Large-area Si(Li) detectors for X-ray spectrometry and particle tracking in the GAPS experiment

Abstract

The first lithium-drifted silicon (Si(Li)) detectors to satisfy the unique geometric, performance, and cost requirements of the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment have been produced by Shimadzu Corporation. The GAPS Si(Li) detectors will form the first large-area, relatively high-temperature Si(Li) detector system with sensitivity to X-rays to operate at high altitude. These 10 cm-diameter, 2.5 mm-thick, 4- or 8-strip detectors provide the active area, X-ray absorption efficiency, energy resolution, and particle tracking capability necessary for the GAPS exotic-atom particle identification technique. In this paper, the detector performance is validated on the bases of X-ray energy resolution and reconstruction of cosmic minimum ionizing particle (MIP) signals. We use the established noise model for semiconductor detectors to distinguish sources of noise due to the detector from those due to signal processing electronics. We demonstrate that detectors with either 4 strips or 8 strips can provide the required $\lesssim$4 keV (FWHM) X-ray energy resolution at flight temperatures of $-35$ to $-45^{\circ }$C, given the proper choice of signal processing electronics. Approximately 1000 8-strip detectors will be used for the first GAPS Antarctic balloon flight, scheduled for late 2021.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication at JINST, 16 pages, 8 figures

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Cited by in corpus (14)

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• Developing a mass-production model of large-area Si(Li) detectors with high operating temperatures
• Cosmic antihelium-3 nuclei sensitivity of the GAPS experiment
• Large-area Si(Li) detectors for X-ray spectrometry and particle tracking in the GAPS experiment
• Passivation of Si(Li) detectors operated above cryogenic temperatures for space-based applications
• Sensitivity of the GAPS Experiment to Low-energy Cosmic-ray Antiprotons
• The antinucleus annihilation reconstruction algorithm of the GAPS experiment
• Statistical investigation of the large-area Si(Li) detectors mass-produced for the GAPS experiment
• Large-area Si(Li) Detectors for X-ray Spectrometry and Particle Tracking for the GAPS Experiment
• Large-scale detector testing for the GAPS Si(Li) Tracker
• A Precise Method to Determine the Energy Scale and Resolution using Gamma Calibration Sources in a Liquid Scintillator Detector
• New Technologies for Discovery
• Application of Machine Learning to the Particle Identification of GAPS
• GAPS: Searching for Dark Matter using Antinuclei in Cosmic Rays