The Silicon Charge Detector of the High Energy Cosmic Radiation Detection experiment

• Published in: Journal of instrumentation Vol. 19; no. 3; p. C03042
• Main Author: Silvestre, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Anisotropy; Cosmic rays; Dark matter; Energy spectra; Gamma ray astronomy; High energy astronomy; Particle identification methods; Particle physics; Particle tracking detectors (Solid-state detectors); Radiation; Radiation detectors; Sensors; Silicon; Space stations
• ISSN: 1748-0221; 1748-0221
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/19/03/C03042

Abstract The High Energy Cosmic Radiation Detector (HERD) is an experiment designed for direct measurement of cosmic rays on the Chinese Space Station in 2027. Its goals include precise measurements of cosmic ray energy spectra, mass composition, electron/positron spectra, cosmic rays anisotropy, gamma ray astronomy and indirect searches for Dark Matter. HERD features a 55X 0 , homogeneous, 3D segmented imaging calorimeter and can detect particles from the top and four lateral sides, providing precise energy measurements and electron/proton separation for a wide field of view. A key detector in HERD is the Silicon Charge Detector (SCD). SCD measures the charge of particles before interaction with other materials, minimizing cosmic rays nuclei fragmentation and reducing systematics on nuclei flux measurement. Thorough studies, TCAD and/or SPICE simulations, and accelerator tests on prototypes have been conducted to evaluate the tracking and charge resolution capabilities of the SCD. Further testing with 300 μm detectors is planned in the coming months to fully characterize the SCD's performance. This paper presents the results of the simulation studies and of the measured performance with particles.