Accelerator evaluation of a spark-chamber experiment for gamma-ray astronomy

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Abstract

The ESRO satellite COS-B will carry a single experiment, aiming at the detection and energy measurement of cosmic gamma radiation at energies above 25 MeV. The instrument incorporates a wire matrix spark chamber and a caesium-iodide energy spectrometer. The response of the instrument to gamma rays has been determined using a tagged gamma-ray beam (25–300 MeV). A first estimate of the susceptibility to charged-particle background has been obtained from an exposure of the instrument to protons of 1450 MeV/c. The measured performance characteristics of the experiment are presented and discussed. As a result of the tests improvements in the design of the flight instrument, leading to increased sensitivity to gamma rays and a lower susceptibility to background, could be incorporated.

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Present address: Centre for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

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