Data Inversion Techniques for SONNE: a Fast Neutron Spectrometer for Solar Probe Plus
Abstract
SONNE, the SOlar NeutroN Experiment proposed for Solar Probe Plus and developed at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), is designed to measure solar neutrons from 1-20 MeV and solar gammas from 0.5-10 MeV. SONNE is a double scatter instrument that employs imaging to maximise its signal-to-noise ratio by rejecting neutral particles from non-solar directions. It is intended for an inner heliosphere space mission to detect solar neutrons close enough to the Sun (0.2-0.4 AU), where these lower-energy neutrons exist in sufficient numbers. Using laboratory and simulated data, we produce an instrument response matrix for FNIT that we are then able to test. A crucial aspect for the inversion of data from such an instrument is identifying suitable regularisation techniques needed to deconvolve the data it produces. Here we shall present work done to test the FNIT response matrix by employing Tikhonov regularisation. Using simulated `fake' data, we show that zeroth-order Tikhonov regularisation produces the most encouraging reconstruction of the incident spectrum. First- and second-order Tikhonov regularisation produce unsatisfactory results because the choice of the smoothing parameter - essential for the deconvolution - cannot be determined automatically because the Picard condition is not met for the higher order regularisations. Hence zeroth-order Tikhonov regularisation seems to be the most suitable deconvolution technique for FNIT's needs.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #216
- Pub Date:
- May 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AAS...21640706M