Premium
An AllNAG8–1212sky Survey for Tens of keV
Author(s) -
Gruber D. E.,
Matteson J.,
Coburn W.,
Heindl W.,
Pelling M.,
Peterson L. E.,
Rothschild R. E.,
Skelton T.,
Hink P.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.2123190161
Subject(s) - physics , collimated light , detector , optics , spectrometer , cadmium zinc telluride , spectral resolution , sky , monochromatic color , image resolution , imaging spectrometer , field of view , angular resolution (graph drawing) , pixel , resolution (logic) , spectral line , astrophysics , astronomy , computer science , mathematics , combinatorics , artificial intelligence , laser
The HEXIS (High Energy X‐Ray Imaging Spectrometer) is a MIDEX‐class mission concept to perform a deep survey and continuous monitoring of nearly the entire sky in the 5–200 keV band. It uses arrays of position‐sensitive Cadmium‐Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors and coded masks to achieve 26′ resolution and a 5 sigma sensitivity (> 20 keV) of 4 milliCrab in one day and 0.2 milliCrab in one year. With these capabilities it is estimated that ∽5000 sources can be discovered and localized and have their spectra and variability characterized. Hundreds of gamma‐ray bursts would be detected each year and localized to < 20′. HEXIS also contains a narrow field, 5°, coded mask imager for detailed studies of selected regions. This has three arc minute resolution and is seven times more sensitive than the all‐sky system. The HEXIS detector concept uses crossed strip readout to achieve 0.5 mm resolution pixels for large area arrays, ∽ 400 cm 2 . This technique is under development at UCSD and Washington University. Detectors have been studied with tuneable monochromatic x‐ray beams and mapped with finely collimated 30 micron beams. These results show that the crossed strip readout has the necessary spatial and spectral characteristics. The HEXIS concept is described and results are presented on the detectors' spatial and spectral properties.