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Background for a gamma-ray satellite on a low-Earth orbit

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Abstract

The different background components in a low-Earth orbit have been modeled in the 10 keV to 100 GeV energy range. The model is based on data from previous instruments and it considers both primary and secondary particles, charged particles, neutrons and photons. The necessary corrections to consider the geomagnetic cutoff are applied to calculate the flux at different inclinations and altitudes for a mean solar activity. Activation simulations from such a background have been carried out using the model of a possible future gamma-ray mission (e-ASTROGAM). The event rates and spectra from these simulations were then compared to those from the isotopes created by the particles present in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). The primary protons are found to be the main contributor of the activation, while the contributions of the neutrons, and that of the secondary protons can be considered negligible. The long-term activation from the passage through the SAA becomes the main source of background at high inclination (i\(\gtrsim 10^{\circ }\)). The used models have been collected in a Python class openly available on github.

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Notes

  1. https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/igrf.html

  2. It must be noted that this value changes slowly, 0.5% in the last 10 years, but constantly due to the evolution of Earth’s magnetic field

  3. https://github.com/pcumani/LEOBackground

  4. https://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/data/access/lat/BackgroundModels.html

  5. https://www.spenvis.oma.be/

  6. https://www.spenvis.oma.be/help/models/magshielding.html

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Acknowledgements

This work has been carried out in the framework of the H2020 project AHEAD, funded by the European Union.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSNSM, CNRS, F-91405, Orsay, France

    P. Cumani, J. Kiener & V. Tatischeff

  2. University of Paris Sud, F-91405, Orsay, France

    P. Cumani, J. Kiener & V. Tatischeff

  3. Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Camí de Can Magrans s/n, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain

    M. Hernanz

  4. IEEC, Barcelona, Spain

    M. Hernanz

  5. University of California at Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    A. Zoglauer

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  1. P. Cumani
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Correspondence to P. Cumani.

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Cumani, P., Hernanz, M., Kiener, J. et al. Background for a gamma-ray satellite on a low-Earth orbit. Exp Astron 47, 273–302 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-019-09624-0

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