Evaluation of response and radiation damage of Timepix detectors at particle accelerators and in LEO orbit by the SATRAM spacecraft payload on board ESA’s Proba-V satellite
Carlos Granja1,2,*, Zdenek Dvorak1
1 Czech Space Research Center (CSRC), Brno, Czech Republic
2 Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI), Czech Acad. Sci. (CAS), Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract
The semiconductor pixel detector Timepix is been used for a broad range of applications from radiation imaging to particle tracking, radiation detection and spectrometry. The radiation environments include harsh conditions in terms of particle composition and fluxes such as beam and experimental targets at particle accelerators as well as LEO in space. In this contribution I review existing knowledge in registering and evaluating the exposure and response of Timepix detectors to prolonged or intense radiation fields in particular particle accelerator beams, namely the electron Microtron, the light ion Cyclotron and ion Tandetron accelerators (all at the NPI-CAS) and in open space – by preliminary evaluation of data acquired with the SATRAM/Timepix payload on board the Proba-V satellite of ESA, in LEO orbit since 2013. Mention is included of radiation exposure estimate for a new Timepix payload on board the VZLUSAT-1 cubesat (built by VZLU Prague).
* presenting and corresponding author, contact: carlos.granja(at)csrc.cz