Microsatellites have recently opened windows of frequent and low cost missions for planetary exploration. The performance of gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers on future microsatellite missions is simulated to assess...Microsatellites have recently opened windows of frequent and low cost missions for planetary exploration. The performance of gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers on future microsatellite missions is simulated to assess the possibility of observation of hydrogen and major elements, given their concentration on the observation target. The measured elemental abundance will provide important geological constraints, and some of them may serve as space resources. Four different types of target bodies with various hydrogen concentrations in the range of 0 - 20,000 ppm are assumed as target compositions;Earth’s core, C-type, S-type and Martian meteorites. Gamma-ray and neutron emission rates show unique footprints that are related to the different elemental compositions. The starting point is the solid angle subtended between observation target and spectrometers that allow estimating the gamma-ray and neutron count rates emitted by the celestial bodies. In this work, three types of gamma-ray detectors;high-purity germanium (HPGe), CeBr3 and LaBr3(Ce), a neutron spectrometer combining a lithium glass scintillator with a boron loaded plastic scintillator and a dual mode spectrometer Cs2LiYCl6(Ce) (CLYC) are simulated, focusing on their observation backgrounds as a model case for microsatellite based measurements. The background count level of both gamma-ray (except for the LaBr3 detector) and neutron count rates was negligible under these particular conditions. The gamma-ray detectors were compared by the figure of merit, which was determined by their efficiency and energy resolution. It was found that each detector has unique advantages. The HPGe detector has the highest figure of merit due to its excellent energy resolution, whereas the CLYC detector is low in weight and power consumption due to its dual sensitivity to gamma-ray and neutron. The CeBr3 detector is an intermediate choice. The neutron count rates are calculated separately in three energy ranges, i.e. , thermal (<0.5 eV), epithermal (0.5 eV - 500 keV), and fast (>500 keV), as a function of the hydrogen concentration in the 0 - 20,000 ppm range. The thermal and epithermal neutron count rates are found to decrease with hydrogen concentration, while the fast neutron count rate increases with the target average atomic mass. The optimal detector should be decided by the mission restraints on mass, power consumption, and heat thermal design.展开更多
For a characteristic c-ray with interlaced overlap peak, and the case where its reliable and credible net count cannot be obtained using the current high-purity germanium(HPGe) multichannel γ-ray spectrum software, t...For a characteristic c-ray with interlaced overlap peak, and the case where its reliable and credible net count cannot be obtained using the current high-purity germanium(HPGe) multichannel γ-ray spectrum software, two new methods are proposed herein to obtain the γ-ray net peak count from the interlaced overlap peak in the HPGe cray spectrometer system, of which one is the symmetric conversion method based on Gaussian distribution and the other is where the energy average value of two close γ-rays is regarded as the γ-ray energy. The experimental results indicate that the two methods mentioned above are reliable and credible. This study is significant for the development of better γ-ray spectrum processing software for measuring complex γ-ray spectra concerning the nuclear reaction cross section, neutron activation analysis, and analysis of transuranium elements, using an HPGe detector.展开更多
基金This paper is a part of the outcome research performed under a Waseda University Grant for Special Research Project(Project number:2017B-208).
文摘Microsatellites have recently opened windows of frequent and low cost missions for planetary exploration. The performance of gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers on future microsatellite missions is simulated to assess the possibility of observation of hydrogen and major elements, given their concentration on the observation target. The measured elemental abundance will provide important geological constraints, and some of them may serve as space resources. Four different types of target bodies with various hydrogen concentrations in the range of 0 - 20,000 ppm are assumed as target compositions;Earth’s core, C-type, S-type and Martian meteorites. Gamma-ray and neutron emission rates show unique footprints that are related to the different elemental compositions. The starting point is the solid angle subtended between observation target and spectrometers that allow estimating the gamma-ray and neutron count rates emitted by the celestial bodies. In this work, three types of gamma-ray detectors;high-purity germanium (HPGe), CeBr3 and LaBr3(Ce), a neutron spectrometer combining a lithium glass scintillator with a boron loaded plastic scintillator and a dual mode spectrometer Cs2LiYCl6(Ce) (CLYC) are simulated, focusing on their observation backgrounds as a model case for microsatellite based measurements. The background count level of both gamma-ray (except for the LaBr3 detector) and neutron count rates was negligible under these particular conditions. The gamma-ray detectors were compared by the figure of merit, which was determined by their efficiency and energy resolution. It was found that each detector has unique advantages. The HPGe detector has the highest figure of merit due to its excellent energy resolution, whereas the CLYC detector is low in weight and power consumption due to its dual sensitivity to gamma-ray and neutron. The CeBr3 detector is an intermediate choice. The neutron count rates are calculated separately in three energy ranges, i.e. , thermal (<0.5 eV), epithermal (0.5 eV - 500 keV), and fast (>500 keV), as a function of the hydrogen concentration in the 0 - 20,000 ppm range. The thermal and epithermal neutron count rates are found to decrease with hydrogen concentration, while the fast neutron count rate increases with the target average atomic mass. The optimal detector should be decided by the mission restraints on mass, power consumption, and heat thermal design.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11575090,11605099)the Young Key Teachers Training Program of He’nan Higher Education in China(No.2015GGJS-258)
文摘For a characteristic c-ray with interlaced overlap peak, and the case where its reliable and credible net count cannot be obtained using the current high-purity germanium(HPGe) multichannel γ-ray spectrum software, two new methods are proposed herein to obtain the γ-ray net peak count from the interlaced overlap peak in the HPGe cray spectrometer system, of which one is the symmetric conversion method based on Gaussian distribution and the other is where the energy average value of two close γ-rays is regarded as the γ-ray energy. The experimental results indicate that the two methods mentioned above are reliable and credible. This study is significant for the development of better γ-ray spectrum processing software for measuring complex γ-ray spectra concerning the nuclear reaction cross section, neutron activation analysis, and analysis of transuranium elements, using an HPGe detector.
