Spaceborne COTS-Capsule Hodoscope: Detecting and Characterizing Particle Radiation

TL;DR

This paper reports on the deployment and operation of a spaceborne particle hodoscope that detects and characterizes cosmic radiation in low earth orbit, demonstrating its construction, calibration, and in-orbit performance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spaceborne particle detector using polyvinyl toluene scintillators and silicon photomultipliers, with detailed performance analysis and calibration in orbit.

Findings

Successful detection and characterization of cosmic particles in orbit

Effective particle track reconstruction and energy estimation

Validation of detector performance in space environment

Abstract

The COTS-Capsule Spaceborne hodoscope was launched into low earth orbit aboard the International Space Station and operated during 2021-2022. The primary objectives of the payload are: measuring and characterizing the radiation environment within the space station; serving as a technology demonstrator for the COTS-Capsule radiation mitigation apparatus; and testing the interaction of high-energy cosmic particles in space with our detectors. The payload features a particle hodoscope equipped with an array of novel detectors based on polyvinyl toluene scintillators and silicon photomultiplier sensors that are used for radiation detection and characterization. This paper provides a comprehensive account of the construction, preflight performance, testing, qualification, and in-orbit calibration of the COTS-Capsule payload. The hodoscope, sensitive to ionizing cosmic particles, facilitates impinging particle track reconstruction, energy deposition estimation, and linear energy transfer estimation. In specific instances, it also provides particle identification and energy deposition estimation.