SPaRKLE, the Small Particle Recognition Kit for Low Energies, is a compact detector for γ-ray and low-energy charged particle physics in Low Earth Orbit. Upon successful completion of the project phases, SPaRKLE will be installed on Space Rider, an uncrewed orbiting laboratory, for a mission lasting approximately two months. During the mission, SPaRKLE will measure particle fluxes and investigate transient phenomena such as Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs). Designed within a CubeSat unit, SPaRKLE includes a Cerium-doped Gadolinium Aluminium Gallium Garnet (GAGG) scintillator calorimeter, silicon detectors, and plastic scintillator anti-coincidence detectors. It will perform event-based particle identification and detect X-ray and γ-ray photons.This paper presents an overview of the project, its mission objectives, detector operations, and technological innovations.
SPaRKLE on board Space Rider: A miniaturized laboratory in low Earth orbit for low-energy particles / Nicolaidis, R.; Brianti, G.; Dalla Croce, E.; Dalla Ricca, E.; Framba, M.; Giacchetta, C.; Iuppa, R.; Marzari, F.; Polo, M.; Possamai, M.; Rossi, F.; Tessaro, D.; Tomasi, M.; Trettel, M.; Venturelli, N.; Vilona, V.; Vukojevic, M.. - In: IL NUOVO CIMENTO C. - ISSN 2037-4909. - 48:3(2025). ( 20th Meeting of the Incontri di Fisica delle Alte Energie, IFAE 2024 "Ospedale degli Innocenti" venue, a 15th century building in the historical city center of Florence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ita 2024) [10.1393/ncc/i2025-25100-8].
SPaRKLE on board Space Rider: A miniaturized laboratory in low Earth orbit for low-energy particles
Nicolaidis R.;Brianti G.;Dalla Ricca E.;Framba M.;Giacchetta C.;Iuppa R.;Marzari F.;Polo M.;Rossi F.;Tomasi M.;Trettel M.;Vukojevic M.
2025-01-01
Abstract
SPaRKLE, the Small Particle Recognition Kit for Low Energies, is a compact detector for γ-ray and low-energy charged particle physics in Low Earth Orbit. Upon successful completion of the project phases, SPaRKLE will be installed on Space Rider, an uncrewed orbiting laboratory, for a mission lasting approximately two months. During the mission, SPaRKLE will measure particle fluxes and investigate transient phenomena such as Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs). Designed within a CubeSat unit, SPaRKLE includes a Cerium-doped Gadolinium Aluminium Gallium Garnet (GAGG) scintillator calorimeter, silicon detectors, and plastic scintillator anti-coincidence detectors. It will perform event-based particle identification and detect X-ray and γ-ray photons.This paper presents an overview of the project, its mission objectives, detector operations, and technological innovations.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione
