Early results from GRBAlpha and VZLUSAT-2

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F22%3A00127112" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/22:00127112 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2207.03272.pdf" target="_blank" >https://arxiv.org/pdf/2207.03272.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2629332" target="_blank" >10.1117/12.2629332</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Early results from GRBAlpha and VZLUSAT-2

Original language description

We present the detector performance and early science results from GRBAlpha, a 1U CubeSat mission, which is a technological pathfinder to a future constellation of nanosatellites monitoring gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). GRBAlpha was launched in March 2021 and operates on a 550 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit. The gamma-ray burst detector onboard GRBAlpha consists of a 75×75×5 mm CsI(Tl) scintillator, read out by a dual-channel multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) setup. It is sensitive in the ∼30−900 keV range. The main goal of GRBAlpha is the in-orbit demonstration of the detector concept, verification of the detector’s lifetime, and measurement of the background level on low-Earth orbit, including regions inside the outer Van Allen radiation belt and in the South Atlantic anomaly. GRBAlpha has already detected five, both long and short, GRBs and two bursts were detected within a time-span of only 8 hours, proving that nanosatellites can be used for routine detection of gamma-ray transients. For one GRB, we were able to obtain a high resolution spectrum and compare it with measurements from the Swift satellite. We find that, due to the variable background, the time fraction of about 67% of the low-Earth polar orbit is suitable for gamma-ray burst detection. One year after launch, the detector performance is good and the degradation of the MPPC photon counters remains at an acceptable level. The same detector system, but double in size, was launched in January 2022 on VZLUSAT-2 (3U CubeSat). It performs well and already detected three GRBs and two solar flares. Here, we present early results from this mission as well.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10308 - Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

Proceedings of SPIE, Volume 12181: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

ISBN

9781510653436

ISSN

0277-786X

e-ISSN

1996-756X

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

1-11

Publisher name

SPIE

Place of publication

Washington

Event location

Montréal

Event date

Jul 17, 2022

Type of event by nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce

UT code for WoS article

000865607100031