Developments for the Protptype Balloon Flight of the Nuclear Compton Telescope
Abstract
The Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCT) is a balloon-borne soft gamma-ray (0.2-15 MeV) telescope our collaboration is developing to study astrophysical sources of nuclear line emission and polarization. It employs a novel Compton telescope design, utilizing twelve 3-D imaging, high spectral resolution germanium detectors (GeDs), enclosed on the sides and bottom by an active BGO well. The Compton imaging serves three purposes: imaging the sky, measuring polarization, and very effectively reducing background. NCT's guiding principle is that high efficiency and excellent background reduction are critical for advances in soft gamma-ray sensitivity. The compact geometry achieves high photopeak efficiencies -- NCT increases the effective area per unit volume by a factor of 100 over COMPTEL. The combination of Compton imaging, active shielding, and analysis techniques made possible with 3-D GeDs serve to dramatically decrease the background -- a factor of >30 per unit volume over SPI. We are preparing for a 2-GeD prototype flight in Spring 2003. The design and goals of this flight instrument will be presented.
- Publication:
-
APS April Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002APS..APRU11006B