CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Advanced Search >
Home > Proceedings > Volume 6686 > Article
13 September 2007 Characterization and evolution of the swift x-ray telescope instrumental background
C. Pagani, D. C. Morris, J. Racusin, D. Grupe, L. Vetere, M. Stroh, A. Falcone, J. A. Kennea, D. N. Burrows, J. A. Nousek, A. F. Abbey, L. Angelini, A. P. Beardmore, S. Campana, M. Capalbi, G. Chincarini, O. Citterio, G. Cusumano, P. Giommi, O. Godet, J. E. Hill, V. La Parola, V. Mangano, T. Mineo, A. Moretti, J. P. Osborne, K. L. Page, M. Perri, P. Romano, G. Tagliaferri, F. Tamburelli
Author Affiliations +
Proceedings Volume 6686, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XV; 668609 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734398
Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States
Abstract
The X-ray telescope (XRT) on board the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer has successfully operated since the spacecraft launch on 20 November 2004, automatically locating GRB afterglows, measuring their spectra and lightcurves and performing observations of high-energy sources. In this work we investigate the properties of the instrumental background, focusing on its dynamic behavior on both long and short timescales. The operational temperature of the CCD is the main factor that influences the XRT background level. After the failure of the Swift active on-board temperature control system, the XRT detector now operates at a temperature range between -75C and -45C thanks to a passive cooling Heat Rejection System. We report on the long-term effects on the background caused by radiation, consisting mainly of proton irradiation in Swift's low Earth orbit and on the short-term effects of transits through the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), which expose the detector to periods of intense proton flux. We have determined the fraction of the detector background that is due to the internal, instrumental background and the part that is due to unresolved astrophysical sources (the cosmic X-ray background) by investigating the degree of vignetting of the measured background and comparing it to the expected value from calibration data.
© (2007) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Citation Download Citation
C. Pagani, C. Pagani, D. C. Morris, D. C. Morris, J. Racusin, J. Racusin, D. Grupe, D. Grupe, L. Vetere, L. Vetere, M. Stroh, M. Stroh, A. Falcone, A. Falcone, J. A. Kennea, J. A. Kennea, D. N. Burrows, D. N. Burrows, J. A. Nousek, J. A. Nousek, A. F. Abbey, A. F. Abbey, L. Angelini, L. Angelini, A. P. Beardmore, A. P. Beardmore, S. Campana, S. Campana, M. Capalbi, M. Capalbi, G. Chincarini, G. Chincarini, O. Citterio, O. Citterio, G. Cusumano, G. Cusumano, P. Giommi, P. Giommi, O. Godet, O. Godet, J. E. Hill, J. E. Hill, V. La Parola, V. La Parola, V. Mangano, V. Mangano, T. Mineo, T. Mineo, A. Moretti, A. Moretti, J. P. Osborne, J. P. Osborne, K. L. Page, K. L. Page, M. Perri, M. Perri, P. Romano, P. Romano, G. Tagliaferri, G. Tagliaferri, F. Tamburelli, F. Tamburelli, "Characterization and evolution of the swift x-ray telescope instrumental background", Proc. SPIE 6686, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XV, 668609 (13 September 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.734398; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734398
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
PERSONAL SIGN IN
Full access may be available with your subscription
 
Forgot your username?
Forgot your password?
No SPIE account? Create an account
or Institutional Sign In via Shibboleth
PURCHASE THIS CONTENT
SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY
50 downloads per 1-year subscription
Members: $195
Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART
25 downloads per 1 - year subscription
Members: $145
Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART
PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE
Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available
Members: $14.40
Non-members: $18.00 ADD TO CART
PROCEEDINGS
 9 PAGES
DOWNLOAD PDF + SAVE TO MY LIBRARY
SHARE
GET CITATION
< Previous Article
|
Next Article >
KEYWORDS
RELATED CONTENT
The microchannel x ray telescope for the gamma ray burst...
Proceedings of SPIE (July 24 2014)
X RED a satellite mission concept to detect early...
Proceedings of SPIE (August 17 2005)
JEM-X: three years in space
Proceedings of SPIE (June 14 2006)
Shielding simulations for the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)
Proceedings of SPIE (August 31 1995)
The SWIFT Gamma-Ray Burst Observatory
Proceedings of SPIE (October 10 2004)
Controlling the Swift XRT CCD temperature via passive cooling
Proceedings of SPIE (August 17 2005)
Subscribe to Digital Library
Receive Erratum Email Alert
Back to Top