Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• von Doetinchem, P.
• Aramaki, T.
• Bando, N.
• Boggs, S.E.
• Fuke, H.
• Gahbauer, F.H.
• Hailey, C.J.
• Koglin, J.E.
• Mognet, S.A.I.
• Madden, N.
• Okazaki, S.
• Ong, R.A.
• Perez, K.M.
• Yoshida, T.
• Zweerink, J.

Titel

The flight of the GAPS prototype experiment

Ist Teil von

• Astroparticle physics, 2014-02, Vol.54, p.93-109

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The General AntiParticle Spectrometer experiment (GAPS) is foreseen to carry out a dark matter search using low-energy cosmic ray antideuterons at stratospheric altitudes with a novel detection approach. A prototype flight from Taiki, Japan was carried out in June 2012 to prove the performance of the GAPS instrument subsystems (Lithium-drifted Silicon tracker and time-of-flight) and the thermal cooling concept as well as to measure background levels. The flight was a success and the stable flight operation of the GAPS detector concept was proven. During the flight about 106 charged particle triggers were recorded, extensive X-ray calibrations of the individual tracker modules were performed by using an onboard X-ray tube, and the background level of atmospheric and cosmic X-rays was measured. The behavior of the tracker performance as a function of temperature was investigated. The tracks of charged particle events were reconstructed and used to study the tracking resolution, the detection efficiency of the tracker, and coherent X-ray backgrounds. A timing calibration of the time-of-flight subsystem was performed to measure the particle velocity. The flux as a function of flight altitude and as a function of velocity was extracted taking into account systematic instrumental effects. The developed analysis techniques will form the basis for future flights.