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Detector has possible uses in aerial cable-car systems, equipment handling in mines, boreholes, and undersea operations, and other applications where moving steel cable must be measured, monitored, or controlled. Detector consists of Hall-effect magnetic sensor located close to cable. Magnetic markings on cable are converted to electrical signals. Signals are filtered, amplified, and can actuate alarm.
This paper describes an encapsulation technology that should significantly improve the viability of germanium gamma-ray detectors for a number of important applications. A specialized vacuum chamber has been constructed in which the detector and the encapsulating module are processed in high vacuum. Very high vacuum conductance is achieved within the valveless encapsulating module. The detector module is then sealed without breaking the chamber vacuum. The details of the vacuum chamber, valveless module, processing, and sealing method are presented.
We present high energy results for a 2 x 2 x 2 array of eight 10 mm x 10 mm x 5 mm coplanar grid CdZnTe detectors. We conclude that such an array can provide a room-temperature detector with good resolution and efficiency for planetary missions. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
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We report the performance of a bolometric system designed to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on angular scales from 0 deg 3 min to 3 deg. The system represents a collaborative effort combining a low-background 1 m diameter balloon-borne telescope with new multimode feed optics, a beam modulation mechanism with high stability, and a four-channel bolometric receiver with passbands centered near frequencies of 3 (90), 6 (180), 9 (270), and 12 (360) cm(exp -1) (GHz). The telescope was flown three times with the bolometric receiver and has demonstrated detector noise limited performance capable of reaching sensitivity levels of Delta(T)/T(sub CMB) is approximately equal to 10(exp -5) with detectors operated at T = 0.3 K.
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The dominant background source for germanium gamma ray detector spectrometers used for some astrophysics observations is internal beta decay. Externally segmented germanium gamma ray coaxial detectors can identify beta decay by localizing the event. Energetic gamma rays interact in the germanium detector by multiple Compton interactions while beta decay is a local process. In order to recognize the difference between gamma rays and beta decay events, the external electrode (outside of detector) is electrically partitioned. The instrumentation of these external segments and the consequence with respect to the spectrometer energy signal is examined.
A proof-of-concept (POC) demonstration system has been developed which demonstrates acquisition, tracking and point-ahead angle sensing for a space optical communications terminal utilizing a single high speed area array detector. The detector is the 128 x 128 pixel Kodak HS-40 photodiode array. It has 64 parallel readout channels and can operate at frames rates up to 40,000 frames/sec with rms readout noise of 20 photoelectrons. A windowing scheme and special purpose digital signal processing electronics are employed to implement acquisition and tracking algorithms. The system operates at greater than 1 kHz sample (frame) rates. Acquisition can be performed in as little as 30 milliseconds with less than 1 picowatt of 0.85 micron beacon power on the detector. At the same power level, the rms tracking accuracy is approximately 1/16 pixel. Results of system analysis and measurements using the POC system are presented.
The properties and the expected performance of a liquid xenon (LXe) gamma ray imaging telescope, optimized for the MeV energy region, are presented. The unique potential of this telescope as a Compton polarimeter is particularly emphasized. Based on Monte Carlo simulations we show that the modulation factor is as high as 40 percent at 1 MeV with a detection efficiency close to 20 percent. These figures of merit combined with the excellent background suppression capability of the three dimensional position sensitive LXe detector yield sensitivity at the three sigma level to polarization fractions as small as a few percent for strong sources, even in a balloon flight.
The properties and the expected performance of a liquid xenon (LXe) gamma-ray imaging telescope, optimized for the MeV energy region, are presented. The unique potential of this telescope as a Compton polarimeter is particularly emphasized. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the modulation factor is as high as 40% at 1 MeV with a detection efficiency close to 20%. These figures of merit, combined with the excellent background suppression capability of the three-dimensional position sensitive LXe detector, yield sensitivity at the 3 sigma level to polarization fractions as small as a few percent for strong sources, even in a balloon flight.
We report preliminary results from two balloon flights of a millimeter-wave telescope designed to measure anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on angular scales from 0.3 to 3 degrees. The receiver used in the first flight, in November 1989, was a dichroic, He-3-cooled bolometric photometer with passbands centered at 3, 6, 9, and 12/cm. The second flight, in July 1990, employed improved bolometric detectors. The 3/cm band was removed in order to increase the efficiency of the remaining bands. Preliminary analysis of the data gives a factor of 3 improvement in sensitivity over the first flight in the 6/cm band. Future plans include a new receiver to provide an additional factor of 5 improvement in sensitivity and a new balloon-borne telescope which is optimized for low-background bolometric detectors at millimeter wavelengths.
The development of high linear energy transfer (LET), passive radiation dosimetry and spectrometry is needed for the purpose of accurate determination of equivalent doses and assessment of health risks to astronauts on long duration missions. Progress in the following research areas is summerized: intercomparisons of cosmic ray equivalent dose and LET spectra measurements between STS missions and between astronauts; increases LET spectra measurement accuracy with ATAS; space radiation measurements for intercomparisons of passive (PNTD, TLD, TRND, Emulsion) and active (TEPC, RME-111) dosimeters; interaction of cosmic ray particles with nuclei in matter; radiation measurements after long duration space exposures; ground based dosimeter calibrations; neutron detector calibrations; radiation measurements on Soviet/Russian spacecraft; space radiation measurements under thin shielding; and space radiation.
Magnetic thermometers are much less sensitive to self-heating due to rf noise than are traditional resistive thermometers. This makes them appealing at temperatures well below 0.1 Kelvin in the operating range of many space-flight detectors. We have developed and tested a magnetic thermometer which is deposited directly onto a substrate. This device, which uses the temperature dependence of iron-doped palladium's magnetic susceptibility, includes self-shielding deposited coils surrounding a sputtered palladium layer. It is read out using a SQUID to achieve high resolution. Its small size and perfect heat sinking should make it useful for the temperature control of space flight detector arrays, in particular those already using SQUID readouts. The design and test results for this device are discussed.
Magnetic thermometers are less sensitive to self-heating due to rf noise than are traditional resistive thermometers. This makes them appealing at temperatures well below 0.1 Kelvin in the operating range of many space-flight detectors. We have built and tested a magnetic thermometer which is deposited directly onto a substrate. This device, which uses the temperature dependence of iron-doped palladium s magnetic susceptibility, includes self-shielding deposited coils surrounding a sputtered palladium layer. It is read out using a SQUID to achieve high resolution. Its small size and very good heat-sinking should eventually make it useful for the temperature control of space flight detector arrays, in particular those already using SQUID readouts. The design and test results for this device are discussed.
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