Calibration and Status of the 3D Imaging Calorimeter of DAMPE for Cosmic Ray Physics on Orbit

TL;DR

This paper details the calibration process and performance of DAMPE's 3D imaging calorimeter during its space operation, crucial for accurate cosmic ray measurements in astrophysics research.

Contribution

It presents the development and implementation of a precise, time-dependent calibration method for DAMPE's BGO ECAL in space, enhancing measurement accuracy.

Findings

Successful on-orbit calibration of the BGO ECAL

Improved energy measurement precision in space

Calibration methods applicable to future space-based detectors

Abstract

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) developed in China was designed to search for evidence of dark matter particles by observing primary cosmic rays and gamma rays in the energy range from 5 GeV to 10 TeV. Since its launch in December 2015, a large quantity of data has been recorded. With the data set acquired during more than a year of operation in space, a precise time-dependent calibration for the energy measured by the BGO ECAL has been developed. In this report, the instrumentation and development of the BGO Electromagnetic Calorimeter (BGO ECAL) are briefly described. The calibration on orbit, including that of the pedestal, attenuation length, minimum ionizing particle peak, and dynode ratio, is discussed, and additional details about the calibration methods and performance in space are presented.