Paper 13093-98
Paper 13093-98
MeV gamma-ray detector on the 50-kg class satellite
21 June 2024 • 14:40 - 15:00 Japan Standard Time | Room G414/415, North - 4F
Abstract
INSPIRE is the world's first satellite in the 50kg-class designed for MeV gamma-ray astronomy. Despite the limited observations in the MeV gamma-ray band since the launch of the COMPTEL satellite in 1991, this energy range is crucial for the study of nuclear gamma-rays, which play a significant role in nucleosynthesis processes.
INSPIRE is equipped with a hybrid Compton-camera system that can simultaneously achieve X-ray and gamma-ray imaging by combining features of Compton and pinhole cameras in a single detector system. It consists of two sensor layers of large-area Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays optically coupled with 3D position-sensitive GAGG scintillators. The sensitivity is estimated to surpass that of COMPTEL by one month of measurements.
The structural design of INSPIRE is based on the university satellite HIBARI, launched in 2021, and PETREL, currently in preparation for launch.
The launch is scheduled for 2026. The Engineering Model has been fabricated, and performance test in progress. In this presentation, I will introduce the design and the progress of these performance tests.
Presenter
Kazuo Tanaka
Waseda Univ. (Japan)
Kazuo Tanaka is an Senior Researcher at the Waseda University and Co-Research Director of the KATAOKA Line X-ray and Gamma-ray Imaging Project (JST, ERATO). The primary goal of this project is to advance X-ray and gamma-ray imaging techniques in the fields of space, medicine, and pharmaceuticals, thereby establishing a novel interdisciplinary framework for imaging. A key mission within this project is the development of a MeV gamma-ray detector to be deployed on a 50kg-class satellite called INSPIRE.
After the completion of his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 2016, Kazuo Tanaka has held research positions at Tohoku University and the Paul Scherrer Institute, where he specialized in particle physics with muons, anti-protons, ultra-cold neutrons, and Francium.