A PSPMT based auroral X-ray imager

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 1996-01, Vol.368 (2), p.492-497
• Main Authors: Truman, A., Palmer, M.J., Durrant, P.T., Bird, A.J., Ramsden, D., Stadsnes, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/0168-9002(95)00804-7

A pinhole camera based on the use of a 3 in. square position-sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT) to view a two-dimensional segmented CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal has been designed to operate in the range 2 to 200 keV. It has also been used to generate extended test images by rotating two radioactive sources of different energies in the the field of view. The optical characteristics of the system have been simulated using a Monte-Carlo package in order to optimise the detector crystal geometry. The detector performance has also been investigated experimentally as a function of crystal dimensions, and measurements made using different readout techniques are presented. Also outlined is a design for an auroral imager based on the use of an array detector modules which will form part of the Auroral Imaging Observatory (AURIO), selected for inclusion within the payload complement of ENVISAT II. This will be located on a polar orbiting platform at an altitude of 800 km.