Preliminary Results from the Balloon Flight of the Liquid Xenon
Gamma-Ray Imaging Telescope LXeGRIT
E. Aprile, A. Curioni, K. Giboni, U. Oberlack
S. Ventura
T.Doke and J.Kikuchi
E.L. Chupp, P.P. Dunphy
Abstract
The feasibility of a large volume liquid xenon Compton telescope based
on full event imaging in a time projection chamber has been demonstrated
with the development of the balloon-borne instrument LXeGRIT. With its
400 cm2 sensitive area and 7 cm drift gap, the liquid xenon detector
images g-ray in the energy range from 300 keV to 25 MeV. The
precise 3-dimensional localization of g-ray interactions within
the sensitive volume provides excellent background reduction
capabilities. Together with a large efficiency of the homogeneous
detector, LXeGRIT addresses the primary instrumental limitations
encountered in this energy band. Following its engineering tests at
balloon altitude in 1997, LXeGRIT has been upgraded with a new trigger
and data acquisition system, integrated with the existing readout
electronics. Enhanced data transfer capability and on-board data storage
was also implemented. LXeGRIT was successfully flown from Ft. Sumner, NM
on May 7, 1999. The instrument worked as expected at balloon altitude.
The large amount of data gathered during the 9 hrs flight are currently
being analyzed. Results from calibration data and preliminary results on
the LXeGRIT background rate in the near space environment will be
presented.
File translated from TEX by TTH, version 2.32.
On 3 Aug 1999, 13:07.