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Innovative Instrument Reveals Hidden Features Deep Inside the Van Allen Radiation Belts [1]
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Date: 2024-09
As shown on the left in Figure 3, the field of view (FOV) of REPTile-2 is 51o. Electrons and protons enter the FOV and are measured when they reach a stack of silicon detectors where they deposit their energies. However, very energetic protons (energy greater than 60 MeV) could penetrate through the instrument’s tungsten and aluminum shielding and masquerade as valid particles, thus contaminating the intended measurements. To mitigate this contamination, the team designed guard rings that surround each detector. These guard rings are electronically separated from the inner active area of each detector and are connected by a separate electric channel. When the guard rings are triggered (i.e., hit by particles coming outside of the FOV), the coincident measurements are considered invalid and are discarded. This anti-coincidence technique enables cleaner measurements of particles coming through the FOV.
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[1] Url:
https://science.nasa.gov/directorates/smd/heliophysics-division/innovative-instrument-reveals-hidden-features-deep-inside-the-van-allen-radiation-belts/
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