| Presentation Title: | The Integrating Miniature Piggyback for Impulsive Solar Hard X-rays (IMPISH): a Low-Cost Spectrometer for the GRIPS-2 Balloon Campaign |
| Author(s): | William Setterberg
Reed Masek
Phillip Williams
Christopher Guo
Lestat Clemmer
Quianping Kuang
Lindsay Glesener |
Abstract:
The Integrating Miniature Piggyback for Impulsive Solar Hard X-rays (IMPISH) is a low-cost solar spectrometer that will fly aboard the second Gamma Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar flares Antarctic balloon campaign (GRIPS-2). IMPISH is a collaboration between University of Minnesota, Montana State University, Space Science Research Lab, and Southwest Research Institute. Our spectrometer is optimized to measure fast variations in nonthermal X-rays from solar flares. Sub-second spikes in the X-ray flux offer a probe into particle acceleration mechanisms in solar flares through their periodicity, duration, and timing differences across energy bands.
The IMPISH payload features silicon photomultipliers coupled to LYSO or GAGG scintillators to achieve the desired sub-second (tens of milliseconds) measurements. The detectors boast a 64cm2 geometric area and an energy range of at least 20 to 300 keV. We present our payload design and development, including lab tests justifying our choice of scintillator material and electronics readout.