Abstract
The EUSO-Balloon experiment is a pathfinder for the satellite mission JEM-EUSO whose goal will be to observe Extensive Air Showers produced in the atmosphere by the passage can detect fluorescent UV photons released by the EAS thanks to Multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMT) arranged in 6 × 6 matrices inside Photo Detector Modules (PDM). A set of lenses is used to focus the photons on the PDM which can be compared to a UV camera taking pictures every 2.5 μs period (GTU: Gate Time Unit). The experiment consists in launching a balloon, at an altitude of 40 km, equipped with complete PDM and Data Processing systems. This project, supported by CNES and constructed by the JEM-EUSO collaboration, is meant to prove that the technology of such an instrument is possible and that the performance is satisfying, raising the Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of JEM-EUSO. Moreover, complex trigger algorithms will be assessed and the main back ground (night glow plus star light) will be studied.
A complex readout electronic chain has been designed for the EUSO-Balloon project. It contains two elements: the 9 EC units and the 6 EC-ASIC boards. The EC unit includes four 64-channel Multi-Anode Photomultipliers and a set of pcbs used to supply the 14 different high voltages needed by the MAPMTs and to read out the analog anode signals. These signals are transmitted to the EC-ASIC boards which contain 6 SPACIROC ASICs each. During the year 2012, prototypes of each board were produced and tested successfully, leading to the production of the flight model PCBs in 2013.