Simulating Extended Galactic Sources with the NuSTAR Simulator NuSIM
Abstract
Detailed mapping of extended Galactic sources, such as supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, and star clusters, is one of the key science goals of NASA's upcoming hard X-ray telescope NuSTAR. For example, resolving the hard X-ray emission in the Cas A supernova remnant and mapping its 44-Ti decay lines will further the understanding of explosion dynamics and nucleosynthesis in supernovae. Detailed simulations are necessary in order to appropriately plan those observations.
NuSIM is the instrument and science simulator for NuSTAR. It utilizes a completely object-oriented design based on C++ and ROOT in order to encapsulate individual simulation tasks in independent modules. The simulation modules encompass all relevant aspects of NuSTAR which are required to predict, plan, and compare measurements with simulations. These modules include astrophysical sources models, the optics system, a detailed detector interaction and detector effects engine, a trigger and data packaging engine, a data calibrator, as well as models for the mast movement, the star tracker, and the metrology system. In this presentation we will give a short overview of NuSIM's key design features, and show simulations of extended Galactic sources such as Cas A, Tycho, Vela, the Westerlund 1 star cluster, etc., along with an interpretation of the simulated data.- Publication:
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AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #12
- Pub Date:
- September 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011HEAD...12.4307Z