Search results for "Pixel"
showing 10 items of 421 documents
Measurements with a hybrid detector prototype composed of a MOS CCD and a CZT spectrometer
2008
The scientific objectives of the future X-ray astronomy instruments require new type of focusing telescopes able to extend the observational range starting from 0.1 keV at least up to 100 keV to solve crucial question concerning the nature of the high energy emission. A challenging technology to extend the classical grazing incidence range to higher energy is today offered by the development of multilayer optics that are effective as X-ray concentrators between few keV up to 100 keV. A useful arrangement for this type of mission concept can foresee the soft (e.g. 0.1-10 keV) X-ray optics nested and coaxial with the hard-X mirrors. The focal plane of the telescope shall operate on a very wid…
Learning from observations of the microwave background at small angular scales
1996
In this paper, we focus our attention on the following question: How well can we recover the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background from the maps of a given experiment?. Each experiment is described by a a pixelization scale, a beam size, a noise level and a sky coverage. We use accurate numerical simulations of the microwave sky and a cold dark matter model for structure formation in the universe. Angular scales smaller than those of previous simulations are included. The spectrum obtained from the simulated maps is appropriately compared with the theoretical one. Relative deviations between these spectra are estimated. Various contributions to these deviations are analyzed. The…
Development of an array of calorimetric low-temperature detectors for heavy ion physics
2006
Abstract Calorimetric low-temperature detectors have been investigated for several applications in heavy ion physics within the last 15 years. The detectors used consist of sapphire absorbers of 2×3×0.33 mm 3 and superconducting aluminum transition edge sensors operated at T ≈1.5 K. To fully exploit the potential of such detectors for heavy ion physics, a detector array is developed. For this purpose, a specially adapted 4 He bath cryostat with a base temperature of 1.2 K, which allows an active detector area of 30×80 mm 2 , was constructed. As different detectors have different transition temperatures, each detector pixel has to be adjusted to its specific working point and temperature sta…
High-resolution multichannel Time-to-Digital Converter core implemented in FPGA for ToF measurements in SiPM-PET
2013
In this contribution, Coincidence Resolving Time (CRT) results with the developed multichannel FPGA-TDC are showed as a function of different configurations for both, the sensor bias voltage and the digitizer threshold. The dependence of the CRT with the sensor matrix temperature, the amount of SiPM active area and the crystal type are also analyzed. Preliminary measurements carried out with a crystal array of 2 mm pixel size and 10 mm height have shown time resolutions for the entire 144 SiPM two-detectors ensemble as good as 800 ps.
Development of the wide field imager for Athena
2015
The WFI (Wide Field Imager) instrument is planned to be one of two complementary focal plane cameras on ESA's next X-ray observatory Athena. It combines unprecedented survey power through its large field of view of 40 arcmin x 40 arcmin together with excellent count-rate capability (>= 1 Crab). The energy resolution of the silicon sensor is state-of-the-art in the energy band of interest from 0.2 keV to 15 keV, e.g. the full width at half maximum of a line at 6 keV will be <= 150 eV until the end of the nominal mission phase. This performance is accomplished by using DEPFET active pixel sensors with a pixel size of 130 μm x 130 μm well suited to the on-axis angular resolution of 5 arcsec of…
Calibration of the Solar-B x-ray optics
2005
The Solar-B X-ray telescope (XRT) is a grazing-incidence modified Wolter I X-ray telescope, of 35 cm inner diameter and 2.7 m focal length. XRT, designed for full sun imaging over the wavelength 6-60 Angstroms, will be the highest resolution solar X-Ray telescope ever flown. Images will be recorded by a 2048 X 2048 back-illuminated CCD with 13.5 μm pixels (1 arc-sec/pixel ) with full sun field of view. XRT will have a wide temperature sensitivity in order to observe and discriminate both the high (5-10 MK) and low temperature (1-5 MK) phenomena in the coronal plasma. This paper presents preliminary results of the XRT mirror calibration performed at the X-ray Calibration Facility, NASA-MSFC,…
The optical blocking filter for the ATHENA wide field imager: Ongoing activities towards the conceptual design
2015
ATHENA is the L2 mission selected by ESA to pursue the science theme "Hot and Energetic Universe" (launch scheduled in 2028). One of the key instruments of ATHENA is the Wide Field Imager (WFI) which will provide imaging in the 0.1-15 keV band over a 40'x40' large field of view, together with spectrally and time-resolved photon counting. The WFI camera, based on arrays of DEPFET active pixel sensors, is also sensitive to UV/Vis photons. Optically generated electron-hole pairs may degrade the spectral resolution as well as change the energy scale by introducing a signal offset. For this reason, the use of an X-ray transparent optical blocking filter is needed to allow the observation of all …
A mammographic phantom image reconstruction through Monte Carlo techniques
2005
Mammographic phantoms are employed during quality control test in breast screening locations and other health centres. These quality controls are performed to achieve the image quality required to detect breast abnormalities, ensuring the minimum risk to radiographied women. The aim of this study is the development of a methodology to reproduce the image of a mammogram during a routine exposure in a breast screening programme. In a first step, the CIRS 11A (MAMMO PHANTOM SP01) mammographic phantom has been simplified and modelled with the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP-4c2. Different tallies (F2 and F5) have been used to score the photon flux under the phantom, and a group of aluminium lay…
A two-dimensional liquid-filled ionization chamber array prototype for small-field verification: characterization and first clinical tests.
2012
In this work we present the design, characterization and first clinical tests of an in-house developed two-dimensional liquid-filled ionization chamber prototype for the verification of small radiotherapy fields and treatments containing such small fields as in radiosurgery, which consists of 2 mm × 2 mm pixels arranged on a 16×8 rectangular grid. The ionization medium is isooctane. The characterization of the device included the study of depth, field-size and dose-rate dependences, which are sufficiently moderate for a good operation at therapy radiation levels. However, the detector presents an important anisotropic response, up to ≃ 12% for front versus near-lateral incidence, which can …
Electrical Characterization of CdTe pixel detectors with Al Schottky anode
2014
Abstract Pixelated Schottky Al/p-CdTe/Pt detectors are very attractive devices for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic imaging, even though they suffer from bias-induced time instability (polarization). In this work, we present the results of the electrical characterization of a (4×4) pixelated Schottky Al/p-CdTe/Pt detector. Current–voltage ( I–V ) characteristics and current transients were investigated at different temperatures. The results show deep levels that play a dominant role in the charge transport mechanism. The conduction mechanism is dominated by the space charge limited current (SCLC) both under forward bias and at high reverse bias. Schottky barrier height of the Al/CdTe con…