Orbits and background of gamma-ray space instruments
Abstract
Gamma-ray telescopes in space are bombarded by large fluxes of charged particles, photons and secondary neutrons. These particles and radiation pose a threat to the nominal operation of satellites and limit the detection sensitivity of gamma-ray instruments. The background noise generated in gamma-ray space detectors by impinging particles is always much higher than the astrophysical signal to be detected. In this chapter, we present the different types of orbits suitable for gamma-ray missions, discussing their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the value of experiments embarked in stratospheric balloons. We then review the physical properties of all the background components in the different orbits and the stratosphere.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2209.07316,
title = {Orbits and background of gamma-ray space instruments},
author = {Vincent Tatischeff and Pietro Ubertini and Tsunefumi Mizuno and Lorenzo Natalucci},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2209.07316},
year = {2023}
}
Comments
Book chapter for the "Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics", Section "Optics and Detectors for Gamma-ray Astrophysics" (Editors in chief: C. Bambi and A. Santangelo, Springer Singapore). 39 pages, 16 figures