Abstract
The Gamma RAy Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE) was first flown on a 26-hour balloon flight in the fall of 2011. GRAPE consists of an array of Compton polarimeter modules (based on traditional scintillation technologies) designed to operate in the energy range from 50 keV up to 500 keV. The ultimate goal is to operate GRAPE in a wide FoV configuration for the study of gamma-ray bursts. For the first (demonstration) balloon flight, GRAPE was configured in a collimated mode to facilitate observations of known point sources. The Crab nebula/pulsar, the active Sun, and Cygnus X-1 were the primary targets for the first flight. Although the Crab was detected, the polarization sensitivity was worse than expected. This paper will review the plans for the next GRAPE balloon flight, which is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2014 from Ft. Sumner, NM. These plans involve several modifications designed to improve the polarization sensitivity, including an expansion of the array of polarimeter modules from 16 to 24 and improvements to the instrument shielding. Sensitivity estimates of the resulting instrument, based on GEANT4 simulations, will be presented.
Department
Space Science Center, Physics
Publication Date
9-26-2013
Journal Title
SPIE Proceedings
Publisher
SPIE
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1117/12.2024145
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Recommended Citation
Citation Mark L. McConnell ; Peter F. Bloser ; Taylor P. Connor ; Camden Ertley ; Jason Legere ; James M. Ryan and Sambid K. Wasti " Plans for the next GRAPE balloon flight ", Proc. SPIE 8859, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XVIII, 885909 (September 26, 2013); doi:10.1117/12.2024145; http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2024145
Rights
© (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)