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2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Development of a High Sensitivity PMT assembly for the balloon-borne Soft Gamma-ray Polarimeter

Research Project

Project/Area Number 16340055
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Astronomy
Research InstitutionTokyo Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

KATAOKA Jun  Tokyo Tech, Faculty of Science, Assistant Professor, 大学院理工学研究科, 助教 (90334507)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) KAWAI Nobuyuki  Tokyo Tech, Faculty of Science, Professor, 大学院理工学研究科, 教授 (80195031)
GUNJI Shuichi  Yamagata U, Faculty of Science, Associate Professor, 理学部物理学科, 助教授 (70241685)
SAITO Yoshitaka  ISAS/JAXA, Associate Professor, 宇宙科学研究本部, 助教授 (50300702)
Project Period (FY) 2004 – 2006
KeywordsX-ray / Gamma-ray Astronomy / Scattering Polarimeter / Balloon experiment / PMT assembly / electric discharge / synchrotron beam test
Research Abstract

The Polarized Gamma-ray Observer-Light Version (PoGOLite) is a new balloon-borne experiment designed to measure polarization from astronomical objects, such as pulsars, black holes, and Active Galactic Nuclei, in the 20-100 keV energy range. It is under construction for the first flight expected in 2009. The original purpose for this research was to develop a high sensitivity light sensor (PMT-ASSY) which can be used in the balloon (i.e., low-pressure) environment, and to construct more than 150 units of them for the flight PoGOLite sensors between 2004 and 2006. Now we are happy to report that we have completed our research, with a number of fuits than what we had anticipated. Our results are summarized as follows:
(1)Production of more than 150 PMT assembly for the first flight of the PoGOLite.
(2)Construction of prototype polarimeter which consisted of 7 phoswich units, and detailed performance test at the synchrotron radiation facility in the KEK photon factory.
(3)Development of a "Monte-calro simulator" which enables realistic simulations of PoGOLite sensitivity, under various background events such as cosmic X-ray background (CXB), charged particles, and atmospheric gamma-ray.
(4)Detailed test of charged particle response under 400 MeV proton beam at the cyclotron facility in the RCNP, Osaka University
(5)Balloon-fight of 1 unit PMT-Assembly as a monitor counter of the PHENEX (Polarimeter for High ENErgy X-rays) experiment in 2006.
Through above detailed performance tests, we confirmed that the detector system (PMT-ASSY, and associated electronics, high voltage etc) developed in this research works pretty well under serious conditions expected in balloon orbit. In particular, we showed that the PMT-ASSY monitors count rate of signal/background events for 16 hours in the PHENEX experiments. Dramatically, the count rate of the monitor counter increased significantly when the Crab-nebular/pulsar was locked in the detector field of view.

  • Research Products

    (10 results)

All 2007 2005 2004

All Journal Article (10 results)

  • [Journal Article] Measuring energy dependent polarization in soft gamma-rays using Compton scattering in PoGOLite2007

    • Author(s)
      M.Axelsson, J.Kataoka, N.Kawai et al.
    • Journal Title

      The Astroparticle Physics (astro-ph/0704. 1603) (出版中)(未定)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Beam Test of a prototype phoswich detector assembly for the PoGOLite astronomical soft gamma-ray polarimeter2007

    • Author(s)
      Y.Kanai, J.Kataoka, N.Kawai et al.
    • Journal Title

      Nuclear Instruments and Method, section A 570,1

      Pages: 61

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Basic Performance of PHENEX : A Polarimeter for High ENErgy X-rays2007

    • Author(s)
      Y.Kishimoto, S.Gunji et al.
    • Journal Title

      IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (出版中)(未定)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Measuring energy dependent polarization in soft gamma-rays using Compton scattering in PoGOLite2007

    • Author(s)
      M.Axelsson, J.Kataoka, N.Kawai et al.
    • Journal Title

      The Astroparticle Physics (in press)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Beam Test of a prototype phoswich detector assembly for the PoGOLite astronomical soft gamma-ray polarimeter2007

    • Author(s)
      Y.Kanai, J.Kataoka, N.Kawai et al.
    • Journal Title

      Nuclear Instruments and Method, section A 570

      Pages: 61

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Basic Performance of PHENEX : A Polarimeter for High ENErgy X-rays2007

    • Author(s)
      Y.Kishimoto, S.Gunji et al.
    • Journal Title

      IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (in press)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Low Energy Response of a Prototype Detector Array for the PoGO Astronomical Hard X-ray Polarimeter2005

    • Author(s)
      J.Kataoka, N.Kawai, S.Gunji, Y.Saito et al.
    • Journal Title

      Proceeding of SPIE 5898

      Pages: 133

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Low Energy Response of a Prototype Detector Array for the PoGO Astronomical Hard X-ray Polarimeter2005

    • Author(s)
      J.Kataoka, N.Kawai, S.Gunji Y.Saito et al.
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of SPIE 5898

      Pages: 133

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Development of hard X-ray polarimeter for gamma-ray bursts2004

    • Author(s)
      S.Gunji et al.
    • Journal Title

      Advances in Space Research 33

      Pages: 1771

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Hard X-ray polarization with a Compton polarimeter at synchrotron radiation facility2004

    • Author(s)
      F.Tokanai, S.Gunji et al.
    • Journal Title

      Nuclear Instruments and Method, section A 530

      Pages: 446

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より

URL: 

Published: 2008-05-27  

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