The 2018 flight of the magnet spectrometer AESOP-Lite for the study of low-energy cosmic ray electrons and positrons
Abstract
AESOP-Lite (Anti-Electron Sub-Orbital Payload) is a balloon-born magnet spectrometer, with sensitivity to cosmic rays electron and positron between 20-300 MeV . Its primary goal is to explore the origin of the negative spectral index in the cosmic ray electron spectrum below 100 MeV, which has been a mystery since cosmic-ray electrons were discovered in the 1960's. This will provide a calibrated reference at 1 AU to be compared with Voyager interstellar electron observations and extend the range of measurements made by PAMELA and AMS-02. Secondary goals of the missions pertain to the diurnal variability in the magnetosphere and its effect on primary and trapped secondary cosmic rays. y flight between Esrange, Sweden and Ellesmere Island, Canada, on NASA's 40 mcf, Zero Pressure, Long Duration Balloon. We present an overview of the instrument and the 2018 flight, and discuss AESOP-Lite's science goals, detector performance, and on-going analysis of the data.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.P53A..01M
- Keywords:
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- 0394 Instruments and techniques;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTUREDE: 0994 Instruments and techniques;
- EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICSDE: 6297 Instruments and techniques;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTSDE: 7594 Instruments and techniques;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY;
- 0394 Instruments and techniques;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTUREDE: 0994 Instruments and techniques;
- EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICSDE: 6297 Instruments and techniques;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTSDE: 7594 Instruments and techniques;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY