A compact instrument for gamma-ray burst detection on a CubeSat platform I: Design drivers and expected performance

TL;DR

This paper presents the design and expected performance of GMOD, a compact gamma-ray spectrometer on the EIRSAT-1 CubeSat, aimed at detecting gamma-ray bursts with an all-sky view using Monte Carlo simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel small gamma-ray detector for CubeSats, including detailed simulation-based performance evaluation for GRB detection.

Findings

Effective area of 10 cm² at 120 keV

Expected to detect 11-14 GRBs annually at >10σ significance

Omni-directional sensitivity with nearly all-sky coverage

Abstract

The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 (EIRSAT-1) is a 2U CubeSat being developed under ESA's Fly Your Satellite! programme. The project has many aspects, which are primarily educational, but also include space qualification of new detector technologies for gamma-ray astronomy and the detection of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The Gamma-ray Module (GMOD), the main mission payload, is a small gamma-ray spectrometer comprising a 25 mm $\times$ 25 mm $\times$ 40 mm cerium bromide scintillator coupled to an array of 16 silicon photomultipliers. The readout is provided by IDE3380 (SIPHRA), a low-power and radiation tolerant readout ASIC. GMOD will detect gamma-rays and measure their energies in a range from tens of keV to a few MeV. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the Medium Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy Library to evaluate GMOD's capability for the detection of GRBs in low Earth orbit. The simulations used a detailed mass model of the full spacecraft derived from a very high-fidelity 3D CAD model. The sky-average effective area of GMOD on board EIRSAT-1 was found to be 10 cm$^2$ at 120 keV. The instrument is expected to detect between 11 and 14 GRBs, at a significance greater than 10$\sigma$ (and up to 32 at 5$\sigma$), during a nominal one-year mission. The shape of the scintillator in GMOD results in omni-directional sensitivity which allows for a nearly all-sky field of view.