Reducing the ATHENA WFI background with the science products module: Lessons from Chandra ACIS

Catherine E. Grant, Eric D. Miller, Marshall W. Bautz, Esra Bulbul, Ralph P. Kraft, Paul Nulsen, David N. Burrows, Steven Allen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Wide Field Imager (WFI) on ESA's Athena X-ray observatory will include the Science Products Module, a secondary CPU that can perform special processing on the science data stream. Our goal is to identify on-board processing algorithms that can reduce WFI charged particle background and improve knowledge of the background to reduce systematics. Telemetry limitations require discarding most pixels on-board, keeping just candidate X-ray events, but information in the discarded data may be helpful in identifying background events masquerading as X-ray events. We present full frame data from CCDs on-board Chandra, in high-Earth orbit, and the results of our search for phenomenological correlations between particle tracks and background events that would otherwise be categorized as X-rays. In addition to possibly reducing the Athena instrumental background, these results are applicable to understanding the particle component in any X-ray Silicon-based detector in space.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018
Subtitle of host publicationUltraviolet to Gamma Ray
EditorsShouleh Nikzad, Jan-Willem A. Den Herder, Kazuhiro Nakazawa
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Print)9781510619517
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018
EventSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray - Austin, United States
Duration: Jun 10 2018Jun 15 2018

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume10699
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Other

OtherSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAustin
Period6/10/186/15/18

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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