The gamma-ray burst monitor for the Russian Mars 1996 mission

Author

Ziock, K.P. ; Bixler, J. ; Cline, T. ; Stilwell, D. ; Sheppard, D. ; Hurley, K. ; Berg, P. ; Primbsch, J.H. ; Slassi-Senou, S. ; Madden, N. ; Anfimov, D.S. ; Chernenko, A.M. ; Isupov, O.M. ; Litvak, M.L. ; Litvin, D.A. ; Loznikov, V.M. ; Mitrofanov, I.G.

Author_Institution

Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab., CA, USA

Volume

44

Issue

4

fYear

1997

fDate

8/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1692

Lastpage

1701

Abstract

We describe an innovative detector designed primarily for the study of cosmic gamma-ray bursts aboard interplanetary spacecraft. The experiment is a fully functional, low cost, low mass, low-power instrument, which, when combined with other similar instruments, has the capability of localizing bursts to arcminute precision. The burst monitor is based on a photomultiplier tube and a plastic/CsI(Tl) phoswich detector and records photons in the 20-150-keV energy range with time resolutions up to several milliseconds. In addition, it records photon energy spectra. Events in the plastic scintillator are distinguished by a pulse shape discrimination circuit and are used to count electrons and protons. In a planetary orbiter or fly-by mission, this capability can be used to detect the presence of a magnetosphere. We describe in detail a version of this instrument which was built for the Russian Mars 1996 mission

Keywords

astronomical instruments; caesium compounds; cosmic ray apparatus; detector circuits; gamma-ray astronomy; gamma-ray detection; nuclear electronics; primary cosmic rays; solid scintillation detectors; thallium; CsI:Tl; Russian Mars 1996 mission; burst monitor; cosmic gamma-ray bursts; gamma-ray burst monitor; interplanetary spacecraft; photomultiplier tube; photon energy spectra; plastic scintillator; pulse shape discrimination circuit; Cost function; Gamma ray bursts; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Instruments; Mars; Monitoring; Photomultipliers; Plastics; Space vehicles;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9499

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/23.604134

Filename

604134