Physical characteristics of the COS-B gamma-ray experiment.
Abstract
The overall response of COS-B gamma ray detectors to photons and charged particles is determined by exposing the engineering model to beams at particle accelerators. Tagged photon beams with energies between 20 MeV and 6 GeV were provided and the effect of the charged particle environment in orbit was investigated using proton and electron beams. These beam tests were analyzed to determine the following physical properties of the COS-B payload: susceptibility to charged-particle induced background; effective sensitive area for point sources as a function of the incident photon energy and the source direction with respect to the optical axis; geometric factors for a line source and isotropic radiation; angular resolutions; and energy resolutions. The measurements and analysis procedures are described and the results are presented. It is possible to measure the energy spectrum of the diffuse component of celestial gamma rays with good accuracy up to 500 MeV and to detect point sources with intensities of few times 10 to the minus 7th power photon/sq cm sec above 100 MeV.
- Publication:
-
The Context and Status of Gamma-Ray Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- November 1974
- Bibcode:
- 1974csgr.conf..323B
- Keywords:
-
- Cos-B Satellite;
- Gamma Rays;
- Performance Prediction;
- Photon Density;
- Photons;
- Point Sources;
- Angular Resolution;
- Cosmic Rays;
- Diffuse Radiation;
- Energy Spectra;
- European Space Programs;
- Experiment Design;
- Galactic Radiation;
- Project Planning;
- Space Radiation