A-STEP: The AstroPix Sounding Rocket Technology Demonstration Payload

TL;DR

A-STEP demonstrates the space readiness of AstroPix, a high-resolution CMOS sensor for gamma-ray detection, through a suborbital rocket flight to advance future gamma-ray observatories.

Contribution

This work introduces the AstroPix sensor technology and presents the first space environment test of its multi-layered prototype in a sounding rocket mission.

Findings

First space environment operation of AstroPix sensors.

Successful demonstration of multi-layer AstroPix detector in suborbital flight.

Validation of AstroPix technology for future gamma-ray telescopes.

Abstract

A next-generation medium-energy (100 keV to 100 MeV) gamma-ray observatory will greatly enhance the identification and characterization of multimessenger sources in the coming decade. Coupling gamma-ray spectroscopy, imaging, and polarization to neutrino and gravitational wave detections will develop our understanding of various astrophysical phenomena including compact object mergers, supernovae remnants, active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. An observatory operating in the MeV energy regime requires technologies that are capable of measuring Compton scattered photons and photons interacting via pair production. AstroPix is a monolithic high voltage CMOS active pixel sensor which enables future gamma-ray telescopes in this energy range. AstroPix's design is iterating towards low-power (~1.5 mW/cm$^{2}$), high spatial (500 microns pixel pitch) and spectral (<5 keV at 122 keV) tracking of photon and charged particle interactions. Stacking planar arrays of AstroPix sensors in three dimensions creates an instrument capable of reconstructing the trajectories and energies of incident gamma rays over large fields of view. A prototype multi-layered AstroPix instrument, called the AstroPix Sounding rocket Technology dEmonstration Payload (A-STEP), will test three layers of AstroPix quad chips in a suborbital rocket flight. These quad chips (2x2 joined AstroPix sensors) form the 4x4 cm$^{2}$ building block of future large area AstroPix instruments, such as ComPair-2 and AMEGO-X. This payload will be the first demonstration of AstroPix detectors operated in a space environment and will demonstrate the technology's readiness for future astrophysical and nuclear physics applications. In this work, we overview the design and state of development of the ASTEP payload.