The medium-energy concentrator spectrometer on board the BeppoSAX X-ray astronomy satellite

G. Boella; L. Chiappetti; G. Conti; G. Cusumano; S. Del Sordo; G. La Rosa; M. C. Maccarone; T. Mineo; S. Molendi; S. Re; B. Sacco; M. Tripiciano

doi:10.1051/aas:1997138

All issues

Volume 122 / No 2 (April II 1997)

Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser., 122 2 (1997) 327-340

Abstract

Free Access

Issue		Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. Volume 122, Number 2, April II 1997


Page(s)		327 - 340
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/aas:1997138
Published online		15 April 1997

Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 122, 327-340 (1997)

The medium-energy concentrator spectrometer on board the BeppoSAX X-ray astronomy satellite

G. Boella¹^,2, L. Chiappetti¹, G. Conti¹, G. Cusumano³, S. Del Sordo³, G. La Rosa³, M. C. Maccarone³, T. Mineo³, S. Molendi¹, S. Re³, B. Sacco³ and M. Tripiciano³

¹ CNR - Istituto di Fisica Cosmica e Tecnologie Relative, Via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy
² Dip. Fisica, Università di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
³ CNR - Istituto di Fisica Cosmica ed Applicazioni dell'Informatica, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy

Corresponding author: Send offprint request to: M.C. Maccarone, e-mail: cettina@ifcai.pa.cnr.it

Received: 15 May 1996
Accepted: 21 October 1996

Abstract

The scientific instrumentation on board the X-ray Astronomy Satellite BeppoSAX includes a Medium Energy Concentrator Spectrometer (MECS), operating in the energy range keV, which consists of three units, each composed of a grazing incidence Mirror Unit and of a position sensitive Gas Scintillation Proportional Counter. The design and performance of the MECS instrument are here described, together with its on-ground calibration.

Key words: instrumentation: detectors / X-rays: general