HiZ-GUNDAM is a future satellite mission whose mission concept was approved by ISAS/JAXA, and it is one of the future satellite candidates of JAXA’s competitive medium-class mission. HiZ-GUNDAM will lead time-domain astronomy in 2030s, and its key sciences are (1) exploration of the early universe with high-redshift gamma-ray bursts, and (2) contribution to the multi-messenger astronomy. Two mission payloads are aboard HiZ-GUNDAM to realize these two scientific issues. The wide field X-ray monitors which consist of Lobster Eye optics array and focal imaging sensor, monitor ~0.5 steradian field of view in 0.5–4 keV energy range. The near infrared telescope with an aperture size of 30 cm in diameter performs simultaneous 5-band photometric observation in 0.5–2.5 μm wavelength with Koester’s prism for X-ray transients discovered by Wide Field X-ray Monitor. In this paper, we introduce the mission overview of HiZ-GUNDAM while the information contained herein may change in future studies.
KEYWORDS: Field programmable gate arrays, X-rays, Analog electronics, Power supplies, Image sensors, Analog to digital converters, CMOS sensors, X-ray imaging, Satellites, Charge-coupled devices
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous explosions in the universe, emitting energy on the order of 1052 to 1054 erg over several tens of milliseconds to a few hundred seconds. HiZ-GUNDAM is a future satellite mission designed to explore the early universe using GRBs as probes. It utilizes a wide-field X-ray monitor consisting of Lobster Eye Optics (LEO) and focal image sensors, which detect and determine the direction of GRBs. Two candidates for the focal plane detector are CMOS image sensors and pnCCD image sensors. In the past, we developed the CAPREO FPGA board for the high-speed readout and X-ray event extraction of CMOS image sensors. Currently, we are developing the drive and readout system for the pnCCD, the another candidate. PNSensor’s pnCCD detector, which features a fast readout, large area, and high sensitivity, meets the mission requirements, including an imaging area of 55 mm × 55 mm or larger, a frame rate of at least 10 fps, and a pixel size of approximately 100 μm. The pnCCD drive and readout system requires functions for generating the drive signals for the pnCCD and for AD conversion of the analog signals from the pnCCD. The CAPREO FPGA system can be adapted for high-speed readout and X-ray event extraction. To implement these functions, we developed the PHI driver board to generate charge transfer signals for the pnCCD, the ADC board to convert analog signals from the pnCCD, and a power supply board to power this system. In this paper, we first provide an overview of HiZ-GUNDAM and the mission requirements for the focal plane detector, followed by an introduction to the functions of the three electronic boards we developed.
HiZ-GUNDAM is a future satellite mission for gamma-ray burst observations. One of the mission instruments is the wide-field X-ray monitor with a field of view (FoV) of 0.5 steradian at 0.4 to 4.0 keV, consisting of Lobster Eye Optics (LEO) and focal-imaging pixel sensors. LEOs need to be spatially well-aligned to achieve both a wide FoV and fine accuracy in determining the location of X-ray transients. An alignment method is being investigated with visible light and shape measurements. We developed a titanium frame for positioning two LEO segments and estimated visible light on LEOs. We will report development of the alignment method.
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