Development of 3D Imaging Detectors for High Energy Astronomy Instrumentation

Development of 3D Imaging Detectors for High Energy Astronomy Instrumentation

Hvornår

25. jan 2024 13:00 - 16:00

Hvor

DTU Lyngby, Building 341, Aud. 23.

Arrangør

DTU Space

Kontakt

Malika Lund-Harris
malilu@space.dtu.dk

Ph.d.-forsvar

Development of 3D Imaging Detectors for High Energy Astronomy Instrumentation

Thursday 25 January Selina Ringsborg Howalt Owe will defend her PhD thesis "Development of 3D Imaging Detectors for High Energy Astronomy Instrumentation".

Principal supervisor

  • Senior Scientist Dr. Irfan Kuvvetli, DTU Space

Co-Supervisor

  • Senior Researcher Søren Brandt, DTU Space

Examiners

  • Senior Scientist Victoria Laura Antoci, DTU Space
  • Professor Emrah Kalemci, Sabanci University, Turkey
  • Professor Hans Kjeldsen, Aarhus University, Denmark

Chairperson at defence

  • Senior Scientist Desiree Della Monica Ferreira, DTU Space

Summary

The detection of light is essential to understanding our Universe. Observatories on Earth and in space make use of sophisticated instrumentation designed specifically for the light they examine. Light emitted in the Universe spans the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from low-energy radio waves to high-energy gamma-rays. X- and gamma-rays are generated in the most energetic phenomena occurring in the Universe, including, but not limited to, supernova explosions, relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray bursts. However, medium-energy X- and gamma-ray astronomy is one of the least explored fields in the Universe. Instruments observing in this energy range suffer from poor sensitivity. Only the next generation of space observatories will be able to make meaningful advances in this field, where new state-of-the-art detector technology will be a key contributor.

This PhD focuses on the development of 3D imaging detectors to operate in the medium X- and gamma-ray domain, centered around the 3D CdZnTe drift strip detector technology developed at DTU Space. Three main studies were conducted during the project. First, it was presented how the 3D spatial sensitivity of the detector could be used to conduct a finer detector material study and utilize this to improve the performance of the detector model. Secondly, a comprehensive characterization study of 10 detector modules was conducted. In this, it was shown that despite a simplification in the detector manufacturing process, the fine intrinsic spatial resolution and good energy resolution persisted. Furthermore, it was underlined that a technology transfer of the detector from space technology to medical applications can benefit future tools for breast cancer diagnostics. Lastly, a feasibility study of using the detector in a small satellite configuration for observations in the medium-energy X- and gamma-ray domain was conducted, stressing the suitability of the detector for future observatories within this energy domain.