Physics research is constantly pursuing more efficient detectors, often trying to develop complex and optimized geometries resulting in non-trivial engineering challenges. Although critical for this optimization, silicon tiles' mechanical data are hardly present in the literature. For this reason, this work focuses on silicon detectors' mechanical characterization, aiming to provide engineers...
Low Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at colliders which allows for simultaneous and accurate time (<100 ps) and position (< 10 µm) resolutions with segmented Si-pixel sensors. It is a candidate technology that could enable for the first time 4D tracking (position and time) in space using LGAD Si-microstrip tracking systems. The...
Measurement of nuclear cross section are crucial for astroparticle physics, both for the development of high-accuracy models, and for the understanding of the normalization of nuclei spectra for experimental measurements. For theory the most relevent cross section of nuclei incident over H and He (principal components of the interstellar medium), while for experiments are needed cross section...
AMS-02 is a Cosmic Rays detector installed on the International Space Station in May 2011. The core of the instrument is a spectrometer made of a permanent magnet and 9 layers of silicon tracker aims to measures rigidity (momentum over charge) of the particles and the sign of their charge. In addition, it measures the specific energy loss of charged particles to determine the charge magnitude....
The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility is one of the Cosmic Lighthouse Program onboard China’s Space Station. HERD is designed for the direct measurement of high-energy electrons, gamma-rays and in general all the cosmic ray nuclear species. Is planned for operation starting around 2027 for about 10 years.
HERD is composed of five sub-detectors: an homogeneous, deep,...
Dwarf galaxies have long been considered an ideal target in the search of annihilation from wimp-like dark matter particles. As has been shown by Fermi, few dwarf galaxies have shown indications of an excess at the 3-4 sigma, typically limited by the amplitude of the background, and the angular resolution of the detector. I will discuss the advantages of a pencil-like detector approach in the...
EIRSAT-1 is a 2U CubeSat which has been designed, built, and tested by an interdisciplinary team of students and staff at University College Dublin. The project is supported by the Education Office of the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the Fly Your Satellite (FYS) programme. The flight model of the spacecraft has passed a series of stringent reviews and is now flight-ready with a...
The Crystal Eye is an innovative space based X and γ-ray future all sky monitor active from 10keV up to 30MeV, an energy range still under-explored. The full detector consists of a 40cm diameter hemisphere made by 112 pixels. It combines a wide FOV, a good sky localization capability and a large effective area, 6 times higher than Fermi-GBM at 1 MeV. Each pixel consists of two scintillating...
Gamma-ray bursts are amongst the most luminous transients in the universe, yet the processes which drive these highly energetic objects are still poorly understood. Measurement of gamma-ray polarisation, when combined with spectroscopic and temporal measurements, may be one of the keys to unlocking the mystery behind these processes and the central engine which drives them. Polarimetry...
Hard X- and gamma-ray astronomy is a crucial field for transient, nuclear, and multimessenger astrophysics. However, at energies above 80 keV imaging capabilities and sensitivity of current non-focusing instruments are very limited. To overcome these limitations, we have proposed the ASTENA mission concept, submitted to the ESA program “Voyage 2050”, that includes a wide field monitor with...
The measurement of the polarization of the high-energy emission (>100 keV) from cosmic gamma-ray sources has now become a key observational parameter for understanding the production mechanisms and the geometry of the regions involved. Therefore, a mandatory requirement for new instrumentation in this energy range will be to get high sensitivity for polarimetric measurements. For several...
HardPix is a miniature radiation monitor based on the Timepix3 sensor and developed for space application by the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Czech Technical University in Prague (IEAP CTU). Its low volume (<0.1 U), mass (<150 g), power consumption (~2 W) and cost make it ideal even for small cubesats and networks of space weather monitoring satellites. Thanks to the built-in...
NUSES is a low Earth orbit pathfinder satellite for innovative particle detectors dedicated to the study of cosmic radiation, astrophysical neutrinos, Sun-Earth environment, space weather and magnetosphere-ionosphere-lithosphere coupling. The satellite will host two instruments: Terzina and Zirè. While Terzina will focus on space based detection of ultra high energy extensive air showers, Zirè...
The International Space Station (ISS) orbits in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and is continuously occupied by astronauts.
With an average altitude of $400\ \mathrm{km}$, the Station is shielded from cosmic radiation by the residual atmosphere and the geomagnetic field.
However, that protection is not always complete.
The solar activity can emit sporadic bursts of energetic particles, with...
