Compact CubeSat Gamma-Ray Detector for GRID Mission

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact gamma-ray detector designed for CubeSats, enabling all-sky gamma-ray monitoring for multi-messenger astronomy, with successful deployment and data collection in orbit.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, compact gamma-ray detector hardware and firmware for CubeSats, optimized for efficiency and low power, and demonstrates its successful deployment in orbit.

Findings

High gamma-ray detection efficiency between 10 keV and 2 MeV.

Successful on-orbit operation and data collection for about one month.

First implementation of such a detector onboard a CubeSat for gamma-ray astronomy.

Abstract

Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID) mission is a student project designed to use multiple gamma-ray detectors carried by nanosatellites (CubeSats), forming a full-time all-sky gamma-ray detection network that monitors the transient gamma-ray sky in the multi-messenger astronomy era. A compact CubeSat gamma-ray detector, including its hardware and firmware, was designed and implemented for the mission. The detector employs four Gd2Al2Ga3O12 : Ce (GAGG:Ce) scintillators coupled with four silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays to achieve a high gamma-ray detection efficiency between 10 keV and 2 MeV with low power and small dimensions. The first detector designed by the undergraduate student team onboard a commercial CubeSat was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit on October 29, 2018. The detector was in a normal observation state and accumulated data for approximately one month after on-orbit functional and performance tests, which were conducted in 2019.