HXMT的空间环境本底计算

硬X射线调制望远镜(HXMT)是一颗宽波段X射线(1～250 keV)天文卫星,其核心载荷高能X射线望远镜(HE)工作于硬X射线能区(20～250 keV),致力于实现硬X射线的高灵敏度巡天观测,描绘硬X射线天图,并对特殊天体作高灵敏度定点观测.为了获得高灵敏度,必须有效地抑制本底.本底主要是由轨道环境中的粒子(γ射线、质子、电子、中子)与探测器相互作用产生的.本文结合大量的描述近地空间本底的文献和最新的实测数据,整理出一套自洽的近地空间本底粒子的数据和公式,便于应用.并通过Geant 4软件模拟计算给出了HXMT的本底及本底随时间和轨道的变化.      

塑料闪烁体探测器中子/伽马甄别能力研究

利用塑料闪烁体探测器开展了两种中子/伽马(n/γ)甄别方法研究。塑料闪烁体的尺寸为直径2英寸、长2英寸。以241Am-Be源作为中子伽马混合源,分别用线性延迟法和长短积分时间窗的方法对塑料闪烁体探测器进行n/γ甄别性能研究。利用PSD(脉冲形状甄别)图及计算得出的FOM(品质因子),比较了这两种方法的n/γ甄别效果。结果表明:线性延迟法的甄别效果较差,长短积分时间窗的方法甄别效果较好,当积分时间窗的长门为400ns,短门为60ns时,塑料闪烁体探测器EJ276的n/γ甄别效果最好且n/γ甄别的误判率最低。     

多头锗空间γ谱仪探测效率的提高

在γ谱线天文观测中采用多头锗晶体作为γ谱仪中的中心探测器,以提高探测器的观测灵敏度。本文以一个九头高纯锗探测器系统为实例,用蒙特卡洛模拟方法,分析了入射光子在各晶体中的能损分配和各类效率的比例,给出在几种晶体输出幅度组合相加情况下,探测的全能峰效率可提高的份额。并用较完整的模型对单个晶体的模拟结果与实测结果进行了详细讨论。      

脉冲星导航试验卫星科学观测数据分析

脉冲星导航试验卫星是我国发射的一颗专用试验卫星.经过4个多月的在轨观测,该卫星已成功获取了大量观测数据.介绍利用该卫星搭载的掠入射聚焦型X射线探测器在近4个月中对PSR B0531+21获得的观测数据第一批处理结果.本文详细阐述掠入射聚焦型X射线探测器的观测模式,给出脉冲星观测数据的处理方法以及脉冲星参数的拟合过程,利用基于第一手观测数据的脉冲星精化参数验证掠入射聚焦型探测器在轨工作性能,得以回答使用国产X射线探测器是否能够“看得见”脉冲星问题.     

基于虚拟观测值的X射线单脉冲星星光组合导航

传统的X射线脉冲星导航系统需要同时观测3~4颗脉冲星,有效载荷的质量和功耗极大。因此,单探测器脉冲星导航技术是实现航天器利用X射线脉冲星导航的关键举措。针对单探测器脉冲星导航的可观测性弱和精度低等问题提出了基于虚拟观测值的X射线单脉冲星与星光集中式组合滤波的高精度导航方法,即在X射线脉冲星的长周期内增加与星光同时刻观测的虚拟观测值,以实现高精度的集中式组合滤波算法。同时提出了利用神经网络预测虚拟观测值方法,并与利用动力学递推的方法进行比较,精度可以达到10-7量级。仿真结果表明,该方法可大大提高单探测器的导航的可靠性,补偿由于探测器误差造成的导航误差,导航位置误差为259.79 m,同时有效地减小了导航系统的重量,为X射线脉冲星导航的工程实现提供了参考依据。      

法国、苏联联合研制天文观测平台

1984年2月,法国与苏联完成了联合设计 x 射线和γ射线观测装置的任务,该装置拟定安装在苏联改进的金星飞行器上,以进行天文观测飞行。法国负责提供γ射线望远镜,苏联负责研制 x 射线探测装置。     

基于CLYC闪烁体的中子能谱测量及反演方法

空间中子是影响航天器和航天员安全的重要辐射要素之一。优化中子探测器,提高测量效率,提升反演精度是中子测量的难点。中国空间站将搭载一种基于新型中子探测材料Cs2LiYCl6:Ce（CLYC）闪烁体的中子探测器,该探测器具有同时测量热中子和快中子,以及探测效率高等特点。针对该新型探测器的中子能谱反演,分析了不同能量中子在该探测器中的响应特点,分析了中子反演常用的概率迭代法和非负最小二乘（NNLS）法的优缺点,考虑到这2种方法在CLYC探测器反演应用中的不足,提出了基于增广矩阵的非负最小二乘（AM-NNLS）法。数值实验结果表明:AM-NNLS法具有反演运算效率高和反演相对误差小的特点,验证了所提方法的有效性。      

掠入射聚焦型脉冲星探测器的能量响应标定

通过地面及在轨试验对掠入射聚焦型脉冲星探测器(FXPT)能量响应特性进行了标定.掠入射聚焦型脉冲星探测器采用X射线掠入射聚焦探测体制,探测来源于X射线脉冲星发射的X射线光子,精确测定X射线光子的到达时刻和能量.标定结果表明探测器在全设计能段内具有良好的线性响应特性,光子能量测量误差优于0.5%.能量分辨率误差优于10%,能量分辨率可达156 eV@6.4 keV.探测器入轨后对超新星遗迹的能谱观测表明,探测器在轨光子能量标记准确,能量分辨率与地面标定结果一致.地面及在轨标定结果为掠入射聚焦型脉冲星探测器的数据处理和科学分析提供了重要的依据.     

宇宙探索

γ射线望远镜简介γ射线在光谱的X射线之外,波长小于0.01纳米,最短波长没有极限,已探测到的最短波长为10亿亿分之一纳米。γ射线具有极高的能量,没有任何一颗恒星和星际气体的温度高到能发射γ射线。只有高速旋转的黑洞、脉冲星和类星体辐射γ射线,高速运行的宇宙射线撞击星际气体的原子时也辐射γ射线,中子星、黑洞碰撞时则可发生γ射线爆发。它们构成γ射线宇宙,需要用γ射线望远镜进行探测。γ射线能穿透宇宙中的物质而跨越数十亿光年的空间,但却不能穿过地球大气层到达地面。不过γ射线撞击大气层的气体原子时会发出闪光、因而在地面上…     

观天巨眼400年系列之十六康普顿γ射线天文台

γ射线是比X射线波长更短、频率更高、能量更强的一种电磁辐射。γ射线的波长小于0.002纳米，覆盖了比X射线宽得多的范围。γ射线光子的能量在10000电子伏特到1万亿电子伏特之间。它的穿透力极强，金属、玻璃、木材等等都能穿透，但是却不能穿透地球大气层。因此对天体的γ射线辐射的观测，只能依赖于     

Imaging systems using modulation and coded aperture masks

The advent of improved γ-ray telescopes which incorporate high angular resolution imaging properties and adequate sensitivity will advance this branch of astronomy from the discovery phase to the exploratory phase. As in other fields, such as radio and X-ray astronomy, which have recently undergone this change, it will prove a fascinating era. The recent development of position sensitive γ-ray detection planes operated in conjunction with a suitable coded aperture mask have made γ-ray telescopes feasible which are capable of generating γ-ray images of the sky with a precision of 1 arc minute over the photon energy range 0.1 to 10 MeV. With a sensitivity of at least 1–10 milliCrab and scintillation standard spectral resolution not only can a large number of discrete γ-ray objects be identified and studied in detail but nuclear γ-ray line images of extended objects such as the Galactic Plane, Cloud Complexes, and supernovae remnants may be generated by this class of astronomical instrument.     

THE PROGRESS ON SPACE ASTRONOMY IN CHINA DURING 2000-2002

In this paper main achievements in the area of space astronomy are summarized.During the flight of cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst Spectrometer(GRBS) onboard spacecraft Shenzhou-2(launched on 2001-01-10), much observational results of cosmic γ-ray burst and solar X, γ-ray burst are obtained. The preliminary analysis on space data has lead to some interesting results. Besides it, some other long-term space astronomy programs are briefly described here.     

A directional gamma-ray telescope using coded aperture techniques

A directional detector for γ-ray astronomy has been developed to image sources in the energy range 0.1 to 5 MeV. An array of 35 gain stabilized bismuth germanate detectors, together with a coded aperture mask based on a Uniformly Redundant Array (URA), allows imaging in 4° square sky bins over a 16° X 24° field-of-view. The position of a strong point source, such as the Crab Nebula, can be determined to within ?1°. A complementary “anti-mask” greatly reduces systematic effects arising from non-uniform background rates amongst the detectors. The telescope has an effective area of 190 cm² and an energy resolution of 19.5% FWHM at 662 keV. Results of laboratory tests of the imaging system, including the ability to image multiple sources, uniformity of response over the field-of-view, and the effect of the “anti-mask”, are in good agreement with computer simulations. Features of the flight detector system are described and results of laboratory tests and computer simulations are reviewed. A balloon flight of the telescope is planned for the fall of 1982.     

A study on emission geometry and the separation of peaks in the γ-ray pulse profiles of pulsar

In the inner annular gap (IAG) model the γ-ray radiation sources are suggested to be located close to the null charge surface (NCS). A method to explore two geometric parameters (κ, λ) of the IAG model is given in this paper. Pulsar population statistics are proposed to test the radiation locations of γ-ray pulsars. Within the IAG model, predictions for the GLAST observation of γ-ray pulsars are also made.     

High energy emission from pulsars: Outer gap scenario

I will give a brief review of the recent development in the emission models of isolated, rapidly rotating neutron stars, focusing on the γ-ray radiation mechanism in their outer magnetospheres. By examining the Poisson equation for the electrostatic potential, I show that an active particle accelerator must extend from the vicinity of the neutron star surface to the vicinity of light cylinder. Furthermore, combining the Poisson equation with the Boltzmann equations for electrons/positrons and γ-rays, and assuming that the gap trans-field thickness is large compared to the longitudinal width, I demonstrate that the energy distribution of ultra-relativistic particles cannot be described by a power-law but by a quasi-monoenergetic distribution at the terminal Lorentz factor. The particles are accelerated in the gap and escape from it with large Lorentz factors. Is is shown that such energetic particles migrating outside of the gap contribute significantly to the γ-ray luminosity and reproduce the observed soft γ-ray spectrum between 100 MeV and 3 GeV for the Vela pulsar.     

Detection of solar neutrons on a long duration balloon flight

The observation of large solar flares on high altitude balloons requires long duration balloon flights because large flares are infrequent and cannot be predicted with enough reliability and lead time to allow a conventional balloon to be launched and reach altitude before the flare occurs. With the many weeks at float altitude expected for a long duration flight, the probability of “catching” a large flare during solar maximum becomes reasonably high and the study of phenomena which heretofore have required a satellite become accessible to a balloon platform. One example of this type of experiment is the observation of neutrons produced by the interaction of flare accelerated nucleons with the solar atmosphere. Because the neutrons are produced immediately by the flare accelerated particles and are unaffected by their transmission through the upper solar atmosphere and the intervening magnetic fields, their observation at 1 A.U. will provide direct information on the flare acceleration process. Specifically, a measurement of the neutron energy and time spectra will yield the energy spectrum of the charged nucleons in the interval 50 to 500 MeV/amu, the charged particle anisotropy, the height of the acceleration region for limb flares, and information on the two-stage acceleration process. Because the γ-ray spectrum is also sensitive to these factors, a combined neutron and γ-ray measurement will provide a much more stringent test of flare models than either done separately. CWRU and the University of Melbourne have designed the EOSCOR (Extended Observation of Solar and Cosmic Radiation) detector to have the necessary sensitivity to detect neutrons from a flare 0.1 the size of the 4 Aug. 1972 event and to be compatible with the constraints of the long duration balloon system. The detector has been test flown on short duration balloon flights and calibrated at E_n = 38, 58, and 118 MeV. It is planned to launch it on a long duration balloon flight from Australia in December 1982 when simultaneous γ-ray observations will be possible with the SMM and/or HINTORI satellites.     

TeV gamma-ray observations of pulsar wind nebulae with the HESS detector

High energy stereoscopic system (HESS) is a recent operational detector dedicated to the observation of γ-rays in the very high energy range. Situated in Namibia, it is composed of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes and gives a significant improvement in sensitivity and in accuracy of the reconstructed γ-ray parameters. First results on observations of pulsar wind nebulae are reported here. The binary system PSR B1259-63/SS 2883 has been detected in 2004 around the periastron, showing clear flux variations. The pulsar wind nebula around PSR B1706-44 has been observed and upper limits on its flux have been derived.     

An imaging telescope for high energy gamma-ray astronomy

Recent tests of a γ-ray imaging telescope, which incorporated a coded aperture mask and multi-wire proportional counter system produced good images of a tritium target source which was used to generate the 20 MeV protons at a proton Van de Graaff accelerator. This paper indicates what performance one might expect if a large area drift chamber were used in conjunction with a coded aperture mask. The prospects for achieving significant scientific results if such a system were flown on a variety of space vehicles are discussed.     

Constraints on injection parameters of cosmic rays in the Galactic center from resolved HESS observations

In this study, we investigate how restrictive the γ-ray emission from the Galactic center region, as seen by HESS and other Cherenkov air shower arrays, is against various models for cosmic ray injection. We derive diffusion coefficients which fit the observed spatial scales of diffuse γ-ray emission from the extended emission associated with the molecular clouds SgrA, B and C. Using these diffusion coefficients, we then obtain a limit for time scale of assumed recent proton acceleration near the SMBH, as the spatial size of SgrA^∗ in VHE γ-rays has to be consistent with the observed unresolved HESS point source size at this position. The signal from this hadronic component may be mixed with the expected VHE inverse Compton emission from the nearby unresolved pulsar wind nebula.