0000000000177721
AUTHOR
I. V. Yashin
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory's space GRB mission and science
AbstractThe Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is a space mission to detect the early moments of an explosion from Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), thus enhancing our understanding of the GRB mechanism. It consists of the UFFO Burst & Trigger telescope (UBAT) for the recognition of GRB positions using hard X-ray from GRBs. It also contains the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) for the fast detection of UV-optical photons from GRBs. It is designed to begin the UV-optical observations in less than a few seconds after the trigger. The UBAT is based on a coded-mask X-ray camera with a wide field of view (FOV) and is composed of the coded mask, a hopper and a detector module. The SMT has a fast rotata…
Development of Motorized Slewing Mirror Stage for the UFFO Project
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is a space observatory for optical follow-ups of gamma ray bursts (GRBs), aiming to explore the first 60 seconds of GRBs optical emission. UFFO is utilized to catch early optical emissions from GRBs within few sec after trigger using a Gimbal mirror which redirects the optical path rather than slewing entire spacecraft. We have developed a 15 cm two-axis Gimbal mirror stage for the UFFO-Pathfinder which is going to be on board the Lomonosov satellite which is to be launched in 2013. The stage is designed for fast and accurate motion with given budgets of 3 kg of mass and 3 Watt of power. By employing stepping motors, the slewing mirror can rotate fast…
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory for detecting the early photons from gamma-ray bursts
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous transient events with short intense flashes that have been detected in random directions in the sky once or twice per day. Their durations have been measured in seconds, especially short GRBs with duration of < 2 sec. The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) space mission aims to detect the earliest moments of an explosion which presents the nature of GRBs, resulting into the enhancement of GRB mechanism understanding. The UFFO consists of a couple of wide Field-of-View (FOV) trigger telescopes, a narrow-FOV Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) for the fast measurement of the UV-optical photons from GRBs, and a gamma-ray monitor for energy measurement.…
The Status of the Ultra Fast Flash Observatory - Pathfinder
On behalf of the UFFO Collaboration; International audience; The Ultra Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is a project to study early optical emissions from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). The primary scientific goal of UFFO is to see if GRBs can be calibrated with their rising times, so that they could be used as new standard candles. In order to minimize delay in optical follow-up measurements, which is now about 100 sec after trigger from the Swift experiment, we rotate a mirror to redirect light path so that optical measurement can be performed within a second after the trigger. We have developed a pathfinder mission, UFFO-pathfinder to launch on board the Lomonosov satellite in 2012. In this talk,…
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory: Fast Response Space Missions for Early Time Phase of Gamma Ray Bursts
One of the unexplored domains in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is the early time phase of the optical light curve. We have proposed Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) to address this question through extraordinary opportunities presented by a series of small space missions. The UFFO is equipped with a fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope that uses a rapidly moving mirror or mirror array to redirect the optical beam rather than slewing the entire spacecraft or telescope to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position. The UFFO will probe the early optical rise of GRBs with sub-second response, for the first time, opening a completely new frontier in GRB and transient studies. Its…
Cosmic ray effect on the X-ray Trigger Telescope of UFFO/Lomonosov using YSO scintillation crystal array in space
UFFO Burst Alert and Trigger telescope (UBAT) is the X-ray trigger telescope of UFFO/Lomonosov to localize X-ray source with coded mask method and X-ray detector. Its X-ray detector is made up of 36 8×8 pixels Yttrium OxyorthoSilicate (Y2SiO5:Ce, YSO) scintillation crystal arrays and 36 64-channel Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs) for space mission. Its effective detection area is 161cm2 and energy range is several keV to 150 keV. It was successfully launched in April 28, 2016. In several calibration run, we got several X-ray background data. We already knew X-ray background flux is 2-3 counts/cm2/sec in space. However our X-ray background data shows approximately 7-8 times higher …
Calibration and Simulation of the GRB trigger detector of the Ultra Fast Flash Observatory
The UFFO (Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory) is a GRB detector on board the Lomonosov satellite, to be launched in 2013. The GRB trigger is provided by an X-ray detector, called UBAT (UFFO Burst Alarm & Trigger Telescope), which detects X-rays from the GRB and then triggers to determine the direction of the GRB and then alerts the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) to turn in the direction of the GRB and record the optical photon fluxes. This report details the calibration of the two components: the MAPMTs and the YSO crystals and simulations of the UBAT. The results shows that this design can observe a GRB within a field of view of ±35° and can trigger in a time scale as short as 0.2 – 1.0 s af…
Slewing mirror telescope of the UFFO-pathfinder: first report on performance in space
To observe the early optical emissions from gamma ray bursts (GRBs), we built the Slew Mirror Telescope. It utilizes a 150 mm motorized mirror to redirect incoming photons from astrophysical objects within seconds and to track them as compensating satellite movements. The SMT is a major component of the UFFO-pathfinder payload, which was launched on April 28, 2016, onboard the Lomonosov satellite. For the first time, the slewing mirror system has been proven for the precision tracking of astrophysical objects during space operation. We confirmed that the SMT has 1.4 seconds of response time to the X-gamma-ray trigger, and is able to compensate for satellite drift and to track astrophysical …
In-Flight Calibrations of UFFO-Pathfinder
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO), which will be launched onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft, contains two crucial instruments: UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) for detection and localization of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and the fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) designed for the observation of the prompt optical/UV counterparts. Here we discuss the in-space calibrations of the UBAT detector and SMT telescope. After the launch, the observations of the standard X-ray sources such as pulsar in Crab nebula will provide data for necessary calibrations of UBAT. Several standard stars will be used for the photometric calibration of SMT. The celestial X-ray sources, e.g.…
Design and implementation of electronics and data acquisition system for Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) Pathfinder for Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) consists of two telescopes. The UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) handles the detection and localization of GRBs, and the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) conducts the measurement of the UV/optical afterglow. UBAT is equipped with an X-ray detector, analog and digital signal readout electronics that detects X-rays from GRBs and determines the location. SMT is equipped with a stepping motor and the associated electronics to rotate the slewing mirror targeting the GRBs identified by UBAT. First the slewing mirror points to a GRB, then SMT obtains the optical image of the GRB using the intensified CCD an…
Readout of the UFFO Slewing Mirror Telescope to detect UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts
The Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) was proposed for rapid response to prompt UV/optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The SMT is a key component of the Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO)-pathfinder, which will be launched aboard the Lomonosov spacecraft at the end of 2013. The SMT utilizes a motorized mirror that slews rapidly forward to its target within a second after triggering by an X-ray coded mask camera, which makes unnecessary a reorientation of the entire spacecraft. Subsequent measurement of the UV/optical is accomplished by a 10 cm aperture Ritchey-Chretien telescope and the focal plane detector of Intensified Charge-Coupled Device (ICCD). The ICCD is sensitive to UV/opt…
Comparison cosmic ray irradiation simulation and particle beam test on UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger telescope(UBAT) detectors
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory pathfinder(UFFO-p) was launched onboard Lomonosov on 28th of April, 2016, and now is under various types of calibration for detection of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Since last September UFFO-p has taken X-ray data in space with UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger telescope (UBAT), those X-rays are mostly diffused backgrounds however, the rate turns out to be higher than expected by a factor of three. We assumed cosmic rays can contribute by making the count rate higher. We did such a simulation to investigate the effect of cosmic rays. In December 2016, we irradiated fragmented high energy heavy ions at CERN on the UBAT detector. We will report the result of comparison betw…
Development of Slewing Mirror Telescope Optical System for the UFFO-pathfinder
The Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) is the UV/optical telescope of UFFO-pathfinder. The SMT optical system is a Ritchey-Chretien (RC) telescope of 100 mm diameter pointed by means of a gimbal-mounted flat mirror in front of the telescope. The RC telescope has a 17 × 17arcmin2 in Field of View and 4.3 arcsec resolution (full width half maximum of the point spread function) The beam-steering mirror enables the SMT to access a 35 × 35degree region and point and settle within 1 sec. All mirrors were fabricated to about 0.02 wavelengths RMS in wave front error (WFE) and 84.7% average reflectivity over 200 nm ~ 650 nm. The RC telescope was aligned to 0.05 wavelengths RMS in WFE (test wavelength 63…
ULTRA-FAST FLASH OBSERVATORY (UFFO) FOR OBSERVATION OF EARLY PHOTONS FROM GAMMA RAY BURSTS
I.H. Park, S. Ahmad, P. Barrillon, S. Brandt, C. Budtz-Jorgensen, A.J. Castro-Tirado, P. Chen, Y.J. Choi, P. Connell, S. Dagoret-Campagne, C. Eyles, B. Grossan, M.–H.A. Huang, A. Jung, S. Jeong, J.E. Kim, M.B. Kim, S.-W. Kim, Y.W. Kim, A.S. Krasnov, J. Lee, H. Lim, E.V. Linder, T.–C. Liu, N. Lund, K.W. Min, G.W. Na, J.W. Nam, M.I. Panasyuk, J. Ripa, V. Reglero, J.M. Rodrigo, G.F. Smoot, J.E. Suh, S. Svertilov, N. Vedenkin, M.–Z. Wang, I. Yashin Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea University of Paris-Sud 11, Orsay, France Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia CSIC, Granada, Spain National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan Korea Advanced I…
In-Situ Calibration of UFFO/Lomonosov for Observation of GRBs
The UFFO/Lomonosov has been successfully launched into Sun synchronous orbit and is operational through tests and calibrations since its launch on Apr. 28, 2016. As a pathfinder of UFFO, it will be the first space instrument to use a fast slewing mirror which reduce the trigger latency of optical telescope, less than a second, to explore early time domain of GRB evolution. In this article, we will report in detail the first mission, UFFO/Lomonosov, for the rapid response to observe early photons from GRBs in orbit.
Prompt and Follow-up Multi-wavelength Observations of the GRB 161017A
This paper presents data on the simultaneous and complementary observations of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 161017A for optical, X-ray, and gamma wavelengths obtained by the Russian multi-messenger Lomonosov space observatory and supplemented by additional data from the Swift satellite as well as the ground-based MASTER Global Robotic Net and the 10 m Gran Telescopio Canarias. Multifrequency spectra of this very powerful explosion indicate that it originated at a distance of 10 billion light years from Earth. Here, we present the results of the prompt, early, and afterglow optical observations. The light curves and spectra suggest that the prompt optical and high-energy emissions occur in …
Inverted-conical light guide for crosstalk reduction in tightly-packed scintillator matrix and MAPMT assembly
Abstract In this paper we present the Inverted-Conical light guide designed for optical crosstalk reduction in the scintillator-MAPMT assemblies. The research was motivated by the 30% crosstalk observed in UFFO X-ray telescope , UBAT, during the preliminary calibration with MAPMTs of 64 2.88 × 2.88 mm2 pixels and identically gridded YSO crystal matrices. We began the study with the energy and crosstalk calibrations of the detector, then we constructed a GEANT4 simulation with the customized metallic film model as the MAPMT photocathode . The simulation reproduced more than 70% of the crosstalk and explained it as a consequence of the total reflection produced by the photocathode. The result…
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory for the observation of early photons from gamma-ray bursts
One of the least documented and understood aspects of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is the rise phase of the optical light curve. The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is an effort to address this question through extraordinary opportunities presented by a series of space missions including a small spacecraft observatory. The UFFO is equipped with a fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) that uses a rapidly moving mirror or mirror array to redirect the optical beam rather than slewing the entire spacecraft to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position. The UFFO will probe the early optical rise of GRBs with sub-second response, for the first time, opening a completely new frontier in …
Slewing Mirror Telescope and the Data-Acquisition System for the UFFO-Pathfinder
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) aims to detect the earliest moment of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) which is not well known, resulting into the enhancement of GRB mechanism understanding. The pathfinder mission was proposed to be a scaled-down version of UFFO, and only contains the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) measuring the X-ray/gamma-ray with the wide-field of view and the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) with a rapid-response for the UV/optical photons. Once the UBAT detects a GRB candidate with the position accuracy of 10 arcmin, the SMT steers the UV/optical photons from the candidate to the telescope by the fast rotatable mirror and provides the early UV/optical pho…
THE UFFO SLEWING MIRROR TELESCOPE FOR EARLY OPTICAL OBSERVATION FROM GAMMA RAY BURSTS
While some space born observatories, such as SWIFT and FERMI, have been operating, early observation of optical after grow of GRBs is still remained as an unexplored region. The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) project is a space observatory for optical follow-ups of GRBs, aiming to explore the first 60 seconds of GRBs optical emission. Using fast moving mirrors to redirect our optical path rather than slewing the entire spacecraft, UFFO is utilized to catch early optical emissions from GRB within 1 sec. We have developed the UFFO Pathfinder Telescope which is going to be on board of the Lomonosov satellite and launched in middle of 2012. We will discuss about scientific potentials of t…