Cosmic gamma-ray spectrometer with tagged charged particles of Galactic Cosmic Rays

Митрофанов, И. Г.; Санин, А. Б.; Nikiforov, Sergey; Golovin, D. V.; Djachkova, M. V.; Anikin, A. A.; Karpushkina, N. E.; Lisov, Denis; Litvak, M.; Мокроусов, М. И.; Dubasov, P.A.; Zontikov, A. O.; Starr, R.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2019.163148

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Also, a comprehensive programme of numerical simulations of the energy spectra of gamma-rays will be performed for different types of the surface composition. The results of these calculations will be used for identification of detected nuclear lines and for estimation of abundance of corresponding elements in the shallow subsurface (Masarik and Reedy 1996;Mitrofanov et al 2020).…”

Section: Laboratory and Computational Studies To Support Bepicolombo mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rationale for BepiColombo Studies of Mercury’s Surface and Composition

et al. 2020

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BepiColombo has a larger and in many ways more capable suite of instruments relevant for determination of the topographic, physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of Mercury’s surface than the suite carried by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. Moreover, BepiColombo’s data rate is substantially higher. This equips it to confirm, elaborate upon, and go beyond many of MESSENGER’s remarkable achievements. Furthermore, the geometry of BepiColombo’s orbital science campaign, beginning in 2026, will enable it to make uniformly resolved observations of both northern and southern hemispheres. This will offer more detailed and complete imaging and topographic mapping, element mapping with better sensitivity and improved spatial resolution, and totally new mineralogical mapping. We discuss MESSENGER data in the context of preparing for BepiColombo, and describe the contributions that we expect BepiColombo to make towards increased knowledge and understanding of Mercury’s surface and its composition. Much current work, including analysis of analogue materials, is directed towards better preparing ourselves to understand what BepiColombo might reveal. Some of MESSENGER’s more remarkable observations were obtained under unique or extreme conditions. BepiColombo should be able to confirm the validity of these observations and reveal the extent to which they are representative of the planet as a whole. It will also make new observations to clarify geological processes governing and reflecting crustal origin and evolution. We anticipate that the insights gained into Mercury’s geological history and its current space weathering environment will enable us to better understand the relationships of surface chemistry, morphologies and structures with the composition of crustal types, including the nature and mobility of volatile species. This will enable estimation of the composition of the mantle from which the crust was derived, and lead to tighter constraints on models for Mercury’s origin including the nature and original heliocentric distance of the material from which it formed.

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Section: Laboratory and Computational Studies To Support Bepicolombo mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rationale for BepiColombo Studies of Mercury’s Surface and Composition

et al. 2020

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“…Coordinated observations using complementary instruments and techniques will provide detailed information regarding the surface and its composition. In particular, combining information from MIXS with the infrared imaging spectrometer MERTIS (Heisinger et al 2020, this issue), the gamma ray and neutron spectrometer (Mitrofanov et al 2010(Mitrofanov et al , 2020 and the visibleinfrared hyperspectral imager (Cremonese et al 2020, this issue), as well as contextual information from visible cameras and the laser altimeter (Thomas et al 2020, this issue) will yield a far more comprehensive understanding of surface landforms and their history than would be possible from any instrument operating in isolation. Similarly, the MIXS goals relating to precipitation of charged particles to the surface require coordinated observations from multiple instruments to provide a complete picture of the driving processes (the magnetometer - Heyner et al 2020, this issue, SERENA -Orsini et al 2020, this issue, MPPE -Saito et al 2020.…”

Section: Updated Science Goals Post-messengermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently available XRS data from MESSEN-GER have data gaps for some elements (Ca, S, Fe) Denevi et al 2018) and thought to be present in Mercury's 'low reflectance material' (Peplowksi et al 2016). Might also have a role in crustal volatiles * Indicates elements also detectable (at lower spatial resolution) by BepiColombo MGNS (Mitrofanov et al 2010(Mitrofanov et al , 2020.…”

Section: Operation Plansmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BepiColombo's surface compositional data from MIXS and the Mercury Gamma ray and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS; Mitrofanov et al 2010Mitrofanov et al , 2020 are expected to provide a versatile geochemical database on major and minor elements that will constrain the surface regolith, crustal, and mantle processes and reservoirs in new detail. Moreover, MIXS's imaging capability will enable correlation of elemental abundance variations (and their uncertainties) with crustal mineralogy and geological structures detected by other payloads.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The BepiColombo Mercury Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer: Science Goals, Instrument Performance and Operations

et al. 2020

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The Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer is a highly novel instrument that is designed to map Mercury’s elemental composition from orbit at two angular resolutions. By observing the fluorescence X-rays generated when solar-coronal X-rays and charged particles interact with the surface regolith, MIXS will be able to measure the atomic composition of the upper ∼10-20 μm of Mercury’s surface on the day-side. Through precipitating particles on the night-side, MIXS will also determine the dynamic interaction of the planet’s surface with the surrounding space environment. MIXS is composed of two complementary elements: MIXS-C is a collimated instrument which will achieve global coverage at a similar spatial resolution to that achieved (in the northern hemisphere only – i.e. ∼ 50 – 100 km) by MESSENGER; MIXS-T is the first ever X-ray telescope to be sent to another planet and will, during periods of high solar activity (or intense precipitation of charged particles), reveal the X-ray flux from Mercury at better than 10 km resolution. The design, performance, scientific goals and operations plans of the instrument are discussed, including the initial results from commissioning in space.

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