CASTER: a concept for a Black Hole Finder Probe based on the use of new scintillator technologies

Mark L. McConnell; Peter F. Bloser; Gary Case; Michael Cherry; James Cravens; T. Gregory Guzik; Kevin Hurley; R. Marc Kippen; John Macri; Richard S. Miller; William Paciesas; James M. Ryan; Bradley Schaefer; J. Gregory Stacy; W. Thomas Vestrand; John P. Wefel

doi:10.1117/12.615277

18 August 2005 CASTER: a concept for a Black Hole Finder Probe based on the use of new scintillator technologies

Mark L. McConnell, Peter F. Bloser, Gary Case, Michael Cherry, James Cravens, T. Gregory Guzik, Kevin Hurley, R. Marc Kippen, John Macri, Richard S. Miller, William Paciesas, James M. Ryan, Bradley Schaefer, J. Gregory Stacy, W. Thomas Vestrand, John P. Wefel

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5898, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIV; 589801 (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.615277
Event: Optics and Photonics 2005, 2005, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The primary scientific mission of the Black Hole Finder Probe (BHFP), part of the NASA Beyond Einstein program, is to survey the local Universe for black holes over a wide range of mass and accretion rate. One approach to such a survey is a hard X-ray coded-aperture imaging mission operating in the 10-600 keV energy band, a spectral range that is considered to be especially useful in the detection of black hole sources. The development of new inorganic scintillator materials provides improved performance (for example, with regards to energy resolution and timing) that is well suited to the BHFP science requirements. Detection planes formed with these materials coupled with a new generation of readout devices represent a major advancement in the performance capabilities of scintillator-based gamma cameras. Here, we discuss the Coded Aperture Survey Telescope for Energetic Radiation (CASTER), a concept that represents a BHFP based on the use of the latest scintillator technology.

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Mark L. McConnell, Peter F. Bloser, Gary Case, Michael Cherry, James Cravens, T. Gregory Guzik, Kevin Hurley, R. Marc Kippen, John Macri, Richard S. Miller, William Paciesas, James M. Ryan, Bradley Schaefer, J. Gregory Stacy, W. Thomas Vestrand, and John P. Wefel "CASTER: a concept for a Black Hole Finder Probe based on the use of new scintillator technologies", Proc. SPIE 5898, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIV, 589801 (18 August 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.615277

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