Penetrating particle ANalyzer
(PAN)
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862044.
PAN is an instrument
conceived to precisely measure the flux, composition and arrival
direction of highly penetrating particles in space of energy ranging
from 100 MeV/n to 20 GeV/n. The design is based on a modular magnetic
spectrometer of small size, reduced power consumption and weight which
make it suitable for deep space and interplanetary missions.
Science objectives:
Energetic particles in space can be
emitted by the Sun, as Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), or by galactic
sources, as Galactic Cosmic Rays. Trapped populations are also found in
planetary magnetospheres. Precise measurements of their energy spectra
and composition in the 100 MeV/n to 20 GeV/n energy range are of great
interest to study Solar Modulation of Cosmic Rays, to characterise SEPs,
as well as the radiation environment around planets and to improve
Space Weather predictions for Deep Space travels.
Particles of energies above 100 MeV/n are highly penetrating, thus the only viable detection technique is by a magnetic spectrometer. However magnetic spectrometers in space have currently only be deployed in Low-Earth missions (Pamela and AMS), while all the deep space instruments rely on the dE/dx vs E method, which requires the particle to stop in the detector material. The PAN instrument aims at filling the current observational gap in deep space radiation monitoring proposing a modular spectrometer suitable for long distance missions.
Mini.PAN: the demonstrator
Mini.PAN detector layout
Mini.PAN detector open view
The development of a demonstrator, Mini.PAN, has been funded by a grant from the European Commission within the H2020 Future and Emerging Technologies, FET, program. The objective of this experiment is the in-orbit validation of the key functionality of the instrument. Mini.PAN is a small version of PAN, with a target mass of less than 10 kg and maximal power consumption of about 20W, it will feature two magnetic sectors made of permanent magnets, three stations of silicon-microstrip sensors at each end of the magnetic sectors and in between the two magnets, and two stations of Time Of Flight (TOF) scintillators and Pixel detectors at each end of the instrument. As PAN, mini.PAN is a modular spectrometer: particles entering one or both sectors can be analyzed and their energy measured exploiting the bending angle and the bending radius methods respectively. The geometrical acceptance for particles traversing only 1 magnetic sector is 6.3 cm2 sr, while for particles traversing the entire instrument is of 2.1 cm2 sr.
Mini.PAN Pixel
Mini.PAN Magnet sector
Mini.PAN TOF
Mini.PAN Magnet inside support structure
Mini.PAN Tracker StripX detector
Mini.PAN spectrometer: Magnet with six StripX detectors
Collaborating Institutes and Members
Departement of Nuclear and Particle Physics (DPNC), University of Geneva, Switzerland
Xin Wu (Principal Investigator), Philipp Azzarello, Mercedes Paniccia, Merlin Kole, Tomoya Iizawa, Daniil Sukhonos, Pengwei Xie, Franck Cadoux, Yannick Favre, Daniel Lamarra, Jerome Stauffer
National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Perugia Section , Perugia Italy
Giovanni Ambrosi, Bruna Bertucci, Maria Ionica, Matteo Duranti, Maura Graziani, Nicola Tomassetti, Lorenzo Mussolin, Mirco Caprai, Fabio Cosso, Mattia Barbanera, Edoardo Mancini
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics (IEAP), Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, The Czech Republic
Benedikt Bergmann, Petr Burian, Milan Malich, Petr Manek, Stefan Gohl, Stanislav Pospisil, Petr Smolyanskiy
Talks & Seminars
Penetrating particle ANalyzer: Silicon tracker development and beamtest results speaker: D.Sukhonos, 17th (Virtual) Trento Workshop on Advanced Silicon Radiation Detectors, 2-4 March 2022, University of Freiburg (Virtual), slides
Mini.PAN: Real-Time Penetrating Particle Analyzer for ARTEMIS speaker: X.Wu, XIV Lunar Surface Science Workshop: Heliophysics Applications Enabling and Enabled by Human Exploration of the Lunar Surface, February 17, 2022, Virtual Poster
Development of a Penetrating particle ANalyzer for high-energy radiation measurements in space speaker: Ph.Azzarello, PSD12: The 12th International Conference on Position Sensitive Detectors, September 2021, slides
The high resolution PAN detector for deep space cosmic-ray particles measurements speaker: M.Ionica, TIPP 2021, slides
Exploring Deep Space science with the Penetrating particle ANalyzer speaker: P.Xie, Annual Plenary Meeting of the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics CHIPP 2021, slides
Development of a Penetrating particle ANalyzer for high-energy radiation measurements in space speaker: M.Duranti, COSPAR 2020, slides
Development of a Penetrating particle ANalyzer for high-energy radiation measurements in deep space and interplanetary missions speaker: B.Bergmann, IAC 2020, slides
Development of a Penetrating particle ANalyzer for deep space science speaker: P.Xie, SPACEMON 2020, slides
Development of a Penetrating particle ANalyzer for high-energy radiation measurements in space speaker: B.Bergmann, ICHEP 2020, slides
Project publications
Related publications
Penetrating Particle ANalyzer (PAN) X.Wu et al., Adv. Space Res. 63, 8, 2672-2682 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2019.01.012
Tracking and separation of relativistic ions using Timepix3 with a 300um thick silicon sensor P. Smolyanskiy et al., JINST 16 P01022 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/01/P01022
NEWS & EVENTS
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Mini.PAN spectrometer at CERN Test beam November 2021
Second PAN Workshop: October 5-7 2021, Czech Technical University in Prague, The Czech Republic
First PAN Workshop: Mini.PAN kick-off meeting January 21-22 2020, Villa Boninchi , Corsier Geneva, Switzerland
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862044.
We are grateful to Pierre Alexandre Thonet for the magnet design, to Carlo Petrone and Guy Deferne for the magnetic field measurements, and to P. Broulim and L. Pusman for designing the pixel board mechanics.
Contact: Xin Wu
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. In particular the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information hereby contained.
Created by Mercedes Paniccia
Mantained by Mercedes Paniccia (UNIGE) and Maura Graziani (INFN-Perugia)
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