Since its launch in 2017, the Dutch TROPOMI space instrument has been constantly impacted by cosmic rays. An analysis of the onboard short-wave infrared detector, tasked with detecting methane and carbon monoxide, shows that 98.7% of its pixels are still working properly. Spontaneous recovery of pixels contributes to this. Publication in Measurement Science and Technology.
Month: August 2024
Astrophysics in the lab: TES detectors measure X-rays from hot plasma
SRON has joined forces with the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPIK) and the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie (IRAP) to generate reference data for astronomical observations and scrutinize the laws of hot plasma physics. The electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at MPIK in Heidelberg simulates a hot plasma, while superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) developed by SRON measure the emitted X-ray spectra with unprecedented energy resolution.
