Presentation details
» MEDIPIX/TIMEPIX IMAGING DETECTORs on ESA STRATOSPHERIC BALLOON CAMPAIGNS BEXUS
Presentation duration: 20 minutes
Presenter: Jaroslav Urbář
Results of the first experiments using a MEDIPIX-type detectors for cosmic ray imaging in stratospheric environment are presented. The original detecting device was based on hybrid pixel detector of Medipix2-type developed at CERN with USB interface developed at Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics of Czech Technical University in Prague. The detector was used in its tracking mode allowing it to operate as an "active nuclear emulsion" as the first step to evaluate its feasibility to work as X-ray detector with focusing optics in space environment. Two flights (BEXUS-7 Oct08, BEXUS-8 Oct09) took about 4 hours each, with 2 hours at stable floating altitude of 26km. The flight opportunity was provided by Education dept. of European Space Agency (ESA) and Eurolaunch (Collaboration of SSC and DLR, German Space Agency). Whole concept served as original testbed for feasibility study of extended stratospheric flight exposures of Medipix detectors to near-space environment. Control hardware was custom designed, based on PC/104 platform. Extensive dataset of different types of cosmic ray particles image tracks were acquired in the stratospheric radiation environment, sorted and analyzed. Detector performance was evaluated for further design implications of advanced concept focusing on proposed configuration with Lobster-eye optics is discussed for X-ray imaging purposes. The original BEXUS-8 results to be presented during AXRO.
Coauthors:- J. Scheirich
- J. Jakubek