle spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter under construction as a next-generation instrument for the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope. It is designed to cover a very wide simultaneous near-IR spectral range (0.98-2.35 μm) at a resolving power of 73.5K, providing unpolarized and polarized spectra of low-mass stars at a radial velocity (RV) precision of 1m/s. The main science goals of SPIRou are the detection of habitable super-Earths around low-mass stars and the study of how critically magnetic fields impact star / planet formation. Following a successful final design review in Spring 2014, SPIRou is now under construction and is scheduled to see first light in late 2017. We present an overview of key aspects of SPIRou's optical and mechanical design.
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Submitted 26 June, 2014;
originally announced June 2014.