Abstract
The instrumental-line background of the Compton telescope COMPTEL onboard the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory is due to the activation and/or decay of a number of different isotopes. The major components of the COMPTEL instrumental-line background can be attributed to eight individual isotopes, namely 2D, 22Na, 24Na, 28Al, 40K, 52Mn, 57Ni, and 208Tl. In addition, evidence for the presence of 27Mg has been obtained in the search for gamma-ray lines from supernovae. The identification of the instrumental lines with specific isotopes is based on the line energies as well as on the variation of the activity with time, cosmic-ray intensity and deposited radiation dose during passages through the South-Atlantic Anomaly. The characteristic variation of the activity due to an individual isotope depends on its life-time, orbital parameters, and the solar cycle.
Department
Space Science Center, Physics
Publication Date
2000
Journal Title
AIP Conference Proceedings
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1063/1.1303269
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Recommended Citation
The COMPTEL instrumental-line background Weidenspointner, G. and Varendorff, M. and Oberlack, U. and Plüschke, S. and Morris, D. and Diehl, R. and Kappadath, S. C. and McConnell, M. and Ryan, J. and Schönfelder, V., AIP Conference Proceedings, 510, 581-585 (2000), DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1303269
Rights
© 2000 American Institute of Physics