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A long-duration balloon payload for hard X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the sun

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Abstract

We describe a balloon payload designed to study the processes of energy release, particle acceleration, and heating of the active corona, in hard X-ray microflares and normal flares. An array of liquid nitrogen-cooled germanium detectors together with large area phoswich scintillation detectors provide the highest sensitivity (∼500 cm2) and energy resolution (≤0.7 keV) ever achieved for solar hard X-ray (∼15–600 keV) measurements. These detectors were flown in February 1987 from Australia on a long duration RAdiation COntrolled balloON (RACOON) flight (LDBF) which provided 12 days of observations before cutdown in Brazil. The payload includes solar cells for power, pointing and navigation sensors, a microprocessor controlled data system with VCR tape storage, and transmitters for GOES and ARGOS spacecraft. This successful flight illustrates the potential of LDBF's for solar flare studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA

    R. P. Lin, D. W. Curtis, J. H. Primbsch, P. R. Harvey, W. K. Levedahl & D. M. Smith

  2. CASS, University of California, San Diego, USA

    R. M. Pelling & F. Duttweiler

  3. CESR, Toulouse, USA

    K. Hurley

Authors
  1. R. P. Lin
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  2. D. W. Curtis
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  3. J. H. Primbsch
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  4. P. R. Harvey
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  5. W. K. Levedahl
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  6. D. M. Smith
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  7. R. M. Pelling
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  8. F. Duttweiler
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  9. K. Hurley
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Additional information

Also Physics Department.

Presently at Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720.

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Lin, R.P., Curtis, D.W., Primbsch, J.H. et al. A long-duration balloon payload for hard X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the sun. Sol Phys 113, 333–345 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00147720

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00147720

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