Instruments (Nov 2023)
A Compact Particle Detector for Space-Based Applications: Development of a Low-Energy Module (LEM) for the NUSES Space Mission
Abstract
NUSES is a planned space mission aiming to test new observational and technological approaches related to the study of relatively low-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays, and high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. Two scientific payloads will be hosted onboard the NUSES space mission: Terzina and Zirè. Terzina will be an optical telescope readout by SiPM arrays, for the detection and study of Cerenkov light emitted by Extensive Air Showers generated by high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos in the atmosphere. Zirè will focus on the detection of protons and electrons up to a few hundred MeV and to 0.1–10 MeV photons and will include the Low Energy Module (LEM). The LEM will be a particle spectrometer devoted to the observation of fluxes of relatively low-energy electrons in the 0.1–7-MeV range and protons in the 3–50 MeV range along the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) followed by the hosting platform. The detection of Particle Bursts (PBs) in this Physics channel of interest could give new insight into the understanding of complex phenomena such as eventual correlations between seismic events or volcanic activity with the collective motion of particles in the plasma populating van Allen belts. With its compact sizes and limited acceptance, the LEM will allow the exploration of hostile environments such as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and the inner Van Allen Belt, in which the anticipated electron fluxes are on the order of 106 to 107 electrons per square centimeter per steradian per second. Concerning the vast literature of space-based particle spectrometers, the innovative aspect of the LEM resides in its compactness, within 10 × 10 × 10 cm3, and in its “active collimation” approach dealing with the problem of multiple scattering at these very relatively low energies. In this work, the geometry of the detector, its detection concept, its operation modes, and the hardware adopted will be presented. Some preliminary results from the Monte Carlo simulation (Geant4) will be shown.
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