Publication Date:
2019-11-30
Description:
The Miniaturized Electron pRoton Telescope, MERiT, is a lowmass, lowpower, compact instrument using an innovative combination of particle detectors, sensor electronics, and onboard processing. MERiT is flying on the Compact Radiation belt Explorer, CeREs, a 3U CubeSat launched into a low earth orbit of 500km altitude and inclination of 85 on 16 December 2018. The primary and secondary science goals of CeREs are to investigate electron microbursts and to study solar particles. MERiT comprises a stack of solid state detectors (SSD) behind space facing avalanche photo diodes (APDs) surrounded by WAl shielding to reduce sidepenetrating particle background. The APDSSD combination enables measurement of electrons from 5 to 200 keV and 1 to 8 MeV; protons from 200400 keV and 7100 MeV in differential channels with energy resolution E/E30% for both electrons and protons. MERiT measures microbursts with a high time resolution ranging from 4 to 16 ms and solar particles with a cadence of 1 s. MERiT energy channels and cadences are software configurable via algorithms and lookup tables residing on a fieldprogrammable gate array. The lookup tables can be changed via ground commands. MERiT geometry factor is 31 sq.cmsr and optimized to measure microbursts with the instrument viewing the local zenith in orbit. MERiT enables investigation of dynamical processes of radiation belt electron energization and loss, solar electron and proton transport, and their access to the Earth's polar caps. We describe the MERiT sensor design, calibration, operational modes, data products, and science goals.
Keywords:
Space Sciences (General)
Type:
GSFC-E-DAA-TN75888
,
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics (ISSN 2169-9402) (e-ISSN 2169-9380); 124; 7; 5734-5760
Format:
text
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