Publications (7)1.45 Total impact
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Article: Planck pre-launch status: Design and description of the Low Frequency Instrument
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ABSTRACT: In this paper we present the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI), designed and developed as part of the Planck space mission, the ESA program dedicated to precision imaging of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Planck-LFI will observe the full sky in intensity and polarisation in three frequency bands centred at 30, 44 and 70 GHz, while higher frequencies (100-850 GHz) will be covered by the HFI instrument. The LFI is an array of microwave radiometers based on state-of-the-art Indium Phosphide cryogenic HEMT amplifiers implemented in a differential system using blackbody loads as reference signals. The front-end is cooled to 20K for optimal sensitivity and the reference loads are cooled to 4K to minimise low frequency noise. We provide an overview of the LFI, discuss the leading scientific requirements and describe the design solutions adopted for the various hardware subsystems. The main drivers of the radiometric, optical and thermal design are discussed, including the stringent requirements on sensitivity, stability, and rejection of systematic effects. Further details on the key instrument units and the results of ground calibration are provided in a set of companion papers. Comment: 23 pages, 31 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics, Planck LFI technical papers published by JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-022101/2010; -
Article: Performances of the pulse shape electronics of the high energy experiment PDS on board the X-ray astronomy satellite SAX
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ABSTRACT: The high energy (15-300 keV) experiment PDS is one of the four narrow field instruments on board the Italian-Dutch SAX satellite. The PDS detector is composed of four actively shielded NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswich scintillators, and has a field of view of 1.4° full width half maximum (FWHM). The total geometric area is 795 cm<sup>2</sup>. A description is presented of the instrument and its development status, with particular emphasis on the performance of the pulse shape analysis electronicsIEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 09/1993; · 1.45 Impact Factor -
Conference Proceeding: The high energy experiment PDS (=phoswich detection system) on board the X-ray astronomy satellite SAX
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ABSTRACT: The high-energy (15-300 keV) experiment PDS is one of the four narrow-field instruments on board the Italian-Dutch SAX satellite. The PDS detector is composed of four actively shielded NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswich scintillators and has a field of view of 1.4° (FWHM). The total geometric area is 795 cm<sup>2</sup>. The authors present a description of the instrument and its development status with particular emphasis on the performance of the pulse shape analysis electronicsNuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, 1992., Conference Record of the 1992 IEEE; 12/1992 -
Article: pre-launch status: Design and description of the Low Frequency Instrument
http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200912853. -
Article: pre-launch status: The
http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200912983. -
Article: Planck pre-launch status: The Planck mission
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ABSTRACT: The European Space Agency's Planck satellite, launched on 14 May 2009, is the third-generation space experiment in the field of cosmic microwave background (CMB) research. It will image the anisotropies of the CMB over the whole sky, with unprecedented sensitivity (Delta T/T similar to 2 x 10(-6)) and angular resolution (similar to 5 arcmin). Planck will provide a major source of information relevant to many fundamental cosmological problems and will test current theories of the early evolution of the Universe and the origin of structure. It will also address a wide range of areas of astrophysical research related to the Milky Way as well as external galaxies and clusters of galaxies. The ability of Planck to measure polarization across a wide frequency range (30-350 GHz), with high precision and accuracy, and over the whole sky, will provide unique insight, not only into specific cosmological questions, but also into the properties of the interstellar medium. This paper is part of a series which describes the technical capabilities of the Planck scientific payload. It is based on the knowledge gathered during the on-ground calibration campaigns of the major subsystems, principally its telescope and its two scientific instruments, and of tests at fully integrated satellite level. It represents the best estimate before launch of the technical performance that the satellite and its payload will achieve in flight. In this paper, we summarise the main elements of the payload performance, which is described in detail in the accompanying papers. In addition, we describe the satellite performance elements which are most relevant for science, and provide an overview of the plans for scientific operations and data analysis.Astronomy and Astrophysics. -
Article: The AGILE Mission
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ABSTRACT: Context. AGILE is an Italian Space Agency mission dedicated to observing the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE's very innovative instrumentation for the first time combines a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the energy range 30 MeV–50 GeV), a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 18–60 keV), a calorimeter (sensitive in the range 350 keV–100 MeV), and an anticoincidence system. AGILE was successfully launched on 2007 April 23 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an equatorial orbit with very low particle background.Aims. AGILE provides crucial data for the study of active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources, galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing.Methods. An optimal sky angular positioning (reaching 0.1 degrees in gamma-rays and 1–2 arcmin in hard X-rays) and very large fields of view (2.5 sr and 1 sr, respectively) are obtained by the use of Silicon detectors integrated in a very compact instrument.Results. AGILE surveyed the gamma-ray sky and detected many Galactic and extragalactic sources during the first months of observations. Particular emphasis is given to multifrequency observation programs of extragalactic and galactic objects.Conclusions. AGILE is a successful high-energy gamma-ray mission that reached its nominal scientific performance. The AGILE Cycle-1 pointing program started on 2007 December 1, and is open to the international community through a Guest Observer Program.http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200810527.
