Abstract

  • Kenneth S. K. Lum, Joseph J. Mohr, Didier Barret, Jonathan E. Grindlay, and Raj P. Manandhar
    "Simulations and Measurements of the Background Encountered by a High-Altitude Balloon-Borne Experiment for Hard X-ray Astronomy "

    Paper published in Nucl. Instr. and Methods (NIM) A, 396, 350-359 (1997):

    We have modelled the hard X-ray background expected for a high-altitude balloon flight of the Energetic X-ray Imaging Telescope Experiment (EXITE2), an imaging phoswich detector/telescope for the 20--600 keV energy range. Photon and neutron-induced contributions to the background are considered. We describe the code and the results of a series of simulations with different shielding configurations. The simulated hard X-ray background for the actual flight configuration agrees reasonably well (within a factor of $\sim$ 2) with the results measured on the first flight of EXITE2 from Palestine, Texas. The measured background flux at 100 keV is $\sim$ 4 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$ counts cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ keV$^{-1}$.\\

    [Paper, Postscript Version] [Fig 1] [Fig 2] [Fig 3a] [Fig 3b] [Fig 3c] [Fig 3d] [Fig 4a] [Fig 4b] [Fig 4c] [Fig 4d] [Fig 5a] [Fig 5b] [Fig 5c] [Fig 6a] [Fig 6b] [Fig 6c] [Fig 7]