Introducing the MeVCube concept: a CubeSat for MeV observations
Giulio Lucchetta, M. Ackermann, D. Berge, Rolf Bühler
Abstract
Abstract Despite the impressive progress achieved both by X-ray and gamma-ray observatories in the last few decades, the energy range between ∼ 200 keV and ∼ 50 MeV remains poorly explored. COMPTEL , on-board the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory ( CGRO , 1991-2000), opened the MeV gamma-ray band as a new window to astronomy, performing the first all-sky survey in the energy range from 0.75 to 30 MeV. More than 20 years after the de-orbit of CGRO , no successor mission is yet operating. Over the past years many concepts have been proposed, for new observatories exploring different configurations and imaging techniques; a selection of the most recent ones includes AMEGO , ETCC , GECCO and COSI . We propose here a novel concept for a Compton telescope based on the CubeSat standard, named MeVCube , with the advantages of small cost and relatively short development time. The scientific payload is based on two layers of pixelated Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CdZnTe) detectors, coupled with low-power read-out electronics (ASIC, VATA450.3). The performance of the read-out electronics and CdZnTe custom designed detectors have been measured extensively at DESY [1]. The performance of the telescope is accessed through simulations: despite a small effective area limited to a few cm 2 , MeVCube can reach an angular resolution of 1.5° and a sensitivity comparable to the one achieved by the last generation of large-scale satellites like COMPTEL and INTEGRAL . Combined with a large field-of-view and a moderate cost, MeVCube can be a powerful instrument for transient observations and searches of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events.