Gamma ray spectroscope for determining a composition of an asteroid or the regolith of the asteroid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162065-B2
Application number	US-201715417659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2017
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed and described herein are embodiments and methods of use of a gamma ray spectroscope. In one aspect the gamma ray spectroscope comprises a scintillator for receiving radiation and a solid-state photomultiplier for detecting and amplifying light emitted by the scintillator in response to the received radiation, wherein an electrical output signal is provided by the photomultiplier that is proportional to the received radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gamma ray spectroscope for use in space, said spectroscope comprising:
a scintillator for transducing gamma radiation into light signals, said scintillator having a light yield of between 65,000 and 85,000 Ph/MeV and said light signals having a peak emission wavelength; and
a solid-state silicon photomultiplier for detecting and amplifying the light signals transduced by the scintillator in response to the received radiation and wherein an electrical output signal is provided by the solid-state silicon photomultiplier that is proportional to one or more wavelengths of the received light signals,
wherein the peak emission wavelength of the light signals are within 15 nm of a wavelength that produces a maximum electrical output signal of the solid-state silicon photomultiplier such that the gamma ray spectroscope consumes three Watts, or less, of electrical power.

2. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator is comprised of a very high light output material.

3. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 2 , wherein the very high light output material comprises Strontium-Iodide doped with Europium.

4. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 1 , wherein the gamma ray spectroscope is used to determine a chemical composition of an asteroid based upon gamma rays emitted by the asteroid's regolith.

5. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 4 , wherein the gamma ray spectroscope is used to determine the chemical composition of the asteroid from a remote location.

6. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 4 , wherein the gamma ray spectroscope is used to determine the chemical composition of the asteroid when placed on the asteroid.

7. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 1 , wherein the gamma ray spectroscope weighs one kilogram or less and has exterior dimensions of 10 cm×10 cm×10 cm, or less and can operate in a temperature range of −5 C to 30 C.

8. The gamma ray spectroscope of claim 1 , wherein the electrical output signal is proportional to an intensity and wavelength of the received radiation.

9. A system for use in space for determining a composition of regolith of an asteroid, said system comprising:
a scintillator comprised of a SrI 2 crystal, wherein the scintillator receives radiation from an asteroid or regolith of the asteroid and emits light signals in proportion to an energy of the received radiation, said light signals having a peak emission wavelength;
a solid-state silicon photomultiplier, wherein the solid state silicon photomultiplier detects and amplifies the light signals emitted by the scintillator in response to the received radiation and provides an electrical output signal that is proportional to one or more wavelengths of the received light signals and wherein the peak emission wavelength of the light signals are within 15 nm of a wavelength that produces a maximum electrical output signal of the solid-state silicon photomultiplier such that the gamma ray spectroscope consumes three Watts, or less, of electrical power;
an amplifier, wherein the amplifier receives the electrical output signal from the photomultiplier and amplifies it;
a spectrum analyzer, wherein the spectrum analyzer receives the amplified electrical output signal form the amplifier and determines a composition of the asteroid or the regolith of the asteroid based on the amplified electrical output signal;
a power supply that provides the electrical power to the solid-state silicon photomultiplier, the amplifier and the spectrum analyzer; and
a CubeSat chassis, wherein the scintillator, the solid-state silicon photomultiplier, the amplifier, the spectrum analyzer and the power supply all fit within the CubeSat chassis.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the system is used to determine the chemical composition of the asteroid or the regolith of the asteroid from a location remote from the asteroid or when placed on the asteroid.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the system weighs one pound or less.

12. A method of determining a composition of regolith of an asteroid using a gamma ray spectroscope in space, said method comprising:
receiving, by a scintillator of the gamma ray spectroscope, radiation from an asteroid or regolith of the asteroid, wherein the scintillator emits light signals in proportion to an energy of the received radiation, said light signals having a peak emission wavelength;
amplifying, by a solid-state silicon photomultiplier of the gamma ray spectroscope, the light signals emitted by the scintillator in response to the received radiation;
providing, by the solid-state silicon photomultiplier, an electrical output signal that is proportional to a wavelength of the received light signals, wherein the peak emission wavelength of the light signals are within 15 nm of a wavelength that produces a maximum electrical output signal of the solid-state silicon photomultiplier such that the gamma ray spectroscope consumes three Watts, or less, of electrical power; and
determining, by an analyzer, a composition of the asteroid or the regolith or the asteroid based on the electrical output signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the scintillator is comprised of a very high light output material.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the very high light output material comprises Strontium-Iodide doped with Europium.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the radiation comprises gamma rays and the method further comprises determining a chemical composition of the asteroid or its regolith from the gamma rays.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the scintillator, solid-state photomultiplier and analyzer are used to determine the chemical composition of the asteroid or its regolith from a location that is remote from the asteroid or from a location that is local to the asteroid.

Assignees

• Univ Vanderbilt

Inventors

• Stassun Keivan
• Burger Arnold

Classifications

• G01T1/2023

  Selection of materials · CPC title

• G01T1/2018 Primary

  Scintillation-photodiode combinations · CPC title

• G01T1/36

  Measuring spectral distribution of X-rays or of nuclear radiation {spectrometry (pulse selection circuits per se H03K; investigation of materials by radiation diffraction G01N23/20; spectrometer tubes H01J49/00)} · CPC title