Related papers: Reducing the Athena WFI charged particle backgroun…

In this paper we are going to review the latest estimates for the particle background expected on the X-IFU instrument onboard of the ATHENA mission. The particle background is induced by two different particle populations: the so called…

A primary objective in contemporary low background physics is the search for rare and novel phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, e.g. the scattering off of a potential Dark Matter particle or the neutrinoless double beta…

Context: Environmental soft protons have affected the performance of the X-ray detectors on board Chandra and XMM-Newton, and they pose a threat for future high energy astrophysics missions with larger aperture, such as ATHENA. Aims: We aim…

The Athena+ mission concept is designed to implement the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme submitted to the European Space Agency in response to the call for White Papers for the definition of the L2 and L3 missions of its science…

Optical detection of alpha particle emitters in the environment by air radioluminescence is a new technology that enables sensing a radiological threat at safe distances, without putting personnel at risk or contaminating equipment.…

ATHENA is a large-class ESA mission selected for launch in 2031. It is designed to address the science theme "The Hot and Energetic Universe", performing X-ray observations (0.2-12 keV) at the L2 Sun-Earth Lagrangian point. The X-IFU is one…

A science goal of many future X-ray observatories is mapping the cosmic web through deep exposures of faint diffuse sources. Such observations require low background and the best possible knowledge of the remaining unrejected background.…

Methods.There are no experimental data about the background experienced by microcalorimeters in the L2 orbit, and thus the particle background levels were calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulations: we considered the original design…

The origin of the X-ray background spectral intensity has been a long standing problem in high energy astrophysics research. Deep X-ray surveys carried out with ROSAT and ASCA combined with the broad band spectral results of Ginga and…

The Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (Athena) is the X-ray observatory mission selected by ESA within its Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme to address the Hot and Energetic Universe scientific theme. The ESO-Athena Synergy…

At low redshifts, the observed baryonic density falls far short of the total number of baryons predicted. Cosmological simulations suggest that these baryons reside in filamentary gas structures, known as the warm-hot intergalactic medium…

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will survey a large area of the sky at near-infrared wavelengths with its Wide Field Instrument (WFI). The performance of the 18 WFI H4RG-10 detectors will need to be well-characterized and regularly…

Geant4 low energy extensions have been used to simulate the X-ray spectra of industrial X-ray tubes with filters for removing the uncertain low energy part of the spectrum in a controlled way. The results are compared with precisely…

We performed a detailed modelling of the background counts observed in a phoswich scintillator X-ray detector at balloon altitude, used for astronomical observations, on board small scientific balloon. We used Monte Carlo simulation…

The lower energy thresholds of large wide-field gamma-ray observatories are often determined by their capability to deal with the very low-energy cosmic ray background. In fact, in observatories with areas of tens or hundreds of thousands…

We present the design and implementation of a thermal model, developed in COMSOL, aiming to probe the wafer-scale thermal response arising from realistic rates and energies of cosmic rays at L2 impacting the detector wafer of Athena X-IFU.…

The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT), currently in an assessment phase in the framework the ESA M3 Cosmic Vision programme, is an innovative medium-class mission specifically designed to answer fundamental questions about the…

The first massive galaxy groups in the Universe are predicted to have formed at redshifts well beyond two. Baryonic physics, like stellar and active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback in this very active epoch, are expected to have left a…

Bringing artificial intelligence (AI) alongside next-generation X-ray imaging detectors, including CCDs and DEPFET sensors, enhances their sensitivity to achieve many of the flagship science cases targeted by future X-ray observatories,…

Galactic cosmic rays undergo complex nuclear interactions with nuclei within planetary bodies that have little to no atmosphere. Radiation transport simulations are a key tool used in understanding the neutron and gamma-ray albedo coming…