The X-γ detector onboard the POEMMA-Balloon with Radio payload

Abdullahi M, Abrate M, Adams JH, Allard D, Alldredge P, Aloisio R, Ammendola R, Anastasio A, Anchordoqui L, Andreoli V, Anzalone A, Arnone E, Badoni D, von Ballmoos P, Baret B, Barghini D, Battisti M, Bellotti R, Belov AA, Bertaina M, Betts M, Biermann P, Bisconti F, Blin-Bondil S, Boezio M, Bowaire AN, Buckland I, Burmistrov L, Burton-Heibges J, Cafagna F, Campana D, Capel F, Caraca J, Caruso R, Casolino M, Cassardo C, Castellina A, Černý K, Conti L, Coretti AG, Cremonini R, Creusot A, Cummings A, Davarpanah S, De Santis C, de la Taille C, Di Giovanni A, Di Salvo A, Ebisuzaki T, Eser J, Fenu F, Ferrarese S, Filippatos G, Finch WW, Fornaro C, Fuglesang C, Galvez Molina P, Garbolino S, Garg D, Gardiol D, Garipov GK, Golzio A, Guépin C, Haungs A, Heibges T, Isgrò F, Iuppa R, Judd EG, Kajino F, Kupari L, Kim SW, Klimov PA, Kreykenbohm I, Krizmanic JF, Lesrel J, Liberatori F, Lima HP, M’sihid E, Mandát D, Manfrin M, Marcelli A, Marcelli L, Marszał W, Masciantonio G, Masone V, Matthews JN, Mayotte E, Meli A, Mese M, Meyer SS, Mignone M, Miller M, Miyamoto H, Montaruli T, Moses J, Munini R, Nathan C, Neronov A, Nicolaidis R, Nonaka T, Mongelli M, Novikov A, Nozzoli F, Ogawa T, Ogio S, Ohmori H, Olinto AV, Onel Y, Osteria G, Panico B, Parizot E, Passeggio G, Paul T, Pech M, Penalo Castillo K, Perfetto F, Perrone L, Petta C, Picozza P, Piotrowski LW, Plebaniak Z, Prévôt G, Przybylak M, Qureshi H, Reali E, Reno MH, Reynaud F, Ricci E, Ricci M, Rivetti A, Saccà G, Sagawa H, Saprykin O, Sarazin F, Saraev RE, Schovánek P, Scotti V, Sharakin SA, Scherini V, Schieler H, Shinozaki K, Schröder F, Sotgiu A, Sparvoli R, Stillwell B, Szabelski J, Takeda M, Takizawa Y, Thomas SB, Torres Saavedra RA, Triggiani R, Trimarelli C, Trofimov DA, Unger M, Venters TM, Venugopal M, Vigorito C, Vrabel M, Wada S, Washington D, Weindl A, Wiencke L, Wilms J, Wissel S, Yashin IV, Zotov MY, Zuccon P (2025)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Publisher: Sissa Medialab Srl

Book Volume: 501

Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings of Science

Event location: Geneva

DOI: 10.22323/1.501.0566

Abstract

The POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) is a NASA mission designed to study Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) and Very-High-Energy Neutrinos (VHENs) from a balloon platform. Serving as a precursor to the planned POEMMA (Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics) satellite mission, PBR will be launched aboard a NASA Super Pressure Balloon for a targeted flight of more than 20 days at an altitude of 33 km. The launch is planned for Spring 2027 from Wanaka, New Zealand. The unique conditions of low pressure and high altitude will enable in-situ observations of High-Altitude Horizontal Air Showers (HAHAs), a poorly understood class of nearly horizontal Extensive Air Showers (EASs) induced by cosmic rays skimming the Earth’s atmosphere without reaching the ground. Due to the lower atmospheric grammage at these altitudes, HAHAs develop more gradually compared to typical downward-going EASs, with interaction lengths on the order of 100 km. This slow development allows balloon-borne instruments to probe the early stages of cosmic ray shower evolution. At these early stages, high-energy electrons and positrons from the electromagnetic component of the shower can generate X-rays and gamma rays via synchrotron radiation. The X-γ detector onboard PBR is designed to measure these photons across a broad energy range. The instrument consists of four sub-detectors, each optimized for different overlapping energy bands: X-ray (10–30 keV), X-γ (30–300 keV), and γ-ray (100–4000 keV, with two detectors). The current design utilizes CsI(Tl)/NaI(Tl) scintillating crystals coupled with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) for photon detection. To suppress background noise, all detectors—except for the X-ray entrance window—are enclosed within an anti-coincidence system composed of plastic scintillators, also read by SiPMs, to reject charged particle events. The X-γ detector is aligned with PBR’s primary instruments—the Fluorescence Camera and the Cherenkov Camera—within a 30^◦ field of view, overlapping with both imaging cameras. It will operate in a triggered mode, with the possibility to receive signals from the other instruments to check for simultaneous events. This contribution will summarize the scientific objectives of the X-γ detector and provide an overview of its design, functionality, and current development status.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Université Paris-Sud France (FR) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Palacky University Olomouc / Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci Czech Republic (CZ) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Germany (DE) Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe (IFPU) Italy (IT) North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University United States (USA) (US) Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA) Italy (IT) University of Chicago United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, MPP) / Max Planck Institute for Physics Germany (DE) Università telematica internazionale Uninettuno Italy (IT) Università degli Studi di Catania Italy (IT) University of Geneva / Université de Genève (UNIGE) Switzerland (CH) University of Utah United States (USA) (US) National Centre for Nuclear Research (früher:Institute of Atomic Energy POLATOM & Andrzej Sołtan Institute for Nuclear Studies) / Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ) Poland (PL) Università degli Studi di Roma 'Tor Vergata' Italy (IT) Riken Institute of Physical and Chemical Research / 理化学研究所 Japan (JP) Colorado School of Mines United States (USA) (US) University of Tokyo Japan (JP) City University of New York (CUNY) United States (USA) (US) University of Delaware (UDEL) United States (USA) (US) Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) Korea, Republic of (KR) Università degli Studi di Trento Italy (IT) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) Gran Sasso Science Institute Italy (IT) Lomonosov Moscow State University / Московский государственный университет имени М.В.Ломоносова Russian Federation (RU) Cardiovascular Research Foundation United States (USA) (US) University of Iowa United States (USA) (US) Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) United States (USA) (US) University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) United States (USA) (US) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR) / Akademie věd České republiky (AVČR) Czech Republic (CZ) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of Warsaw / Uniwersytet Warszawski Poland (PL) Università del Salento Italy (IT) Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Italy (IT) Konan University / 甲南大学 Japan (JP) University of Lodz / Uniwersytet Łódzki Poland (PL) Space Regatta Consortium (SRC) / Консорциум "Космическая регата" Russian Federation (RU) Royal Institute of Technology / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) Sweden (SE) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées France (FR) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences / Akademia Nauk Stosowanych Stefana Batorego Poland (PL)

How to cite

APA:

Abdullahi, M., Abrate, M., Adams, J.H., Allard, D., Alldredge, P., Aloisio, R.,... Zuccon, P. (2025). The X-γ detector onboard the POEMMA-Balloon with Radio payload. In Proceedings of Science. Geneva, CH: Sissa Medialab Srl.

MLA:

Abdullahi, M., et al. "The X-γ detector onboard the POEMMA-Balloon with Radio payload." Proceedings of the 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2025, Geneva Sissa Medialab Srl, 2025.

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