ELECTRON DETECTOR

Developed by Leiden University / Nagoya University

Balloon launched on 6/12/1968, from Aérodrome de Gap-Tallard, Haute Alpes, France

Purpose of the flight and payload description

The objective of the flight was to determine the energy spectrum of primary electrons between 5 and 300 GeV using an electron detector. The instrument was built through a collaboration between Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium of the Lieden University from the Netherlands and the Department of Physics of the Nagoya University from Japan.

The instrument which can be seen schematically in the figure at left (click to enlarge) operated by determining electron fluxes with high precision, utilizing a combination of counters and a total absorption Cerenkov spectrometer. The configuration consisted of two telescope counters, designated as Top-Counter 1 (TC1) and Top-Counter 2 (TC2), which defined the detector's geometry factor at approximately 95 cm² sr, with a maximum half-angle acceptance of 30°. Positioned below TC2, a lead slab of 1 radiation length (r.l.) and a plastic scintillator formed the Pb-counter, while an aluminum slab of 0.1 r.l., also coupled with a plastic scintillator, functioned as the Al-counter. These components contributed to electron identification by registering energy deposition patterns characteristic of electrons passing through the instrument.

The core of the detector was a lead-glass Cerenkov spectrometer, which had a thickness of 12 r.l. and was made of Corning 8463 glass. This spectrometer served as the primary energy measurement component, capturing Cerenkov radiation produced by high-energy electrons. The system was calibrated in-flight using pulse height distributions from cosmic-ray protons and alpha particles to ensure reliable performance.

Details of the balloon flight

Balloon launched on: 6/12/1968
Launch site: Aérodrome de Gap-Tallard, Haute Alpes, France  
Balloon launched by: Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon  
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 6/12/1968
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 4 h

External references

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