Flat fielding in gamma-ray astronomy through Monte Carlo background modeling
R. Gurriaran, F. Lei, A. J. Dean, M. Westmore
B. A. Harmon
Abstract
Background noise is a major problem in gamma-ray astronomy as the telescopes,
simple radiation detectors, are obliged to operate within the space radiation
environment. In a low earth orbit and with uncollimated detectors such as those
of the BATSE experiment on board the CGRO satellite, the situation is even
worse as the background is strongly modulated by the position of the spacecraft
in the earth's magnetic field, the pointing direction of detectors (earth
in/out the field of view of detectors) and irradiation history. A method has
been devised for removing these slowly varying background components through
the intensive use of Monte Carlo modeling, the results being comparable to the
flat fielding existing in optical astronomy. The method and its application to
the earth occultation analysis will be described.
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On 16 Jul 1999, 09:18.